Kite or no kite?

Kite, every time, boats are boring without them, unless you're in the confines of say a little 40 acre lake where you can't sail two minutes in any direction without having to tack or gybe, then you buy a Miracle Matchbox Toy and use its kite.

Or do what I do, sail single handed and get your kicks with a proper kite, kiteboarding, we sell some amazing new kites.

Edited by iGRF - 10 Sep 14 at 8:13am

There are still plenty of old plastic Albacores around and with a decent set of sails they are a powerful boat. Our old 1973 Fosrite is still up the front at our puddle club. More tend to become available over winter and prices are then lower so keep looking. There's a nice composite (grp hull, wooden decks) for sale at Cheddar (Bristol Corinthian). Or watch ebay and Apollo Duck sites. They often sell through word of mouth or club notices so keep asking around.

We've raced Larks and Merlins before that and at a small club the kite is a big handicap - you spend more time setting and dropping it than gaining from its flying so the Albacores usually pass you. Or the race officer sets a course for Laser sailors with lots of short legs and gybes!

Edit - 11 boats on Apollo Duck including a hull for £50 and a nice looking one at Nottingham http://sailingdinghies.apolloduck.co.uk/listings.phtml?cid=102

Edited by patj - 10 Sep 14 at 6:51am

National 12? Exciting, no spinnaker, they tack well - get a design that suits inland sailing - but you might get wet early on in a blow