Big dad / small kid

Current Laser 2000 National Champion is racing in the Open Meetings with his 10-yr old daughter: and still winning.

On Sunday, we were racing in a 1.5 hour "around the creeks crawl" at Brightlingsea. An RS700 sailor was out in a Laser 2000 with his 8 year old: On the run back to the finish she took the helm and was told: follow that Laser just in front. She was delighted and totally hooked once she overtook it!

Great boats for your purpose. As there is also room for Mum to come out as well!

The bins in the fore-deck are just as useful for sweets and toys as for the beers the rest of the fleet carry with them!

I'd back the 2000- of the modern-but-not-rotomolded designs, it is by far the best suited to your requirments. If you're worried about inversion (yes, always an issue on a double bottomed boat) put a mast head float on.

Has other advantages- if you've still got it a few years down the line then you can fit a trapeze kit if he fancies it (not legal for class racing) easily

Peaky - you suggest the Mirror or Grad, both of which are fine boats and well suited to taking small kids out in them. My specific issue is they are both small boats and I'm a classic Finn sailor - a big guy with wide shoulders, long arms and long legs. I have sailed a mirror a few years ago and it is very cramped for me. for this to work it needs to have enough space that I can get comfortable. Being in a comfortable position means I am less likely to be caught out by 'circumstances' and end up in a bad situation. For instance, in the Feva I usually end up kneeling on the floor of lying down. Neither position give you any chance of responding to events and it is very easy to trap sheets in a way that means they cannot be free'd (If you think of the classic beginner in a laser on a windy run, on both knees in the cockpit facing forward, with one hand behind their backs on the tiller and one on the mainsheet, with the tail under their knees. Not good, and although it feels safer than being on the sidedeck not safe either). In many ways I would be happier in a slightly more 'powered' boat with more room, than a small cramped, under powered boat, although I accept it would have to be pretty nuclear for me to get into trouble in a mirror!

Isn't anyone going to suggest the N12?

I'm a 6'2" Osprey sailer but I sail a Miracle with the
kids - plenty of room for me and the family, jib small
enough for a kid to handle but enough sail area to have
fun.... Mind you the little one loves trapesing in the
Osprey now