RS Q'ba

Following Captain Morgan´s assessment on this boat, I went ahead and
bought the Q´BA last weekend and so far I have sailed her four times,
always using the Pro sail and the jib.

She handles quite easily in 5-6 kts of wind and I was slightly faster than
Laser Radials. I could not keep up to the pace of two of my friends sailing
Laser Standards, but then again, I am sure they would have beaten me
anyway if we exchanged our boats. I am a novice sailor with only a few
months experience.

I have also sailed the Q´BA with my kids (one at a time) and my wife. One
can certainly feel the extra weight with two aboard, especially in the light
breezes I sailed so far. It is nonetheless comfortable for two people.

The small jib did make a difference for me, though. I could feel the boat
jumping ahead when pulling the jib sheet so as to increase wind speed on
the main sail, at least under light wind.

I have yet to try sailing her alone on 10+kts of wind. It will certainly be
entertaining and challenging.

As mine is the only RS boat in our club, everybody was curious and
overall very well impressed.

Kind regards

WhatMeSail? After reading your reply, I would say that the Q'BA is definitely the better option for your requirements. Bear in mind though that you won't be zooming around in less than 10kts of wind, but then again you wouldn't in the Laser! However, you will be much more comfortable in the Q'BA than a Laser in these conditions (no crouching in the middle of the cockpit, etc.)

I'll let you know how the Q'BA feels with two on board in a couple of weeks.

Originally posted by WhatMeSail? Captain Morgan, I would greatlly appreciate your comments on choosing between a Laser Radial and a Q´BA with the large mylar sail + jib. I would like to take my kids (4 and 8 years old) out sailing for short periods. Kids will get an Optimist or an Open Bic soon, leaving my wife to sail with me. On the other hand, most of the time I will be sailing alone and don´t want to be stuck on a sluggish boat. As compared to a Laser, how much fun would I miss on a Q ´BA? I´m 75 Kg. Many thanks.

OK - here goes... Not being a fan of the Laser, I'll try not to be too biased:

Laser Radial vs. Q'BA with the Pro (Mylar) sail +/- jib will be fairly evenly matched in circa 10kts of wind or less. However, the Laser hull shape is faster, and they tend to go to windward much faster than the Q'BA.

The second thing is really whether you want a straight single handed design. The Laser simply isn't designed for two people. The Q'BA has vast amounts of space on board by comparison and will certainly take an adult and a child, so I guess it depends on your wife's stature! I have never sailed the Q'BA with another person on board (it's more like having a double bed to yourself!), though I intend to take out a couple of beginners in the coming weeks, just to try this out. With "Mr. & Mrs. Average" sailing together - I would imagine the Q'BA to be quite slow...

If however, you are sailing alone for the majority of the time, I would say that you will find the Laser Radial faster - it depends on whether you want to be a Laser Sailor, or are looking to sail a general purpose dinghy that should be able to take you plus wife/kids. Personally, I don't think that you would miss too much fun on a Q'BA, but it depends on whether you want a faster, uncomfortable dinghy (Laser) that has excellent competitive fleet racing. It's also worth considering what you want to get out of your sailing - Do you want to race or potter?

The Q'BA is capable of meeting your requirements (I think), but it does depend on your standard of sailing ability, where you sail, and also why you sail, since racing the Q'BA is a different thing altogether.

The Feva offers better double-handed options than the Q'BA, so if your daughters will be sailing together, they are likely to enjoy the Feva more.

The Q'BA is more of a versatile single-hander, and at 45kg-ish would likely be too much for them to handle individually unless the sail is excessively reefed.

As has been mentioned, look at what the other kids are sailing at your club, and also bear in mind the level of sailing experience your daughters have now, and will want to have in comparison with their friends at the club.

I would discount the Q'Ba as you really want a proper doublehander.
Always worth looking at a Mirror too.