I would say that a moth would suit your requirements.

Perhaps consider a tasar or spiral.
Your 10ft length will be too restrictive (both as far as your options & trying to fit into it.
Best idea is to call in to one of the local sailing clubs and look at what is being sailed locally (timing mightn't be great given the season is done but you might find some enthusiasts.)
L.C., what sort of moth are you suggesting ? Scow, skiff or foil ? I don't think the latter 2 would be very beginner friendly & The scow moths would be rather hard to find other than in a museum.
Cheers.

11ft should be ok as long as it isn't too heavy, what would be the weight of some of the suggested boats?

The beam and the weight are the most important factors + being beginner friendly.

Thanks, what is the approximate hull weight and beam of these moths?

ultrleisure said...
Thanks, what is the approximate hull weight and beam of these moths?

60 odd pounds but can be much lighter, most of the timber scows will be about that mark. New carbon fibre hulls are about 15 kilos! Winged scows the hull is about 4 feet. Non winged hulls, Imperium design for example are about 5 feet. Spiral by comparison is 120 pounds!

Scow moths can be light and are short to suit your car top needs. Most would be pretty old now. The Scow moths I used to see were built to minimise weight and not to last, mast steps failing etc seemed to be pretty common.

If you find one thats been looked after you could have a lot of fun.

Its going to be tough to find something that has the power to weight ratio that you are looking for. To have a carrying capacity of 100kg but a hull weight of <40kg will be tough. Moths are probably the exception due to the fairly open design rules for them that encouraged innovation and light hulls.

The only other option I can think of is a Topper, a UK design which didn't get much of a following here, too many other faster, cheaper dinghies to sail. Fits most of your criteria. Simple to rig and sail, a bit agricultural, but good for learning.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topper(dinghy)

You might get one on EBay etc.

The best thing to do is to get along to your closet sailing club and talk to them, they proberbly have training boat to teach with and many have space to store boats, which will open up the boat options.

Sounds great, if anyone knows where I can get a used one.

Yeah sounds like a good price.

Have you thought of building one. Have a look at this site.
bandbyachtdesigns.com/catspaw
Graham the designer is Australian. I am currently building the Catspaw 8 but only as rowing tender. It is approx 2.4 long and 1.2 wide. Will carry 2 - 3 people and weighs around 70 pounds.

ultrleisure said..

We'll it would probably be quite difficult for a newbie at woodwork. But it's interesting to see that a wooden boat can be as light as 32kg.

How long do you think it would take and how much would it cost to build a boat? How would you make the sail?

Are they a big problem if they capsize compared with fibreglass closed top designs?

The size is right.

If the size is right just buy a Sabot, or as your in SA just buy a Holdfast Trainer which is just a Sabot with a bowsprit and jib. The Catspaw is just a stitch and glue version of a Sabot hull. Watch Ebay and Gum tree.

Looks good, except could it be made without the power circular saw, with hand tools?
All those clamps look like they would cost a bit :)


Would a Holdfast trainer have a 95kg carrying capacity?
Someone was selling one before but he said he thought it would be too small.

Although anything would be fine as long as it doesn't sink from the weight :)
I mean I don't care about perfect balance for racing etc.
I like the idea of a boat where you can spend most of the time sitting in rather than leaning heavily over the side to keep a massive sail from tipping it over.
Picture gentle sailing on a calm spring or summer day just out from the beach 200m+ and maybe a small electric motor if there's no wind, not racing or sports sailing.

What would be the minimum thrust you would need to power an 8ft boat? I am wondering it it is possible at all to power such a boat from a solar panel.

Even the least powerful model?

Btw the motor is not an essential but do you think if you had a 40lbs trolling motor and a 200w solar panel (132mm x 99mm) you would...

Move?
Have room to sit?

ultrleisure said..

Even the least powerful model?

Btw the motor is not an essential but do you think if you had a 40lbs trolling motor and a 200w solar panel (132mm x 99mm) you would...

Move?
Have room to sit?

No idea, I'm not into trolling