Dinghy Advice for a newbie

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fondriest

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Hi all,

Apologies if this kind of thing gets asked all the time but I don't know what kind of dinghy to look for.

The facts
47 years old
6 ft 1
78 kg Fit but not overly flexible in the back area due to a slipped disc 3 years ago. (all seems well now)

I am looking for something pretty basic to learn in. Ideally, it would be car toppable but I could do the trailer route if required.

Any advice on what to look at would be really appreciated. I have been thinking about Toppers ;

Toppers ( Am I too big?)
Picos ( Same question!)
Laser 1s (Too racy for a beginner?)

I would consider anything else!
 
Toppers ( Am I too big?) Yes, kiddy and small adults boat
Picos ( Same question!) Good for adults, bomb proof, great teaching boat.
Laser 1s (Too racy for a beginner?) Probably and a lot of work to start with

There are a plethora of other boats available. best to see if you have a local club / centre that you could go and have a look round to see what is available as you are far better to try before you buy.
 
ctva said:
Toppers ( Am I too big?) Yes, kiddy and small adults boat
Picos ( Same question!) Good for adults, bomb proof, great teaching boat.
Laser 1s (Too racy for a beginner?) Probably and a lot of work to start with

There are a plethora of other boats available. best to see if you have a local club / centre that you could go and have a look round to see what is available as you are far better to try before you buy.
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Thanks for the reply, much appreciated!
The centres and clubs round my way ( The Lake District) are all being very careful due to covid so I won't be able to take anything out for a texst drive. I can hire a laser or a topper topaz but they dont seem to b potential purchases...I shall have a look at Picos online.
Thanks again!
 
Laser for complete beginner = plenty of fun and plenty of swimming over 12 knots true. Great fun and throws learning opportunities in yer face...BUT do be aware that after half a dozen capsizes you may start being pretty tired. If you are VERY fit, like a triathlete or whatever, it'll be fine. if you are fit like "well, I jog three miles twice a week" then all those capsizes will seriously wear you out and (depending on local safety cover and shelter) could be dangerous.

You could instead start with something more stable like a Wayfarer or Wanderer. The latter is a little smaller and I reckon would be nice to singlehand,or take one of the kids. Comet / Duo are also good I understand.

That said, the Laser is a great boat once you have a little basic skill, such that you don't capsize ALL the time. It's fast and rewarding; if that's what you hanker for go for it, and don't waste money buying an "L-plate boat" that soon starts to bore you. Consider (1) restricting wind strength to below 12 knots or so until you get the hang and (2) via a school or club, getting some sessions of instruction in a double-hander.

It's not everyone's cup of tea on this forum, but a bit of club racing helps no end. If you find a club with a handful of Lasers, someone will soon show you some good tips to "keep the aluminium above the plastic".

I sailed a Laser throughout my teenage years, quite seriously. Tacking/gybing with the rudder tied centrally, up to Force5, under the care of the wonderful Cathy Foster, left me in good stead for all subsequent sailing adventures on boats big and small.
 
I transported our Pico on the car roof once. It takes two good strong men to get it up there and back down again. Don't think you can do it alone. I also had to lengthen my roof bars to accommodate it. The job made harder by having to also carry the launching trolley on top of the upturned boat.

FAR easier to trailer it, that you can do single handed.
 
As an RYA instructor and reading your post and limits the three boats you mention are all great boats but I would say are not suitable for you
You need to be looking for something larger and user friendly like a Solo, GP14, Miracle size all of which will need a road trailer.
Agree with others join a club and try different dinghies 'before buying' as what you think 'Looks nice' may not be what you actually like after trying it,
Also with your back problem you should look carefully which is the easiest for getting back aboard after a capsize
Good luck
 
I relearned at the age of 52, I wasn't very flexible after years behind a desk, am 6ft and I left 78kg behind a long time ago :(

I was taught in a wayfarer and at the time that was a reasonable struggle to stay below the boom when tacking. After much practice and exercise I got flexible enough to cope with that. Once taught I took out lasers and picos, I still have to remember to really get my head down on the laser.

If you are teaching yourself the wayfarer is a lot more forgiving, you will spend more time in the water in the others until you get proficient.

The most comfortable and fun boat that I really enjoyed was a laser Stratos. Big comfortable sides for my big bum, stable, high boom easy to duck under and great fun. Trouble is it is very heavy and could really use a vehicle to deploy the launching trolley, car toppable it ain't. I nearly cried though when I found the centre I sailed with had sold it.
 
Toppers are getting quite old now and sme split near the mast base, fixable, but can be a suprise bill.

Not sailed a Pico so cant advise.

Laser plenty of unloved ones out there and there are several rig sizes available so you can increase sail area as you improve. If you get good enough ,when you capsize you can leap on the centreboard and leap back without getting wet, I did it in a race on the basis i didnt have time to go swimming. It is car toppable but really a helping hand there is favourite.

Wayfarer, nice stable boat to learn in, however it is a heavy beast out of the water which is why we got rid of ours, both bad backs and you really will want to be 2 up in that.

Wanderer nice boat smaller than wayfarer but again will be heavy ashore and a 2 hander really.
 
How about a Solo? Nice boat, no vices and generally a sit in boat rather than a sit on boat like a Laser. We have club members who sail them into their 80s, but the Solo PY handicap is surprisingly close to a Laser which is much harder work.
 
Just to throw another option into the list, we had a Graduate for a while. Cheap as chips, pretty light and a lot of fun. Might be a bit cramped for a 6ftr though.
We still have both a Wanderer and a Wayfarer. Great little sea boats, but you pay the price with the weight. We got the Wanderer because we found the Wayfarer just a bit too big for us and it was tiring to sail it flat in strong conditions. If you are definitely going to be singlehanding I would not put a Wayfarer at the top of the list unless you are into dinghy cruising.
 
ProDave said:
I transported our Pico on the car roof once. It takes two good strong men to get it up there and back down again. Don't think you can do it alone. I also had to lengthen my roof bars to accommodate it. The job made harder by having to also carry the launching trolley on top of the upturned boat.

FAR easier to trailer it, that you can do single handed.
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My daughter had a Pico for a very short while, By heck it was heavy! 3 of us struggled to get it on a car roof. Not very rewarding to sail either.
 
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If you get a laser and feeling nervous you can always buy the smaller rig. When I sailed a few years ago not being 15stone in any breeze I always asked for the smaller rig and made for a far pleasanter experience than spilling wind. Avoid the topppers and pico if you can and have a look at RS fevers or such like . A lot depends on where you keep and launching though so speak to locals at your dingy park of choice as a starter.
 
I'm surprised no one's mentioned a Mirror yet. It's an old design, but stable and forgiving, albeit not the fastest around. I'd say it's a good learners' boat, and there are plenty around for not a lot of money - just watch out for rot.
 
I'm a Mirror fan and at the ripe old age of 75, I take one out solo for a spin around the sheltered creeks here.

A couple of weeks ago I had a bit of a surprise - my first capsize in about 40 years. I still don't know exactly how it happened. I got the boat upright easily enough but clambering back onboard was another question.

I was brought up on dinghies that flooded when capsized and you can easily get over the transom which is then mainly underwater. Because of the fantastic buoyancy of the Mirror, it didn't have a drop of water in it and hence the transom was too high for me to get back in unaided.
 
The OP could do a lot worse than a Laser.
The smaller 'radial' rig option is a good idea, you can often pick up a boat with both.
If you don't immediately want to be sailing in strong wond, they are not that difficult.
They are a bit of a lump to car top. With the spars, it's not easy on a standard roof rack.
But if you find a club with Lasers, there's maybe someone with a trailer.
The great thing about lasers is that you can buy one in working order for under a grand, enjoy it for a couple of years and then sell it for a bit lessthan it's cost you. Most other classes, values are a bit vague and you can lose a bigger %age or find things very slow to sell.

But where do you intend to sail?
For a beginner, I would suggest a club with a safety boat on the water is a good option.
If you want to go out alone with no support, then something more 'cruisy' like a Gull/Wanderer/Graduate...
Or maybe one of the smaller catamarans, or even a windsurfer.

This year is pretty much a write off I think. A lot of clubs hope to do a bit more in the Autumn.
Quite a lot of clubs have the odd boat for members' use, I'd suggest a chat with a few in your area.
 
Having started sailing in a mirror and still having one garaged on the iow it’s certainly a cheaper option to entertain although having sailed a grip version I would steer clear of the fireball. If you really want a small solid boat to single hand what about a grp scow or a heron as a mirror alternative?
 
My son has a laser that I take out from time to time, I'm 50-something,5'11", dodgy knees, few kg more than I should be and it's great fun. Yes, you will capsize, but that's dinghies for you (the wife disagrees hence the yacht). Once you have mastered the basics of sailing and know what conditions you are comfortable with, then I'm sure you would be fine.
But yes, it's surprising how exhausting multiple capsizes can be, particularly in stronger conditions, but that's not really the boats fault (unless it's the main getting snagged on the rear corner deck moulding). Wearing the right kit can really help, like a good dry suit when the summer departs.
I learnt to sail in a Pico which is ok for learning on, but really I think is a bit too small for longer term enjoyment.
We also have a Graduate, but it's too heavy for me to drag up from the water on my own. So that is one thing I would bear in mind is the practicalities of launch and recovery when on your own. Even a Laser makes the legs burn when you come back at low tide.

Chris
 
Anyone got a paddle board with a sail ? Could be a blow up pico. Yes daughterhad a Topper which I sailed with her and then she gave it up due to launching hassle and bought paddle boards with the money.
 
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