Laurent Giles 'Jolly Boat' Exeter |
29er GBR 074 Tynemouth |
J24 (Sail No. 4239) Dartmouth |
List classes of boat for sale |
Oppie, Topper or something else |
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winging it
Really should get out more Joined: 22 Mar 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3958 |
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Topic: Oppie, Topper or something else Posted: 20 Mar 13 at 5:48pm |
dead right. The parents who buy the kids the boat they think they ought to sail so often waste their money. I do think kids move out of oppies way to soon, but as James says, if she doesn't like it she won't sail it, whatever it is. |
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the same, but different...
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ohFFsake
Far too distracted from work Joined: 04 Sep 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 219 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 May 13 at 12:52am |
I've been through all of these issues with my two girls. Done Oppies, currently in Toppers and crewing in Mirrors; now talking of 29ers (Eek!).
As others have said, being in a fleet with friends is absolutely the top priority at that age; but if that still leaves a choice then I'd maybe have a little think about the venue. If it is inland and relatively sheltered with predominantly lighter winds then avoid the Oppie as they will spend a lot of time drifting around bored in a boat that won't go - a Topper will power up earlier and result in much more fun. If it is a breezy coastal location then the opposite applies - the Topper will be a handful even with a 4.2 rig, whereas the Oppie will allow them to keep sailing in stronger winds and learn more. And the Tera sits somewhere between the two. Not as powerful as the Topper but more easily driven than an Oppi, so probably suited to a wider range of wind conditions and crew weights than either of the other boats. My eldest daughter moved up too soon, like they always insist on doing, and went into a Topper when she wasn't much more than 4 stone. Her first season involved a lot of swimming and not much progress but in the long run there's perhaps a lot to be learned from sailing in a boat that's massively overpowered for you. It turns you into a great heavy weather sailor as long as you have the enthusiasm and commitment to stick at it...
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doeywizard
Posting king Joined: 16 Jun 10 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 150 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 07 May 13 at 9:05pm |
I started sailing in a tera with the sport rig on, i found this really fun an manageable and once i wanted to try something a bit bigger i invested in the fully battened pro rig which made everything more lively once i had got some experience. A topper you will most probably need a 4.2 and although the 4.2 fleet is quite big at the moment the tera fleet is growing quickly. I moved into toppers after a few years in teras and even now i am sailing lasers by far the most fun i have had in a boat was when I was sailing my tera. The main thing is to get a boat she will want to sail and enjoy.
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Topper 46148 for sale
http://sailingdinghies.apolloduck.co.uk/display.phtml?aid=276804 |
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