After a Topper

Oh also as i have experienced all the boats i would recommend the 420 over the 500 if you were going to sail a 2 person boat and Radial over the lot. When i sailed 420s i thought they were the best but even when i sailed the radial for the first time i instantly loved it (that was in a F6 gusting F7 so was very fast as I'm 50kgs). I do prefer the laser and it has improved my sailing skills enormously in the 3 months Ive had it. I really like it and now I'm selling the 420 because i dont have the time to sail it....plus lasers are a hell of a lot cheaper for a decent one than 420s.

But at the end of the day the choice is yours.

At 55 Kgs I would go for the Radial rather than the 4.7. I went to my first international events at 55 Kgs...

Yeah the 420s are good boats if you want a trapeze boat and they can range from £1000 - £6000 depending on age etc etc...About the 4.7 thing i was talking about the circuit, 16 is the age where most people will move onto the radial or even younger, i think for the 4.7 the weight range is 50 - 60kgs and radial is 60 - 70 kgs or around those marks. At my club there are only 14 and 15 year olds in the 4.7s, then 15 and 16 are in radials or even standards.