Dinghy for cruising

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mattpitts74

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Hi all,

apologies, as im sure this question has been asked many times. i!m just getting back into dinghy sailing after a long absence. i have previously sailed Wayfaers and have previously compiled the RYA five day dinghy sailing course some years ago.

I'm fairly rusty, but my partner has never sailed before,so we are planning to join the local club and get some more training.

our main reason for sailing is to do some cruising in sheltered waters, estuaries, rivers, lakes etc. i was initially looking to purchase an old wayfarer knowing these boats and feeling it would be a good boat for my partner and dog to get the hang of the basics with.

Anyway cut a long story short we both love the asthetics of the more traditional style dinghy’s especially after watching Roger Barnes YouTube channel.

This has drawn me to consider the Devon Scaffie as an alternative to a Wayfarer. I know you cannot really compare these boats but im interested in views from people based our intended use case.

Personally i love the simplicity of the Scaffie, and how quickly it can be ready to sail, plus the option to row and motor in very shallow water.
 
oldbloke said:
If you want your Scaffie to go upwind you will need the oars or motor
Click to expand...
Thanks for your comment, I have read a couple of others' comments here about the Scaffie and they seem to suggest it sails pretty well if there is enough wind. but I'm not expecting the performance of a more modern dinghy design.
 
I sold my leisure 17 to a dinghy sailor who had previously 'cruised' extensively in a Wayfarer. He contacted me after a few months ownership and said that having a boat with a lid had transformed his cruising having a dry cabin to sleep in and sit out inclement weather (and cook a hot meal and make tea!).
Maybe a small cruiser would suit you too.
 
ghostlymoron2 said:
I sold my leisure 17 to a dinghy sailor who had previously 'cruised' extensively in a Wayfarer. He contacted me after a few months ownership and said that having a boat with a lid had transformed his cruising having a dry cabin to sleep in and sit out inclement weather (and cook a hot meal and make tea!).
Maybe a small cruiser would suit you too.
Click to expand...

Alacrity 19 .... dinghy with a lid on !!
 
mattpitts74 said:
Hi all,

apologies, as im sure this question has been asked many times. i!m just getting back into dinghy sailing after a long absence. i have previously sailed Wayfaers and have previously compiled the RYA five day dinghy sailing course some years ago.

I'm fairly rusty, but my partner has never sailed before,so we are planning to join the local club and get some more training.

our main reason for sailing is to do some cruising in sheltered waters, estuaries, rivers, lakes etc. i was initially looking to purchase an old wayfarer knowing these boats and feeling it would be a good boat for my partner and dog to get the hang of the basics with.

Anyway cut a long story short we both love the asthetics of the more traditional style dinghy’s especially after watching Roger Barnes YouTube channel.

This has drawn me to consider the Devon Scaffie as an alternative to a Wayfarer. I know you cannot really compare these boats but im interested in views from people based our intended use case.

Personally i love the simplicity of the Scaffie, and how quickly it can be ready to sail, plus the option to row and motor in very shallow water.
Click to expand...


Your problem may be finding a suitable one for sale. If you are within striking distance of the South West it might be worth looking at a Devon Yawl. As an extra they are keenly raced and there are generally a few available. More fussy than a Scaffie but a seaworthy boat and the sort of aesthetic you are looking for. Not cheap but a bargain compared to the similar Salcombe Yawl.

.
 
How your plan to use it can be important.
I used to keep my Wayfarer on a running mooring, I could be out and sailing in five minutes.
Then we moved house and I ended up having to trailer sail. And ended up buying a Wanderer instead, because dragging the bigger boat up a slipway quickly got boring.
 
To my mind a dinghy is for racing and messing around. A small cruiser /trailer sailer is for what you have in mind. The ability to self right. have self draining cockpit and a cabin for shelter would all be plusses for any cruising. Plus of course much easier to sail. ol'will
 
doug748 said:
Your problem may be finding a suitable one for sale. If you are within striking distance of the South West it might be worth looking at a Devon Yawl. As an extra they are keenly raced and there are generally a few available. More fussy than a Scaffie but a seaworthy boat and the sort of aesthetic you are looking for. Not cheap but a bargain compared to the similar Salcombe Yawl.

.
Click to expand...
Isn't the Devon Yawl a Drascombe under a new name?
Tend to agree that having a lid makes 'cruising' a lot more practical, but also puts the weight up. Local dinghy cruiser sailed his 15ft gaffer for a while, then put a cockpit tent for sleeping. Not ideal, so put a cabin on it and has cruised quite a bit. Def only for one, as cramped. So, has built a new one with space for two with a loo and cooking. But, it might limit his day trailersailing as takes longer to set up and heavier.
 
There are many small cruisers that are trailersailer and do not actually mean hard work / time to launch / recover .....

fL1zP3a.jpg


The Alacrity I had many years ago - my non boaty Wife and I would launch / recover .... took us all over Solent .... was easily towed behind any family car (OK - I had both a Series 2 Land Rover and the 2.8i Capri to choose from .... ) ......
Engine on back was a Seagull 40+ .... nothing fancy ....

7N7ZVie.jpg


Even though I have now boats much bigger ... I still look back on those days of that little 19ft'r with pride and a smile.
 
The Devon Yawl is, as Doug said, a grp version of the Salcombe Yawl. Its a good sea boat, sails well (more or less same yardstick as a Solo). But it is heavy ,400kg or so, and with 2 Bermudan masts not quick to rig or simple.
My comment on the Scaffie may have been taken as harsh, but it is true. Doesn't mean that you shouldn't buy one, just be realistic in your expectations of what it will do.
My main advice would be to buy something that you can easily sell as it may well take several goes to end up with what is right for you. E.g. if you buy a Wayfarer you will be able to quickly sell it for no loss, but a Bloggs Blowfly that no one has heard of will be yours for life
 
I would love a Wayfarer here on the river ... but so far have only ever seen one over here ... and guy sails it regularly past my house ....

Will he sell ... No way !! He's so chuffed with it ... its a gaff rigged version - so he easily rigs / de-rigs solo .... has place in the boat station near me ...

Lucky b****** !!
 
oldbloke said:
The Devon Yawl is, as Doug said, a grp version of the Salcombe Yawl. Its a good sea boat, sails well (more or less same yardstick as a Solo). But it is heavy ,400kg or so, and with 2 Bermudan masts not quick to rig or simple.
My comment on the Scaffie may have been taken as harsh, but it is true. Doesn't mean that you shouldn't buy one, just be realistic in your expectations of what it will do.
My main advice would be to buy something that you can easily sell as it may well take several goes to end up with what is right for you. E.g. if you buy a Wayfarer you will be able to quickly sell it for no loss, but a Bloggs Blowfly that no one has heard of will be yours for life
Click to expand...
We had a Devon Yawl for several years. Great boat, sails really well.

But much heavier to launch or tow than a Wayfarer. Rigging and de-rigging actually not too bad, I could do it single handed.
 
Cruising dinghy = Wayfarer. Get a roller reefing genoa (Aeroluffspar) and a slab reefing main. Good boom tent essential.

The problem with trad designs imho is they can’t touch a Wayfarer’s sailing characteristics. A W points. It has tons of sail area and an easily driven hull so it goes well in not much wind. Chuck in “proper” reefing and you’re good for a broad range of conditions. As a cruising dinghy, they’ve had everything tried over the decades. Talk to the association, go to their cruising conference and you can learn tried and tested ways of doing things that transform the capability of the boat.

If you want pretty, woodies can be lovely. There’s no doubting the aesthetic appeal of Vivier’s designs. I’d pass on a Drascombe- not a fan.
 
Another recommendation for a small cruiser instead, and I would definitely recommend the Leisure 17, very sea worthy little boats and fun to sail. And strangely these older pocket cruisers seem to sell for a lot less than a trendy dinghy.

Our old L17 might be for sale again up here but we are not sure what is happening with it at the moment, it seems to sadly have been abandoned.
 
Geoff Wode said:
Cruising dinghy = Wayfarer. Get a roller reefing genoa (Aeroluffspar) and a slab reefing main. Good boom tent essential.

The problem with trad designs imho is they can’t touch a Wayfarer’s sailing characteristics. A W points. It has tons of sail area and an easily driven hull so it goes well in not much wind. Chuck in “proper” reefing and you’re good for a broad range of conditions. As a cruising dinghy, they’ve had everything tried over the decades. Talk to the association, go to their cruising conference and you can learn tried and tested ways of doing things that transform the capability of the boat.

If you want pretty, woodies can be lovely. There’s no doubting the aesthetic appeal of Vivier’s designs. I’d pass on a Drascombe- not a fan.
Click to expand...

Wayfarers have covered many miles ... North Sea / English Channel crossings as example ... been trailed across Europe for lakes / rivers etc.
 
Given wind a Wayferer or similar smaller dinghy (Wanderer/Enterprise etc) will plane, which is nice - in my view almost the whole point of a dinghy. But they can also be reefed or have a smaller set of "cruising" sails for windy days. They sail fast for their size, and can also take a little 2hp or similar outboard if needed - these days an electric one would be perfect.

50 years ago I really fancied a Drascombe Lugger as a cruisng dinghy - till I actually sailed one..... Really dull to sail.

If you don't want a planing dinghy, a small cruiser may be better. I did some quite long distances in dinghies long ago, but soon bought a litlle cruiser, which really opened up distances and weather conditions, and of course let you be drier at night!
 
jwilson said:
Given wind a Wayferer or similar smaller dinghy (Wanderer/Enterprise etc) will plane, which is nice - in my view almost the whole point of a dinghy. But they can also be reefed or have a smaller set of "cruising" sails for windy days. They sail fast for their size, and can also take a little 2hp or similar outboard if needed - these days an electric one would be perfect.

50 years ago I really fancied a Drascombe Lugger as a cruisng dinghy - till I actually sailed one..... Really dull to sail.

If you don't want a planing dinghy, a small cruiser may be better. I did some quite long distances in dinghies long ago, but soon bought a litlle cruiser, which really opened up distances and weather conditions, and of course let you be drier at night!
Click to expand...
I also find that a long sail in a dinghy gets mentally exhausting because you always have to be aware of the risk of capsize. Not being able to leave the tiller gets pretty boring too.

Years ago I sailed my W about seven miles up the coast of Lewis in fairly lively conditions and was desperate for a pee the entire way. But didn't think I could safely do anything about it. Spoiledb an otherwise fantastic sail 😂
 
'Dinghy Cruising' seems to cover a range from 'any pottering that's not racing' through to all day voyages and overnight camping.
What do you aspire to doing, and realistically, how much of it are you going to do in a season?
There seem to be a lot of 'overgrown non-racing dinghies' which rarely go anywhere.
The problem is, going out overnight in a dinghy is actually more faff than a small cruiser.

Do you want something which will tow behind a car, or can you find a mooring for it?
Or will you keep it at a sailing club, which might involve getting involved with duties.

My experience is that arriving somewhere and needing to move the boat ashore is very hard work, much easier if you travel as a group of boats. Even launching the thing, then parking the car and trailer is a chore and usually an expense.

Once you've thought around the options, it might steer you towards particular boats.
The right boat will be different for different people and places.
 
If you want to successfully dinghy sail with your partner do that, and if she gets into that you are on a winner.Then consider overnights. Wayfarer is a brilliant boat for all that, and physically a good work out for two people on the water and ashore. Roger Barnes sells the dream, sails the romantic boat and dresses the part. I love all that stuff too and have been inspired by the Dinghy Cruising Association. But he is selling a dream and is accomplished at dinghy cruising and promoting it.I advocate one step at a time. Trailer sailing is a minefield of compromises, personally I wouldn't want anything bigger than a Wayfarer to tow and launch. A Scaffie could work too. I had a lugger and a Wayfarer and much preferred the Wayfarer. Get both of you on the water together. And read up about the bigger trailer sailer compromises.... it's not as great as it might appear! Join the DCA.
 
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