Wayfarer

I didn't know there was a steel centre board Wayfarer but the Mk 2 (all GRP with wooden centre board) has been used by sailing schools for many years without problems. Avoid the self draining version at all costs. As someone mentioned earlier they are almost impossible to right from a normal capsize with mast on the water let alone from an inversion.
 
I vote for laser 2000 -a modern dinghy, brilliant fun and definatly great on bangs /buck ratio -Wayfarer is surely a bit outdated now, although mate of mine has one and they are still great boats, just not modern -no asymetric etc.
 
The Steel Centre Board is a common modification for a Cruising Wayfarer. As to difficulty when righting from a capsize, its no problem, when, like me you're heading for 20 Stone. I do recall a 10 Stone Scout, having a few problems, in Chichester Harbour, some years ago though.

Martin
 
It is also the case that the early versions would have been supplied with what we would now describe as 'cruising' sails as was the norm for most dinghies then. The 'racing sails' we now accept as standard were an optional extra. This had an enormous impact on a dinghy's handling.
 
I often cruise in a Wayfarer and I cannot think of any other dinghy that I would prefer, especially when the weather turns rough.

Reef in plenty of time and sail in cruising mode, rather than pushing her to the limits as if one is racing and a Wayfarer will look after you.

The thwart could be an inch or two higher to make sleeping on board more comfortable, but that's my only gripe.
 
Well I am no expert but my understanding is more that Cruising Sails were just Knackered Racing Sails. I suppose that the Sails with the flotation pocket may have been considered Cruising Type.

Part of the confustion may be caused because of the age of the Wayfarer. One mans old may be 10 Years ago whilst anothers could well be 50 Years. When I got my first, second hand Mk1 Wayfarer, Roller (Round the Boom) Reefing was the Norm & Slab Reefing was the new thing. A Centre fitted Mainsheet was the height of sophistication & we got some very strange looks when we fitted adjustable Jib Sheet Tracks

Martin
 
I am talking 35-40 years back. The standard sails were smaller area. The sail pocket is still used by some and is sometimes specified by dinghy cruisers when ordering new sails. It is a perfectly viable anti inversion device and can buy the extra few minutes needed to get things under control.

It's funny looking back at things and the how these 'innovations' were seen at the time.
 
The Wayfarer was the dinghy I cut my teeth in, and I remember hurtling round a local resevoir on cold, wet and windy March days in that year, and without that weight I would have been even wetter!

Wonderful and safe for beginners, but big and heavy, still, persuaded me I was too old for dinghy sailing, but still like old heavy things, tho with lids!
 
I have a great affection for the Wayfarer as I did my RYA Dinghy course in one. Saw the new Wayfarer at LIBS and didn't recognise it. If it hadn't been for the label I would never have known!
 
You cannot be serious man!

Have you ever tried to conduct - let alone complete - a seduction in the cockpit of a laser! with wet suit on!! in mid winter!!!

Give me the long wide master berth of a Gibsea Master 96 anytime /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

- OK the new Swan with its removable panels between the rear berths makes a fantastic orgy parlour but most of us can't stretch to those! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
The reputation also includes the tendency to invert after capsize! In a seaway the boat may be impossible to recover.

Despite this the Assn website states 'The versatility and seaworthiness of the Wayfarer is something no other boat can come close to matching'

Talk about arrogance??

[/ QUOTE ]

Got 2 members of our club who sailed their Wayfarer from Portsmouth to France in a genuine F6 and then back again without prob.And a fleet of them at Lydney yacht club who happily sail the Bristol channel in nasty weather without incident.

Sure they can be inverted just like most modern yachts and every dinghy I can think of, but I'd rather be out in bad weather in one of them than in many small French cruisers
 
The "World" and the Mk.II had a reputation for inverting. In the case of the Mk.II this was due to the foam buoyance under the side decks which made it float higher when capsized. The Mk.II SD was unstable when flooded which made recovery more difficult, but most had freeing ports to allow the boat to empty quickly. Until a couple of years ago these ports needed to be blocked to comply with Class rules, and one of the local guys nearly lost his boat when he and his son where unable to right the boat without it re-capsizing.

Have you read "Last Tack at the Needles"?

I used to sail on the assumption that a capsize was to be avoided. Certainly in my youth we used to sail as a family in circumstances where a capsize would be a pretty serious situation.

Racers have a different view of course. They accept risk of capzise as routine. The local club guys were quite shocked when I said I'd never capsized a dinghy except deliberately. They were even more shocked when we fitted reefing gear on the Wayfarer!
 
Agree entirely. I sailed a Wayfarer for 18 years and never capsized while cruising. With the amount of gear stowed in the cokpit that was to be avoided at all costs. But with a choice of headsails and two slabs in the main it was never necessary to carry too much sail. Capsized it a few times while racing though, and it came up with so much water in it that we invariably had to retire.
 
We raced firstly a MkII then a MkII plus S and laterly a MkI wooden one. We effectively learnt to sail in these boats. While never as good as we would like Jane managed to get her name on the top Lady helm trophy 4 times at National championship so I think I can speak from some position of experience regarding capsizing etc.

We hardly ever sailed or learnt from others as we sailed together from the start and that made our progress through the fleet slower than perhaps it could have been and many of the lessons hard learned. We always tried our best and flew the spinnaker when the best were doing so even though we were out of our league! Hence we had many capsizes!

As I mentioned before a knotted rope tied to the shrouds really helps. Its left coiled inside but as crew I grabbed it once it was obvious we would capsize. Towards the end I was often quick enough to grab it, throw myself over the side and with the extra leverage prevent a complete capsize resulting in taking on only a little water which was soon sailed out with the self bailers. On the occassions when we have inverted the knotted rope gives great leverage and assists stability when standing on the underside to right the boat. Even in the worse conditions (often greater than F6-7 and squally) we always managed to sail out the water on a reach using the self bailers and hence never carried a bucket!

I would add that usually 4 of the championship events were always sailed at sea and not on Inland waters!

With regard to age I am now 60 (many other competitors that race wayfarers are in their 40's & 50's) and hope to start racing again this year.

The reason for starting this post though was to get others opinions of the new wayfarer built by Hartley and how it compared. Our lovely wooden boat has been stored under cover and not used for 3 years so may take time to get back up to standard. I did not wish to start a discussion about the various merits of different classes of Dinghys but welcome others informed comments.

I would comment on the constructive nature of these comments and wished others followed this when they post on long keels, AWB's and MAB etc when often only prejudice shows through.
 
At my YC we have a large fleet of W/farers (20+) from the old wooden to the new modern versions - I don't sail one myself, I just have to rescue them and they are a real bu**er to get back up after an inversion, they are heavy and you have no where to get hold of to get them upright. Even when you do get them right-side up they are so full of water that they immediately capsize again.

Having said that the W/farers crews are always very friendly - nice bunch.

Peter.
 
[ QUOTE ]
With regard to age I am now 60 (many other competitors that race wayfarers are in their 40's & 50's) and hope to start racing again this year.

The reason for starting this post though was to get others opinions of the new wayfarer built by Hartley and how it compared. Our lovely wooden boat has been stored under cover and not used for 3 years so may take time to get back up to standard. I did not wish to start a discussion about the various merits of different classes of Dinghys but welcome others informed comments.

I would comment on the constructive nature of these comments and wished others followed this when they post on long keels, AWB's and MAB etc when often only prejudice shows through.

[/ QUOTE ]

More power to you chap! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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