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Boats for sale
| Laser 28 - Excellent example of this great design Hamble le rice |
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| Rossiter Pintail Mortagne sur Gironde, near Bordeaux |
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| Laser 140101 Tynemouth |
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List classes of boat for sale |
Exciting dinghy for lightweight(s) |
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kingdacks 
Posting king 
Joined: 04 Oct 11 Location: Poole Online Status: Offline Posts: 148 |
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 Topic: Exciting dinghy for lightweight(s)Posted: 17 Apr 12 at 7:20pm |
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Theres a lovely europe on gumtree at the moment for only 300 pounds. It looks very nice,just depends on where you live and what type of racing they do at your club really. Though both the byte and the europe have lost some prevalence in the uk in recent year but can pick them up on the cheap. |
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Stargazey
Groupie 
Joined: 15 May 10 Online Status: Offline Posts: 45 |
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Posted: 17 Apr 12 at 8:39pm |
If fleet numbers are the only thing that make it worth 'bothering', buy an Oppie.
My belief that the Europe is a dying class in the UK not based on fleet numbers - No, it is based on my experience of owning a Europe .... there is no UK builder, so all parts / hulls made abroad = eye watering prices for replacing parts on a boat that you would strugle to find under 15 years old.
I also found the 'fleet' clinging on to the past in desperation, all rather old men misty eyed about the glory days of the late 80s early 90s.
My experience of the Byte CII is that it as exciting, if not more exciting, to sail than the Europe. Ovington are helpful builders, even for a low number fleet. A modern rig, and an excellent boat for either the young, or the light weight adult. When it was used for the Youth Olympics, numbers went in to hyperdrive in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Sadly, the RYA have an obsession about the Laser squads for youth sailors here and didn't even bother to enter ...
But - those light weights who look beyond the yawn of the fleet number lists, the RYA squads, or the old heavy weight telling you to get in to something they sailed 30 years and 8 stone ago, will find a super boat in the Byte CII.
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andy h
Groupie
Joined: 13 Mar 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 69 |
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Posted: 17 Apr 12 at 10:48pm |
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Skylark 12: You're welcome to try a Europe at Hunts SC training on 26th May if you're interested. Sailing may turn out to be more informative than reading.
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kingdacks
Posting king
Joined: 04 Oct 11 Location: Poole Online Status: Offline Posts: 148 |
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Posted: 18 Apr 12 at 8:06am |
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Id agree with star gazey - steer clear of the europe in less its absolute bargain and in less you just want something so cheap for lightweights. Its a real shame really because they look like lovely boats. Why dont you just buy a laser and put a 4.7 rig on it.
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winging it
Really should get out more 
Joined: 22 Mar 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3958 |
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Posted: 18 Apr 12 at 8:36am |
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We have a fleet of 7 europes here at Hunts, none of them sailed by misty eyed old men! What an extraordinarily WRONG statement about the class.
Until yesterday I owned both a Europe and a Byte C2 (sold the Europe) and I would say there's not much to choose between them. Both are a joy to sail and hugely under rated. The reason not to buy a laser 4.7 is that although the sail has been scaled down to suit the lighter sailor, the rest of the boat hasn't. The hull is meant for someone much bigger, which means the ergonomics of it wreak havoc on your hiking style, plus could cause serious joint damage as a result. |
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the same, but different...
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jeffers
Really should get out more
Joined: 29 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3048 |
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Posted: 18 Apr 12 at 9:15am |
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The 'fleet' at hunts is mainly sailed by ladies and yoof's.
I am hoping for a go in one at some point...but when there is some wind as I don't want to sink the poor boat....
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Paul
---------------------- D-Zero GBR 74 |
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JimC
Really should get out more
Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6662 |
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Posted: 18 Apr 12 at 9:23am |
Or to put in another way the whole boat is out of balance and out of proportion: its a mess. Better off with a Topper IMNSHO. The Europe is a lovely classy little boat: when I was a size to sail them I loved them. There's nothing to choose between it and the Byte as far as fleet sizes new boats and all the rest of it are concerned and the bit about old men: the glory days of the Europe were as a *women's* Olympic class of course, so you know how much weight to put on that remark. The Byte's a decent enough boat, and there's nothing wrong with it, but the Europe, if it suits you, to my mind has a bit more class - smaller and lighter and more sophisticated, which are all virtues to me... |
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winging it
Really should get out more
Joined: 22 Mar 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3958 |
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Posted: 18 Apr 12 at 10:24am |
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Paul, you would love a Europe in a blow, but there's a reason why I sold mine.....I'm too fat!
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the same, but different...
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G.R.F.
Really should get out more
Joined: 10 Aug 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 4028 |
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Posted: 18 Apr 12 at 11:05am |
Wing wang we need to talk about your Byte C2 and how it should come to a better home down here in the sunny south and have a much neater sylphlike butt sat at it's helm.. In fact you need to swap it for a fine ladies bicycle with a basket on the front, with pretty flowers, a daisy bell and gears, you would be the envy of your close (and they'd probably be happy to de pikeyfy the area, think also of the increase in property values to the neighbourhood.)    Edited by G.R.F. - 18 Apr 12 at 11:15am |
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