Topaz Tres, Topaz Vibe or RS Feva XL?

Hi everyone, I'm looking into getting a new boat to sail with my brother. I am 13 and he is 11, and together we weigh around 11 stone. At the moment, my level of qualification is RYA level 2, but I have been told by numerous people that I am beyond that now and would pass the Seamanship Skills exam with eas. I currently sail a Laser Pico, but to be honest I have sailed it for 2 years, added a race sail and even managed to fit a gennaker to it and still sail it succesfully so I think I need to move onto something else in order for me to gain more experience.

I am torn between an RS Feva, a Topaz Tres and a Topaz Vibe. All seem to be very good boats and I think all of them are viable option, I'm just not sure which one would be best. I have sailed a Topaz Tres a few times with my Scout Group (We have 2 Topaz Race X's, 4 Topaz Duo's and a Topaz Tres) so I have a bit of experience with it, but not much. I have seen a lot of RS Feva's and they seem like very popular boats for teams around me and my brothers weight, and I have also sailed a Topaz Race X regularly (Again, with my scout group) and that is fairly similar to the RS Feva. The Topaz Vibe seems really close to the RS Feva aswell, in terms of size and sail area, and it would also allow my dad to sail with me easily when the wind gets too much for my brother(he is not a big fan of sailing in force 4+). The cheapest of all of them is the Tres, so it would be easy to choose it but I have read that they are awkward boats to use, so I'm not at all sure.

If anyone could give me a hand it would be much appreciated, especially if they were around my own age, but I don't really mind.

Thanks!

FEEL FREE TO SUGGEST OTHER BOATS ASWELL!!!!


Edited by Mister Nick

Hmm, thanks for the advice, although to be honest I'm not going to be doing any of the official racing, just 'sunday afternoon' stuff for a laugh. 

Okay, I think your idea is really good. I'm debating it with my brother right now and trying to come to a conclusion as to what he wants to do aswell. Thanks very much!

I have sailed a feva, been in a topaz duo (ok not tres) and also the vibe.

The Feva gave more of a thrill, it is set up nicely and there are boats available second hand too and you will be able to sell on after without a problem.

Originally posted by FireballNeil Please retract the best boat in a F6 statement! I would pick something more like a Fireball in a F6, at least something with a trapeze

Yes you probably would ...but not recommended for a 13 / 11 year old team weighing 11 stone between them!

Edited by Andymac