New to sailing, looking for a sunfish!

Kazz330

New Member
Hello everyone!

I'm new to sailing, and am looking at perhaps getting a sunfish to learn and to day sail. I've been sailing on my friends O'day 25 this summer, but don't think I'm quite ready for a boat that large.

I'm also looking for something that I can take the girlfriend on from time to time (shes 4"11, so shes tiny, and I'm 5'7, 200lbs if it makes a difference).

thoughts?
 
Sunfish is a good, inexpensive, and versatile choice. Almost as good as having a friend with a boat, which is always the best way to fully enjoy the sport of sailing without the expense or effort.

The best bet when shopping for a boat is to have a knowledgable Sunfish sailor look at boats with you. If that's not possible, go to the Windline site and read the tips.

If you have an active sailing club anywhere nearby, that can make a huge difference in enjoyment of the sport. In that case, you might want to sail whatever boat the locals sail.
 
Thanks sailcraftri! I sent you an e-mail. Anyone have any experience sailing two people on a sunfish?
 
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I sail with people all the time - most of the time with kids, but often enough with another adult.
my 12-yr old son is about 5-ft and 100 lbs, and he's sailed with me before - you should be fine to sail with your girlfriend.

it helps to set the sail height up a little higher so it is easier for both of you to duck under the sail when tacking.
 
I sail almost exclusively on my Sunfish with a passenger, with a total weight (me + crew) of between 240 and 330 lbs, depending on who goes with me. It can be a bit cozy, but once the crew gets the hang of tacking there's no problems with two onboard.
 
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Hello everyone!

I'm new to sailing, and am looking at perhaps getting a sunfish to learn and to day sail. I've been sailing on my friends O'day 25 this summer, but don't think I'm quite ready for a boat that large.

I'm also looking for something that I can take the girlfriend on from time to time (shes 4"11, so shes tiny, and I'm 5'7, 200lbs if it makes a difference).

thoughts?

iIm going to contradict my earlier post and say something sacriledgious here -and suggest that if you are almost always going to sail with two, look into a Force 5. I used to sail one instead of my everyday Sunfish when I had kids along. It is much more comfortable for two, easier to sail than a Laser, for severaral reasons ---particularly the chine, which makes it more stable than something like a Laser, plus it is more resposive than a Laser of Sunfish thanks to a large, sensibly deisigned rudder (the Force5 has CT Sunfish roots and even the rudder cheek bracket is stock sunfish). The rig and controls would be very familiar to anyone who has sailed a supersunfish or minifish2.

Best of all, though, is that they are unloved and often Sunfish-cheap on the used market (I unloaded mine for just $500 in my last garage-overflow purge).
 
Better still...depending on where you are located, find the nearest sailing club, join and sail a variety of boats prior to making your decision. Our Club has Sunfish, Lasers, 420s and Flying Scots for new sailors to learn on. Sounds to me that you and your crew would be crowded on a Sunfish - I'm 5'9" and 220 and do enjoy sailing my Sunfish single-handed and although I do sometimes take others with me...it's not nearly as much fun. The great thing about a Sunfish is that your "tiny" girlfriend can easily learn to sail on her own as it is versatile across a wide range of weights. Good luck!
 

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