musto skiff vs RS700 vs RS600?

Of course, but at 16, or 18 when i bought my boat, i couldnt afford the step up in price from my laser which i sold to a musto, so i bought a good 700 for 150 more than the laser was sold for, i can afford the £150 but to get a musto of the same spec i would have to have had £1500 to spare at the time, which i didnt!

I just bought a 700 a while back, hadnt trapeze helmed before and traded in a 4 year old laser and got a 4 year old 7 for £150 difference, bargin i say! Being a laser sailor it was quite a jump but i have been able to hit the 20knot barrier a couple of times and that is such a great feeling!

Am i right in thinking you are chichester based? I sail at warsash and find the water a bit small especially on the shorter club races, especially when i was first starting in the boat lots of corners close together made for some hectic boat handling! Make sure you have access to a big (and deep) stretch of water for learning!

If you buy a 700 make sure you get one with intermediate bars, you will have the wings at full width so bars are needed, i have them and i am 80kg and over 6ft. 

Try and get a boat with 2 kites and a decent main, but they do last ages so not too important, they do shrink so you may need to get the luff cord released to get it to depower properly, just look out for holes in the material at the ends of the battens because they are common though not particularly a worry!

If you want speed without a massive learning curve then the 7 has to be the right boat, you will fly in the light stuff and there is always the flattening reef for the breeze, the raking board also will help you a lot and your trapeze skill from the 29er will give you a headstart over me!  Then you can move on to the slightly more refined musto when you know its the right time, then it can get expensive!

I think it's fair to say both will challenge you at 60kgs ... I don;t know what the comparative sail areas are; have you looked?

Just get some test sails done and you'll soon work it out.

If you can get you act together quick you could do the Europeans in Garda ...

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Originally posted by s.a.l.t.y Musto Skiff is the best. But most expensive. If the money was there i would choose this over any of them. 600 is 2nd i reckon and at the prices you can pick them up at the moment they are by far the best value for money. Even though downwind sailing without a kite is rubbish unless its windy. 700 i think is the worst of the 3. From what ive heard from people who've had/sailed them they aren't very good. They have a ridiculous handicap too. If i had the money to buy a Musto Skiff then that would definately be what i would buy. If i didnt have that much to spend i would rather spend something like £3000 on a newer and top condition 600 than spend the same on an old probably not so good condition 700. This is what i decided when i was looking for a new boat recently and im so glad i went for a young and very good condition 600.

Salty i'm not really sure you should bash the 700 if you havnt sailed one fella!  I'm sure they are a great boat with no doubt some small faults.  But from what i have heard they are a bit more stable then the 6 and the musto.  The musto has obvious pedigree and the quality of both the boat and the fleet is without question.  The 600 seems to of aged really over the past few years, they are great boats (even if i struggled when i borrowed one) but i would be putting my money into a Musto if i has it or a 700 if i didn't.  Last time i checked did the 700 not have abigger open meeting attendance to the 6?