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Which boat do I buy

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AlexGruber View Drop Down
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    Posted: 11 May 15 at 9:45pm
I am 16 years old, 5'10" and weigh 73.6kg. 

I am looking for a high performance single handed dinghy.

I have looked at the RS300 but don't know how this sails, 
The RS100, which I also don't know much about,
The RS Vareo,
The Laser 

Does anyone have any useful information to help me choose one of these or to help find a similar style of boat.

Thanks. 
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craiggo View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote craiggo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 15 at 9:58pm
Sorry to be a broken record. But if there is a fleet of any singlehanders at your club then assuming that you dont fall outside the typical weight/height range too much then just get whats at your club. Given your height and weight most dinghies will be fine for you but perhaps stay away from Finns and Phantoms unless you plan on eating a lot of pies!

If there is any choice at your club, eg. RS300, Laser, Blaze etc. then ask for a go and make your mind up based on that.

The only reason to go for something that isnt at your club, is if there are no established classes to race against or if you are just someone who likes to have something different and not be part of the crowd.

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AlexGruber View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote AlexGruber Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 15 at 10:05pm
Most boats at my club are Solo's, Phantoms, Ents, Lasers on an inland lake in Staffordshire
But I'm looking to get it down to the coast, we have a place in Abersoch so I'll be using it on the sea often too.
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Rupert View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Rupert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 15 at 10:09pm
Not on the list, but the best value - the RS600. Mind, you'll need safety boat cover for that, and for the 300, I'd say.
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AlexGruber View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote AlexGruber Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 15 at 10:11pm
We do own a RIB which I'd use as safety cover when at the coast.
The RS600 looks a little too 'gnarly' ... don't think I'd be a fan of the single handed trapeze ...
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JimC View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 15 at 10:31pm
I think we need to know what your current sailing experience is.

The 300 is a delightful boat, but very advanced. In its early days a lot of people bought them and failed to develop the required skills which gave it a reputation of being too difficult to sail. You'll certainly need steer for balance skills and other high end techniques to succeed in one. I don't know I'd really describe it as being any easier to sail than the 600.

If a Laser sounds OK to you then it has some big advantages in that you can buy and sell easily and get coaching, and if its a step up on what you sail at the moment then its also a good stepping stone to the more challenging stuff.

The Vareo and the RS100 are both quite specialised boats. They're really in the same sort of performance area as a Laser, but with a kite attached. That may or may not be something you want to do. Personally I dislike sailing singlehanders with kites because I always feel compromised by lack of hands: it always seems to me that I could sail it much better with a third arm, which is frustrating, so, again speaking personally, I only like kites on two handed boats. But clearly other folk feel differently.
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craiggo View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote craiggo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 15 at 10:31pm
Originally posted by AlexGruber

Most boats at my club are Solo's, Phantoms, Ents, Lasers on an inland lake in Staffordshire
But I'm looking to get it down to the coast, we have a place in Abersoch so I'll be using it on the sea often too.


In that case I'd go for the Solo or the Laser. The Solo has a reputation as an old mans boat but does have great competition and goes pretty well on the sea. Lasers as Im sure you have worked out are everywhere and for all the grief they get you cant argue that they are easy to get into, you can race one pretty much anywhere and on they sea they can be great fun downwind in waves.
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AlexGruber View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote AlexGruber Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 15 at 10:37pm
Sorry yes, 
My current experience is that I've been sailing since I was 7, raced Toppers for the Zone Squad and then had a go in the 4.7 and am also a Dinghy Instructor.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 15 at 10:42pm
Hell of a stepup then to something like the 300 then. A lad at our club a bit older than you is sailing one, but after a season and a half in 29ers, which is a pretty good introduction to the high end techniques you need for the 300.

In your place I think there's a lot to be said for the Laser, if only for a year or so. Also there's not much that's more fun than a Laser for messing about in surf by the beach...
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Post Options Post Options   Quote AlexGruber Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 15 at 10:52pm
Sorry i didn't phrase that well enough. 
The Topper and the 4.7 are the two i have competitively raced.
I have sailed often in the 400, the 200, Laser 3000 and the Topper Buzz
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