the best boat ever

The best boat is............

The one you crew on, enjoy and don't pay the bills for.

Other than that......

The one you sail, is yours and paid for fully.

Originally posted by Peter Rhodes The Mirror is an international class so must have affected other countries, the N12 is far less common so did not take sailing to the masses

Sorry mate not knocking the Mirror. I love em' and learnt to sail in one as
so many others have.

My point was that with out N12 it's unlikly you'd have a Mirror. It took
sailing to the masses in 1936. Uffa Fox launched N1 in Cowes that year
and by September of that year the Nationals had over 150 boats. This is
in a time before mass car ownership!

To me that is taking sailing to the masses! To my view the N12 started
mass dinghy ownership and racing, everything comes after it.

...The one that is slightly faster than the oppo at the time......

Grumpy old man's selection :

 

Best international one design dinghy : Snipe - dirt cheap genuine (that is not limited to the Brits and their ex-colonies) international racing of a very high standard

most esthetically pleasing dinghy : International 14's of the Kirby 5 era (cold-moulded boat shaped hulls, one trapeze and a huge spinnaker)

Best international racing class : Star - pity about the new "dwarf's charter" crew weight limits but it's still a heady concentration of sailing talent, a class that knows about XXXXL Tshirts and free beer after the race

most esthetically pleasing keelboat - the Dragon - a start line at a big event is still the most beautiful sight in yacht racing

best general purpose dinghy - the Caravelle : designed by the Glénans to take 9 crew out to boats on the moorings and be sculled back by one person the Caravelle was then rigged as a sailing dinghy. It's an ugly looking brute with a pram bow (imagine a Wayfarer sized Mirror) but it can be used as a dinghy trainer, fishing boat, rescue boat, dinghy cruiser and then raced (2 trapezes and spinnaker)... it's also the most modern class in my selection.

 

Gordon

 

the best boat ever in the UK has to be the laser, has anyother boat ever sold that many?

i know it has some faults like the mainsheet getting hooked around the back but lets face it if u can win in other classes often lasers level the playing field and give good racing!