I saw one sail at the club, the guy was sailing it well (adult) and looked ok. The guy rigged it really quickly as it is a track mast fitting. Useful with

It depends what you like, if you want to go quicker then you may want more sail area, if you just want a pootle around, then the Q'ba will be fine.

In my experience of Wednesday night races, its light winds, go with whatever takes your fancy.

What's the handicap of the Q'ba? Got to be at least 7% slower than a Laser according to my estimates, except in light winds if you use the 1.2 sqm (!) jib as well. But as soon as the boats are moving, the Laser must walk away from it.

I'm surprised nobody has suggested you try a Laser 8.1, especially for Wednesday night sailing.

i think the q'ba is a fantastic boat .

I would like one to train my family in.

Originally posted by skslr Originally posted by Medway Maniac What's the handicap of the Q'ba? Got to be at least 7% slower than a Laser according to my estimates, except in light winds if you use the 1.2 sqm (!) jib as well. But as soon as the boats are moving, the Laser must walk away from it. I'm surprised nobody has suggested you try a Laser 8.1, especially for Wednesday night sailing. Could you explain the background of your estimation, please? ( For me to learn, I cannot claim to know better!) Waterline length must be less, but the big sail has got similar area and potentially better shape, gelcoat surface maybe a bit smoother than PE - what do I know?

It is largely the waterline length, but I do try to estimate waterline beam and wetted area and its effects on drag too, as well as 'planability'. I don't even try to guess the effect of 'plastic vs GRP' or details of hull shapes, or rig efficiency - surprisingly most boats fall into line anyway, indicating that these details make little difference in ball-park terms (but still plenty enough to notice in class events where one percent is a huge advantage). I'd say 7% overall is the very least difference I'd expect between the standard Laser and Q'ba; probably it will be 10% or more (i.e. Ainslie in a Q'ba will still beat me in a Laser!)

OK – firstly, I think that the Q’BA is an excellent boat, mainly due to it’s versatility. It is very comfortable, and it is great to sail.

The choice of sails (large/small and jib) provides a great deal of flexibility with regards to wind speeds.

However skslr, your post was looking for information about light wind capabilities:

I am 80kg, and just about 10cm shorter than you are. I have lots of room in the Q’BA (yes, I sail one!) and I certainly  don’t have any problems in light winds.

There is so much “deck” space in the Q’BA that I can very comfortably sail the boat in light winds lying down! Once on a run, if I’m being really competitive, then I’ll kneel up so that I can get my weight as far forward as possible.

The gunwales are roomy and rounded (no need for hiking pants!).

Webmuppet is right about the Q’BA – it is very much like a Pico, but with numerous design improvements. The Feva really isn’t anything like the Q’BA at all (it’s a youth boat, that doesn’t sail well single-handedly, and it’s unstable in comparison. Plus, without the asymmetric, the Feva is slow).

Speed-wise, the Q’BA is not fast. Don’t expect it to go fast, but do expect it to be comfy and stable. The handicap is, as yet, uncertain, but it isn’t a bandit. RS have been recommending a trial number of 1260 for the small sail, and 1220 for the large sail. However, I have been racing the Q’BA this year and I, the Q’Bas designer and my club have reached an agreement that a trial number of 1230 (for both the large and small sail) seems accurate and “fair”. I have a jib, but I do not use it – yet.

The Q’BA will just about keep up with the Laser Radial in light airs with the large sail, to give you an idea of speeds. Obviously, a well-sailed Radial will beat the Q’BA easily, even on handicap, but at least you can get out of the Q’BA and walk at the end of the race!

[The RS Vareo has been mentioned – I beat our Vareos on the water (usually), that’s without the handicap!] 

yea the feva is a youth boat but i sail it very well singlehanded thank you very much  yea okay there are better bots out there for lone sailors but still.

its not that unstable, wheres the fun in stable boats anyway!!!

yea the feva is slow cant deny that, even with the kite.
mind its bloody good fun past the 25k mark

a well in the 29er now

yes the 29er is  very recent.

when joining the forum i had no intention of sailing it.
things change very rapidly in my world

thanks for the 29er heads up

skslr,

In answer to your questions:-

Car topping vs. trailering: I'm not a fan of car topping. I/we have lifted Lasers onto racks/car roof racks and that's difficult enough! There is always the danger that the hull or car will be damaged - and let's face it, lifting a hull to the required height is hard enough with 2-3 people.   ALL of the parts of the Q'BA will fit beneath the cover, though it would be a good idea to secure them. (The mast is in two parts that is easily dismantled, and can be stored under the cover with the halyard still connected.) The big sail (in it's bag) will lie comfortably under the cover.   Trailering would be my preferred option.

Strong winds of Force 5-6 are exceptional fun! The Q'BA really shifts even when using the small sail in a Force 5, though it isn't as competitive as a two-person dinghy. Force 5-6+, and the small sail becomes competitive, simply as other dinghies are depowering/spilling wind and/or capsizing! The Q'BA points really high when the sail is pulled tight, and offwind in these conditions it really is immense fun. The pressure is much more controllable than in other boats, and it is a case of going along for the ride - Lots of fun, speed, spray etc. but for a lot less effort

Rotomoulding vs GRP... Difficult issue here. You'll find so many threads against "plastic" boats in these forums, but there are also lots of us who do actually like rotomoulded dinghies. All I can say is that it depends on the design, and also whether you actually like the boat, if you can get over the plastic stigma

Personally, the Q'BA doesn't suffer from being plastic. It is short, so flexing is less of a problem. Even if it was rigid GRP, it wouldn't be appreciably faster because of the design and waterline length. The sides are nicely rounded so that hiking is very comfortable, which is a great advantage, and there are no awkwardly placed stiffening ribs in these areas which might lead to discomfort.

Hope this helps.

Considering buying either a Qb'a or a Feva for my 2 daughters (aged 13 and 11, both weighing around 40 -45kg) and new to sailing. Was looking for a boat which they could manage , enjoy and deal relatively easily with a capsize.

Having looked at the specs of both boats ,comparing the 'basic' models there doesnt seem to be much in it. The Feva offers more scope for progression . The QBa sounds a slightly simpler version.

Does anyone have any views on pro's and con's of the 2 boats. What reasons would you have for opting for the Qba rather than the Feva?

Views welcomed

You might also consider a Cadet, Alikat.

I was looking at possibilities for my godson and his brothers - we wanted a boat which would keep two crew-members busy rather than in effect a singlehander with room for two. I was struck by how much sail area a Feva has - we've found in our club training that it needs a fair bit of crew-weight in a wind.

The Cadet seems to have smaller sails than other viable two-man (child) boats, yet genuinely has role for two persons. Usefully lighter for them to manhandle ashore, too. GRP versions are pretty robust-looking, but cheap ones are also rare.

Kids like to sail with other kids! The "social" side is as important as the sailing side.

So buy whatever is sailed by other kids at the local sailing club.

If nothing, and you are going to travel to find the other kids, then a Feva, Cadet or Mirror are the choices - they all have active sailing = social events.

The Feva offers better double-handed options than the Q'BA, so if your daughters will be sailing together, they are likely to enjoy the Feva more.

The Q'BA is more of a versatile single-hander, and at 45kg-ish would likely be too much for them to handle individually unless the sail is excessively reefed.

As has been mentioned, look at what the other kids are sailing at your club, and also bear in mind the level of sailing experience your daughters have now, and will want to have in comparison with their friends at the club.

OK - here goes... Not being a fan of the Laser, I'll try not to be too biased:

Laser Radial vs. Q'BA with the Pro (Mylar) sail +/- jib will be fairly evenly matched in circa 10kts of wind or less. However, the Laser hull shape is faster, and they tend to go to windward much faster than the Q'BA.

The second thing is really whether you want a straight single handed design. The Laser simply isn't designed for two people. The Q'BA has vast amounts of space on board by comparison and will certainly take an adult and a child, so I guess it depends on your wife's stature! I have never sailed the Q'BA with another person on board (it's more like having a double bed to yourself!), though I intend to take out a couple of beginners in the coming weeks, just to try this out. With "Mr. & Mrs. Average" sailing together - I would imagine the Q'BA to be quite slow...

If however, you are sailing alone for the majority of the time, I would say that you will find the Laser Radial faster - it depends on whether you want to be a Laser Sailor, or are looking to sail a general purpose dinghy that should be able to take you plus wife/kids. Personally, I don't think that you would miss too much fun on a Q'BA, but it depends on whether you want a faster, uncomfortable dinghy (Laser) that has excellent competitive fleet racing. It's also worth considering what you want to get out of your sailing - Do you want to race or potter?

The Q'BA is capable of meeting your requirements (I think), but it does depend on your standard of sailing ability, where you sail, and also why you sail, since racing the Q'BA is a different thing altogether.

WhatMeSail? After reading your reply, I would say that the Q'BA is definitely the better option for your requirements. Bear in mind though that you won't be zooming around in less than 10kts of wind, but then again you wouldn't in the Laser! However, you will be much more comfortable in the Q'BA than a Laser in these conditions (no crouching in the middle of the cockpit, etc.)

I'll let you know how the Q'BA feels with two on board in a couple of weeks.

An update to my last post:

I still haven't got around to taking out one of our beginners with me in the Q'BA (I will do this at some point, though).

Last night I was out in 7-11kts of wind with the Pro (large) sail AND the jib. I have only sailed single handed with 2 sails in the Q'BA once before: this was a nightmare because 1) it was a very gusty and shifty Force 5, and 2) I'd never sailed with 2 sails before!

However, last night was very good experience. The jib certainly doesn't help a great deal when pointing high in comparison to mainsail alone, and the other problem was that I was overpowered when pointing as high as I would normally like to. I quickly found that it was easier to bear away and keep the power on, sailing to the jib tell tails.    With crew, this should be less of a problem.

On other points of sail, the jib was something additional to play with. Boat trim is also somewhat different than when sailing una rigged. I'm not sure whether the jib would be an advantage when racing, but it was fun.