Mooring daysailers cheaply

[rwoofer]

Been investigating lots of options to get young family having fun out on the water. Original thinking was a 20 footer trailer sailor, but I'm now leaning towards a daysailer to make the trailer sailing even easier. My thinking is that kids like the messing about in boats more than the actual sailing along.

Something like a Wayfarer is cheap to buy and even cheaper to keep in a sailing club compound (about £100 an annum near me). Being a proper dinghy it will be responsive and therefore fun to sail for the kids. The downside is the rather cramped cockpit space for 5. A proper cruising dayboat will have much better cockpit space, but I have never seen one kept in a dinghy club. That means proper mooring costs.

So where do people keep daysailers cheaply? Has anyone been able to keep one at a dinghy club, where it is obvious you won't be racing (no handicap)?

 

[Lakesailor]

I joined Coniston sailing club one year and trailed my clinker dinghy there to day-sail. It was more of a launch facility really. They did say I could keep it there if I wanted (usual dinghy park fee)

 

[Seajet]

I think the trailer-sailer thing a bit bogus, a dayboat as you desire will be very hefty to get up & down a slip.

If the coast near you - or lakes - suit, join a club and get a cheap half tide mooring, such things are possible even in Chichester ! Where abouts are you ?

 

[Kelpie]

Something like a Wayfarer is cheap to buy and even cheaper to keep in a sailing club compound (about £100 an annum near me). Being a proper dinghy it will be responsive and therefore fun to sail for the kids. The downside is the rather cramped cockpit space for 5.

Have you looked at a Wayfarer World? No aft locker so oodles of space aboard. Don't bother with aft benches and perhaps even consider a custom shortened tiller.

 

[Madhatter]

IMHO its not so much the boat with trailer sailing its the trailer , with a purpose designed trailer, trailer sailing is simple and easy with a bad design it can be a nightmare.

 

[Seajet]

That still leaves finding a decent slip, getting access to it when everyone else has had the same idea, somewhere secure to leave car & trailer - and boat while off dumping car, then rigging, - followed by the whole lot in reverse come end of day / tide...

I've trailed small & racing dinghies and that was enough of a pain ! The most successful time I did it was trailing my Osprey to the excellent dinghy park at Falmouth, ( is it still there ? ) but at least I was able to rig & leave her in the compound for a week; for day trips, 'include me out' !

 

[ProDave]

The key to cheap moorings is location. you don't say where you are.

When we bought our boat just over a year ago, we did so without researching how and where we were going to sail.

I very quickly ruled out trailer sailing and equally quickly found the best option was to join a sailing club that offered reasonably priced moorings, and in the company of like minded people. So much better to have your boat afloat and ready for use.

 

[EuanMcKenzie]

Bit pricy but a Hawk is what you need, 20' open cockpit lots of space, outboard well, lifting plate keel so it launches in 6" of water and with a roller trailer so you can launch it off a slip way using a normal car

I haven't got one but have seen a few and its probably the best large day sailer that can be reasonable dry launched. Its designed for what you are describing.

Don't kid yourself that a wayfarer is light and easy to launch by the way.

 

[rwoofer]

Been out for the day. One of the things I was looking at was slipways in the Thames (around Hampton Court, which isn't too far from where I live) because I reckon the Thames would be interesting for the little ones. One of the slips just stops abruptly about 10 inches above the river level and the other looks like a shingle/sand mix, so not easy to pull a heavy dinghy up. The first slip is used by Hampton sailing club for it's open meetings so it must work somehow.

Might be easier to join a Surrey Thames based club, but most are very short on space and therefore really only allow people who are going to be out racing regularly ie not me.

Having had a boat in a marina, on a mooring and drysailed I can definitely say that drysailing has to be my first choice. I have really enjoyed having a racing dinghy this last year where all I've had to do is replace one rope. That's the beauty of keeping a boat out of water - the maintenance shrinks to virtually nothing. When you've got young triplets that counts!

The list of destination that I would day sail would include Thames, Frensham Pond, Chichester Harbour, Poole Harbour. All safe places for kids.

Choice of dinghies is either a Wayfarer or the new RS Venture. Personally I would also like to include an Albacore, but suspect it is a bit too tippy. I really can't afford a capsize when the little ones outnumber the adults.

 

[Seajet]

I think you're right, the Albacore is too tippy for your crew.

I know several excellent slips in Chichester Harbour; none of which have you got a prayer of getting at - or even parked by - on a sunny weekend !

The possible exception is Northney Marina slip, I know they charge but not sure how keen they are on proper sailing boats turning up regularly.

 

[rwoofer]

To give you an idea of what I'm dealing with here is the crew in an RS Venture:

 

[rwoofer]

I think you're right, the Albacore is too tippy for your crew.

I know several excellent slips in Chichester Harbour; none of which have you got a prayer of getting at - or even parked by - on a sunny weekend !

The possible exception is Northney Marina slip, I know they charge but not sure how keen they are on proper sailing boats turning up regularly.

Oh dear, not what I was hoping to hear... I've only ever launched from sailing clubs, so never really seen slips on busy weekends. Do any Chichester sailing clubs do short term membership eg. couple of weeks/months?

 

[Swg]

Mooring day sailor cheaply

We were fortunate and could afford a Cornish shrimper- a tailorable day sailor with overnight capability in a small cabin. Seasonal, swing mooring in SE Scotland is £140 per year. I might be the luckiest man alive !

 

[Seajet]

Oh dear, not what I was hoping to hear... I've only ever launched from sailing clubs, so never really seen slips on busy weekends. Do any Chichester sailing clubs do short term membership eg. couple of weeks/months?

Never heard of such a thing I'm afraid, but please see your PM's in a minute.

 

[ianat182]

May not be your cup of tea but have you considered a Drascombe,Lugger, Dabber ,or longboat. Quite pricey but of varying size and some have a cuddy, sail well too with an outboard well and loads of storage for an overnight camp fo your pirates!
As always there is a disadvantage in their weight if launching down a floating pontoon, but on a proper launching area OK
Warsash for instance which you already know I expect, with trailer parking and free car parking overnight, would give you a base to visit the local and Island watering holes and the mainland ones. Most of these are about 4 miles from each other,should the weather turns for the worse

The Devon Yawl with the small cabin would also be a possibility,powered with 3.5-4.5 outboard and again a tent from mainmast to mizzen for an overnight or hot summer picnic; also a very good sailer.


ianat182

 

[TSB240]

Have you had alook at the stratos keel .

Similar to RS Venture but according to sale blurb cant capsize.


Can you fit triple trapeeze wires

http://www.laserperformance.com/images/assets/pdfs/stratoskeel/stratos_stratoskeel_sellsheet.pdf

Can be moored

 

[Searush]

I love the colour coded crew. No idea what will suit best but hope u find it. Give 'em all a hug from a grumpy grandad.

 

[Zagato]

Second the Drascombe Lugger or Longboat as a good day sailer and boat for the kids to learn to sail in - it was really designed as such i.e, for family, no boom to knock people out, 20 mins to rig, no tall mast to raise, beaching without setting foot in the water, easily manoeuvrable, stable, seaworthy (has been sailed to Australia, Jamaica etc) and engine well back to reduce noise to potter about with the kids fishing etc etc but they are sought after and sell at a premium 5K + for a good one! Many Drascombes in Chi Harbour, good club scene, quite a few family rallies etc...

I have always launched my tender and past Longboat at Itchenor, the slip itself is fine 2 hours off high tide, it's never been overly busy but the car park is getting that way.

Northney Marina is fine, pontoon and good parking for car and trailer. Chichester marina is also good apparently, pontoon, good secure parking but similar in price to Northney at roughly £25 but with both are welcome to use the facilities. Chichester can get busy at peak times and you have to go through a lock - Itchenor is your best bet, it's a lovely spot and cheaper than a marina.

Have to say I don't mind trailer sailing, you don't notice it on the back, reverse onto the slip, rig it, back it up, push it off, park the car and jump in the boat. It's got to be one of the most popular ways to get on the water with all the RIBs there are about nowadays.

Happy hunting!

 

[blackbeard]

Have you had alook at the stratos keel .

Similar to RS Venture but according to sale blurb cant capsize.


.....

I have sailed quite a lot in this - it's a nice boat and sails well, but it's also quite a lot of boat, in particular up and down slipways it's a big dinghy with an extra 70 kg! It actually feels (and, I think, is) a bit bigger than a Wayfarer.
Unlikely to be cheap.
May take a while to rig if you trail/sail it.
We have never capsized it, or come near to so doing, yet; but for "can't capsize", read, "is unlikely to capsize". I note the sail blurb tells you what happens if you do.

 

[Seajet]

I note the sail blurb tells you what happens if you do.


You've got me intrigued now; what does it do if one capsizes, burst into flames ?