HELP Tips for fun dinghy, please

[Skrallan]

I've recently started sailing, and I'd like to buy a dinghy, possibly for racing in the future. I've sailed Hobiecat 16 and Tiger some, and I love the speed and the thrill of being out on the trapeze, but most of the time I'll be sailing by myself. So can anyone tell me which dinghy I should buy?

I have a few wants:
1. A dinghy that can be sailed by one person (under 60 kg), but is fun for two as well.
2. Use of trapeze possible.
3. Preferably something that doesn't capsize all the time, like the Laser does.
4. Price range under £4000 used (or a lot less if possible).

The 29er probably would have been perfect if it could be sailed by one person. Maybe it could be by an experienced sailor, but I'm new to this world (and I weigh under 60 kg).

Is there a dinghy on the market that meets all of these criteria?
Thankful for any tips and ideas.

//Louise

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[Twister_Ken]

Think about a Blaze

No trapeze, but wings,

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[AndrewB]

Some classes ...

... I've seen (I'm no longer a dinghy sailor, alas) that might be worth considering:

International Contender, single handed trapeze.
Unicorn, older single handed catamaran with trapeze.
Dart 15, modern single handed catamaran with trapeze and jib.

All are reasonably stable, are sporty, sailed competively, there is room for a second person as a passenger. S/H well within your price range.

I'm impressed watching RS600's sail, but they definitely look a handful, and you might be pushing your price barrier for a good one.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Contender. Stable?

Hardly! Also suits the beefier sailor

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[Sybarite]

Despite what you say I think a Laser is fun. With a bit more practice you will not capsize so much. What's more, it is comfortable to sit on.

John

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[Twister_Ken]

Laser is an old tub. Blaze goes like manure off a shovel as soon as the wind's a bit free.

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[qsiv]

Re: Contender. Stable?

I'd agree - I'd say that only some of the RS singlehanded skiffs are trickier to sail (although they dont in general need so much weight/strength). Of course if you really want to be tested there is nothing better than the good old 10 SqM - sliding seat, main, jib and a spinnaker. I just dont know how they keep from getting bored when sailing those.....

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[Twister_Ken]

International 10sqm canoe

Now you're talking.

And they come in girly colours too.

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[Skrallan]

Re: International 10sqm canoe

Great, maybe I can get one with painted flowers and a foldaway vanity table.

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[qsiv]

Re: International 10sqm canoe

I've never, ever been so frightened as the time I borrowed a mates 10 SqM. At the time I was sailing in a variety of boats (FD and Hornet as crew, and I had a Cherub of my own), so the skills and experience were all in place - but the canoe was SO unstable, and accelerated so fast, and there was so much to think avout in so little time. I dont think I managed more than two consecutive tacks without falling in. The Contender I owned afterwards felt like it had a keel in comparison (but I was far, far too small and light).

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[Evadne]

Re: International 10sqm canoe

That confirms what I thought after seeing some in Chichester harbour. They are quite fast if they are kept the right way up.
A friend sails International 14s, they seem to be quite exciting as well, comparable to the RS's; he would say faster, although he does seem to break bits of his boat quite often. Their latest fad is hydroplanes on the rudder. I've yet to see that one in action.

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[qsiv]

Re: International 10sqm canoe

I'd say a 14 is faster. Theyve had foils on the rudder for a year or two now - the angle of attack is controlled by twisting the tiller extension. They banned foils on the centreboard (as Kens piccy shows they get airborne quite easily).

The rudder foils serve to damp the fore-aft porpoising, and by generating lift allow the helm and crew to trapeze from quite a lot further aft (if you compare and contrast pics of boats with and without in similar winds the difference is quite marked). Last time I sailed a 14 yhey only had one trapeze - a long time ago.

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[vyv_cox]

My colleagues are getting somewhat carried away. There is no way that a beginner will be able to sail the boats that they are discussing.

If you want to sail a monohull then I should forget trapezing for the moment. Buy something relatively cheap and not too exciting that can be singlehanded by someone of your weight. The choice is a little limited but I would suggest maybe a Miracle, Graduate or similar might fit the bill. When you feel you can handle it well think about moving on. Both of these are excellent racing introduction boats that have reasonable performance. Lasers don't have to capsize all the time, as your skill improves you will find it possible to keep them upright. They have the advantage that they are plentiful at all prices, easy to store and to transport and almost indestructible.

In catamarans you have the possibility of sailing a Dart 18 either single handed without the jib or two up. At 60 kg you won't be too hard pressed in fresh winds as its sail area is relatively small. My son was winning races at around the same weight as you.
Personally I would not go for a Dart 15, its racing potential is far smaller and there are fewer available.
Forget Unicorns, they are a lightweight, fragile craft best raced by people of more than about 90 kg.
Hobie 16s are super but you cannot race them singlehanded and they have a lot more sail area than a Dart 18. Hobie 14s are difficult to sail well and the Turbo is a monster in fresh winds. Hobie 17 is quite nice but difficult to handle alone on land and not cheap.

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[Twister_Ken]

Double Dutch

Come off it Vyv, my first boat wuz a Fireball. I learned to swim faster that I learned to sail in the first season, but I had fun you'd never get from a slowboat.

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[vyv_cox]

Re: Double Dutch

Did you weigh 60 kg and sail singlehanded?

Agree a Fireball is a good boat. We started in an Enterprise then went to a Fireball. I suspect the Fireball would have been an easier boat to start in.

Either would be more sense than some of the earlier suggestions.

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[Twister_Ken]

Re: Double Dutch

Suspect i wsa born weighing close to 60kg !!!

In the end I used to sail the 'ball singlehanded for fun, but never on the trapeze!

But I have sailed a Blaze on S*nsail holidays and it's an easy boat to sail (although i suspect a difficult one to sail really well). Looks good too.

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[vyv_cox]

Re: Double Dutch

I've sailed our Fireball many times singlehanded, including on the wire. At the time I owned it I was probably not a lot more than 60 kg. I do recall that Force 3 was just about the limit that I could hold it down.

Agree the Blaze looks good but how easy would the wings be for a beginner? Especially righting it?

There seems to be quite a tendency, especially in catamarans, for people to buy bigger and bigger sail areas. Fine in light to moderate winds but when it blows it's good to be able to look after yourself. Not many modern dinghies have the option of reefing so for beginners keeping sail area down a bit is not a bad policy. Different if racing with safety boat coverage.

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[vyv_cox]

Blaze away!

Class association website says optimum weight for the Blaze is 65 - 95 kg.

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[Skrallan]

Re: Double Dutch

So what's the final verdict here, guys? The Fireball sounds good (and looks good!), but would I be able to sail it singlehanded as a beginner? The class association page has it defined as a two-person dinghy. Mind you, I'm not too concerned about finding the ultimate racing dinghy at the moment. I'm more interested in having a lot of fun while learning more.

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[AndrewB]

Re: Double Dutch

The Fireball is a silly suggestion given your original spec. A great and revolutionary dinghy in their day, but that was a long, long time ago.

If you are a beginner, definitely going to be singlehanding, but really keen to get out on the wire asap, then a cat is going to be a lot easier than a mono. I recommended the Dart 15 which I don't actually know, but I've sailed a Dart 16 on the trapeze recently and that is relatively easy and a heap of fun. A cat will give you the thrills you want but has drawbacks in terms of size - not to mention problems if it capsises, at your weight you are stuffed. All the purpose designed monos of this type require agility and skill "grade 3 and up", I still think the Contender is probably the easiest of them, but that doesn't make it easy - and I admit that at top flight these favour heavier sailors. Of course, you could always put a trapeze on a Wayfarer and sail it singlehanded if you really wanted (I did on mine, 25 years ago) but its hardly the same.

Are you still sticking to your original spec, or are you having second thoughts? Ever thought of windsurfing?



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