Dingy camping...

[Zagato]

I don't get the weight criticisms. How on earth can a Wayfarer be criticized for its weight, that's what a winch is for

Winching a 170 KG Wayfarer up a trailer must clearly be ridiculously easy, winching a 340KG Lugger I know is a doddle. I winch my 1000KG Drascombe Drifter up with one hand That's what winches are for. I would rather have the extra weight for stability and a decent safe cockpit for the kids. Capsizing doesn't bear thinking about, it's just not worth the risk

 

[BAtoo]

I don't get the weight criticisms. How on earth can a Wayfarer be criticized for its weight, that's what a winch is for

At a Wayfarer's weight you might be tempted to haul it around manually treating it like a smaller dinghy & I expect that's where the weight criticism comes in.

Once you are up to a Lugger's weight, and more, manual intervention is obviously pretty useless and no-one tries.

 

[Greenheart]

I seriously considered a Wayfie. Until a woman at the boat show demonstrated how she turned over in the night, having sat up each time.

Am I alone, picturing this lady in bed at home, rolling over then sitting up?

If 'she' was the Wayfarer, heaven knows where the boat was moored if it rolled over. Especially if it then 'sat up' again, afterwards! I saw Wayfarers moored or anchored in rough water off the Isle of Wight last month; no suggestion of rolling over. Stable enough for me.

 

[maby]

At a Wayfarer's weight you might be tempted to haul it around manually treating it like a smaller dinghy & I expect that's where the weight criticism comes in.

Once you are up to a Lugger's weight, and more, manual intervention is obviously pretty useless and no-one tries.

It's all a question of age and fitness! I used to sail a Wayfarer in my youth with a slip of a girl as my companion and we regularly hauled it in and out of the water between us. Thirty years later, I did the same with the help of another middle-aged, slightly overweight man and we both had to sit down for half an hour to get our breath back!

 

[Greenheart]

Did I see, or only imagine, a simple bit of kit to prevent unbraked trailers rolling back against the preferred direction of travel?

It was a sizeable wedge of some sort of solid plastic, which was hooked to the trailer, such that it always closely followed the trailer's wheels...and whenever the uphill pulling ceased, the trailer only slipped back an inch or two before the wedge stopped it.

It's so obvious, I can't think why I haven't seen them everywhere. Must be a vital 'option' for anyone regularly trailing a Wayfarer.

 

[YachtAllegro]

Hmm. The OP's been very quiet. I think we need some clarification of why he's considering this route. There are plenty of very sensible suggestions for dayboat cruising above, but downsizing to such a boat due to the arrival of a baby seems superficially odd behaviour - there must be a reason for it, and not knowing that reason makes it a little hard to give good advice.

I'm a big fan of cruising with small children in small boats, and my wife is very forgiving of this! But a new baby undoubtedly brings many challenges of its own, and I wouldn't choose that moment to start a new style of sailing as well unless I had no choice. Assuming you need to start dinghy cruising for, say, financial reasons, then start it now, ASAP, before the little one arrives. Cruising a dinghy is lots of fun, but is significantly different to cruising a 30 footer, and I think if you're not confident with it before the baby arrives you'll really struggle to become confident with it with your attentions taken by a new and demanding "crew" member!

Cheers
Patrick

 

[Searush]

I think he plans leaving baby & Mum at home. I think I pointed out earlier that that may not be an acceptable option.

 

[Reptile Smile]

Well, I don't know - he said 'day boat for the family, sleep in it alone'. So mother and baby may not end up being total strangers to the chilly pleasures of the open-topped tippy thing...

 

[firstascent2002]

Quite right!

Day sailing will hopefully be a family affair on the tamar or the exe, over night trips will be me and me alone when my wife is in the midlands with the work and the little one with grand parents. Twice a year at most but I really do want the chance to escape to the water still, or at least think that could if the chance presented itself...

J