Thoughts on a single-hander

Originally posted by Rupert I doubt may people on the forum have sailed a Vago, myself included. Best bet would be to have a test sail and then report back here to us so we know whether the plastic build makes it useless to race or not.

The rotomold construction doesn't make it useless per-se. The rapid increase in PN from the original suggested by Laser (around 960 I think?) does however somewhat reflect the true performance issues- and because they're not raced much, so have low returns, the PNs may still not be very accurate, which as they started too low will lead to frustration.

The problems with rotomolds come with tuning- ie getting to upper intermediate technicality. They are not as stiff as other boats, and so rig tension is always going to be quite low, and less controlable- there will be more flexing in waves for example.

What I don't like about the Vago is the layout- for trapezeing, there is one tiny recessed "kick bar" forward of the "thwart", and the jib cleats on the cross bar (level with the mast) make for both a poor cleat-sail sheeting angle AND a poor cleat-crew sheeting angle- the latter could well be an issue for singlehanding (I've only double-handed it).

But as said, the only real way is to try it out yourself- there was someone last week when I was out at Minorca Sailing taking advantage of the opertunity to do just that.

At the risk of using this forum for commercial benefit - my advice would always be to be wary of designs that promise all things to all men - in 15 years of developing and selling dinghies I have yet to come across one that does. There are several genuine "multi-role" boats, of which the Vago is one, but they all do one job well and the others not so well. That is not to say that that would not be good enough for your requirements - you are the only judge of that.

My advice is to focus on what your primary requirement is: Thus do you want a singlehander with the occasional jaunt with 2, or a double hander that you might occasionally sail singlehanded??

If the answer is the first - then the Vareo is for you!  

 

 

 

 

Blatant marketing, boys

Vareo is still on the cards. I'm going to the boat show again to have a look at
various boats and to chat with staff.

Phil

The thing is (imho), that most singlehander boats with a trapeze and spinnaker have been designed for a very advanced level of sailing, and as such they are all rather mad boats, such as the RS700 and the Musto...there hasnt really been an entry for a singlehander with a trapeze and kite which is also designed to take out kids or a random mate...the combination of the two demographics hasnt yet been looked at as a serious venture. The main reason for this is probably that the kind of people who want a singlehander with trapeze and kite want to do so at blinding pace, and for this you need a boat like a 700, which doesnt exactly cater for your other needs.

However, the 3000 does seem to be a glaring exception in this case...originally designed to be sailed by 2 people, but the class has recently realised the potential for a singlehanding, and even made it possible to race one singlehanded at open meetings. You could easily have a blast in it alone, and then just come ashore, hoist the jib, and set off with a crew - in both cases you would be capable of competing comfortably with other boats, though as for 3000 fleets, i wouldnt be the one to ask about that.

On the other hand, the 3000 may be significantly more dear than a vareo...

It has been tried numerous times and you can see the results somewhere on youtube if you really want to.  But what is the point?  The contender is an excellent boat just as it is with a superb racing circuit and genuinely international competition. There are purpose built assymetric alternatives for those who want them.

It ain't broken, no need to fix it.

I have posted the vid in the video thread....


Edited by winging it