Wayfarer for a family river boat?
Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12018
Printed Date: 08 Jul 25 at 10:58pm
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Topic: Wayfarer for a family river boat?
Posted By: ASok
Subject: Wayfarer for a family river boat?
Date Posted: 26 May 15 at 1:58pm
I'm looking at options for a family boat for river sailing. I've looked at Wayfarers, because I learned to sail in one and they seem ideal for me, my wife and a little one. Deep, wide cockpit meaning a boat you can sit in rather than on, storage and could be paddled if the wind has dropped. I thought this could be good for a little jolly down the river for picnics etc.
However, I'm only too aware of their bulk. For the river sailing folk on here - what are your thoughts on suitability? Will a Wayfarer just be a bit of a hulk down the river, struggling in light wind over current or do they have some merit?
What are the alternatives?
Thanks
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Replies:
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 26 May 15 at 3:13pm
I was handed a very memorable sailing lesson in a Wayfarer on a river, or to be precise a dike on the Norfolk broads. Coming off a broad supper was going to be up this dike, but as we approached it it just looked comically upwind, and certainly not wide enough to tack up. I think I said something on the lines of we'll never get up there, and I think the old chap helming just smiled.
What followed was something of a masterclass in how to use reduced speed to point high and higher yet, using the inertia of the boat to gain a bit more height, keeping enough speed on, but not too much, all the rest of it.
So my lesson suggests a Wayfarer can be a pretty good river boat, at least with enough talent on the stick.
Here's a virtual glass to your memory Tony, and that lesson has saved me a good few double tacks at windward marks in the Canoe in the last few seasons...
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Posted By: sawman
Date Posted: 26 May 15 at 3:42pm
there was a good number of wayfarers about when I sailed on the broads 20 years ago - they went pretty well, in fact I think wayfarers have won the Horning three rivers race before now
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Posted By: ASok
Date Posted: 26 May 15 at 4:30pm
You've just dragged up some distant memory of the Broads. Unfortunately, mine was when I was very new to it and my only memory of the day was a near miss with a barge!
The Broads are a good point actually. They seemed to be popular. I guess for the very reason I'm considering one - day boat for exploring.
I'm not looking to race it, so maybe it would fit the bill ok.
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Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 26 May 15 at 8:32pm
I agree, great river boat. That huge main sail gets the wind high up and off you go. The weight is a help, as Jim says. However, get it stuck and you will have some heaving to do. Carry an anchor and you can use it both topush into the bank at picnic time and to kedge yourselves free...
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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Posted By: Riv
Date Posted: 27 May 15 at 4:31pm
Yes, good river boat, the Abbey Club in Abingdon sails them on the Thames and it's quite narrow there........when I was a member in the late 70's anything over 14ft was a no no and we'd have thought Wayfarers too bulky, but reality is different.
My club has just been given one which we've finished sorting and I'm playing with on a tidal river. Suprised by how well it goes. 10yr olds love helming it.
Unless you have an engine get a really good pair of oars, that is ones that are really long enough maybe with a bit of spoon. Makes a huge difference.
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Posted By: NickA
Date Posted: 27 May 15 at 5:53pm
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Kind of depends how wide your river is. Thames = good river boat. Cam = not a good river boat! Think a Wayfarer is actually longer than the river is wide at parts of Clayhithe. You can of course sail all the way to Iceland in one, so certainly adaptable.
Something a little smaller? The Wanderer of course (reduced scale Wayfarer) and smaller still, Miracle's get a good press.
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Javelin 558
Contender 2574
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Posted By: Riv
Date Posted: 27 May 15 at 7:34pm
The main thing about a Wayfarer is that for all its bulk it has a lot of rocker, this makes it very manouverable, think overweight Enterprise (which is the greatest of all river boats, who needs wind if you can roll tack an Ent hard enough :))
There are alternatives, of course the Laser Stratos comes to mind, but it is a "skiff" style boat with a fairly straight keel line and plumb bow and so does not turn as well as a Wayfarer and the asymetric is difficult on a river with the wind changing all the time.
Then there is the Topper sport 16, like an Albacore on steroids, its got more rocker but not as much as a Wayfarer and a plumb bow, better than a Stratos though.
So nothing quite touches a Wayfarer. The Wanderer is another matter though. My club has one. Done a lot of boat bimbling on it recently. In my opinion it's one of those boats that just missed the mark, and even though it is smaller than the Wayfarer it is really heavy and cramped due to the floor boards and the kicker and the low boom. But lots love it! However I can't see any advantages over the Wayfarer.
However the Wayfarer is not perfect, boom is low (my friend cut 8" of the bottom of the mainsail and moved the boom up, made life much easier, didn't seem to change the performance much)
The kicker gets in the way (change it to a gvav) and if you use a centre main it gets wraped around the crews head. (I've changed ours back to the old aft main)
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Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 27 May 15 at 9:35pm
Aft main thing is great on a river anyway, so you can stay forwards when tacking.
For a smaller picnic boat I'd agree the Ent would be good, maybe with a smaller main for when the wind gets gusty.
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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Posted By: ASok
Date Posted: 28 May 15 at 12:32pm
Given me good food for thought on this. Thank for the useful comments.
This will be for use predominantly on the Thames, so its not too constrained on space. My main concern was weight and whether it would be hard work getting it moving, especially in light airs over the summer. Sounds like this might not be as bit an issue I had first though.
Test sail and a chat to a few people down at the club I think.........
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Posted By: MerlinMags
Date Posted: 28 May 15 at 1:50pm
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Weight becomes more of an issue when you have to haul it up a slipway and there's no-one else around but your 10 year old child.
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Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 28 May 15 at 2:49pm
Originally posted by MerlinMags
Weight becomes more of an issue when you have to haul it up a slipway and there's no-one else around but your 10 year old child. |
The car is your friend... but it does limit where you can launch.
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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Posted By: ASok
Date Posted: 28 May 15 at 3:10pm
Luckily the slipway isn't steep.......Well it isn't whilst the river levels are good. Who knows what it will be like come mid-summer if we have a dry spell.
My previous boat was a Dart 18 launched off a shingle beach. I must be a sucker for punishment!
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Posted By: dtalbot
Date Posted: 31 May 15 at 12:25am
Comet Trio is an option, we have river and estuary sailors. It is a bit lighter than a wayfarer, so should plane more easily - if conditions are right, and the asymettric spinnaker can be used for a lot of wind angles.
See the website www.comettrio.org.uk, they recently have a new builder in Peak Dinghies: http://www.peakdinghy.com/
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Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 31 May 15 at 8:29am
We use Trios for training. Because they are open, there is a space in the bows to put a small child, swallows and Amazons style.
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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Posted By: rogerd
Date Posted: 01 Jun 15 at 12:29pm
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I found the Wayfarer is great for ghosting along in liht winds. That enormous Genoa certainly drives the boat on and the weight keeps her moving in the lulls. The other boat we have had a load of fun in with the family and not quite as heavy is the GP14
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Posted By: getafix
Date Posted: 08 Jun 15 at 10:52am
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+1 for the Comets, although I do have a soft spot for wayfarers
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Posted By: NickA
Date Posted: 08 Jun 15 at 8:03pm
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We have comet trios for training and I've never seen one approach planing speeds. Good for loading up with kids and nervous adults.
Comet are a great little company however - you can have many options and any colour you like for instance.
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Javelin 558
Contender 2574
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Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 08 Jun 15 at 8:28pm
A planing Trio does leave a great big groove in the water behind it!
Yesterday I was teaching a beginner in his 2000, and we joined in the racing as he wanted to experience crewing. My son was in a Trio with another teen, and were certainly faster upwind. Downwind, we didn't have a kite and the Trio did, so we never got near them. Can be a fairly quick boat when sailed right.
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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