Hi all

Looking to buy a boat, been sailing for a bit but the problem i am having is im 6'7" and have had more than my fair share of sore heads and backs after a good crack with the boom, 

Any Ideas on what i should be going for?  Idealy aysmetric, single hander.

Cheers

At 6'6" I am a little shorter than you, but still taller than most people!

I have been sailing a Vareo this year - great fun. I found the boat was a little narrow, so while other people were putting in fancy Rooster toe-straps so they could sit out further, I tied the two toestraps together in the middle of the boat, so that I was effectively using the leeward one. This works well for the longer legged people.

In the Vareo, when the winds reach 18knots or so, you have tightened the kicker down enough so you have to remember when tacking to keep low, but in any lighter winds the boom rises enough for it not to be a problem. Down-wind you release the kicker, so no chance of a bang on the head when gybing.

The "ideal" weight for a Vareo is somewhere between 11.5 and 14 stone, with people racing to the top 5 in Open Meetings weighing between 10.5 and 16 stone. I am outside the "ideal" but I can still be competitive in all winds.

Cheers, Chris

V294

Single Measure

Vortex asymetric plenty of head room...

actually mine for sale at the moment...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Laser-Vortex-Asymmetric-Sailing-Dinghy_W0QQitemZ150165948674QQihZ005QQcategoryZ98955QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Laser-Vortex-Asymmetric-Sailing-Dinghy _W0QQitemZ150165948674QQihZ005QQcategoryZ98955QQssPageNameZW DVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Bargain at only £1950!!

I'd go along with the Vortex as it does indeed have a high boom. The only problem being that at 6'7" you will be way overweight to be competitive (If you do weigh 75kg then you should see a doctor). Also in the light stuff you will have to weave your frame in amongst the lowers, shrouds and trapeze lines to get your weight forward and even at a stumpy 6'1" I found that awkward.

The RS700 carries more sail than the MPS so can potentially carry bigger (and taller) people. I seem to recall Turnturtle not being the shortest on the pond (never actually met him so am guessing from those rare photos when he's actually on the boat -  as opposed to the other way round) so if he enters this thread he may be able to give better advice.

There's a fella in Cork (Rob) who sails an A-Class cat very competitively. I've never been brave enough to measure him but he's fkin' huge compared to my 6'1"/90kgs. So you could try a F16 if you wanted the assy.

Ok, the Vareo Sounds like a good plan, might have to make a few modifications to it  as per ChrisJ's notes.  Kite surfing could be good though!!  btw im around the 80Kg mark, so should be fairly competative. Next job Find a Vareo

No boom on a Dart 18!

80kg plus a similar weight crew would make you very competative!

You dont happen to have any photos of a blaze,  just on the trailer so i can see how much room there is?  Also any of a Vareo would be good aswell.

Cheers

Mike

Try this:

Helm is 6ft 6ins tall, folding that length into any boat in light winds is not always easy!

Or, if you have a bit more wind about, a much more enjoyable boat:

And the Blaze:

Wasn't that Gary Player?

Actually TT I'm glad I caught you cos there's something I've been meaning to ask and you have sort of answered it in your post.

My Hurricane is a great beast but she's heavy and cannot be single handed. I am often envious of the Laser sailors at Ballyholme who stop off on their way home, sail for 40 minutes and then go in for tea. Part of that is that it is so quick to rig and de-rig. But I don't want a Laser. How do the MPS and RS700 compare in terms of ease of rigging? I have a sort of plan to get one or the other before too long for those days when I can't get a crew and the 700's are cheaper second hand (not too worried about fleet racing or resale in Northern Ireland). But speed of rigging will be important too. I want to arrive, throw the main-up and launch without having to waste time adjusting spreaders and lowers all the time. Any advice?

Are you talking about andy and alex? They came to bbsc for the winter series last year. Hopefully they're coming this year but i doubt they will let me near there mustos

English Dave:

regards to speed of rigging, the 600 is insanely quick to rig, once youve marked where the rig tension should be pull the sail up clip it to the boom pull the tension on go sailing. Ive started tweaking with the diamonds though now i can keep the big white thing over the little white thing but i dont think it makes much difference, whack em on when its light, take the tension off if your getting scared (diamonds, not rig tension), thats all i do.

Thanks to mike and TT. I had written quite a lengthy reply but then accidentally deleted it and couldn't be arsed to type it all back in. In brief:

700/MPS is a medium/long term plan. Would be the only one in Ireland so not too bothered with class racing. 700s are about a grand cheaper for same age so more tempting. Having sailed 20' assy cats for three years (I'm pretty bold downwind) and trapeze-helmed for seven I have everything needed except agility and fitness. And currently the readies to go and buy one in addition to the Hurri.

Trouble is that by the time I'm ready to do the 700/MPS thing my daughter (currently 3 and a half) will probably be bending my ear about getting a ride. So may have to do something semi-sensible like a Vago.

Thanks anyway.