RS800 or 49er?

I sail a 4000, and i agree that hiking is a b*stard!  I'm probably moving to an 800 next year (see the RS800 thread); I'm tempted by the 9er but having sailed one a week or so back was acutely aware that the person I was sailing with was doing alot of work to make my life easy.  I had a brief go at helming, helming from the wire felt natural but it was obvious that a lot of practise would be necessary even to make the boat manageable.

We had a bit of a moment with a lull, I bore away to keep us on the wire.  The lull was brief and followed by a slight gust.  Sure enough having born away i immediately needed to head up, which i didnt spot till it was too late and we got wet.  I think this sums the boat up nicely.

One other thing that I noticed was the lack of any sensation of speed.  The boat planes so flat and displaces so little that it feels significantly slower than the 4000; though in reality you know you'd well and truly paste just about everything else on the water.

Hope that helps

Hugh

I've sailed both but briefly in both cases.  I'm not fit enough to sail a 49er for more than 20 minutes.  I can do strong and I can do agile (well a bit) but I can't do both for long and that's the sort of athleticism required by the 49er.  The 800 is a little easier.  Both require a regular crew and probably training on a Saturday as well as racing on a Sunday or you'll be disappointed with your performance.

I regard sailing these 2 classes as a very demanding occupation and a real handful in any sort of breeze.  I'd suggest a 4000 unless you are an aspiring olympian.  I can go out and enjoy a force 5 in a 4000 and survive a 6.  A 49er is beyond me in a 5 - even a 4 - and a 800 is nearly as terrifying.

I have to say I admire the design of an 800 - all that performance from a boat which is not that big.  On the other hand the 49er is beautifully spacious for running across and doesn't feel that fast when its going very fast.