Choosing a new dinghy

It's probably worth remembering that owners are often absurdly loyal (and make exaggerated claims) about their current dinghies, in spite of having switched allegiance many times.

Also worth drawing the fairly clear distinction between many excellent dinghies designed over 50 years ago, often with high, narrow side-decks and a large open cockpit volume (which floods quickly if the boat is swamped) - versus more recent, lower, sleeker, lighter, decked-in designs which weren't based on traditional open boats, and only had to sail fast.

Depends what you want...personally I like the space & dry stowage and presence that bigger, older dinghies have. Lots of racers only want speed, so they choose skiffs; but it's surprising how quick the old designs can be despite still recognisably being boats, unlike extreme machines like the modern International 14 - which looks more like a dust-pan...

View attachment 41368
 
Absolutely - I agree about preferring larger, older dinghies over speed-machines like the I14 as you say.. and maybe that's part of the reason I don't like the Laser all that much.

I'm quite surprised that there aren't more spacious single-handers out there. With double handers there are all sorts of spacious boats (a lot of them daysailers, admittedly) like the Wayf and the GP14. But for single-handers the biggest/ most spacious boat I could find (with one sail, that is) would be something like the Finn, and that's for heavyweights. Most singlehanders nowadays seem to be completely speed-focussed, and that's all well and good for when you want to race, but they sacrifice comfort and the ability to take stowage - something that I find myself needing about once a month when I go for a long trip up the river, or when I go sailing in the Wash. Sure, I could get a double hander like the Firefly or the Grad, but my lack of experience sailing a boat with more than a mainsail on my own prevents me.
 
Hmm. Don't be scared off by the jib. I fitted a roller for mine, so I can get rid of the headsail in about five seconds if a situation is looking tricky...and pull it out again just as fast.

The jib on many small two-handed dinghies adds up to less sail overall, than the single massive mainsail provides on bigger singlehanders...I've even sailed several miles at a time under jib alone, when it was windy. The jib - and eventually the spinnaker - add flexibility, which is definitely good. Most boats with two sails can be sailed with only one.
 
O_long,

Dan is right, don't be put off by the jib at all; in fact it makes life a lot easier, as it's there to push the bows round as much as required, I found a Topper in a strong wind much harder to tack than Scorpion or Osprey when I singlehanded those...

Just remember a Firefly or similar can allow travel with a picnic and girlfriend, maybe camping too; at your age that should clinch it ! :)
 
So, if you're river sailing, and you want a "hoist and go" Wednesday evening single-hander that doesn't tip you in or get you too wet, and something traditional (not a plastic floating soap dish), and you weigh 50Kg, then I would say that your list is:-

Solo
Ok
Phantom (old wooden one)

In that order.

You are very light for the Phantom, but will be v.quick in sub-8kts Wednesday drifters, but will get wiped-out in anything over about 15kts. The OK is an interesting boat, but not to everyone's taste. So-slows are very common and go surprisingly well.

Best of luck.
 
I learnt to sail in an Enterprise with the Sea Scouts in the early 60's & one of the leaders had a Firefly which we all coveted. I still think that a varnished one is a beautiful sight & single-handing one would not be hard plus it is an ideal boat for picnics with a young lady too.

Dan is right, traditional looking boats generally have small jibs on a 3/4 rig so are not hard to manage at all. If you really are serious about "up river" trips, look out for something that can be rowed as well as sailed as this will allow you to make a bend against wind & current that you might struggle with just under sail.

Adding rowlocks to my GP14 is on my summer job list as she is sailed on lakes where the wind may die away of an evening while still some distance from the trailer.
 
OK off the wall now, the up river adventures and wash adventures explain a certain amount of your thinking.

One idea for you a Heron. Not fast but ideal for your up river adventures dry, has jib but that's not a worry. gaff rigged for easy towing & storage. You could even sleep over in it I guess? Could easily go 2 up, plastic ones available.

Then a Graduate is quite a bit quicker...


I would avoid firefly if you want to play at cruising, as they are a bit tippy for that...

This list gives a good choice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_boats_with_RYA_Portsmouth_Numbers
 
OK off the wall now, the up river adventures and wash adventures explain a certain amount of your thinking.

One idea for you a Heron. Not fast but ideal for your up river adventures dry, has jib but that's not a worry. gaff rigged for easy towing & storage. You could even sleep over in it I guess? Could easily go 2 up, plastic ones available.

Then a Graduate is quite a bit quicker...


I would avoid firefly if you want to play at cruising, as they are a bit tippy for that...

This list gives a good choice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_boats_with_RYA_Portsmouth_Numbers
 
Can't beat a mirror. Nice an safe but in a good blow loads of fun. Will teach you how to sail with two sails and then three when you've learned a bit. They're hard to break. Cheap and real good fun
 
I must check if the Firefly is still in possession of one of the club members and try to get a test sail. Like I said, he didn't like it but that may be due to his weight and superior skill rather than the boat itself.

I'm perplexed about how small the cockpit is on an OK! You'd better be pretty agile to manoeuvre around in that, especially with the low boom.. In any case, seems like a Solo is the way to go. It's just about fast enough while still being dry, and if I can get a cheap wooden one then it can be renovated to fund the next boat! :)
 
Pretty sure the OK's tiny cockpit was intended to reduce flooding after capsize. No good for sailing with a friend, and after 50 years, there aren't that many. Great looking, though...

View attachment 41404

...and they really seem to fizz in a breeze (some good footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_kh_1gZRJc ). I think the design was meant as a trainer for the Olympic Finn.

The Finn has been around even longer - and what d'you suppose the Olympic singlehander was, before the Finn, in 1948? Yep - the Firefly. Probably it wasn't the best possible boat for that level of competition, but it sufficed and it's still a versatile, pretty boat today. If Owen's sailing club friend didn't like his Firefly, he might let it go for not much cash.

But...not that fast. The same part of me that bought a fast dinghy which is much too big for me, wants to suggest the 420 for Owen. I've seen kids singlehand them on trapeze, and of course it's a hugely popular racing class for two crew. Not particularly suited to use on a river perhaps, but a terrific trainer for long-term dinghy-sailing proficiency. And exciting...

 
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Hmm,

I've never been into 420's, very much a girls' boat IMO !

Herons are lovely but too slow for Owen and way too heavy.

I still think a Firefly would be a great boat for the purpose, and one to look back on very fondly in future years...

As an outsider, how about a Miracle ?

Singlehanding I'd still keep the jib on, though it's supposed to go solo with the mast in the forward step and just the main.

A very versatile boat, reasonably light and they go very cheap.

Then again what about a Scorpion ?

A thing of great beauty with the potential to cover a lot of the OP's developing skills; singlehandleable in light airs, and she'd go like a witch then !

Might be attractive enough to get crew volunteering for racing too ? Also good value.
 
I must formally warn Owen that I listened to Seajet's recommendations, and ended up with an Osprey...

...17ft 6in long, originally designed for a 3-man crew, powerful enough to be scary on occasion...thanks Andy!! :rolleyes:

(I'm in love with that boat)...I had fancied the easily-handled Europe, but now I'm glad I went for the biggest boat I could afford.

The Scorpion certainly looks great. Makes me think of a two-man Solo.
 
O_Long said:
I must check if the Firefly is still in possession of one of the club members and try to get a test sail. Like I said, he didn't like it but that may be due to his weight and superior skill rather than the boat itself.

I'm perplexed about how small the cockpit is on an OK! You'd better be pretty agile to manoeuvre around in that, especially with the low boom.. In any case, seems like a Solo is the way to go. It's just about fast enough while still being dry, and if I can get a cheap wooden one then it can be renovated to fund the next boat! :)
Click to expand...

You really do need to try a few before deciding what you want. Try visiting different clubs & crewing on different boats for a while.

Someone will let you try their boat on your own, or at least let you sail it yourself with them as a passenger "just in case". You will also come across more different boats (& classes) for sale. My personal view is look for a cheapo bargain for your first boat so you can sell it on with least losses (or even possibly a gain) when you have a clearer idea of what you really want.

Good luck & don't forget to keep us informed of your adventures!
 
Please all, do bear in mind that he wants to race, and for most double-handers there is no "single-handed" PY, and the likelyhood is that the club won't give you a result.

He also only weighs 50Kg (about the same as my left foot).
 
dancrane said:
I must formally warn Owen that I listened to Seajet's recommendations, and ended up with an Osprey...

...17ft 6in long, originally designed for a 3-man crew, powerful enough to be scary on occasion...thanks Andy!! :rolleyes:

(I'm in love with that boat)...I had fancied the easily-handled Europe, but now I'm glad I went for the biggest boat I could afford.

The Scorpion certainly looks great. Makes me think of a two-man Solo.
Click to expand...

The scorpion is a beautiful boat. Bit fast for single handing though in anything like a breeze
 
Haha, yes, I am a little on the light side.. my other boating hobby is rowing, and being a coxswain I need to keep the weight down - otherwise probably I'd pile on the pounds and get a Finn! ;)

Looked at the Miracle for when I still had a crew - though I didn't know the mast moved forward, I thought that was only with the smaller Mirrors. That's certainly something to look at, since I could alternate between both sails and just using the main depending on the conditions.

I've sailed the club's Scorpion before - a truly terrifying experience due to the very high wind speeds! I'd love to sail it again, though perhaps not every week.
 
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I realise you are using the term freely, but sailing dinghies aren't terrifying as the great thing is, one can hammer the thing flat out in silly conditions, get totally wiped out then just get wet, pull it upright and carry on; try that with racing cars, where there's probably less sensation of speed but very different consequences !

The only dinghy which really worried me was my Dart 18 - very fragile, and I was told that a big capsize could break the full length battens - very expensive, and I'm half Scottish so that was a real dampener...:)

Thinking about ' terrifying in dinghies ' though, I remember a guy in an International Canoe flashing past on a windy day, his yell / scream honestly had a doppler effect rising and falling as he came and went, doing a good impression of an Exocet...
 
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Owen,

have a look here; to be honest I think there's a bit of bravado BS talking about ideal crew combined weights being 17-24 stone, that must be in a gale !

I'm 13 and a bit stone and feel I could easily handle one solo, in fact would probably be too heavy a lot of the time; as for racing, well it's a good excuse to ask girls along to crew...

http://www.fireflysailing.org.uk/page/page.php?editorial_id=32
 
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