Pleasure sailing Dinghy.

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Binman

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Thinking about a sailing dinghy I could enjoy purely for pleasure, none racing, robust, with centre board, that I could manage on my own, that I could row, possible small engine if required, mainly for use on River Medway and up creeks. Properly Broards use, that could give a bit of cover for summer night sleeping. Or am I asking to much from a dinghy
 
Kelpie said:
Gull?
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excellent suggestion

rut4.jpg
 
Binman said:
Thinking about a sailing dinghy I could enjoy purely for pleasure, none racing, robust, with centre board, that I could manage on my own, that I could row, possible small engine if required, mainly for use on River Medway and up creeks. Properly Broards use, that could give a bit of cover for summer night sleeping. Or am I asking to much from a dinghy
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My first thought was a Mirror, but that may be a bit small to sleep in. Oh, and it has a dagger board rather than a pivoting centre board.

If you're considering a more modern dinghy, how about a Wanderer?
 
no doubt, a Wayfarer.

Masses of cruising potential, and it's all well documented.

I had a racy one. Electric fun, especially when the hairy dinghies had to cancel races. :)
 
I would have thought a Wayfarer or GP would be a bit on the heavy side for what the OP wants.
A Graduate, perhaps, or for comfortable sleeping, a Hobie 14 or Wave with an o/b bracket?
 
Seajet said:
Or an Otter, very under-rated, versatile fun boats.
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I have sailed a lot of dinghies, and the Otter was one that I expected to like, but once I had sailed one, didn't like that much. It resolutely refused to plane, and a capsize meant lots of baling, rather than a couple of quick bucketsfull and then sail the rest out on a broad reach. In that size range I though the Mirror was the better boat. Neither though practical to sleep aboard. As others have said the Wayfarer is the one boat that does it all really well, except for handling on slipways. Put a set of deep reef points in the main and it singlehands well - except for the weight ashore.
 
Wayfarers are great. My first boat was one, and I still have one.
Wanderers are also great, I added one to the fleet because it's that bit lighter and still fairly capable. Noticably wetter when out at sea in a chop. A wee bit slower. However for two short-arses like ourselves it's a good fit and gets a lot of use.

Graduate- had one for a few years. Fun, just about light enough to manage singlehanded, but not a cruising dinghy. Too small to sleep in, a bit tippy.

I suggested the Gull because it's by the same designer as the Wayfarer and Wanderer, but is one more step down in size. Still designed to be safe, robust, and ideal for cruising and camping. For singlehanded use on rivers and the broads
I think it would be an excellent choice.
 
jwilson said:
I have sailed a lot of dinghies, and the Otter was one that I expected to like, but once I had sailed one, didn't like that much. It resolutely refused to plane, and a capsize meant lots of baling, rather than a couple of quick bucketsfull and then sail the rest out on a broad reach. In that size range I though the Mirror was the better boat. Neither though practical to sleep aboard. As others have said the Wayfarer is the one boat that does it all really well, except for handling on slipways. Put a set of deep reef points in the main and it singlehands well - except for the weight ashore.
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The Otter should be a lot faster than a Mirror -the ones I sailed certainly were - but it's not a high performance planing design.

They often have transom flaps which would sort out your bailing problem, any boat without these flaps will be the same, full of water on capsize recovery.

We had one or two among the Bosun dinghies at my school sailing courses, and in light winds it was easy to bounce the very heavy Bosuns in bailer fights or races.

A chum had a very smart Otter he'd completed himself, - I think the mouldings were by John Baker of Seal 22 etc fame - and that one had a 2-part alloy mast which seems a handy feature.

I have had to smile at suggestions like Wayfarers, Wanderers, GP14 let alone Spitfire, a single person might as well try pulling an aircraft carrier up the average slipway !

With a boat around the size of an Otter, Gull or the significantly more cramped Mirror it would be a case of taking a tent along and camping nearby.
 
Margaret Dye cruises and sleeps aboard a Gull, having downsized from Wayfarer via Wanderer.
(See 'Dinghy Cruising' by Dye, M)
 
Seajet said:
The Otter should be a lot faster than a Mirror -the ones I sailed certainly were - but it's not a high performance planing design.

They often have transom flaps which would sort out your bailing problem, any boat without these flaps will be the same, full of water on capsize recovery.

We had one or two among the Bosun dinghies at my school sailing courses, and in light winds it was easy to bounce the very heavy Bosuns in bailer fights or races.

A chum had a very smart Otter he'd completed himself, - I think the mouldings were by John Baker of Seal 22 etc fame - and that one had a 2-part alloy mast which seems a handy feature.

I have had to smile at suggestions like Wayfarers, Wanderers, GP14 let alone Spitfire, a single person might as well try pulling an aircraft carrier up the average slipway !

With a boat around the size of an Otter, Gull or the significantly more cramped Mirror it would be a case of taking a tent along and camping nearby.
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Yes, the Otter. Great boat to sail. Loved sailing a borrowed one a few years ago.

Along similar lines (although hard chined, not round bilged) is the Pacer dinghy. Likely to be older but cheap and defo great fun to sail.

If you're up for something light weight but twitchy, have you considered a Lark? Light weight can be a bonus, especially at the end of a sail when you're pulling a Wayfarer up a steep and slippery slipway...
 
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