Another 'What Family Boat?' Topic

Hello All,

Sorry to post another question about "what family boat" but some of the responses on previous discussions have been really good.

I need a boat that can be sailed by two male adults (combined weight about 25st) that know what they are doing but want to improve and get back into club racing. It needs to have an asymetric spinnaker and decent performance. However it also needs to be used for family days out with young kids so not too tippy.

It will be harbour sailing so depth and tide will be an issue and there will be some shingle beaching.

Friends have Laser 2000s and I would buy one but you can't fit an outboard and the gel coat doesn't seem to like shingle beaches.

I'm thinking about an RS Vision (its plastic and can take an outboard) but will this be too much of a compromise in the performance department?

Cheers...

Hi 

- how young are the children...  do you want to take them out of a ' tippy racing' boat, with water coming in over the stern (no transom) and washing around their feet ?

I recently bought a "Topper cruz classic (14foot)  it's got an assymetric, oars and outboard. Okay -there's no class racing but definitely a sensible family boat, I say it could be raced as well but it's going to be in 'handicap'. 

A little sportier is the Topper Sport 14/16...  possibly can  fit an outboard onto as well?   - laser/toppoer have more modern equivalents that are roto-molded (i.e. Vago etc).

The Cruz classic,  is fibreglass (and 10+years old) - but has an aluminium centre-plate - so is fine for shingle if sailing too close to the coast.  Lovely boat though - I'm very totally pleased with mine.

I'd have thought the Laser2000 would be too small for your requirements, you'll not (I'd have thought) race a laser2000 competitively with 25stone in the bilges - you'll need something bigger.

Alternatively  - wayfarer /wanderer / bosun .... 

Cheers

  fin

PS - with 25stone  - you should be thinking about a laser5000 once you feeling a little more adventurous! 

Hi

For racing with 25st, how about an Albacore? No Assymetric but with adjustable mast and shrouds together with self launching jibstick still plenty of offwind performance. Faster round the cans than the 2000 if you go by PY and also an ideal family cruising boat. GRP ones available from £500 - to £5,000 depending on age, condition and spec. Faster than Wayfarer, Wanderer and Bosun and not so heavy to pull up the slip either! Try one and see... 

If you are not too fussed about the spinnaker options then older designs are worth a look at. Like GP14 and Enterprise. Both will do what you are asking.

What do you mean by "decent performance". My 35 year old GP14 that cost £300 with the original sails and wooden batterns does not performance quite as well as a new GP14 on the race track! However it performs the role of a family cruiser as well as anything else. In fact better than a new GP14 becuase I am not too worried it it gets knock around on the beach, if the jib is furled or the sails flog.