Vago in flesh

Originally posted by Rupert If I were a kid thinking of coming into sailing, I suspect I'd take up a different sport if I'd read the above sl*gging off of Mirrors and oppies. There are huge numbers of Mirrors and Oppies around the world, with more people enjoying racing and cruising them than any other boats barring possibly Lasers. They both are the shape they are to get maximum size from a given length, and considering the design restraints sail remarkebly well. So many on the forum are obsessed with absolute speed - sailing has always been about how fast things feel. Planing flat out in a Mirror is an amazing sensation, especially in ours, where wondering if the 35 year old sails are just about to blow apart adds an extra dimension!

I agree with the sentiment, i.e. most people seem to view a boat's speed as the only criteria to consider, which is why I am buying a Vago and not a second hand Laser 4000. I personaly want to sail a boat that challanges my skills without overwhelming them. I do however see the Vago as a stepping stone to a higher performance dinghy in the future, if I continue to learn and improve. It is for that reason that I haven't and wouldn't consider a Mirror, not because I think the Mirror is in any way a bad dinghy. Indeed the Mirror from a historical stand point provided a very cheap way for a lot of people to go sailing. I for one love the fact that we have so much choice in what dinghy to sail, i.e. it should be impossible not to find a dinghy suitable for anybodies personal requirements. 

funny how the Vago-specific thread got taken over by Mirror/Optimist opinions. The reason I chose Vago is that it seems to be in the sweet spot of price/size/complexity/modern design, made by the only manufacturer with the truly global distribution network. All this gives it a better shot at becoming the new Laser than any other boat.

In the meanwhile, my shipping date was delayed by 1 week - supposed to be shipped (to Italy) on July 12ths. How many RS boats or Toppers are there in Italy or Germany (my locations) compared to Lasers? Almost none.

Yes, may be one day when my sons grow up we will have the skills to sail the 49ers. Or may be they will take up cat sailing like their dad. If speed were the only considerations there would not be any dinghy sailing - I can run circles around any RS boat in my catamaran, and sail much faster than (comparable sailor skill) 49er. Yet I am also buying the Vago, because I think it is the best deal around in dinghies on fun/performance/price and will grow into one of the largest "classes" globally (also = resale value).

Edited by earthbm

"f I were a kid thinking of coming into sailing, I suspect I'd take up a different sport if I'd read the above sl*gging off of Mirrors and oppies."

Much as I loved sailing a Mirror when I started, its not likely to be the class that drives grassroots sailing forward in the way it itself did in the 60's and 70's . Surely the next generation of growth, if it happens, is most likely to come from the low cost idiot proof plastic boats that are now starting to appear?

My club is thinking of acquiring half a dozen new 2 person boats for our training/club boat fleet, and its the likes of the Vago and the Vision that are in our minds. I'd be interested in any views people have on the potential durability of these for such a use?

well i think that the Vision is not a great boat it is very slugish, crusing boat and on sat at studland i,um how should we put it over took it in a good force 4-5 pointing higher than him (in a topper)

Every picture tells a tale.

In a certain 'other publication' this month, there's a photo of the Minorca Sailing Vago fleet being sailed by their instructors and sporting the most enormous masthead flotation bags I've seen.

Nothing so very surprising there - a lot of the latest boats love to invert. But, amusingly, three pages later the same photo appears in a Laser advert with the said flotation devices photoshopped out....