Lightweights 2 Man Boat

My 'puter has been dead for a bit, but now some of the thugs and yobs are back from wasting time at "uni" so it is fixed. I would have joined in this post before had I been able. At that time I would have recomended the Tasar since we love ours. It is worth bearing in mind that the Tasar has a minimum wieght limit for boat and crew so in theory a midget in the front could be ileagle. unless a fat bloke sits in the back. However..... last weekend we had a persuit race against local clubs. Light winds. We (tasar) started 2nd from the back, 35 boats, and only managed to get mid fleet at a the end. The best performing boat? A graduate with the new Rooster rig! One first and two seconds over three races. The hull was old and wood and the couple sailing it are of normal adult wieght and are not not particularly "hot shot". A revelation!

Very much a tossup between a National 12 and a Tasar I think. For sentimental reasons I'd go for a 12, but I'm just getting into Tasar sailing, so who knows?

Most boats are  tippy and I agree with Mr. Wilkins that "responsive" would be a better choice of word. 12s are lively and point quite well.

There was once a National 12 sailor, who yielded to a Wayfarer's desire (he wanted her to crew for him).

She said "it's a sin, but now that I'm in",

"Could you point it a little bit higher?"....

 

 

I've sailed  National 12's for 35 years - my daughters started crewing for me on accassions form about age 6- the eldest was crewing for me for the whole of Salcombe Town Regatta aged 7 or 8 if I recall - 12's are "tippier"( I prefer the term RESPONSIVE) than most dinghies but that is part of their appeal. It makes them terrific dinghies to teach you how to sail well - they let you know when you don't, but with perseverence the grin you get from sailing them just gets bigger. We had a couple who were new to sailing turn up at our club a few years back in an old Twelve  - after the first 3 or 4 weeks they were thinkong of selling and finding something less tippy - they were persuaded to persist a little longer and soon learned from their mistakes. They bought a much newer 12 (a Crusader) the following year which they loved sailing and very quickly became increasingly hard to beat.

You can sail less responsive boats badly for many years - you can learn a lot about balance and sail control very quickly in a National Twelve - go for one they are fantastic boats and offer brilliant value for money and grins per pound!

 

 

 

Do you know "Merlin" boat (not Merlin Rocket). It is 2-3 person sail dinghy with 7, 8.5 and 10 square meters of sails versions. The boat is distributed in Germany and Poland. You can find it on www.kamayachts.com or www.cm-segelsport.de. It is perfect for learning, recreational and more advancing sailing.

Set exactly the same question myself about 2 months ago and went for a N12 - Crusader.  Great little boat.