Sailed a Laser & Laser II when I was younger, got into keelboats but now want to get young family into dinghy sailing ....

Have a 4 year old (plus another one who is a little young for the experience yet) and a wife who has done some sailing but nothing in dinghies.

Need something that wont scare them off and will provide a feeling of security in light winds but equally when it blows, something I can use with friends for a bit of fun....

Sailing will predominantly be in estuary/sheltered bays.

Any advice/experiences relating to the Vision/Bahia or Omega gratefully received....

I personally wouldnt go for the bahia. we had it as a test boat at alton and no-one could say its name, if they could they put on a accent or something. Also it sounds like something you'll get in a indian takeaway... "I'll have a chicken bahai and chips please"

Also the bahia is a new boat and will probably come at a price. If you think the vision is too small you could even go up to the vision XL which would definatly have enough room for a familly (or 2)

The wayfarer is obviously a well proven boat but i discounted it on the basis of it being heavier than the vision, omega and bahia. 

If I'm honest the age of the design also put me off a little, perhaps this is unfair?

The bahia is probably the lowest on my list at the moment as I agree it looks a bit of a tub....

Not sure about the Omega, it looks good on paper but seems to get trashed all too frequently on discussion forums.

The VISION gets good write ups and comment on forums but I am just a bit concerned about its suitability as a family boat with very young children, that said, it is my current favourite...

The stratos has always very much appealed but as our local club doesn’t really have provision to launch using a car I think it could prove heavy to recover  for my wife and I (and I don’t really want to rely on other people being around to help).  Maybe not though? If recovery was ok, the Stratos may well move to the top of my list ....

I would definately go for a Stratos with Vision second best. I dont like Omega (not sure about the Bahia but it looks horrible !). I have sailed a Stratos for a number of years.......as you have stated a great boat for what it is designed for, you will get a good second hand one for £4500 - £5000 (maybe less) and you get so much more for your money.We have dragged it up and down lots of different slipways and quite honestly have never had a problem. In a blow it can be sailed quite conservatively or you can have a pretty good blast. Friendly class association who are trying to get numbers up for Nationals etc. It will always look after you. I have sailed the Vision and like it, but not that much room (although seems to have that RS pedigree as goes quite nicely downwind). It looks like they may be starting a Class Association.

The Omega.....we have them as training boats at our club for the Youth section and we don't let them out in them above a good F3 (revert back to the Wayfarer). I find them very 'tender' and you are easily overpowered.......my son who now sails our ISO with me refuses to go out in them (they are not that bad !).......More room than the Vision though. I would'nt discount the Wayfarer

I suppose the other consideration is what is sailed at your local club or where you will be sailing.........for a good sea boat I would suggest stick to the Stratos/Wayfarer..

Good luck

Down to two now, will either be the Stratos or VISION....but still undecided which one ....

Vision is more Laser 2000 sized inside.  Stratos is almost a small yacht!

And doesn't the Vision have a design bug in which the front of the cockpit fills with spray water and doesn't drain due to the solid thwart?  Or is that fixed?

This is my concern with the stratos/wayfarer, some say easy to recover but I seem to recall seeing an army of people hauling a stratos up the slipway at our local sailing school.....

Trouble is, its not something you can easily test out, I suspect I wouldnt really know the answer until I got the boat on the club slipway and gave it a go.....

Withour a doubt a Stratos is a big boat. And heavy enough to pull from the water! (I think the launch trolley has a nose wheel as standard which says it all really). That said, it is several tons lighter than a Wayfarer and the other boats on your shortlist are rotomoulded which brings its own weight penalties.

My personal preference would be the Bahia. It's almost exactly the same size as a Vision but carries more sail so should be faster when you want to go for a blast. There is some justified perception that RS make racier boats than Laser and a slight bias against Laser on this forum. However, for the family market I think that Laser have come up with a really good boat with the Bahia.

The Omega is bigger than the Vision and Bahia but is also a well thought out boat. It has been around a little longer than the others (I could be wrong) so there may be more scope on the second-hand market. All of these tri-lam boats are a world away from the tupperware construction of a Topper/Pico.

Try them all before you buy. I haven't sailed the Omega but the others (Vision/Bahia) are much of a muchness and it may come down to how you feel in the boats. I have taught in Stratoses and they are fantastic for that but it wouldn't be my first choice to nip out for a blast.