RS 500 or Laser Vago

All,

New to the forum and after some advice on the best boat for my
circumstances. I have recently got back into sailing after a long time
away and have basically started again from scratch over the last few
months. I have been sailing mainly an RS Feva or a Laser. I will race (for
fun rather than anything too competative) but mainly just potter about
having as much fun as possible.

Now the problem. I have 2 young children who love sailing with me
(normally one at a time) so the Feva has been ideal. However, I want
something that I can sail single handed that will give a bit more sport
than the feva (and ideally be a bit of blast) but that I can effectively de-
power so that I can take out a 5 or 7 year old for some fun and games
whilst not scaring them witless.

Looking around the internet (I am overseas at the moment and my club
has lots of boats but not a very wide selection) and the obvious choices
seem to be in the direction of an RS 500 or a Laser Vago. Grateful for any
pointers on good and bad points of both and also what the second hand
market is like for both. As an aside I am looking for something that is
low maintenance and easy to launch/recover etc.

Thanks in anticipation.

Lysander

Or you could get a Fireball, be quick you've got 20minutes for a nice example on ebay!

The RS 500 is great! As long as the place you sail is big enough then its really good fun! The rigging isnt too complicated, rig is fairly forgiving, good fun in 4+ (admittedly need a heavier crew or that). I havent sailed the vago yet but there was/is (not sure if its gone) that was at the local sailing school but they sold it because it was too hard to sail and not stable enough and then it went to someone at the sailing club who i think got rid of it because on a windyish day (F5 maybe) his crew slipped and ended up on the shroud and then the boat ended up with a horrible black mark from the crews shoes. But then again downwind they look a blast! 

Sounds like the two boat idea is the best solution. The Feva would be ideal as the XL rig allows you to potter around with them and still be entertained and the baoat is also ideal for the two of them to eventually begin to sail together, I suspect you would need to buy the small rig for them to do this at the moment though. Feva gets a bit of a bashing on this forum though for what it is Ithink it is a fantastic boat, highyl durable and as entertatining as possible for its design brief.

As for yourself you havn't really specified what you'd like. The idea of singlehanding a Vago or a 500 suggests you would like a boat that you are capable of singlehanding but in which the kids have something to do if they are crewing. Both the Vago and the 500 are viable choices, though if you do decide to go down that route you should probably have a look at the 3000 which is possibly cheaper - other people on the forum will be able to tell you more about it. For a complete alternative you may wish to look at the RS Vareo, which is a dedicated singlehander and may be a better option for you if you wish to get into racing/ push the boat to its full potential whilst still having a kite for your little ones to play with. If the kids really get into the Feva and you want a singlehander designed for your weight you could do worse than a Phantom, a relatively fun boat that'll provide good racing and a challenge to get it going fast.

Good luck with whatever you chose

olly_love & Hobbo,

Thanks for your thoughts. Feva XL sounds promising (and flexible
enough if I pick up a regular rig that the kids can grow into and sail
themselves in due course.

In terms of what I want - something that will go v fast whilst not taking
too much in the way of maintenance or specialist care. Ideally something
that I will be comfortable sailing single handed but can get a second
person on board at a squeeze (and has a kite).

Regards

Lysander