Having been distracted by windsurfing for the last few years I'm planning to get back in to sailing having got totally frustrated with a lack of decent windsurfing wind in Sydney. What I'm not sure about is which type of boat to buy.

I'm thinking about going for a single hander for ease of not having to find a crew etc.. I've been tempted by the good old laser option simply because I live on the north shore and the middle harbour laser club is an appealing option for class racing. Beyond that I'm not really sure what good options might be.

I have a fair bit of sailing experience but most of it as a crew on a Laser 4000, RS800 and I14 (although I seemed to do more swimming that sailing on the 14). I'm fairly realistic that I'm not that agile so although the idea of a contender, musto skiff etc are great I just don't think my ability is sufficient not to spend a lot of time swimming or waiting for manageable winds.

Any suggestions beyond Lasers for a reasonably priced single hander for a 80kg bloke?

Thanks!

Ha ha, a great description of Lasers.... If only all Lasers every made could simply be swapped for RS100s or similar!!

As you say, I think I'm going to struggle with weight for the Finn, I'm as heavy as I've ever been so weight going up is not top of my to do list :)

Looks like the options are pretty limited. Spiral does look like a slightly better layout but I'm not sure it would be worth sacrificing the class sailing for what looks like it would be minimal difference.

I guess I either need to get a whole lot more agile (and probably significantly expand my bank balance!) or settle for a Laser.

Unfortunately the OK is about as fun to sail as a laser, but without the fleet to race against. At 80kg, you could easily and competitively sail any class with a bit of time on the water (includng the Finn).
The bigget question is where is the club you want to call home, if it is Middle Harbor, a Laser is the obvious choice and you will enjoy it as it is a great sailing environment there. If you want to give a Contender a crack, pm me and I am happy to organise a sail for you. Ramona, a trap on an IC?

brett221 said...
If you want to give a Contender a crack, pm me and I am happy to organise a sail for you. Ramona, a trap on an IC?

Quite right Brett, the IC has a plank. Must have been thinking about that Farr 3.7.

You can sail a Finn at 80 kilos, Blade carbon fibre masts are built to suit, but you would not be competitive in any east coast venue. We had 3 Finns in our family and as I got older my 87 kilos severely limited me upwind. Younger son was the same weight or slightly heavier, but when the wind was above 12 knots my older son at 130 kilos trounced us, even off the wind. 90 to 95 kilos is the optimum weight. Then you can buy/sell/exchange masts and sails with those people sailing at the top level[some with government money].


Now this kid is under 80 kilos. Its in Europe.

Thier like a$$holes - everyones got one

I should have said too look at my blog for the canoe stuff. www.Jethrowsicpage.blogspot.com. I don't have a Finn blog yet

Thank you all for your replies, great to get a better feel for what my options are. As I see it now those options are:

Laser - good class racing but perhaps not the most satisfying boat to sail

Int. Canoe - I like swimming, there is just a limit to the amont of swimming I want to do!

Contender - As the Int. Canoe

Moth - as Int. Canoe and Contender

Finn - I'm too much of a lightweight, need to eat more pies!

RS100 - Big $$!!!

OK - Potentially better than the Laser but miss out on the class racing

Hmm, where to go now! I must admit I'm swaying towards a laser at the moment, partly due to lack of weight for some others and partly for the class racing since non of the other options are sounding really appealing or realistic.

Is it just me or is there a gap in the market for a more flexible single hander - maybe the single hander version of the RS500?

Thanks again.

Have you considered a cat?

Great thrill per $ value.

A-class if you want to spend big, Taipan medium (plus sail with or without crew) or Mosquito. Two hander Hobies or Nacras for any budget. Can be a physically more comfortable sail then hiking on a mono

SandS said...


Have a look at the sabre.

The Sabre is actually not a bad choice if your an older sailer. I sailed in two Masters Games. First one was Canberra and there were about 35 Sabres [15 Lasers, Radials and full] several people I knew from OK days. Adelaide there were about 20 Sabres and about 8 Lasers. Both games the Sabres had there own starts, Lasers had to sail with the rest of the singlehanders, Finn, contenders and Impulse, there were about 6 Impulses at both events. The contender that raced in Canberra was a bit of a slug on the light days, hampered by lots of wetted area.

Be careful of choosing a class by the number of starters in major regattas or clubs. Even the Laser titles don't have the numbers they used to. The Jervis Bay regatta recently had about 35 Spirals, 8 Finns, one Contender, if there were Lasers there I didn't notice.

would have to agree with Brett, having sailed skiffs you wont get a thrill out of sabres.

brett221 said...


You didnt look too hard there? At Jervis Bay there were 19 spirals, 6 finns, 3 contenders, 6 NS14's, 17 Tasars, 1 505, 2 sharpies, 1 f11, 1 laser radial and 2 B14's. Was a great weekend and fun was had by all.

8 Finns. It may have been a bit confusing as the sail number 221 is very common. Different boats drop different digits and then change sails for different races. Sometimes using their own numbers. Some boats failed to inform the race committee of changed numbers and I think their results were not recorded.


Race results; http://www.jervisbaysailingclub.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66:2010-october-regatta-results&catid=35:results&Itemid=60

I have been holding off with a comment and while I love sailing including windsurfing - kite surfing offers the maximum all round buzz and convienience.

I will not go on but if you want to know more I will respond

Not sure if you will find a Contender for 175 pound out here but there are some cheap boats available around NSW (Under $1000).
With the nationals in NSW this year and the worlds scheduled for Belmont in January 2014 the class will be growing again as people try them and find out they are a fun and rewarding dinghy to sail. If you can sail a laser, it is only the time to get used to trap and you are off, weights range from 70kg up to 115kg with 85 to 90 considered to optimum.
The contenders will be at Speers Point regatta this weekend and the Single Handed Regatta at Sunshine the following weekend is anybody wants a sail on one and a poke around.