Europe dinghy.

Hi

 

Does anybody know anything about the boat?
I'm 60KG and I think it will suit my weight better than the Radial, Streaker, Lightning, ok or the RS300

ATM I have a Blaze which is great on inland waters and in F3 but the other day I took a Byte CII out in a F5 out at sea and found the waves and surfing really fun so wanted to try that route out later on.
I didnt really like the way the CII handled and wanted something with a more "conventional" rigg without the fully battonted sails etc.

Also daft question but I cant find where to buy a new one

 

How good it it in light/heavy winds.
How good in waves and inland water.

I'll be sailing it in all tyoes of venue but mostly tidal wates but in a sheltered area.
So a bit like sea but no waves.

 

How hard/easy/technical is it?

Thanks all for anything you tell me.

You're a perfect weight for the europe! Far more optimal than any of the
classes you listed above.
There are some amazing deals for second hand europes so I'd opt second
hand. I too looked at the europe before I opted for the streaker.
As for new ones, you'd have to import one as there isn't a UK builder.
However, P&B used to offer europes so maybe they might import one and
you buy it through them to save yourself the hassle. They already get there
oppies from Winner so I don't see why they couldn't add a europe to the
next delivery.

A top female sailor I know who did a small stint in a byte said they had
issue's nosediving downwind. So don't worry, I don't think it's you.

The europe on the other hand from all the people I know who've sailed
one say it's a fantastic boat and the hull shape makes it perfect for waves.

I'm sure if you go the the europe class website and ask on the forum if
someone's willing to let you have a play in their boat, there'll be someone
in the area who'll let you have a go.

As for the competitiveness, there are some good sailors in Europes such
as Chris Gill but the fleet is a bit small these days.

Doug H

I did nosedive my Europe a few times, as it is short with the mast forwards, but I found it a great boat in waves on the Irish sea - it seems to love big wind and water considering how small it is. I was less happy with it in confined spaces, as the low boom centre main and low bouyancy aft certainly make it harder to do snappy tacks in than the Firefly, and probebly the Byte, though I've not sailed the one with the C11 rig.

Give one a go - if you try it in a breeze you'll be getting one the next week!

Wow, think I may be uniquely placed to answer this one (I have a Europe and a CII).  At 60kgs IMHO your probaly closer to the optimal weight for a Byte than a Europe but actually you should have  no diffculties with either and should be competetive in all wind speeds.

The Europe Hull is nicer feeling in waves than the Byte, paticularly upwind; the difference is less pronouced downwind.  I prefer the CII rig, but it does require a change of mindset from standard Una rigs, however once you have mastered it it is far more controllable on all points of sail than the europe rig.  The trick is the downhaul, when it's windy, pull it on, then pull it on some more....and then a bit more!  (Go to the byte website and download the video of Ina Bruce explaining how to use it).  The europe rig has it's own uniqueness, ideally you need to get a mast which is right for your weight and a matching sail, but being in the ballpark and practice will make a shed load more difference than being slightly out with this.  Tips for tuning the Europe are on the website, look at the WB sails guide.

Both boats are short a will go down the mine in waves, the larger higher foredack on the Europe just keeps the worst of the water out.  TBH it sounds like you need a bit more wave practice, you can't get away with just driving into the trough like you can in a laser, both boats respond well to body motion to help avoid this though, and on a breezy reach you need to get right aft in both, look at the pics from the Byte worlds day 1 & 2 for the correct body position.  The Btye is quicker and easier to tack but bot by much, both are quicker than a laser.

In short the Byte is a little less technical and a bit more bombproof than the Europe with a great rig, The Europe has a bit more of a classic feel about it especially upwind in waves and to get the best out of it needs a bit more of a technical approach (more seems to break on them aswell).

On a final point I beleive there was a comparative test in Y&Y about a year ago that you might be able to get hold of.

Either way you've nailed why I sail these type boats, and good luck with whatever you go for, any specific questions just PM me.