Which Skiff....

Can I just say, that if you are young you really should try a couple of seasons in a non-boatspeed type of boat or you'll never learn about tactics, strategy and rules.  The trouble with boatspeed boats is that you can go very fast in the wrong direction and you'll never win a race like that, except by luck.  And you can't learn all those skills whilst you are sailing a boat which loses out when you tack.

Sorry it sounds boring but a Laser, Enterprise, Lark, Scorpion, RS200 or Wayfarer will develop your skills much faster.  I hate to say it but a Firefly might be even better!  You do need a slowish boat with others in your club to compete against or you'll end up with all those others I hear at my club saying "my boat doesn't point" and compleltely ignorant of the fact that they are probably sailing in a different wind.

Sorry - how does you spending 4 grand being right at the top of the range I quoted make me wrong?  I said you could not do it for less than that and you have spectacularly proved my point!  Aqua Marina (2nd in the nationals last year) is up for sale at 4995 and could probably be bought for 4,500.  Where is the big difference?

I seem to be being argumentative today.  Sorry.

Not bad - the only time I did the Scorpion nationals it was with a guy I had never sailed with before.  He had a new boat with all the tweaky bits you can imagine and had Ian Cadwallader tune it up for him a couple of months earlier.

We then spent the entire week in the last few places while he tried to get the setting back to where Mr. Cadwallader said they should be...

But my sister then bought a Scorp and we won the vintage boats prize at the Rye Harbour open second time out - lovely bottle of port - and then I bought a Contender (must have been drunk or something)

Don't get me wrong I loved the Contender - one of the best boats I've had even it it was probably one of the worst Contenders in existance (357 - avoid it at all costs!).