i've read a lot but not sailed either boat and it seems to me that prindle would be the easiest boat to sail fast for the beginner but the hobie would ultimately be faster for an experienced hobie sailor

the difference appears to be in the hobie's small banana hulls and huge sail. the small volume and pronounced rocker mean skipper and crews positioning is very important for good hobie handling. have your weight in a less than ideal place at the wrong time and the boat will not go fast or turn well. go too far foward and risk a pitch-pole. live on the rear beam in fear of pitch-poles and the wind will eventually get under the tramp and flip it backwards instead

things like positioning are very very difficult to teach by the numbers, you have to sail a lot and develop a "sense" for what's going on. but once you develop that sense you can start to make that huge sail work for you and get speeds out of the boat that can embarrass even 18foot boats in the hands of people with less time on the water

so go the prindle if you want an easier sail

the fact that you are even asking between the 2 means that you can get over the "looks" difference;o)