eddystone
Well-known member
Provided you are prepared to get wet. Although it will give you more warning of an imminent capsize than a Laser; bit of a handful in strong winds as the fully battened sail is not so easy to depower.
Dinghy for single handed river or estuary sailing
- Thread starter bobdoughty
- Start date
Provided you are prepared to get wet. Although it will give you more warning of an imminent capsize than a Laser; bit of a handful in strong winds as the fully battened sail is not so easy to depower.
ex-Gladys
Well-known member
Very low boom on a Solo... When I was in my dinghy cat racing days, i had ti ease the kicker prior to tacking or gybing
lw395
Well-known member
The old rigs with very stiff masts were hard to de-power, but the modern (as in the last 25+ years!, it's an old design) rigs flatten very nicely.
Another boat that springs to mind of the old classics is the Graduate. Just a bit smaller than the Enterprise, with quite good performance.
Basically the choice is limited mostly by the buyer's budget and taste. A look on Apollo Duck shows a vast range of dinghies available.
Another good resource is Noble Insurance's website, it has a section with data for most things that float...
http://www.noblemarine.co.uk/dinghydatabase.php3
JumbleDuck
Well-known member
Modern Drascombes (like mine) don't automatically sink and kill you if they capsize, at the cost of having so much buoyancy built in (they have to float with the centreboard above water level when swamped) that all the useful cave lockers except the stern one have gone.
That aside, I don't think the OP wants a Dabber. Ugly wee things, frankly. The Drascombe stern and sailplan need length.
Kelpie
Well-known member
We had a Graduate for a wee while. Lovely thing to sail, but I wouldn't have fancied trying it without a wetsuit- maybe I'm just too used to my Wayfarer (which I happily sail in the sail clothes as I would walk the dog in).
eddystone
Well-known member
Well theoretically but if you use enough kicker to flatten the sail you need to be more flexible than me to get underneath
alant
Active member
Why don't you think the OP wants a Dabber?
Perfect for sailing single handed & if taking the family, comfortable to sail, not needing to be balance with your arse perched outboard & easily rowed/beached.
BigJoe
Member
JumbleDuck
Well-known member
Because it's a heavy thing and it wastes a lot of its length with a strange stern and a pretty but inefficient rig.
Kukri
Well-known member
I don't recommend any of my family's fleet:
International Canoe (nuff said!)
Firefly (modern boom is a bit higher, but you need to be more agile than I)
Nutshell (boring as hell and the lug rig is useless to windward)
DAMHIKT
International Canoe (nuff said!)
Firefly (modern boom is a bit higher, but you need to be more agile than I)
Nutshell (boring as hell and the lug rig is useless to windward)
DAMHIKT
MikeBz
Well-known member
Malcolm Goodwin did a bigger version of the Nutshell called a Water Rat. There is a beautiful example for sale on Gumtree (https://www.gumtree.com/p/boats-kay...6-water-rat-lugsail-dinghy-dayboat/1244075986). If I hadn't just bought a Tammie Norrie then I think I would have found it very hard not to buy that. The rig looks identical to a Nutshell so it probably won't go to windward a great deal better.
Kukri
Well-known member
Now THAT I think might be the perfect solution, IF re-rigged with a gunter lug mainsail in place of the standing lug, which is only good for playing Swallows and Amazons.
Actually I like that boat so much I might be tempted myself...
alant
Active member
What "strange stern"?
alant
Active member
Some on here have suggested a scow, which has a standing lug much like a dabber.
Use of a downhaul at the tack can make useful efficiency benefits, so don't condemn it.
Kukri
Well-known member
In defence of the Nutshell it's a brilliant, brilliant, yacht tender - the best ever. That's what its designed to do and it does it, wonderfully well. It's just a big boring as a singlehander.
Oh and I've had a tack downhaul on mine since I built it 25years ago.
Oh and I've had a tack downhaul on mine since I built it 25years ago.
Last edited:
JumbleDuck
Well-known member
Have a look at one sometime.
It's not really a stern at all. The boat just ... stops. Additionally, on the bigger Drascombes there is plenty of room inside for the outboard, but on the Dabber it just wastes space. Basically it's a Playmobil Pirate Ship made in GRP. I like Drascombes very much, but the Dabber is just too small to pull off the look. Lose the mizzen give it a proper stern and it would be a lot better.
I completely agree with your points about stability and solidity for the OP's requirements, but he'll get those in an old Wayfarer which will cost less, sail better and give more room.
Last edited:
MikeBz
Well-known member
Oh go on... bring it back to East Anglia. This might help: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...Mainsail-for-a-Tepco-12-dinghy&highlight=Mast if it's big enough.
JimC
Well-known member
As a cruising yachtsman like the OP I've sometimes hankered after a small simple dinghy that I could trail to any stretch of water that took my fancy and indulge in some light-hearted sailing without the complexities and stresses of taking a cruising yacht to sea. I've often heard it said "the smaller the boat the greater the fun". I wonder is this a pleasure that's better in the contemplation than the actuality, be interesting to hear from anyone who does it.
Kelpie
Well-known member
I split my time between dinghy and cruiser.
For a quick and simple day sail, the cruiser is actually easier. It's already afloat, five minutes from my house, with mast up and sails bent on. So it's a case of grabbing some snacks, drag tender down for the hundred yard row, jump aboard and cast off.
The dinghy, by contrast, lives on a trailer and needs trailed somewhere, then set up, rigged, and launched. Depending on how good the slipway or beach is, you may have to time the day around high water times. Clothing requires more careful thought, and with no engine you need to be more aware of the chances of getting stuck on calm days. Distance covered is likely to be much less because you can't really be out there for as many hours, lacking any facilities.
The biggest advantages are that the dinghy costs essentially nothing to own, and I can pop to a variety of different locations relatively easily. It can also be more fun than the cruiser for a quick spin.
For a quick and simple day sail, the cruiser is actually easier. It's already afloat, five minutes from my house, with mast up and sails bent on. So it's a case of grabbing some snacks, drag tender down for the hundred yard row, jump aboard and cast off.
The dinghy, by contrast, lives on a trailer and needs trailed somewhere, then set up, rigged, and launched. Depending on how good the slipway or beach is, you may have to time the day around high water times. Clothing requires more careful thought, and with no engine you need to be more aware of the chances of getting stuck on calm days. Distance covered is likely to be much less because you can't really be out there for as many hours, lacking any facilities.
The biggest advantages are that the dinghy costs essentially nothing to own, and I can pop to a variety of different locations relatively easily. It can also be more fun than the cruiser for a quick spin.
JumbleDuck
Well-known member
It's not exactly small, but I have a huge amount of fun in my Drascombe Longboat. I've had her a year, almost, and so far I've only used her on Loch Ken (nearby, freshwater) but I am definitely planning to do some expeditions, probably to other interesting bits of fresh water.