I would be grateful for any advice the forum may be able to offer...

I'm looking to buy a doublehanded boat to suit myself and my son.

Helm..88kg, experienced symmetric sailor (ex RS600/700...).

Crew..age 14 and 55kg reasonably experienced by way of RYA courses etc.

The boat must be asymmetric, am happy to trapeze if necessary and I'm extremely fond of RS boats...I sail on the sea.

Hope that's enough to be able to get a steer from the forum...

Thanks in advance....

Ooops... missed the 'a' from symmetric..!!  such a small letter, such a big difference!

I don't want an RS200 as I've sailed one for years and want something different..and I think the weight isn't really that suitable...

Not keen on the 2K..seems under canvassed to me.

Budget..2k to 4k

Just to let you know villan this isn't me i'm looking at single handers!

Would an RS800 be totally too much?

Or a 400 too much of a handful at this weight profile ?

I guess I'd like to hear from people who have experienced these boats...

Or, totally left field, a Dart 16X??

Thanks again!!

The helm would be too heavy for a V3000.

Maybe a Laser 4000? Although I am not sure if the weight equalisation goes down to 55kg.. Worth checking though.

RS800s are actually surprisingly easy to sail, so maybe not too much, although it is twin wire. You would be pushed to get a half decent one for that money though, at least you would have been about a year and a half ago when I was looking, not sure what they are now.

A 400 would almost definitely be too much with the crew only being 55kg. A 91 rules cherub might be quite good? although I am no cherub expert..

Edit: Just re read what I wrote, what I mean about RS800s is that they are easier to sail than you might think, not that they are literally easy to sail. In my opinion easier to helm than a 29er.

Cough cough, i am 85kg and i am fine as a helm in the V3000 thank you very much.

Dan

Laser 4000 weight chart goes down to 59kg, so a 55kg crew plus sailing kit just about scrapes on. There are plenty of crews hovering around the 60kg mark, and they all manage the kite hoist/drop OK (as long as the helm doesn't mess it up for them).

Heavy helm + light crew is actually makes for quite a nice configuration - your racks would be near to maximum meaning the heavy helm can get their weight a long way out if their hike hard, and the crew can trapeze really low without going through the waves.

I used to sail Laser 3000 and I was starting to find I was a bit heavy to helm at about 75kg, in the lighter stuff anyway. Sailable yes, but competitive? Not so sure..

Thats good to know that my boat is in shocking condition.

that is true just like paris hilton theres videos of her all over the internet

I would look at something like the Rs500 if you want to sail with your son.  Parts are available off the shelf, and you know the RS product already.  I sail a 200 surrently and im about your weight my wife is 7 stone odd , i struggle in light airs due to my fat arse in the back.  The 400 can be a bit of a beast when it comes tohiking in stronger winds, hence the 500.  your son can gain trapze experiene, which will be a great stepping stone to something like an 800 when your ready. 

By the way the 80 is a great boat as an entry to high performance sailing.

Good Luck.

Thanks for the input....

So, it comes down to the 400 or 500....

Can anyone give me an idea about the boats as experienced 400 or 500 sailors?

Is the 400 really that hard to hike? and will we struggle at about 145kg, bearing in mind my weight could be positioned on the wide part of the boat?

Is the 500 quite tippy? and would it work well with the majority of the weight not able to gain much purchase from the relatively narrow hull and only 55kg dangling from the trapeze??

If you've come a mirror, topper or something like that, then 500 would be tippy, but as you haven't I doubt you would find it tippy.

55kg to light on the wire?  I'm a bit heavier at 59kg and I crew.  A lot of 500 crews are about this weight.  Sure its better to have the lard on the wire in strong winds, but if you set the boat up right you shouldn't have a problem.  In light winds you will really need to get your weight forward as water comes through the transon drainage holes.

I don't know about the 400, as I've only sailed one once.  Have another look at the V3000, its also a great boat.

yeah you would be ok in a 500.

you would also be fine in a 400 at your weight. got the most weight in the right position as well.  I know with the 400, they carry a massive weight range. they are sailed best with heavy helms and wilght weight crews. besides you can easily tame them down and they are quite easy to sail in a force 6 even at the lighter end.  the only issue with them is hiking.........they are VERY comfortable boats to hike, and hiking them is no harder than any other boat and it gets easier the more you do it. no different to hiking in a laser, 200 (they are awful boats to hike), merlin etc. but it is still hiking.

500 has a trapeze and are lovely little boats. perhaps a tad underpowered resulting in them being sluggish in the light stuff. but give it a bit of breeze and they are quite nippy.

Both have active national fleets. I believe the 400s have a very big emphasis on training this year, with plenty of coaching days planned. The other thing the 400 has going for it is the numbers, theres close on 1000 of them kicking around, so even if you dont wanna race on the circuits, you can usually find a 400 at any club to race against. not quite the case with the 500, but they are flying off the shelves currently.