I would'nt of thought that as you move out of a fairly low performance boat like a stratos you could jump straight into a Musto Performance Skiff as it is a very difficult boat for experts to sail well and i wouldnt of thought that the Stratos would of been a brilliant class to come from as it is a huge leap!

29er may be an option but, again it is still a fairly difficult boat to sail well.

what about th laser2000. it may be smaller than the stratos, but it has a better racing circiut. it is quite similar so it shouldn't be too much difficulty to adjust.

if you want a singlehander, i would recommend the laser. for one design fleet racing you ca n not beat it.

Sounds like they want to get started with trapezing, hence the choice of 29er or MPS. So best to get some trapezing experience first.

Of course I am going to recommend the Contender as the single handed option.

As far as the 2 man option lots of choices, 29er, Laser 4000, Buzz, ISO etc

29er or Musto Skiff, I sail a Musto Skiff and don't think its to difficult for you to sail, have a go is the best way to find out.

Single or double,  

A single hander has to multi task doing most of the jobs in the boat by motor skills to allow time to focus on going fast in the right direction. trouble free sailing and if your crew gets one too its some one to train with

Double handers have to have good team skills and rely on others to do the jobs there not doing and just focus on one area. Some one to talk to and help you rig.

I have owned 29er, RS800 and Musto Skiff.

29er is a great boat but is really a youth class not great for couple looking for socials.

RS800 - good for parties but the boat is very heavy and the mainsheet loads horrific.

Musto Skiff - obviously single handed so no crew problems and a great boat (I am biased of course).

All of the above seem a big step up from the Stratos but anyone with a bit of ambition should manage OK.

Rick

So you're looking for an introduction to trapezing and a good racing circuit?  And fireball's only been mentioned once? What about FD's, hornets etc.?  Can pick up a decent boat dirt cheap and they make for far better introductions to trapezing/racing than many more modern assymetrics.

Mosey on down to http://www.fastsail.org - www.fastsail.org (not that i'm biased or anything )

Me and my mate are saving for a 29er but currently sail a Fireball when its under F4 and Topper's over that.......Do you think that we would cope in a 29er after coming from a Fireball

By the way im not trying to change the topic just a question soz...

you have piked two hard boats you need to mack showe that you are good enufe to sail them and the only way to do that is by having a go

If you have a go in the musto and it is to hard try a votex but to be onest if you sailed a strutos don't you think that theas kind of boats are to hard why don't you try somthing like a laser 1 or if you want a 2 man boat you can try somthing  laser 3000 you sould learn this kind of sailing be for you get one of the fast ones because all you will do is capzis and you will put your self off sailing

He's too busy typing to worry about silly things as full stops, commas or spelling!
Pierre, we have to learn this version of .... English (?) as a foreign language. Mind you, there are a lot of adepts on the forum. Should be easy to get advice...  

I am supposed to be working i am at school and the teacher keeps walking up and down

If this was an urban poetry website. I'd make more of an effort BNS

i have a 29er and i have sailed a laser 4000 and they are very diffrent the laser 4000 is very stable this may be more of an idear if you still want to go for a skiff but i say get a laser 1

You can just go for it but you soon get bourd of capzising

capsizes mean that you are pushing it to the limit or you are not very good

I was waching at the inlands and i saw someone capsizes befor most of the starts

That was a bit silay wasont it

lol a top sailor pushes to the limit but not over it

If you stop capsizing it is time to start sailing a faster more difficult boat

year you shoud be capsizing a bit or you are not being chalenged but you do not want to be upside down every 2 mins

year the boat gos factes with the mast pointing up

year but if he had hit it on time  the right way up he would be even ferer in the lead

He does have a point, your friend may have been in the lead but had he been the right way up he would have been able to take full advantage of this,

I do believe it is possible to finnish like that.

you can not finash  like that because the tide and the wind push you one way you need to tearn around and go back up wind or down wind

year but how will they read you sail number

i think you will find that you have to finish the race in the normal sailing posistion

What pishon is that if you just get a moth your normal posishon becomes upside down

you don't go swimming when you get a 29er i just have and i have not

well that is not entilay trule i have got cold and we a cople of times

Both are great boats. Both require more skill to survive than a Stratos.

29er - Sailed by younger end and generally smaller folk.

Skiff sailed by bit older types and generally heavier (look at the size of Sten).

So how old are 'your mates' and what size? no point in a 29er if he's 100kg but no point in a MPS if he's 65kg either.

If skill might be a problem, consider a Fireball - good fleets, great competition and easy to sail from day one - get a decent secondhand one and do the worlds. For a singlehander try a Vortex - now they have an asymmetric they're pretty quick downwind but still (comparatively) stable - so easier to learn trapeze and asymmetric skills.

I havent tried a 29er before but sail a fireball regularly so i'll give it a go maybe...............where do you sail?

Sten is not typical of the size of MPS owners; see the facts here;

http://www.mustoskiff.com/facts-and-figures.htm - http://www.mustoskiff.com/facts-and-figures.htm

Sten is too fond of food following from his Finn campaign!!

Rick

Yeh but he does win (almost) everything so it certainly ain't no handicap to be large. Of course I'll concede before you say it that he's very talented. But Kev A, Trotter, Turnbull, you and other top MPS sailors are usually not small. Even the stats on your webpage tell us that less than 16% of the fleet are under 70kg so I reckon my guess that at 65kg you're too light (and I mean to be competitive) is about right.  That said, its an awesome boat, and I wouldn't want to put anyone off sailing one. I'm sure that lighter sailors can sail it and have a blast - they'll just not be as quick when it gets up a tad.

Just as Sten, despite his talent, would be uncompetitive at the helm of a 29er.

You gotta remember that the original question was asking for advice.