Chaps,

Recently started doing the RYA Level 1 sailing course having not sailed for 25+ years and wondering what the latest dinghy recommendations are.

Requirements as follows:

1) should be able to sail solo or dual

2) must be capable of going reasonably quickly if I sail with others ie being a bit of a laugh

3) must be fairly stable as I intend to take the boys out (aged 5 and 7 at the mo, though I intend to go solo or with experienced crew for 6+ months before taking Level 2) before they come out with me).

4) Must be cheap

For the moment and foreseeable future it'll be on local reservoir.

I reckon no such boat exists, so compromise suggestions welcome

Last thing, I'm back on here Sunday as I'm out for the weekend, so I'll thank you in advance for your comments!

One friend suggested a Hobie Cat 16

Happy arguing

ATB

Simon

PS And yes, this is in addition to building a motorboat!

Years ago I used to race the Enterprise dinghy, one of the best all round boats you can find. There are still quite a few about, (may even still be built), and if you want to do a bit of work, can be picked up very cheaply. They are quite quick, fairly stable, and you can even do a bit of camping in them. I loved mine, sail no. (if I remember correctly) was 68, and if you look up when they were first built, that will give you an idea when I used to race it, :-) Cheers Ray

dinghy and stable, it just doesn't happen.

However if you want a little racing and carry the boys as well try;

Laser 2000

Topper do a family boat

or a topper, great fun,light enought to carry around and maintenance free!

its gonna depend on your budget, The lasers and larger toppers are great boats but quite expensive as they hold their value really well, an enterprise is still a geat user friendly dingy with nice styling and you can get them for very little money but they wont be as quick as a more modern design.
good luck and have fun whatever you choose.

I agree with the Laser 2000.
I bought one shortly after they came out after I did the level 2 course.
I had raced windsurf boards before having to pack in.

The positive points regarding your situation are:
It can be used as a family boat, four of us went in it at the demo day.
It has 2 ledges for sitting on which makes it suitable for light winds / worried youngsters.
It's 'fairly' stable but does tend to fully turtle when it rolls if you don't catch it in time. A mast top floatation aid helps stop this.
Furling jib, which makes life a lot easier getting it back on the beach with a strong onshore wind.
It can take you from starter to racing, there are now a lot around and have an active racing scene to cover all skill levels.
It has an assymetric genneker when your ready which makes going downwind a tad more interesting.
The build quality was good and it didn't need much maintenance, unlike some of the wooden boats.
It can be sailed single handed, although you don't always get a result if the race organiser spots you.

I swapped it for an RS400 after we got fed up of being in the handicap fleet.

If your interested in taking up racing, which can be good to get your kids into, it would be worth looking at what is being raced at your local club as this could influence your choice.

HTH

Cheers,
Colin

Having sailed and raced catarmarans for more years than I care to admit to, I would also go with the idea of a cat.

Hobie 16's are very strong and can take a lot of abuse but can be a bit of a bitch to sail. There are (IMHO) better cats out there for your application.

I would recomend an older Dart 15 (Spark) or 18 as they can be found quite cheaply. They are very stable for training but can really fly when confidence grows. hell of a lot quicker than a monohull.

Advantages are that you can dump the sail and it will sit quite comfortably with no risk of capsizing and is great for taking the kids out.

Started racing with my son when he was 10 on a Dart 18. Had a great few years doing that till he got a Dart 15 of his own at age 13.

Regards

Mike

I agree with MikeS - Hobby 16's are overpowered in anything over about 15 knots of wind and take skilled handling - try one of the other Cats or a Hobby 14 with Jib for 2 handed sailing.

laser 2000

i dont think it makes much difference myself, i learnt in something similar to a laser, based on it infact IIRC, but undoubtedly cheaper being a copy. If you get the bug you'll end up swapping in a few years anyway!

If i were buying a small sailing boat id definately want something that was unsinkable, cos as far as im concerned if you dont capsize then you arent trying properly. Hence id get one of the ones thats more like a moulded float (im crap with names sadly).

I did level 2 and 3 and then powerboat 2. Then the day skipper courses, where we sailed to france! Was awesome fun.

I have an Enterprise, only cost £350 and that was with a good galvanized trailer as well, even had new tyres, so cheap for a boat that only really needed a new coat of paint as its GRP. Not too sure about my JCB yellow choice in colour a bit bright, my sister says it looks like a lifeboat I think it’s a safe colour as the sails are blue…

Another vote for an Enterprise. Had 2 and loved them both.

A great family boat, quite stable but also a very competitive racing fleet. Small jib is good for kids and large main means the go well off wind. Only downside is no spinnaker but the Aussies (crazy guys) put them on so you can if you want. Also nice & light to handle out of the water.

GRP ones can be had pretty cheap £500-750 if maintenence is an issue. A decent racing machine will cost anywhere from £1,000-£6,500. Always plenty around.

Cats are good fun but not as cheap and a more of a pain to transport. I wanted a Dart18 but too much wonga.

Modern plastic boats Laser/Topper/Pico/Comet etc have no soul IMHO but each to his own.

I have a 20 yr old Merlin Rocket that goes like stink and looks a million $$$$. 7'2" wide though so not garage friendly.

I used to build the Darts when I first left college so I can vouch for the fun factor.
For real thrills the one to get is the 20 foot TSX, OMG it goes like hell if you just fart in its general direction!

I've got a fibreglass wayfarer for sale if your interested on a brand new combi trailer. For single handed fun I have a topper blaze X, but not really big enough to fit an etheopian dwarf on aswell as myself. Not sure if its your thing, but a dart 18 sounds like it would suit you well. Easy to sail single handed, and just as good 2 or even 3 up. Me and my stepdad sail a nacra f18 as he was getting a bit old for the 49er. The f18 is a super boat, but not really single handed.

Ill vouch for the laser 2000, or the RS Vision.

Problem you might have with a catamaran is that your local club wont allow them as they are too fast and have too large a turning circle. Also for kids as young as yours you will probably struggle to sail it.

quote:

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Originally posted by Tim 45
Ill vouch for the laser 2000, or the RS Vision.

Problem you might have with a catamaran is that your local club wont allow them as they are too fast and have too large a turning circle. Also for kids as young as yours you will probably struggle to sail it.

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Yeah I remember the Fireball, I went out on one with a mate once around Plymouth sound, you don't sail it so much as just hang on!

too true about turning a cat, i found if you didnt have enough speed it wouldnt get far enough round to backfill the jib! I spent an embarrasing amount of time paddling it round, rather close to reefs!

Bloody quick once it got going though

[Edited on 27/6/08 by JoelP]

If you really want stability, and a bit of comfort, and not too slow either, try one like this. My last boat, 33' Moody Mk1


Description

Cheers chaps, would've replied last night but got to Boulogne only to find our SeaCat was running on three of four engines and had been most of the day, so didn't get in till gone midnight, then unloading etc etc....

Anyway, Enterprise looks promising (through popularity) though no probs with Cats at local club (seen them there).

A used to crew on a friends Fireball which was a laugh - especially blatting across the res on the trapeze, till it snapped, and I got a good dunking

I think my main prioirity at the mo will be budget (though want to buy something that I can use rather than restore) - gotta keep swmbo happy.

ATB

Simon