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Which single hander
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PATRICKCR View Drop Down
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    Posted: 17 Aug 14 at 11:49am
Hello all,

I am looking for some advice please Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have just passed the staggering, nay dare I say admiralesque like,  RYA 1 & 2 course and I'm ready to try my hand at a solo circumnavigation .....of an inland lake( probably Burghfield / Reading sailing clubs)...and now I need to look for a boat....which I'm finding rather tricky.

I have done a lot of windsurfing / kite surfing, a little crewing on yachts , like speed, I have no fear of getting wet...and my aim to become as technically proficient a sailor as I can, so I will enter a club race scene as well, to improve my skills. For know I think trapeze sailing is at least a season away while I hone my abilities , but I'm happy to try asymmetric spinnaker boats as well.


My priorities are ..
  • Single or double hander that can be sailed single handedly and can be launched/ retrieved fairly easily on my own(quite strong 95 kg male) - I don't want to be land locked if I can't find crew. My training was in Topaz Argo's and Xenon's and they are not easy to haul out alone !
  • High Boom Needed - low booms are out due to lower back issue.
  • Budget - Sub 3K for a used boat in good condition
  • Relatively tough - I expect both myself and the boat will take some abuse early on :) 
  • Performance I can grow into.
I don't mind if it is a classic / modern boat / rotomoulded / wood / etc all suggestions welcome.

On my list at the moment is the RS Vareo / Lazer Vago / Supernova.  

I would appreciate your opinions / suggestions please

Patrick


Edited by PATRICKCR - 17 Aug 14 at 11:49am
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kneewrecker View Drop Down
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Posts: 1586 		Post Options Post Options   Quote kneewrecker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Aug 14 at 12:20pm
Get a Laser, learn everything you can from it and those around you- sell it in two years for what you paid for it and buy a D-Zero or a Blaze ;-)
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Medway Maniac View Drop Down
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Posts: 2788 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Medway Maniac Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Aug 14 at 12:59pm
Try a Blaze or Halo at Burghfield.  Ask to have Mike Lyons pointed out to you.
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jeffers View Drop Down
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Posts: 3048 		Post Options Post Options   Quote jeffers Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Aug 14 at 3:43pm
Originally posted by Medway Maniac

Try a Blaze or Halo at Burghfield.  Ask to have Mike Lyons pointed out to you.

Good advice, the Blaze is relatively benign unless the wind is blowing (but hard to master) and there is (or was) a good fleet of them at Burghfield.

Mike Lyons (aka Blaze720 on this forum) is Mt Blaze and he is the current builder of the boat too. I am sure he will discover this thread soon enough.
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Time Lord View Drop Down
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Posts: 301 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Time Lord Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Aug 14 at 4:54pm
Rather than rushing in and buying something, talk to some of the people who sail singlehanders at your club and ask if you can have a go in their boat - most will be happy to help if you choose the right time ie not just as they are launching for a vital race. Also see them actually sailing their boat and choose the one that can actually sail a good race rather than talk a good race.

If you have lower back issues then I would have thought that a Laser was the last boat to get as you will not be able to hike hard upwind.
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Assassin View Drop Down
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Posts: 25 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Assassin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Aug 14 at 5:40am
Currently, how could anyone go past the new RSAero. Modern, lightweight and good value for money.

Cheers.
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PATRICKCR View Drop Down
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Posts: 9 		Post Options Post Options   Quote PATRICKCR Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Aug 14 at 9:30am
kneewrecker, Medway Maniac, ,jeffers ,Time Lord  and Assassin ..thank you for taking the time to respond.

Yesterday I went back to both Reading Sailing Club near Sonning and Burghfield to check out what was happening ..and managed to poke my nose aound some boats. Quite a friendly bunch in both clubs :)

Conclusions I 'm coming to ...

1. The laser seems to be the default single hander class, and I got a sit in tour yesterday but I found the boom just too low for me.... I really don't think I would enjoy sailing it for very long, which is  a real shame because I know I could learn a lot from that class. Unless I am missing something about the rig?

2. Wood boats seem to be a bit of a Russian roulette / more maintenance consuming

I will definitively start looking into the blaze, and get in touch with Mike Lyons - hopefully he wont mind me picking his brains.

I have googled the aero ..looks fab but that appears to be out of my price range as I need to be on the water for 3k or under....

Ive also been told by a few people now to only go for a double hander if 'm going to sail two up and expect to swap boats frequently as skill and preferences develop( spinnaker / no spinnaker / hike / trapeze etc etc )

Any thoughts on the Vareo //  Supernova / RS100(probably struggle to get that in my budget) ?

cheers

Patrick



 
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Medway Maniac View Drop Down
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Posts: 2788 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Medway Maniac Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Aug 14 at 11:08am
Vareo /  Supernova / RS100, all singelehanders, of course, and all for my money less attractive than a Blaze/Halo, although I've only seen Supernovas from afar.  The other boats with kites could be a bit of a pain if you are sailing tight inland club courses.

I've come across the dual purpose single + doublehander class question a few times now, and very few boats are really good for both.  The exception for your 90kg is the Miracle, which is a cracking little boat. Surprisingly roomy, lightweight and feels quick even if it isn't especially!  You will struggle to find a GRP one, though.

But yes, speak to Mike Lyons - who won't mind at all - and take it from there.
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NeilB-Phantom View Drop Down
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Posts: 41 		Post Options Post Options   Quote NeilB-Phantom Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Aug 14 at 12:43pm
Cant understand your problem with the boom height on a laser.  I'm 6ft 5in and a not as flexible as  I once was 52 years old and was sailing a laser no problem in F2 -F4 on holiday and winning most of the races.  
Definitely a good class to learn to race in, even if the controls are a bit primitive.
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PATRICKCR View Drop Down
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Posts: 9 		Post Options Post Options   Quote PATRICKCR Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Aug 14 at 1:38pm
I'll add the miracle to the list to take a look at. :) Thanks Medway- Maniac

NeilB  - I think the laser class obviously has a good following and would be great fun,  but for me the problem is not my height - I'm 5' 9 ....problem is a severe crush injury many years ago left me with damaged nerves ... . ...luckily I'm mostly repaired except for movements like very low ducking / low rotational torso movements  ...  repeating that too often ends up with lots of pain....so I'm trying to avoid the issue , I want to enjoy the learning experience :) ...Maybe dinghy sailing is not the best sport for that ...but too late Im hooked...The laser I had a tour of on Sunday seemed very low to me ...mind you I am comparing that to a Topper Argo / xenon...those I had no issue with. The primitive controls doesn't bother me at all , I don't expect I'll be keeping any boat I buy for more than a year or two anyway.

Patrick
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