to dinghy sailers - your thoughts on which dinghy(s) please

Not sure if you are sailing inland waters or coastal, but
I go along with some of the suggestions already made i.e. singlehander has to be the laser - great for adults, and the 9yr old can sail it. If need be with the reduced sail available - "radial" rig I think it is called.

Enterprise is good, easy to sail, responsive, and not too expensive to buy. Aged boat may need new kit and a new set of sails. Well worth it though.
 
wimp .. !! but very wise ... I never understood, given what the race officer must have known (or ought to have known), why the start kept on being delayed when the weather was forecast to get very much worse in the afternoon. I saw the forecast later pinned up on the door of the Royal Dorset. It was supposed to start at 11 and hadn't by 1 and (at least) 2 hrs sat on an open boat doing nothing isn't funny ...

did you know that it was a girl we knew that some owe their lifes to. She happened to have a red flare in her backpack and after she capsized (and couldn't get it upright again) she let it off. The RNLI saw it and launched. They came over to the RO who was, apparently, standing transfixed in absolute horror at what was unfolding in front of him and had to be shaken out of his stupor to act. A pal was rescued by the RNLI and asked, nicely, if they'd like to tow the boat back ... no, came the reply!!
 
I remember us trying us sailing around before the start and thinking 'this is only going to get worse,.' Can't see how we can start in this', 'I can only just stay on the trapeze'.

Happily wimped out with a good few others. Those of us that got ashore didn't know what happened for some time but it was a shock to see the helicoptor and then fearing the worst for a while.

Thank God no real casualties although one girl did get airlifted I recall.

Cocked up the week really !
 
Totally agree about the older classes but would go for an Albacore. I love mine. Of the newer classes the RS Feva is a winner and is set to be around a long time, I think. Great two up for the kids, fun adult singlehander and capable 1 adult + 1 child. Very versatile and good value.
 
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A Wayfarer for me. Mirror for the weans. Look like real boats and sail reliably and well.

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Nice boats but I fear the kids will soon start looking at the wizzy new classes and saying 'I'm bored'. To keep them interested there must be a trapeze and probably a spinnaker somewhere in the equation.
 
you can have trapeze's and kites on 'wafers'.
I rigged one up with a bowsprite and ran it with an asymetric, hence broad reaching at 18 kts, got to Belgium from St.Margerets at Cliffe in three hours, pulled up the beach and camped - comfortably - under boom tent, cooking on the primus with our grub that we brought with us, couldnt see that happening in a vario...
enterprises are a bit small and ...... well..... in my mind a poor relation and not as stable across the spectrum.
Some one mentioned the Albacore, nice dinghies albeit dated but a heck of a lot going for them.
 
Definately go for a Laser 2000. Had one for a number of years before the kids grew up too much - girls rather than dinghys became the norm. Only just sold it. Kids had great fun and you can get at least 6 teenagers in it and it will still float and sail reasonably. Come down to 2 people in a F5 with all sails up and we've topped 14kts on the GPS.

A great fun boat with a multitude of personalities to suit the flavour of the moment. Go for it!
 
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