4.7 vs Radial/Full

Tango Sucka

New Member
Ok, been searching the net and forums but have been unable to find the info i'm looking for. I have a 12 year old son that weighs about 90 lbs. He has sailed an Opti for the last couple years dominating the fleet of younger sailors. Despite my encouragement to stay in the opti, he wants to move on. Our club consists mostly of scows, and our juniors sail in Butterflys, which my son is not excited about. Our club has a laser fleet and our weekend races are open to full, radial and 4.7 rigs with no handicap's. The decision lies between Butterflys and Laser 4.7. TheButterfly sail area is 75 sq ft vs a 4.7 which is only 50 sq ft. The laser is easier to right after capsizing than a butterfly. Also, there are many light wind days at our club where he could easily sail a radial. So my question is....because my son would have to sail with full and radial rigs rather than in a true one-design fleet, (barring sailor ability) how well do you think a 4.7 with a lighter skipper could keep up with the other rigs?
Thanks!
 
In short, he will learn loads.
I doubt he would get disgruntled being the last ? Laser home he would just be gleaning info and honing technique every outing.
Within two seasons of 4.7 he'll probably be big enough and certainly capable (skill/experience wise) of upping to radial....no looking back..
 
Honestly the 4.7 is a waste of time, it doesnt really work with the laser hull. the sail is just too small. your best bet is radial its a popular class and it works really well with the hull. because he is so light, try to possibly rent a 4.7 until he gets older/larger, but its really a bad sail in my opinion.
 
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Naaaa. Majorly disagree with that Harvey....
I've brought on loads of juniors and a fair few lightweight women using 4.7.
They wouldn't have been able to have the fun & experience they did in a radial, it's a great intro into slicker boats.
 
I have seen 14 year olds in 4.7 almost keep up with Radials and Full rigs in the right conditions. They like them and the extra length does not seem to make any discernible difference.

90 lbs(40 kg) is at the very bottom of the 4.7 rating. He will not be able to sail it well over 10 knots.

I would encourage you to look at something like an Open Bic. They were designed to be a bridge class between the Optis and Laser 4.7/Bytes. They are fun exciting boats that cost less than a fully kitted out Opti.

This is a common problem in the Junior Fleet. The other option would be to go from the Opti to a regional doublehander that would pave the way towards the 420 in the future. By then he will have grown and also be ready for the 4.7.
 
I personally came out of optis we have bics at our club and i now sail lasers. 4.7 is the way to go i sailed one for a while despite not having to race against and in breeze you can easily keep up with the radials upwind and they teach how to sail a laser well. Open bics would be a waste because they aren't raced much and a laser or any other boat is never going to be like it.
 
I personally came out of optis we have bics at our club and i now sail lasers. 4.7 is the way to go i sailed one for a while despite not having to race against and in breeze you can easily keep up with the radials upwind and they teach how to sail a laser well. Open bics would be a waste because they aren't raced much and a laser or any other boat is never going to be like it.

How much did you weigh when you made the transition from the Opti to the 4.7 ?
 
Thanks to everyone who has responded!

Honestly the 4.7 is a waste of time, it doesnt really work with the laser hull. the sail is just too small. your best bet is radial its a popular class and it works really well with the hull.
If 90 lbs is the bottom weight fo a 4.7, he will never be able to hold a radial down. Also, I have a radial sail that he can use on extemely light wind days...

I would encourage you to look at something like an Open Bic.
Our cub does not sail Open Bic's or I would certainly be looking into this option!
 
Honestly,
he will love the 4.7
The techniques he will adopt in keeping her flat n moving will just be stamped into his DNA by the time he rides a full size rig and how well will he know his boat by then.
I'm taking my seven year old daughter out with me this coming season to open her up to it.
 
Opti's are a newer class in AU. We've had a plethora of different classes sailed in different regions all over the country. However, things have certainly changed in about 5 years. They recently announced the upcoming 2014 AU Opti Nationals.With over 340 boats, this is now the biggest single fleet regatta ever to be held in the Southern Hemisphere. Its at a club near Melbourne. It includes fleet and team racing. I think 1 gold fleet, 2 silver, and perhaps 3 green fleets are the current plan.

Australia definitely has a new breed of Laser sailors in the works. We hosted an Opti Frostbite regatta and an Opti Spring clinic which each had about 70 sailors and that's in little South Australia(not Melbourne, Perth, or Sydney)
 
It might be an option to possibly sail a optimist until he gains a bit of weight, the upside of that is he can race because of the size of the fleet.
 
It might be an option to possibly sail a optimist until he gains a bit of weight
Our opti fleet is full of very young sailors. He is not among other sailors matching his age or ability. He really has little interest in this level of competition. He would rather give up sailing than continue sailing in the Opti fleet (despite my encouragement)
 
Be your sons hero....get him a cheap laser, fit it with the modern fittings - deck cleats, kicker etc and a 4.7 rig. No point messing about with bics or toppers.
The initial outlay doesn't have to be extravagant and is very easily justified - £1200 / $2000 ? Consider it an investment.
 
I have seen 14 year olds in 4.7 almost keep up with Radials and Full rigs in the right conditions. They like them and the extra length does not seem to make any discernible difference.

90 lbs(40 kg) is at the very bottom of the 4.7 rating. He will not be able to sail it well over 10 knots.

I would encourage you to look at something like an Open Bic. They were designed to be a bridge class between the Optis and Laser 4.7/Bytes. They are fun exciting boats that cost less than a fully kitted out Opti.

This is a common problem in the Junior Fleet. The other option would be to go from the Opti to a regional doublehander that would pave the way towards the 420 in the future. By then he will have grown and also be ready for the 4.7.

The Bic is a great choice IF (and it's a big IF) There are other Bic kids to sail with. I coach youth sailors and a big part of their enjoyment in the sport and reason to keep sailing is doing it with their peers. If there are other youth laser sailors around you'd be best to put your kid in a 4.7. The attitude that the sail sucks is silly. Coming from an opti a laser with 4.7 is an upgrade and your boy will be in a laser! He'll learn so much and by the time he's big enough for a radial he'll be dialed in.
 

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