Wayfarers

lw395

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Victoria,

yes they are very heavy boats, hence sailing schools like them as they have a small army to get them up slipways !

Also difficult to right from a capsize; a float at the masthead might be an idea, and a trial capsize by the club in shallow water definitely is.

Please advise your friends - and I cannot emphasize this enough - above all else a jockey wheel with a pneumatic tyre on the trolley makes all the difference between back-breaking hassle on the slip or not !

Andy
One thing to be aware of is that although the minimum weight for the class rules is quite heavy, many Wayfarers are much heavier still.
Particularly old GRP ones built for sailing schools.
Also Wayfarer sailors, apart from serious racers, are often prone to carrying a few hundred weight of essential items like seagull outboard spares, kedge anchors, old rope, boom tents etc.

Take care when offering a hand on the slipway.
 

fantasia7628

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Absolutely loved sailing my Wayfarers, they are the best value for money sailing boats that you can buy. Have cruised, including Channel crossing; but mostly raced in my beautiful epoxy ply Porter built W7628. This was always sailed at minimum weight and, yes it is slightly heavy, but with a decent slipway and/or winch it can be handled with ease. Slightly painful to hike for extended periods, but with the right gear they are a pleasure to sail. Good fun learning how to set the boat to get the most of its performance. 25 knot spinnaker reach is an absolute blast, although I and my crew add up to nearly 30 stone! The new Mark IV looks great and performs even better.
 

Sailfree

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Sounds like you were contemporary with Alice and I in W7241-MK2- same 8st/ 14.5 stone partnership!

Yes we did Strangford Lough internationals but towed it over on the Ferry!!

I think the Wayfarer is probably responsible for more people getting into sailing than any other one boat. We only bought one to learn to sail before buying a big boat -some 8yrs later we still enjoyed the Wayfarer but bought our first big boat. we had made such great friends and met such nice people even when they are shouting "water please" at you!! 22yrs later with a new Mk IV still enjoying it as much but just the time contraints of cruising the big boat a problem.

I enjoy cruising in our big boat but love the exhileration of a Wayfarer on a spinnaker reach with both of us hiked out towards the rear and boat skimming across the water. SWMBO would be screaming with fear but still helming it - only slightly out of control - for max speed. Me - I am just waiting to go swimming again!! one of the problems of a Mk IV is that they are so buoyant and hold less water after a capsize so they are higher and a bugger to climb back into! SWMBO just gets in position to be scooped into the Wayfarer as I right it - lazy git!!
 
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Victoria Sponge

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Yes we did Strangford Lough internationals but towed it over on the Ferry!!

I think the Wayfarer is probably responsible for more people getting into sailing than any other one boat. We only bought one to learn to sail before buying a big boat -some 8yrs later we still enjoyed the Wayfarer but bought our first big boat. we had made such great friends and met such nice people even when they are shouting "water please" at you!! 22yrs later with a new Mk IV still enjoying it as much but just the time contraints of cruising the big boat a problem.

I enjoy cruising in our big boat but love the exhileration of a Wayfarer on a spinnaker reach with both of us hiked out towards the rear and boat skimming across the water. SWMBO would be screaming with fear but still helming it - only slightly out of control - for max speed.

Awesome!
 

Sailfree

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SWMBO screams so much - every time a naughty gust hit us - I called the Mk IV "Is'cream". Funny thing is she will go out to sea in the Wayfarer doing competitions with it gusting 30kts yet would not go out on our 43' boat. She just has different standards for the boats. Knowing that she can dump the main and luff up instantly gives her confidence and hates the lack of instant reaction in a big boat.
 
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Beware of the early self drainers.... when righted, with the water on top of the bouyancy it was top heavy. ...... self drainering boats need to be sailed out of the capsize to keep the stability. .....

That is the Mk II SD, where SD is short for self draining. The sole is above the water line and the self bailers are recessed into wells in the sole. There is an approved modification where large tubes are glassed through the aft buoyancy chamber to act as high volume transom drainers. The SD is a good option if the boat is kept on a mooring as any spray or rain water runs off the deck and out the self bailers and/or the transom tubes if fitted. They are reasonably well sought after by cruisers but as noted by Jon they can be a bugger to keep righted after a capsize unless the tubes are fitted get rid of the water fast. They also float higher when capsized than the non SD versions and as such are prone to inverting. A natty anti inversion device can be bought which is very small and is bolted to the mast top. On immersion it fires and inflates a sausage. A good buy is the roller furling system and the slab reefing system for the main. Almost essential now for safe cruising. The boy and I, akin to Laurel and Hardy, have great fun in our SD. A tow hitch winch is a god send for old asthmatic men and sparrow built boys.
 

FWB

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Our friends have sold their Cornish Crabber and bought a Wayfarer. They say they will get more use out of it. What does the panel think about Wayfarers?

Years ago I had a wayfarer and sold it and bought a Mk 1 Crabber.
Both were great boats, I had equal enjoyment from them. :)
 
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Wayfarer is a great boat to go to Iceland and Norway
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Dye
Frank Dye (23 April 1928[1][2] – 16 May 2010) was a sailor who, in two separate voyages, sailed a Wayfarer class dinghy from the United Kingdom to Iceland and Norway. An account of this was written by Dye and his wife, Margaret, published as Ocean Crossing Wayfarer.

GP 14 Wooden - a pure pig to pull up the slipway single handed.
 
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Greenheart

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I daresay I'd have bought a Wayfarer if there'd been a good one for sale at under £1,000 in the south-east a year ago. I don't think those who are tempted should be deterred by the Wayf's weight - because any dinghy with similar sturdy characteristics and proportions will be a challenge to move up more than a slight incline. A significantly lighter boat will be less trouble ashore, but likewise have much less presence afloat. So rather than downsizing one's ambitions, I reckon on finding a non-injurious solution to hauling out...

...it was a relief to read DJE's post here about rigging a tackle to haul out - because even though it's obvious, nobody else does it! Not where I am, anyway. I plan a similar system for the 140kg Osprey. Also, the trolley-jockey-wheel; I haven't fitted one yet - because there's just a horizontal 40mm bar to clamp it onto - but I'm sure it'll be a Godsend.

I'm a bit surprised at how few times I've seen trolleys fitted with something to prevent the wheels rolling back. If I could shift the nose sideways, one way, then the other, without the wheel on the 'inside' rolling back, I could effectively tack my way up a steep 30ft of slipway, after which I can handle the weight - I've even been known to break into a run!

I reckon for pleasing versatility & fun in a wide range of conditions (and for remaining a nice place to sit even when there's no wind for sailing & racing) the Wayfarer can't be beaten.
 

Kermit

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I've done a lot of day sailing and longer cruises in a Wayfarer. They are terrific boats and there's no other dinghy I'd rather be in if the weather picks up when you're well offshore (for a dinghy, that is, I'm no Frank Dye).

Fast and stable, with room aplenty under the tent.
 

136069

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Brilliant dinghy for cruising and learning to sail in, from basics to kite work - can take up to 4 adults comfortably too.

Older ones are rather heavy but with 2 or so able individuals, shouldn't be too much work.
 

Greenheart

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MkIV is EU certified for 6 adults.

Hmm...that must be well over 300kg payload. Enough for eight whopping deep-cycle batteries and a couple of 48volt electric outboards. Planing upwind, or planing without wind? :D

I'm thinking, if the Wayfarer was designed for optimum racing crew weight being two adults, she must carve a hell of a trench through the water with over 400kg aboard.
 

Sailfree

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I'm thinking, if the Wayfarer was designed for optimum racing crew weight being two adults, she must carve a hell of a trench through the water with over 400kg aboard.

Wayfarer was designed by Ian Procter in 1957 as a stable sea going cruising dinghy. It has kept to a one design class and hence it can be fun to race but not so wizzy as some dinghys. At one competition in Portland the wind got up and ALL other clases abandoned their racing except the Wayfarer.

Sailing in light airs can take more skill than other classes though as secret is to get it going in any direction first then steer your preferred course.
 

alant

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They must have improved enormously since No. 3002 then! An early GRP example before they learned how little resin and glass they could get away with, so a seriously heavy boat.

Should have bought a Kestrel, a proctor designed specifically for GRP & similar size/weight to wayfarer, but round bilged.
 
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