2nd hand National 12 or RS200?

What are the benefits/pitfalls of each.

I guess the obvious differences are cost of purchase & availability of entry level examples - which is best for lake sailing, probably in a handicap fleet.

I sailed my RS200 very successfully on a 75acre lake....  you can goose-wing the kite in handicap racing so it is very handy for club racing when the race officer won't give u reaches

on the py of 1059 we won the races quite often and that was against kestrels, solo's lasers, wayfarers, laser4000 and buzzes!

the rs200 is quite pricey second hand..but they hold their value for a vvvv long time!  

out of the 2 i don't hav ne xperience of the n12...but a boat with kite is always soooo much betr! .....even the 200 kite is betr than nothing

i've owned both, the national will almost always do better on handicap on a small pond, but we sold our nat. 12 for a 200, for some fun downwind. Both boats are great, for different things rs200 is more fun, but more expensive, national's are cheaper (as ,long as you don't keep changing with the dev.) but can be tedious downwind, and fill up[ after a capsize.

The 12 is always going to be a much cheaper entry level option.  For lake racing a 500quid example will win races while a 1K one will be competitive at opens. Boats of this age won't depreciate much so its a very safe way to try out the class.

The 200s kite and PY are misleading, modern 12s certainly appear to be faster upwind and down than a 200 in almost all conditions.  At starcross the 200s start 3 minutes ahead of the 12s but we usually catch them on the first lap, sometimes the first leg!  Not having a kite makes for one less expensive sail to be replaced.  With adjustable shroouds, a very full main and the dangly pole there's plenty of power available in a 12 offwind and plenty to keep the crew occupied.

Upwind the 12 will outpoint most other classes which is very handy on a handicap startline.  Boathandling is probably more critical with the 12, whether this is a positive or a negative will depend on your outlook: to start with it may mean more swimming but ultimately will give more satisfaction and make you a better sailor...

On top of that we're a very friendly bunch, so if you'd like a test sail hop on over to www.national12.org and say you're interested in trying one out.  Wherever you are in the country we're sure to have someone to lend you a boat for an afternoon.

Cheers

Tim
N3497 'Shiny Disco Balls'

Not bad clips Jack.

Sorry to send most of you to   by repeating old advice but  -  it really depends on what you want to do. If you want to club race and they sail 12s at your local club get one but if they sail 200s get one of them.

If you want to do opens with comparatively big fleets and one design racing get a 200. If you don't mind smaller (but very competative fleets) get a 12 - but be aware that anything more than a couple of years old will only be competative on small ponds or in the 'classic' fleet - where that exists.

Money wise, 200s hold value well, but a sub £1000 Nat 12 can't lose much either.

Edited by Hector