Greetings,

I'm an adult, novice sailor who has grown tired of sailing in other people's boats and I want to take the leap to getting a dinghy of my own.  The problem is finding one that will meet all my needs/desires.  I'm looking to get some ideas from you fine folks.  Here is what I'm looking for:

Good performance in 5-10kt winds (most common on the lakes where I am), but can still have fun in other ranges;

a full set of sails (main, jib, spi/gen) so that as I get better, I can add complexity and performance;

a boat that can be sailed/club raced single-handed, using all sails if possible (I'll be on my own until my daughter gets a little older and I can convince her to crew);

hiking is OK, but no trapeze;

something that's not going to break the bank; and

Lower maintenance = better.

I've been trying to find something that gives me all this, and I think the closest I've found is the RS Feva.  I know it was designed for double handed juniors, but I've seen reports of adult single handers racing them well and I weigh about as much as a couple of juniors (100kg or so -- working on that).  Am I off-base with this?  Might there be better options?

Thanks for any help you can offer!

--Z

How about a Vareo? Primarily a hiking singlehander with a kite but you should be able to squeeze someone in the front occasionally

i would not get a feva. i sailed one with my crew in a f5 and we were nicely powered up (68 and 65kg). however i think in a f3we wouldnt even be sat on the side. another thing we found is that with a lot of weight moving around in the boat they were quite tippy when compared to the longer 29er. the grip on the hull is apalling aswell. in the first gybe we did both of us slipped over.

i cant comment on any other suggestions other than the laser vago as thats all i have sailed. it seemed relatively simple and being plastic will be durable. with the dacron sails you should be ok singlehanded and i your daughter wants to join in you can add the laminate main, kite and trapeze to keep her entertained.

Try a Graduate or Firefly. Easy to sail with your daughter or on your own, and no spinny means youll learn boat handling and tactics, not swimming. A good grad might cost you two or three hundred, and easy to sell again. These classes are much underrpresented on these forums but do offer good performance in the conditions you describe.

I often lap Wayfarers, Solos, etc in my £500 Grad-even better now with the big mainsail.

USA, which makes getting a look at a Feva (or a Topper for that matter) a bit of a challenge.  Finding anyone who has sailed in one is even more difficult, which is why I came here.  I hope you all don't mind. 

Is there any other way to race?  If by racing competitively you mean racing on a circuit and traveling the country/world to regattas, I am most definitely not looking to do that.  Any racing would be limited to good-natured Saturday morning races with the local club in mixed fleets where Lasers and Sunfish make up 90% of the boats.   The "easy" thing to do would be to go with a Laser or Sunfish like everyone else -- and don't get me wrong, they are great boats -- but I want something that has more sails to play with. 

Based on the marketing here in the US (and some of the reviews), which has the Feva as perfect for 2 juniors, 1 adult or adult + child, I'm a bit suprised at the comments here thus far -- but that's why I posted my question instead of just buying after I got the brochure, isn't it?

Thanks for all the comments thus far, and keep 'em coming!

--Z

i am 60 kg and i find the feva a bit mailto:cr@ppy - cr@ppy