Beginner questions: Difficult Boat Choice

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Difficult Boat Choice

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: General
Forum Name: Beginner questions
Forum Discription: Advice for those who are new to sailing
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11181
Printed Date: 10 May 25 at 12:57pm
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Topic: Difficult Boat Choice

Posted By: Skelpagb
Subject: Difficult Boat Choice
Date Posted: 01 Nov 13 at 1:28pm

My wife and I would like to take up dinghy or day boat sailing. Our aim is to potter round some inland lakes with a picnic (we don't want to race)

Unfortunately my wife had a serious accident some years ago and has a serious and chronic back condition together with a badly damaged knee and is generally limited to walking about 50 meters using a stick

Our key criteria for picking a boat are

Easy to rig, launch and recover by one novice (while wife offers helpful comments from the shore)

Light enough to be towed by a 1.6 Astra

Low maintenance

Stable ( I appreciate that any small boat can be a handful in gusty weather but I want something that won't bite in good weather)

Boom height high enough to prevent too much stooping for my wife while out sailing

Large enough to allow us to keep a picnic on board

We've looked at a number of boats but have questions about each and would welcome your thoughts....wanderers (bit small?), wayfarer (too heavy to launch solo?), skipper 17 ( too heavy to launch solo, too heavy to tow with the Astra?)

Target price £5000 and max £10,000

Thanks

Replies:

Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 01 Nov 13 at 2:47pm

Topper used to make a boat called the Cruz, with a ketch rig of 2 Topper style sails, big hatches for storage and the like. Whether you can find a 2ndhand one, I don't know, but might be worth a look.

I sailed one on Bristol Docks in about 1996 - seemed OK for pottering, but was too "different" to sell well. They then used the hull for more conventional boats, the Cruz Classic and the Sport14, neither of which set the world on fire.

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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

Posted By: jeffers
Date Posted: 01 Nov 13 at 4:59pm

The problem you will find is that anything that offers the stability you are after is likely to be too heavy to launch single handed on most slipways.

Something that might fit the bill though would be a Laser Stratos Keel. You can always launch it using the car (as long as you can get near a slipway) and having a jockey wheel on the launch trolley makes even the most heavy boat much easier to handle on shore. You will always struggle on slopes though unless you can collar a friendly passerby or use your car.

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Paul
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D-Zero GBR 74

Posted By: Jon711
Date Posted: 01 Nov 13 at 5:38pm

It depends on where you are planning to sail, a small keelboat, such as the Squib can be easily craned in, but you would need to be sure that the local club has a crane! Launching issues aside the Squib would fit all the other criteria ...

Most clubs that sail keelboats will have a crane for club members use...

Jon

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Blaze 711

Posted By: RichTea
Date Posted: 01 Nov 13 at 6:41pm

Where do you live and where do you intend on sailing?

Is getting in and out a boat and moving around the boat going to be an issue for your wife?

A laser 2000 is an option

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RS200

Posted By: yellowwelly
Date Posted: 01 Nov 13 at 6:54pm

RS cruising range is worth a look...

Posted By: Skelpagb
Date Posted: 01 Nov 13 at 7:35pm

Hi all

Firstly many thanks to all for your thoughts and comments.

Rich Tea: we're Doncaster based and though we haven't been yet, Beaver sailing club will be our closest. Really we fancy some trips up to the Lakes or maybe down to Rutland Water etc (find a nice small guest house or hotel and base ourselves there for a few days).

Oddly enough, getting in and out of the boat shouldn't be a problem but once in the issues will be lack of ability to swap sides quickly while hunched and also sitting too long in any one position

Thanks again!

Posted By: NickM
Date Posted: 01 Nov 13 at 9:47pm

What about the new K2?

Posted By: Mister Nick
Date Posted: 02 Nov 13 at 9:04am

RS Venture? Pretty pricey, but it looks like a really nice boat that would be perfect for your needs. :)

Posted By: winging it
Date Posted: 02 Nov 13 at 7:17pm

hmmm, the only dinghy that's really going to suit is the stratos with a keel - anything else is still capable of capsize - but as Jeffers says, it will be heavy.

At Grafham Sailability we use some trimarans called Mirage Tandem Island. These are made by Hobie, can be pedalled, paddled or sailed, you sit one behind the other and there is no swapping from side to side. They are rotomoulded so can be run up a shore without much damage, plus they are easily and quickly rigged, can be launched singlehanded and fold up neatly for towing. There is no boom for head bashing and they would probably be ok for your wife to get into - you have to step over a narrow hull. There is lots of storage space - these boats were designed for fishermen to take up creeks etc for the day.

However, before you get over excited there is a drawback - you will get wet on a windy day, and would need good waterproof trousers to stop getting a wet bottom as there is not much freeboard. They are a fun, stable ride and if you can cope with the spashing are very much worth considering. If you can get to Grafham and want to see one ina ction let me know.

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the same, but different...

Posted By: RS400atC
Date Posted: 02 Nov 13 at 10:21pm

Originally posted by Skelpagb

My wife and I would like to take up dinghy or day boat sailing. Our aim is to potter round some inland lakes with a picnic (we don't want to race)

Our key criteria for picking a boat are

Easy to rig, launch and recover by one novice (while wife offers helpful comments from the shore)

Light enough to be towed by a 1.6 Astra

Low maintenance

Stable ( I appreciate that any small boat can be a handful in gusty weather but I want something that won't bite in good weather)

Boom height high enough to prevent too much stooping for my wife while out sailing

Large enough to allow us to keep a picnic on board

Target price £5000 and max £10,000

Thanks

I think that depends on your size of 'inland lake' and your level of 'benign weather', also what can be easily launched by one person at one place can be a challenge at another. Also, how grand a picnic you have in mind :-)

Also are we talking inland lake with total safety boat cover, or being entirely self reliant? Or somewhere in between?

FWIW, when I was about 7 we used to do all that with an Enterprise, towed behind a Mini 850 and also took it on the sea and caught mackeral. Were the nice days nicer then? It's quite possible to sail most sensible dinghies in F3 or less, with the second person not doing much moving around.
Any of the trad classes like Gp14 or Wanderer might be OK, but a heavier boat such as a Drascombe or Stratos might be OK in a bit more wind. I would advise trying something out with an able person crewing to see what suits you. Ask sellers to take you out, or chat to sailing schools and ask for a taster. It's very hard to say definitively 'x will be fine for you' unless we understand exactly what you want. I suspect I'd rather see you spend on a weekend or two of courses to try different boats than see you relieved of your cash at the boat show.

Having re-read what I've written, it is not meant to sound condescending or knock other people's suggestions,
Good Luck with your quest..

PS Laser 2000? RS Vision?

Posted By: Skelpagb
Date Posted: 03 Nov 13 at 11:42am

RS400atC

Thanks for comments none of which sound in the least condescending. I think your advice is sound and thank you for it!

I've done a couple of weekends training and seem to have managed to enthuse my wife to the point at which she'd also like to try: to some extent the choice of boat is conceptual at this stage but I didn't want to become properly involved if there was no chance of finding an appropriate boat.

Thanks to the forum we now have lots of food for thought over the winter!

Posted By: robinft
Date Posted: 04 Nov 13 at 10:04am

I think a Weta could tick all the boxes, albeit it's a left field suggestion.
Very stable, no boom, quick when you want it to be, light and simple to rig. Narrow cockpit that your wife can stay in or move out of as she becomes more confident.

http://www.wetamarine.co.uk/" rel="nofollow - http://www.wetamarine.co.uk/

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Laser number 9

Posted By: MerlinMags
Date Posted: 05 Nov 13 at 2:02pm

Would it be worth examining the different classes used for disabled sailors? The important part is that these boats can accommodate people who can't leap from side to side. Some do this with keels, but not all.

The Access has a 2 seater model and is small (thus light to heave around). Or you can look at multihulls (probably not too heavy either): Challenger, Windrider.

Will there be any issue with your wife climbing back into the boat after a capsize?

Posted By: gordon
Date Posted: 05 Nov 13 at 2:10pm

May I suggest that you contact the dinghy cruising association. Their website has a great deal of information regarding suitable boats.

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Gordon

Posted By: winging it
Date Posted: 05 Nov 13 at 3:53pm

the access dinghy needs to be launched from a jetty because of the retractable keel. The Challenget is a nightmare to pack up and tow - you have to completely take the sponsons off. Plus strictly speaking it's a single seat. The Weta is a good idea, plus earlier I suggested the Hobie trimaran. Both of these are used by sailability centres.

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the same, but different...

Posted By: Skelpagb
Date Posted: 06 Nov 13 at 5:01pm

MerlinMags

I don't think that climbing back in would be too easily achieved - possible but not desirable (especially if you consider what she'd do to me if I'd caused the capsize - v. Messy)

Gordon - I will certainly take your advice re the cruising assoc. Thanks

Certainly the Weta looks worth a bit more investigation and again thanks to everyone for the advice

Posted By: prince
Date Posted: 09 Apr 14 at 10:59am

that is right. everything depends on will your wife also use the boat and where are you going both to sail?