RS800 or i14?

Yes it makes bearaway and windy downwind in general far safer, and it makes the boat 2kts faster upwind to boot.
Like any proper skiff you can't beam reach in 15kts plus though :-).

I've only sailed a 49er once and with a top class crew.
It was before I had done much 14ing too.
I've done a bit of 800ing, again before 14ing.
14 and 49er more "amplified" than 800 but in different ways.
Not sailed a 600.
My comparison is that the 49er is a much bigger wider boat, with only a little more sail.
You can get the boat comfortable after a tack or gybe more easily as you are already 4.5ft off centre and the 14 only 3ft off centreline on a wobblier boat. So you'd think the 14 harder, but helm can pretty much go across like he would in an ent or something in the 14, Esp if crew is good. Go out on wire in a leisurely fashion. On the 49er you have to move 9ft on your feet whilst steering smoothly at pace.
Plus on the 14 you have the foil to keep the bow up downwind.
It's six of one and half dozen of the other, but plenty guys in 50s and some even in 60s sailing 14s, so one can take from that perhaps that you can get away without agility or athleticism if you steer right and ideally have a good / agile crew. If you do the wrong thing at the wrong time in either when windy they can rip your face off. But good practice is well known and easy to understand.

Complexity depends on previous owners taste.
You can always take stuff off! Like getafix says you don't have to pull strings either.
Nobody really adjusts anything apart from sheets cunno vang foil while racing. Tbh current double world champ doesn't even adjust cunno and vang during race apparently!
Maybe if it's 2h long pow race and it drops f5 to f2 some people may adjust stuff if they have the wherewithal. Even then you'd have to be sure the string pulling would be worth losing 20 boat lengths!
Apparently world champ 14 beats squad level 4 9ers windward leeward from 6 kts up to 12 or 15 kts tws, above which the extra 3ft beam of the 49er starts to win out. Not sure in light airs as foil on i14 won be as effective downspeed.

Originally posted by dohertpk Thanks for the replies all. I have access to a 9er but it's not ours and I can't really sail it as regularly as I'd like. Daniel, is it possible to get 14s without a maze of control lines? I'm not really one for the infinitely adjustable rig and would prefer a 'plug and play' layout as much as possible.

IMO don't worry about the adjustable rigging, there is nothing stopping you simply cleating that stuff in one position until you have enough hands and brain-cycles free to think about adjusting them and, at that point, you will be glad you didn't strip it all off.

Don't you already have a twin-wire skiff - 49'er ?