Novice looking to buy a sailing dinghy

[danyeates]

Hi,

I'm considering buying (or contributing) my girlfriend a sailing dinghy, budget up to around £1,500 I suppose, so second hand.

She has done it a few times on holiday and this time really got the hang of it and really enjoyed it. She learnt in a Laser Pico. I'm hoping it will help her grasp some sailing techniques, increase her wind awareness and generally help her experience when we charter larger yachts.

What sort of thing would you recommend dinghy sailors? Stick with a Pico or are there much better boats out there? This looks like a good bit of kit: http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/sailing-dinghie... but I don't know too much about sailing dinghies - I'm a powerboater!

Thanks,

Dan

[sawman]

are you looking at single hander or 2 person?

laser2 wouldn't be my first choice, only tried one a couple of times, but a bit tippy.

The RS vareo might be an option. It's essentially a single hander but packs an assymetric kite. A definite step up from pico, plus theres probably space for a passenger. early ones probably into your budget area by now

[anonymous-user]

have a look here: http://sailingdinghies.apolloduck.co.uk/listings.p...
its worth finding out whats popular at your local sailing club too.
I hope you find something for the summer, there is nothing like it!

[danyeates]

Thanks for the replies. I suppose it would be nice if we could get a double hander, then I can come along!

[dirkgently]

International fourteen`s always make for an entertaining sail.

[XJSJohn]

dirkgently said:

International fourteen`s always make for an entertaining sail.

not exactly the entry level class though

As above, find out what are the popular racing clases where she will be regularly sailing from, pick the most appropriate one from that list and off you go!

[danyeates]

Ok, but I doubt she'll be up for racing. We're based in Lymington, but she prefers Poole Harbour.

[dirkgently]

danyeates said:

Ok, but I doubt she'll be up for racing. We're based in Lymington, but she prefers Poole Harbour.

This may give you some ideas http://www.parkstoneyachtclub.com/index.php

The Enterprise is not a bad boat for a beginner.

[Snoggledog]

XJSJohn said:

dirkgently said:

International fourteen`s always make for an entertaining sail.

not exactly the entry level class though

As above, find out what are the popular racing clases where she will be regularly sailing from, pick the most appropriate one from that list and off you go!

Oi! I learned to sail in I 14's. BTW, the cantankerous bh is going back on the water.

OP.. If she's new to sailing then get something plastic and 'disposable' as they will usually take knocks better than wood.

Singlehanders for learners

Laser Pico / Topper / RS Tera

Singlehanders for people who want a bit more of a challenge

Laser or Laser 4.7 / RS Vareo / RS 100 / OK

Singlehanders for the experienced.

RS700 / Musto Skiff / Contender

Singlehanders for the marginally unhinged.

International Canoe / International Moth

[RobM77]

If she's just been on holiday a few times in a Pico then I'd definitely recommend doing an RYA Level 1 and 2 course in the UK before buying a boat. This may be required anyway to keep and use a boat at a sailing club, will get her more confident at handling the boat, and will also give her experience in a couple of different types of boat so she understands what she enjoys sailing. You can join her and learn too - most schools will put you in the same boat for learning from the off.

[Fittster]

For your next holiday you might want to try: http://www.minorcasailing.co.uk/

More dinghy training and boats than you can shake a stick at in a nice environment.

[danyeates]

RobM77 said:

If she's just been on holiday a few times in a Pico then I'd definitely recommend doing an RYA Level 1 and 2 course in the UK before buying a boat. This may be required anyway to keep and use a boat at a sailing club, will get her more confident at handling the boat, and will also give her experience in a couple of different types of boat so she understands what she enjoys sailing. You can join her and learn too - most schools will put you in the same boat for learning from the off.

Thanks. She did her level 1 whilst on holiday. She was going to do the level 2 over the weekend whilst we were there, but we took a big yacht out for a day charter and got stormbound on Paxos so we couldn't make it back in time for her to do it!

As we're in the powerboat trade, she has her powerboat level 2. We now need to work on her dinghy level 2.

[danyeates]

Fittster said:

For your next holiday you might want to try: http://www.minorcasailing.co.uk/

More dinghy training and boats than you can shake a stick at in a nice environment.

Thanks, we'll look into that.

We went here: http://www.neilson.co.uk/Beach-Greece-Sivota-Retre...

The place is amazing. It's a Neilson hotel so the standards are high, very good food, very clean, excellent staff and customer service. The boats are all very recent, some were brand new. Unlimited use of the beach boats and unlimited wakeboarding so suits us perfectly! It was our second time and we'll go back next year!

[Snoggledog]

Fittster said:

For your next holiday you might want to try: http://www.minorcasailing.co.uk/

More dinghy training and boats than you can shake a stick at in a nice environment.

+1. A really good, well run operation with plenty of staff and kit. I pulled a shroud through the decking and was given a new boat. My broken boat was taken off and fixed by the following morning. What I liked about them was the way they ran everything. A morning session for 2-3 hours, lunch, an afternoon session for 2-3 hours and then the option to book an instructor for personal one to one tuition for an hour.

[RobM77]

danyeates said:

RobM77 said:

If she's just been on holiday a few times in a Pico then I'd definitely recommend doing an RYA Level 1 and 2 course in the UK before buying a boat. This may be required anyway to keep and use a boat at a sailing club, will get her more confident at handling the boat, and will also give her experience in a couple of different types of boat so she understands what she enjoys sailing. You can join her and learn too - most schools will put you in the same boat for learning from the off.

Thanks. She did her level 1 whilst on holiday. She was going to do the level 2 over the weekend whilst we were there, but we took a big yacht out for a day charter and got stormbound on Paxos so we couldn't make it back in time for her to do it!

As we're in the powerboat trade, she has her powerboat level 2. We now need to work on her dinghy level 2.

Ah, I didn't realise that. I do think she should go further than level 1 before she buys a boat though, and also try something bigger as well. I learnt to sail last year and tried both a Pico along with a couple of larger Lasers, and much preferred the smaller Pico (like with my cars - lighter and smaller is better!), which I also found much less scary and more manageable as a learner. Equally, some people may prefer a bigger boat. Most schools will give her the option of learning in a couple of different boats, so it would be a good opportunity to experiment a bit. If you think you may want to join her in sailing, you could always do your level 1 now, and then you can both do the level 2 together once you've done that. It's a good time of year to start, as the water's just starting to cease being frigid and it's getting sunny with some nice breezes.

[danyeates]

Yes, I think I would like to start sailing with her. I do have my level 2 in dinghy sailing, keel boating and powerboating, but I haven't really done much sailing recently. Just a couple of charters on 32-40' yachts.

I'm working at Rib-Ex this weekend, but we're hoping to get over to Rockley to check out their courses over there the following weekend for her to do her level 2 and me to brush up!

[RobM77]

danyeates said:

I'm working at Rib-Ex this weekend, but we're hoping to get over to Rockley to check out their courses over there the following weekend for her to do her level 2 and me to brush up!

Rockley's where I first went sailing, with the Hobie Cat Centre. I went on a taster in a Hobie Cat with my girlfriend and we both really enjoyed it - good centre, good boats and a very good instructor. I'll be down there at the weekend actually, kayaking from a nearby beach.

Your plan sounds perfect - after your sailing it'll all be fresh in your mind and you can decide what boat you'd like to buy .

Enjoy!