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What Asymettric?

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radixon View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote radixon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: What Asymettric?
    Posted: 04 Jan 07 at 10:32am
Before parting with any money, its best to take a look at the boats you are considering in question. Not sure if it has been mentioned but why not take a look at them at the London Boat Show. There you can talk to the manufacturers and ask the questions you want.

If you are still undecided after then, then you can visit the Dinghy Show where the Class Association's may be to ask.

After all, as it is going to be you that is sailing it, you want to make sure the boat you buy is the boat you are going to want to sail.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Hector Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jan 07 at 1:33am
QUOTE=NickA]

An asymetric Vortex sounds like a good idea. 

Anyone tried double handing one? 

How much does the add-on asymetric kit cost these days?  And where do you get spares (sails etc) now laser have stopped making them?

[/QUOTE]

The asymmetric kit costs around £1000 from the class association or get a secondhand one (although the asymmetric versions sell quite fast. Laser have committed to continue to stock spares for the standard boat. In time, it may well be that one of the potential new builders the class association are talking to will take over spares etc.

There's plenty of room so you can sail two up but there's not much point for an adult as there's not much for the crew to do. If you want to sail two up regularly, get a doublehander. On the other hand, I have sailed with one daughter trapezing for first time including 'Hanging five' over the bow - that got her hooked (bad pun) into trapeze sailing and she now crews a 29er. Also once with up to 5 kids aboard so that was fun for different reasons.

The Vortex is vastly underated by many (especially on this forum) and given your criteria, and the potential to develop your skills deserves consideration. but as always, its best to have a trial sail - where are you based NickA?



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Post Options Post Options   Quote BBSCFaithfull Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jan 07 at 8:23pm
Dave,
Trial and error is the name of the game! The 600 has a powerfull rig and is quite a difficult boat to sail well. But they are cheap so a lot of fun for your money! All i can say is you should just try all the boats you are thinking about!
Have fun!,
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Iain C View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Iain C Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jan 07 at 8:16pm

Dave

I would thouroughly recommend the Contender.  I learnt to drive from the wire in one, and it's a nice stable platform to learn in.   I consider myself reasonably handy yet when I sailed a 600 recently it certainly kept me on my toes and i did swim a couple of times.

If you are learning you WILL end up capsizing and dragging your hook across the deck and an older Rondar Contender will put up with that just fine.  And if you are 10st in medium breeze on anything apart from a dead run the Contender will feel powerful and exciting.  In fact the only real drawback is the space to get under the boom whilst tacking, however again if you are 10st you will probably find this much easier than me (13.5st).

Good circuit, lovely looking boat, good sails/rigs from Wavelength, older boats still competitive, dacron sails rather than mylar (although you can have mylar if you really want) mean it will put up with you falling on the main, you can't lose really.  One thing, get a space near the water as they are heavy for a singlehander.

Good luck!!!

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Post Options Post Options   Quote English Dave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jan 07 at 8:01pm
Nothing wrong with cheating. It's getting caught that's illegal!
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NickA View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote NickA Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jan 07 at 4:48pm

Well said Dave,

....but cats are cheating. 

Like going fast in a car instead of on a bike

 

 

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Post Options Post Options   Quote English Dave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jan 07 at 1:52pm

Although I don't totally disagree with redback's fairly pompous comments, it's worth remembering that the difficult part in sailing a 600/700/MPS is keeping the damn thing upright. All experience of windshifts will be immaterial until then. And keeping them upright is largely a question of power management and balance. I can't see how sailing for any length of time in a Mirror would help in this regard.

The learning curve is steep to be sure, but if daveb has the commitment and fitness (cos you use lots of energy righting boats) then why not give a high performance boat a go? I'm assuming that his big boat skills mean that he can do a triangular course well enough and knows a bit about sail trim.

I used to windsurf for years. Got clocked at over 30kts and could do a few jumps. Couldn't carve-gybe to save my life! Didn't let it put me off - I just fell in, swam the rig round and started off again in the opposite direction. Come to think of it, I couldn't go upwind either so every so often I would walk the board 100m back up the beach. My point is that you don't have to be totally proficient to get a huge kick from high-performance sailing.

I know I am Cat biased but could I suggest a Dart/Sprint 15 or a Dart 16. Cheap with trapeze and lots of space for light weight crew. Dart16 even has spinnaker option. Both are quicker than Vortex, Vareo and even (apparently) an RS600. Dart16 is low-maint tupperware and Sprint15 has good race circuit.

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Post Options Post Options   Quote 29er397 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jan 07 at 10:00pm
garry has made a fair point there, and as has been said before, you should try all the options before you buy anything, working your way through them all in increasing difficulty sounds like a logical way to do it.

I'd deffinatly consider what you will be doing with it, if not racing then something with a bit of adrenaline might be good, or if for cruising long distances something bigger  and more stable. If you will be racing then starting off small is a good plan.

I think the idea of a vortex is an interesting one, it would be pretty versitile and pretty much ticks all the boxes for what you sound like you want.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Garry Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jan 07 at 9:20pm
While I wouldn't want to put daveb off trying dinghy sailing if his only experience has been big boats he's going to struggle to get to grips with both the vareo and 600 without a lot of swimming. Same probably goes for the Contender and laser. At least the Laser is easy to right... I would suggest the Feva is worth a look, can be single-handed or with crew. A traditional option if you're not too tall would be a mirror. niether boats have a trapeze and are at least forgiving if you don't sail them flat. Single-handed trapezing, while not that difficult is also not that easy.

Best advice would be to visit your local dinghy club and see what you can try out before commiting any money. It might be worth picking a sunny day with a force 4 wind and see if you can sail a Topper around a triangle. If that's easy then try a laser (radial probably if you're just 10st) if you manage that easily then you should feel confident about a vareo or contender (although I would still put the 600 on hold until you have a couple of years experience under your belt - not that I've sailed one but I've watched a very good sailor at our club go up the learning curve).
Garry

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Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jan 07 at 8:27pm
Originally posted by nathan

Originally posted by redback

Here's simple test ...
There is no one answer to that...

Exactly so. For a start, do you know why right paid? If it paid because of the tide then the answer of which way to go down the run may be different to right having paid because there is a overall wind direction change, to whether it paid because that was the phase of the wind shift cycle, or whether it was to do with the big black cloud that has just passed or or or...
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