Some Forum Help

Here is the thing guys,

Im about to put my 800 up for sale due to lack of time and lack of crew. however i still want to be able to sail so im looking for a single hander. now the task gets harder.

constraints are..... probably more simple to sail, as much performance as possible, wire or not, but probably for local club not suitable. lightweight to heave up shingle beach, fleet not a problem cos chances are wouldnt take it to open meetings anyway. any price.

im looking for something that i can get in and sail, basically. now this is a task pretty impossible due to so many possibilities.

i was starting to think along the lines of a vareo.

suggestions and advice welcome.

Have you considered a cat?

A Shadow looks like a cracking single hander, I've never sailed one but it looks great and it's got a kite. Then there's the Stealth or an A Class, all with lots of performance.

Rs300 sounds a good plan or if you want the wire something like the 600 or the contender, carries weight fairly well and high performance.  How much do you weigh?

im a bit of a fatty at 14st odd, another reason to get rid of the 800. its all muscle and no pub....i promise.

300 seems a good shout at the mo. given the amount of time i'll have to sail it, is the level of ability needed to sail it to difficult given the amount of time on the water i'll have to get used to it or will the time in the 800 stand me in good stead?

whats the performance like compared to the vareo?

cat isn't really a runner given space on beach and in boat park.

the 300 is a fair amount faster than the vareo. it is quite a difficult boat to get the hand of at first. after a mofew sails you will be able to get it around a course ok and from then on it just gets better. your time in the 800 will help but primarily its the instability of the thing and the way it is so sensitive to trim which catches people out.

at 14stone you will be ok in the 300. weights of those on the circuit ranges from 60kg ish up to 100or so. its about how you sail the boat not how heavy you are or how big your wallet is.

that said, most of the boats are getting on a bit now so you may find you need to spend a bit on replacing cleats and some blocks etc if they are the originals.