Small boats more fun?

Hi m_liddell, it sounds like you need to change club not class.  You wouldn't find much of what you find unpleasant at clubs like Bough Beech or Wilsonian.

As for the comment about kite surfing and boards - well I can umderstand the comment and you really should try and master those sports but for me going upwind is the most demanding and hence rewarding sailing you can do.  Hence I sail a Laser4000 - fast upwind - and faster still downwind so I can quickly get back to leeward to go upwind all over again.

On the same kind of note you could say the same thing about sports boats, why sail a sports boat when you can sail a faster dinghy or skiff? Totally disagree with that point of veiw though because everyone enjoys the sport in their own way and we all sail boats which are suited to what we can get out of own enjoyment, hence the reason I only ocasionally sail keelboats and feel at home within a dinghy or skiff.

I've sailed both dinghies and sportsboats, more the latter recently. Almost everybody I know who sails sportsboats has also sailed dinghies: it would be pretty intimidating to start your helming career in something that can do as much expensive damage as quickly as a keelboat in a big fleet can, and also have to take responsibility for a crew of several people, not just yourself or one other. Attractions of sportsboats: really the ability to spend the day on the water in something approaching comfort while also having an exciting sail, at least once its windy. I'll admit it's partially an age thing, and in my 20s blasting around on a short board was more my idea of fun.

I wouldn't sail either dinghies or sportsboats just for fun though. Both are race machines: both have better alternatives at either end of the spectrum if you just want a good time on the water (cats/sailboards/kiteboards and cruisers).

http://www.i14.org/forsale/index.php

Here - look at the UK boats, penultimates a couple of Ovi Benedict 4's for under 1000 pounds...