On Sunday, October 20, 2013 11:56:30 AM UTC-4, wrote:
Excellent! Thanks so much for the wisdom. They should make this post a "sticky" or something for folks buying a first-time XC glider. I do have time in our glass ship the PW-6 (two seat version of "world class" PW-5). And I LOVE it. I was hoping to get checked out in our PW-5 before the season ends, but that may not happen due to old man winter stealing our fun. However, I'll be spending a week in Estrella in November just flying everything they will let me. Also, a big reason for wanting my own ship is so I *can* take it to places like Ephrata, Wanatchee, and Northern Cali. I'll update as I go through the purchase process...

The "latest" ships like the V2, '27, D2, '28 provide one significant benefit relative to the '20, '24, Discus etc. That is that they have newer gelcoat.