It also depends on where you sail, ie sea or inland and how big a sailing area you have also what level you are at too.

Not sailed any of the above so can't comment but from spec they are all singlehanders, the contender is the only one with a trapeeze the others are hiking boats.

Dear All

Thank you for the replies to date. My BMI is a tad better standing at 6feet but overweight all the same.  Good living I say.  The contender appeals to me a tad more and I shall make some more enquiries.  I will be sailing in the sea of the Western Isles.    

Should I discount the Topper Buzz as an option???  Am I not heavy enough for this? 

Or is it more of a two hander??

Moran taing

The Buzz is good fun singlehanded, mind. Borrow one and give it a go!

Hi Folks

The contender is certainly one I had not considered and will give this due consideration.  I would consider trapeze helming and you make reference to other better options. Any in particular? 

Unsure as to whether I would commit to a RS600 but could be convinced. Another option suggested to me was the RS300. 

Many thanks

blatant pimp because i own one and so does my brother......600's rule!!

I'd have one over a contender anyday!! Although i do like the carbon rigs on the contenders.

But saying that i cant remember what the weight range is for either boat so i'm not too sure

Hi All

The prospect of having a good time is important and I would like to develop my skills to incorporate trapeze so the Contender would be a preferred choice however also looking at a Laser 3000 and the Vago as options.  Don't mind the prospect of getting wet.  May have to wait for the Vago to come down in price a bit.

Out to lunch on the phantom at the moment.  Nobody makes reference to any of the Topper boats such as the Topper Topaz Tres.  Is that because they are not up to much or is that a class to which I would not fit the bill.

You'll find few people with kind words to say about the Topaz*. It's really an object lesson in what happens when you set out to make a hull be both an unstayed single sail boat AND a three sail trapeze boat, AND fifteen different combinations in between.

*Theres some of the rest of the range, with different hulls, that are fine. I quite like, for what it is, the Taz.

James

Many thanks for the above.

Enjoy and value your perspective on the rotamoulded boats and the issue of single/doublehanded. Will have to ponder for a while and see what is available.

The laser 3000 is an excellent boat to learn single handed trapezing on - it's pretty stable and easy to step in and out of when trapezing.  Also it has a kite to play with and room for a crew if the desire arises.  You can get one for under £1000 or spend up to £6000 for a spanking new lightweight one (like mine).

However, it was designed as a double hander and has a jib to contend with and doesn't work terribly well without it.   Also, though you can single hand one under class rules, there's no single handed circuit (yet).

The Vago has an active single handed race circuit, but it's a harder boat to single hand being wobblier and having a high freeboard to step out onto.  The 3000 is somewhat quicker too.

The Topper Buzz is another single handable double hander, like a 3000 but bigger (much wider & more sail area). Heavy.

As for the topaz .. never really heard anything good about it.  Sails too small to be fast, hull too narrow to keep the small sails upright I believe.

In truth, as the man says, no hybrid single / double hander will work quite so well as a designed for purpose single hander - but as no-one makes an "easy" to sail trapeze single handed asymetric with space for the ocassional extra body, I have the V3000.

i would avoid any trapeze boats to start with as you are returning to the sport. the guys who can do make it look easy but you will be much better off reminding yourself of the skils needed in basic sailing of a boat before trying to move into anything more complicated.

As to classes, i would recomend a laser with a rooster 8.1 rig as a budget way back into sailing (and a laser will be easy to sell on again). but if you have more money to spend then a phantom is a very nice boat, lightweight, fast, and can carry weight easilly. The finn equally so but it is another step up money wise for little performance gain, and it is a much heavier boat to move around the dinghy park.

You don't make life easy!!  Most concerns expressed relate to the potential situation of running before I walk or a proverb of a similar ilk.  I can concur with that and that is where I am debating internally as to whether I should step back before I step forward or as James had indicated sail within the boundaries of the class prior to progressing further.  I will keep my ears to the ground or eyes on the screen as everything appears to be internet based these days.  Any suggestions?

Can I confirm that the best websites are the class associations, boats and outboards and appollo duck with a smidgeon of boat trader? 

The good thing about second-hand boats, is that they don't depreciate too much. So, if you buy a comfy boat for the rest of this season then feel ready next year to step into something more challenging, there's a good chance you won't lose any money on it.

http://www.dinghyshop.co.uk - www.dinghyshop.co.uk

It used to be good but i dont really know how often things are added and to be honest there isn't that many boats on there. Worth a look though.

Hi Folks

Will let you know how I get on and thank you for your wisdom & experience!!  Still undecided and I assume that will be the case until I see the boat in question.     As they say up our way Moran taing or Many Thanks 

Best test of a Laser mast step is to fill it with water up to the top and see if it goes down. Your budget of £1k and £2.5 for a Laser and 600 sounds OK, it should get two boats of similar condition, ie a few scratches and dings but sound club racing boats with several seasons ahead of them.

Hello Mark

Come down to Hayling Island this weekend and have a look at the Contenders as we have an open meeting there.

I will be there in my shiny new Harpprecht Contender - it was a little bit more than your budget but there will probably be boats there that would give you an idea of what you can afford.

By the way this is what my new boat looks like....

Contenders carry weight but the bigger and heavier you are the more uncomfortable they are in lighter stuff.

I'm almost 16 stone and almost 6ft and sailing on a lake I'm getting getting a bit disillusioned with my Contender as it's not very rewarding results wise below a F3. Considering a Phantom if only I could find one!

So are you the same Matt Jackson who keeps appearing in the RS700 open results?

if you were unsure, thats steve bolland, our recently crowned national champion and illustrious leader (aka class rep). i will also vote for the 300, very rewarding when you get it right but in the short lumpy stuff it can be rather challenging

The other Matt Jackson sails with the growing 700 fleet at Carsington in Derbyshire.

Ian

Greetings from another substantial individual (I prefer the term rather than saying fat) looking for a singlehander.

I was thinking of a Phantom (but the budget will not stretch to a recent one) or an RS300 (the budget will not stretch to any one).

Other options were a Streaker (told I'm too heavy), Solo (told they are quite slow), Laser - possibly with Rooster 8.1 (this remains an option).

No interested in trapeze boats as the lake is too small for them.

Would a Finn be an option? If not, why not?

Would the Laser be the best option or are there others in the £1000 price range (obviously second hand) that I should be looking at.

Not really hijacking the thread as it is on the same basis as the original question.

Milton Keynes Sailing Club but I hope to do a few of the Open meetings at other clubs in and around the area..

A Phantom would be great but decent ones cost much more than my current budget. At about 16 stone I think a Streaker is a non-starter although they are really nice boats.

Looks like a Laser is going to be the best option and then get an 8.1 to go with the standard rig/

I settled in the end on a Solo for the following reasons:

Lots more room than a Laser and the sails last longer.

Excellent and very helpful Class Association

One came up at the right price.

I sailed a solo for about a year ( at the time 14.5 stone ) & I only worn my wet suit 2 maybe 3 times because the boat sailed very well but with my weight it never got out of hand.