RS Q'ba

You might also consider a Cadet, Alikat.

I was looking at possibilities for my godson and his brothers - we wanted a boat which would keep two crew-members busy rather than in effect a singlehander with room for two. I was struck by how much sail area a Feva has - we've found in our club training that it needs a fair bit of crew-weight in a wind.

The Cadet seems to have smaller sails than other viable two-man (child) boats, yet genuinely has role for two persons. Usefully lighter for them to manhandle ashore, too. GRP versions are pretty robust-looking, but cheap ones are also rare.

skslr,

In answer to your questions:-

Car topping vs. trailering: I'm not a fan of car topping. I/we have lifted Lasers onto racks/car roof racks and that's difficult enough! There is always the danger that the hull or car will be damaged - and let's face it, lifting a hull to the required height is hard enough with 2-3 people.   ALL of the parts of the Q'BA will fit beneath the cover, though it would be a good idea to secure them. (The mast is in two parts that is easily dismantled, and can be stored under the cover with the halyard still connected.) The big sail (in it's bag) will lie comfortably under the cover.   Trailering would be my preferred option.

Strong winds of Force 5-6 are exceptional fun! The Q'BA really shifts even when using the small sail in a Force 5, though it isn't as competitive as a two-person dinghy. Force 5-6+, and the small sail becomes competitive, simply as other dinghies are depowering/spilling wind and/or capsizing! The Q'BA points really high when the sail is pulled tight, and offwind in these conditions it really is immense fun. The pressure is much more controllable than in other boats, and it is a case of going along for the ride - Lots of fun, speed, spray etc. but for a lot less effort

Rotomoulding vs GRP... Difficult issue here. You'll find so many threads against "plastic" boats in these forums, but there are also lots of us who do actually like rotomoulded dinghies. All I can say is that it depends on the design, and also whether you actually like the boat, if you can get over the plastic stigma

Personally, the Q'BA doesn't suffer from being plastic. It is short, so flexing is less of a problem. Even if it was rigid GRP, it wouldn't be appreciably faster because of the design and waterline length. The sides are nicely rounded so that hiking is very comfortable, which is a great advantage, and there are no awkwardly placed stiffening ribs in these areas which might lead to discomfort.

Hope this helps.