Suitable day sailing dinghy

What you're looking for is a boat to suit your light weight, stable, with space to stow spare gear and safety kit, and that will be relatively easy to moor, anchor and manoeuvre on shore.  The ability to be rowed should also be taken into account.  Any of the comet range mentioned would suit, as would a  miracle, mirror, or heron.  To my mind the wanderer still falls into the 'family boat' category as its quite heavy and eprhaps a bit of a handful to be solo sailed if the breeze gets up.  The Walker bay range of leisure boats is pretty good too.

If I were you I'd be going for the mirror - it's an amazingly versatile little boat, great fun to sail and ticks all the above boxes.  You also have the choice of spending money to get a baot that lasts, or you can buy a budget boat (making sure it is sound) then flog it off at the end  of the summer and not lose much at all, having had loads of fun in the first place.  This sort of fun/exploration sailing suits the mirror down to the ground.  You can even fit a lightweight outboard if you want.

Originally posted by Contender443 What about one of the Cornish boats, was there a Y&Y test on one lately? The most "famous" would be the Cornish Crabber. And what about the K1?

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Thank you Soggy Badger,

Thankyou for all your suggestions, its reassuring that im not the only one finding this choice difficult! I've looked at the Wayfarer, but its too big and heavy for me, the Wanderer and Gull both look very good, the Wanderer being slightly larger may be more suitable for coastal inlets/harbours etc. As for the RS Vision or Toppers Magno, they seem to have as many fans as detractors, but both compare favourably with the Wanderer and Gull in terms of weight, size and sail area so its time to arrange some test sails and see what feels best. Thankyou again for your inputs, i'll let ye know how i get on.