want a RS but not sure it's suitable

from a mirror the best boat in the RS range is the 200, but as said earlier, a bit pricey.

if you work out what you want from the boat then look at the options it will be a lot easier. if you want a boat with a trapeze (the crew dangling from a wire to get more righting moment) i would suggest a laser 3000 (now built and sold buy someone else (not laser)), easy boat to learn in but has quite an exciting ride when it gets windy.

If you wanted a hiking boat i would suggest the 200 as it has the best open circuit and you are more likely to have a fleet to race against. It is also a very nice boat to sail too. if you dont want a spinnaker then perhaps a national 12 or tasar or if Chew My RS turns up on this thread im sure he will launch off on a sales pitch about the NS14.

However i there are other fleets at your club see if you can beg/borrow/steal a go in one to compare them. then pick the one you like most. anoter good place to compare boats is the dinghy show in alexandra palace in march.

Weird to say you want to buy an RS ... but not say what kind of boat you want.  RS make pretty much one of everything and they're mostly pretty good, but there's plenty of competition for everything they do make. 

Like as you wouldn't decide to buy a Ford then decide which model; work out what kind of boat you want then look at the options.

Which RS did you fancy?  Coming from a mirror, it's NOT an RS800 I assure you (even if it did cost £2k!)

 

Lark? They can be quite reasonably priced and very tricky to keep close to in my 200 and would suit a lower weight crew.

Thanks everyone, boat show and testing it is.

I found the RS's around the £2000 mark on boats and outboards.

I started in National 12s with a girlfriend at the time, with relatively little dinghy experience - I heard a lot of the 'too tippy' comments from the owners of other classes we tried out but in hindsight it was the best decision. 

The early learning curve can certainly be quite steep but you'll find you're boat handling will progress pretty quickly, £2000 should give you a good choice of boats  that'll be very competitive a club level and its a good class for your weight and for estuary sailing.

see: www.national12.org


Edited by DiscoBall