New boat choice

Hi Folks

I'm interested in all your thoughts as to whether to sell my L4K and get a faster boat. Background info:-

I've owned and raced an Ent, Merlins, lasers, RS600, RS400, RS200, L4K. and raced RS800 and recently inter 20's. I sail with my partner who has some sailing crewing experience mostly in our L4K which we have had for 14 months now. We mostly coastal windsurf on boards ranging from formula to bump and jump wave kit down in Plymouth. I weigh about 85kg and partner 75kg ish.

However i'm getting a little 'dare i say it' bored with the speed of the L4K and tired of the weight of the whole boat. We bought the boat as an introduction to the dinghy sailing scene for both of us. We havn't done any racing in it as there appears to be very little we can slot into in Plymouth, and also we rarely have time in the summer evening due to work commitments and weekends seem also to be taken up with windsurfing when it's windy. However given the right incentive we may dip into racing again. We only really want to sail the boat when it's below 10knts when the other kit's not working that well. The L4k only seems to be exciting when the winds 15+kts. Our teenage children seem to enjoy the boat but aren't really commited to it and don't really pester us to go out in it. They enjoy trapezing and the thrill factor - best when go out on Inter 20 - which is a little scary at times, but i've got a feeling that boat which is owned by father in law may be sold next year.

Unfortunately, i've recently had a meniscus tear in my knee which required arthroscopy and was cut out, so i'm a little worried about my future in sailing. Legs a little stiff at the mo, but intend to build fitness and mobility back up over winter by rowing and cycling.

So my thoughts are -

Move to a B14 - cheap, v good value for money, thrilling ride, new experience, but maybe requires higher crew skill factor with no chute. How much pressure on the knees would it be vs L4K and RS800? Is it fun and easy to sail with novice teenagers below 10knts?

Move to a RS 800, more expensive, twin wire,thrilling ride but maybe less control for helm to enable to teach partner / teenagers. Don't really want to always crash and burn. Is there more pressure on your knee joint than sitting out- thinking about marginal trapezing weather here?

Don't really want to move to cat sailing as i don't like pulling all the weight up and down the slipway - the pulling and twisting kills my knees - and i like the feel of a lightweight hull dancing across the water, not driving a tank.

So is it a good time to wave goodbye to the L4K or keep it for another year?

im also down in plymouth sailng a fireball from mountbatten. id be tempted by a RS800, theres a few down here, and they seem to hold their value around 3500, also not as difficult as they look. Or have you considered a L5000 or a boss, very cheap and much faster than your 4k. With cats, the cost of storage at mountbatten is 300+ per year. compared to our fireball which is about 150 i think

My 2 pence on the B14... They are superb value for money and a highly competitive one can be picked up for cheap.  Sub 10 knots they are still quick, as the chute is huge (29 sq/m) and there is plenty for the crew to do.  In sub 15 knots there isn't much to dropping the kite, it looks daunting but isn't.  Only when it blows hard can it be all on for the crew but even then it rarely goes wrong if you have the systems set up correctly. 

Taking out younger ones is possible, the B14 has a huge crew weight range (of about 20 stone to up to around 26).  In the light you would get away with 18-20.  They aren't hard on the knees as you can straight leg hike very easily.  Get some hikers and they are very comfortable to hike on.  The crew does have a bit to do as there is no self tacker, no chute and she's generally rather lively but they make the man - why bother crewing an 800 if all you are doing is pulling lines and hanging off a wire?  In the B14, the crew makes a huge difference to speed and the team work is hugely rewarding.  I reckon there isn't another boat where the crew can make such a difference (bar the 18ft Skiff). 

PM me if you have more questions, I can point you in the direction of the best boats or to arrange a test sail. 

I had the same opp 2 years ago after 17 years of dislocations before my knee gave up completely! I wouldn't worry too much,my knee is the best it's ever been and "almost" never gives me any trouble. I always wear a knee brace when sailing though and I have only ever trapezed(4000's 5000's and 49ers).

I sailed 4k's when I first started out in sailing and it's a great boat, but I'm not sure what boats are good under 10 knots, the 49er is "fully" powered up in 8 knots,but not sure how you'd feel about them.The 5000 is a great boat BUT really heavy! Can't say about B14's because I've never sailed them but they do look good, again I'd say you'd soon get bored if your only sailing them under 10knots.