+1, it’s only as expensive as you make it.

A lad I know is permanent crew on a J-boat….. now that’s expensive!

A lad I know is permanent crew on a J-boat….. now that’s expensive!

I imagine that lunch will run into the hundreds easily!!

I imagine that lunch will run into the hundreds easily!!

It’s the bar bill I’d be worried about.

Only got into sailing in my mid 40s after years of pestering by the sailors that my local club where I windsurfed. Biggest regret of my life not getting into it sooner. I am totally addicted.

Been at it a few years now and do the open race circuit and the nationals. Reminds me so much of MTB racing in the good old days 80/90s; Great crowd.. familiar faces.. fantastic crack.. get to spend weekends at some stunning locations.

Depending on the boat.. it can be a very cheap sport. It’s much cheaper than my MTB was and none of the new model cr*p every year.

Benefits.. no broken bones.. 15mph feels like 50.. worst that can happen is you can get wet (albeit the exception of course).

There are some real crap boats out there though and unfortunately lots of clubs are populated by very old guys offering to take you out in boats that will immediately put you off sailing. Choose the boat and the instructor wisely and you’ll have a pastime that can carry you competitively to an age no other sport can.

sharkbait – Member
Graham, if that’s you, what happened to that ‘lovely’ single hander you designed and had made?

I ran out of cash to complete the next phase which was to jack it up on foils, so it sits like so many others nurturing nettles in the boat park. I also discovered the “Solution” which is a lovely little boat for lake racing and I keep the EPS for use on the sea where it can stretch its legs and occasionally I can sail it to its handicap.

Ezorillo hits it nicely on the head with all the descriptions of crap boats there are out there and old guys ramming them down the necks of the young, but there have also been a spate of quite neat new single handers, the RS Aero, the D Zero, the Hadron H2, the refurbed Supersofa, our club has an infestation of Lasers right now and qute a fleet building which I’ve resisted until now. I’d really like a trapeze boat but can find nothing to suit my weight and buid, maybe I’ll set to with some wood in the garage next winter..

. I also discovered the “Solution” which is a lovely little boat for lake racing

Was tempted by a solution as they do look a lovely boat, but the class open participation is dire and the numbers just arent out there. One of my main criteria was a busy fleet, so been racing Supernovas for a couple of years now and atm it is buzzing with a good circuit and big crowds at most events.

As I said previously.. really reminds me of the old MTB racing scene. A few top boys to chase, the rest of the fleet helping each other and everyone pissed the Saturday night.

As a side note.. Dont the Orange lot also do a bit of sailing? I was competing in the tiger trophy at Rutland and there was a boat with OrangeMTB sponsorship.

Lester Noble (Orange) was/is into his sailing/windsurfing.

The Int14 and 49er are still on my to do list and for nostalgic reasons I’d love another go in a 505.

I recall a cruise one evening from Seasalter SC to Whitstable. I left my Lasde behind and crewed for a guy on his Tornado. It weas slow drift down to Whitstable, where we had a meal and a couple of beers. The others got up to leave and my helm asked if I’d like another drink. Silly question.

By the time we’d finished and walked to the beach, the others were lttle but dots on the horizon. The wind had freshend and it was set for a fast reach home.

I’d sailed cats before, but not the mighty Tornado. We set off and it seemed
quick but nothing exciting. However, it wasn’t long until we caught the early starters and went past them like they were standing still. Very impressive. Effortless speed. Quite a long way up once the windward hull starts to fly though

One of the best was a sail in a Flying Dutchman, once I’d got to grips with the continuous trapeze. Steep learning curve.

Again speed without drama. The length (fnarr, fnarr) provided stability and she cut through the waves like no other single hull craft since. Glorious looking boat and you could pretend you were Rodney pattion or Ian MacDonald Smith. Younger readers might need to google their names.

Lots of early mountain bikers were part of the sailing/windsurfing scene, Guy Farrant from Whyte is responsible for me getting into dinghys when he loaned me a Musto Skiff as my first boat (how difficult can dinghy sailing be?). Lester, Roger still dinghy sail, Lester sails that 49er with his brother you’ll come across them up at the Lord Birket. Pete Holton from Marin had a hand in designing that 49er and campaigned an Iso and Boss.
The place I had that boat built’s other job was repairing busted carbon ATB frames can’t remeber their name now Jamie someone or other and Dan Holman worked there before he built the Punk which became the D-Zero. I fancied a Supersofa but just can’t stand the rig, big sticky out full battened roach not easy to control on the start line I didn’t think, then if everyone’s got one I don’t supposed it matters, other than that it’s a nice sail, my mate had one before he got a Phantom.

Benefits.. no broken bones.. 15mph feels like 50.. worst that can happen is you can get wet (albeit the exception of course).

I have a big hole in my shins where a self-bailer scooped some flesh out in a capsize 😯

I’ve raced against Lester at the Birkett. They are always in the top 20. The 49ers, 800s, Int14s and sometimes 18ft Skiffs just look mindblowing blasting down wind through 200 odd slower dinghies and yachts going the other way!

The Birkett is a great event by the way, thoroughly recommended! Although the risk of getting sliced in two by the ferry (like my old helm, who got new sails out of it) or a cruiser (like my uncle, who was on starboard) or a keelboat (Tempests and Flying Fifteens just do not give a shit about your much faster dinghy) is high. And the disappointment of racing for five hours to find out you were black flagged is pretty crushing.

Aye.. a couple of members at my local club also have boats on Ullswater and asked me to crew at the Birkett, but it clashes with the Supernova Nationals the other end of the country.

Maybe next year.

Fan of the Blaze too.

The Blaze was the exception to the Topper ‘performance’ boats rule. A lot of the things people complained about are actually it’s saving graces in the long term. The lack of rocker means it planes beautifully, the large wetted area means there’s little advantage in being skinny, and it’s very forgiving to sail (compared to an RS300).

Aero/D-zero – Lotus Elise
Moth – F1
Blaze – Supercharged Mustang 8)

tinas

If I hadn’t just bought my first decent car 6 months before I test sailed it, I’d probably have spent the next three years paying for the Blaze and not the VW Golf that I’d bought and welding the ancient Triumph back together a lot.

The ISO was a nice boat to crew (but only without the badly designed wings), the ergonomics were good but the build quality not so much (remembers inspection hatches being installed in order to bolt rudder fittings back onto the boat mid open-meeting). I also remember a very windy open at Worthing where someone had to drive back to HQ and pick up every spare mast they had as they’d broken more than 10 in a day. One guy snapped two that weekend iirc.

I still have to try cat sailing too but not really an option where I’m based.

Love those comparatives too.

My mission for the rest of the year is to work out what fun dinghy for a 90-100kg grown up (trying to bring that down) plus a 25-30kg child. So we can buy over the autumn / winter. Where my 8 year old (now) can get the hang of some basics crewing but it won’t be so mental that he can’t learn to helm it in lighter airs.

Then if i’m really up for some trouble with Mrs GD something cheap and single handed for me (that’ll carry the weight) too.

If anyone’s got any bright ideas post them up!

I bought a Miracle when my son showed a short lived interest in sailing. Not sexy, but light, safe and cheap. He should be able to sail it too in lighter conditions. Depends how much you want to spend.

Depends how much you want to spend

I’d happily spend the budget deficit, if left unrestrained (which i won’t be). In practice £1000-1500 for a dinghy is probably about where we’re starting. I’d expect a Miracle (another boat i have a soft spot for) to probably slot into that.

Mrs GD has popped through from the living room and say she likes the idea of one of those things with cabins that goes slow and she’s expressed a desire for something that will carry all 4 of us. I think this takes us to small cabin cruiser/keel-boat territory ultimately. YIKES 😯 that’s a level of complication I hadn’t envisaged when I sent off the form for the sailing club! I get where she’s coming from but I may also need something that’ll pop up on the plane as an adrenaline supplement 🙂

By the way what’s the best place to buy small keelboats/dinghies from nowadays? Last time I bought it was probably out of the back of Y&Y!

TO THE OP; really sorry I seem to have totally hijacked your thread. 🙂

Sailing can be expensive, very expensive. Depends on the boat and of course whether you are the owner, OPB – other people’s boats – are very economical 8)

I learnt to sail as a teenager on a Hampshire schools trip and we where out on the Solent for a weeks camping in Wayfarers during the 1979 Fastnet, little did we know at the time about the loss of life further West 😐

GD plenty of internet sites, appollo duck ? Also have a look at what others are sailing at your club / area. What does the Mrs want a cabin for, sleeping in or just sheltering from the weather a bit when anchored, so ewhere for her to have a pee in private ?

Garage dweller, as an all up weight an RS200 would work fine, loads about, hold value well and not very powerful although hard to sail very well.
Lots of parent child crews at the nats when I was sailing as well.

If anyone’s got any bright ideas post them up

Mk1 blazes are in budget, and if looked after they’re still compettative. Not 2 handed though.

Keeping with the theme of the thread, an ISO? Cheap and plentiful, there’s actually two now sailing at our club with parent/kid crews as 2nd boat. More money to spend on your own toy then.