Hi Chris,
Welcome to the forum. I you are not interested in home building a yacht your main choices are blokart/ X-Sail, Ludic and Potty. All four seem to be widely available in the UK.

I think the ultimate in portability would have to be the blokart and X-Sail.

Rather than buying a twin yacht like the Manta I would tend towards buying two single yachts that can be connected in tandem.

This is possible with the blokart by using the "Deuce Bar". Sailing in tandem is a ton of fun and a great alternative to sailing singly in company.

I think it is also possible to sail the Potty in tandem. Do your research before buying though and try to have a ride in all of them before making a decision.

Word of Warning. There are some cheap Chinese imitations around and you would be wise to steer clear of them. The Zooter is one brand with which it seems nobody has had a good experience.

In the meantime welcome to the WWONTSOL. (Wide World Of Nutters That Sail On Land)

See Chris!!! I told you we were all nutters.

How about this for thinking ..... build 2 Lefroy Mini's, sail and race the Mrs in the USA and get your friends involved as well, when you leave sell the yachts off and when you get home build 2 more, the next 2 you will build better as you would have learnt lots of new stuff. [after about a year or so most people want to build another one or 2 anyway]

i would be inclined to have a look at where you plan to sail when you get home and see what is popular there, it is a real buzz to race with similar yachts. you will certainly fit in all the yachts mentioned, and yes , google the particular brand as people will happily talk about some of the dodgy stuff out there

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far, great stuff. While I would love to build my own I am stuck 6000 miles from my beloved shed and have no space or tools here.

I suspect that for me it comes down to a Blokart or a Seagull Silence. It seems that the clubs that will be close to me when I return to the UK are adopting the FISLY Mini class so I am not too focussed on getting a one design.

To be honest I really like the Blokart and am sure I would be totally happy with it but several features of the Silence are really grabbing me - maybe someone could tell me if I am being reasonable or that these things are non issues?

A) I suspect that I will probably want to get a class 5 at some point so starting out with foot steering seems like a good idea - or maybe I am wrong and the switch from hand to foot steering is a no-brainer?

B) I am attracted to the fact that the Silence offers three seating positions (upright, semi-reclined and practically lying down). You can also squeeze two people into it.

C) Having a reef in the sail seems like a good idea to me given the weight difference between me and the other half. It seems that it would also reduce the need to have a quiver of sails available.

D) The Silence is available with wheelbarrow type wheels but you can also fit 17" rears or 'bigfoot' type monsters for soft sand and bumpy stuff - is this as big an advantage as it seems?

E) From scanning various fora I get the impression that Seagull yachts are regarded as being of 'superior' quality and use materials well suited to the corrosive environment of beach sailing.


So I must admit I am leaning towards the Silence at the moment, as long as there are no major obstacles getting one into the USA.

Enrico, I would love to hear more about your Ludic, and also if you know of any sailing areas in northern Italy - my wife is from Rovigo and we often head back there.

Chris,
I have had a look at a few of of those sites. I would suggest you look at purchasing a machine with larger wheels 4.80/800 x 8" is a good standard to look at. I wouldn't go for a machine with smaller wheels. The larger the diameter the better and depending on the surface you are most likely to use profile comes next.
Ron

Yes, I am doing a pretty good job of talking myself into a Silence aren't I? I hope to be trying out a Blokart in a week or so which will certainly help me understand some of the choices better.

I am sure that Blokart quality control is excellent, you don't gain that kind of success without having a good handle on these things and I didn't mean to suggest that they were badly made. It is more that I have come across several comments that Seagull rigs are particularly well executed and that features such as their fibreglass axles are rather tasty.

Some Blokart information suggests that the stainless steel version is not quite so suited to heavier chaps as the cro-moly one - is this a valid concern?

Enrico, missed you at the euros this year.
I hope there will be an Italian Miniyacht Team in France for WC 2012- maybe even a Promo team too !

Miniyachts only for first 3 days - then other 8 classes over the next 5 days- New Promos available to rent- get your order in Enrico.

Alan

Worlds 2012

www.mondial2012.com/

Alan, I missed you too! I'm working to bring more Italian pilots to the next Worlds

@ Chris - Sorry, I checked, the huge beach is in Caorle (near Venice), not in Chioggia

Ciao - Enrico