Advice

P

perch64

New Member
I need some advice from the knowledgeable sailors to a newbee. I'm sailing sunfish and hobie16, I sail alone mostly with a friend or nephew on a rare occasion. I likr the speed of the Hobie and the solo of the sunfish. I am intrigued with the laser as the best of both worlds. From the little info I put forth would you all recommend the Standard? Is it possible to leard to sail the Laser2 solo? sure do like the looks of that rigging.
Thanks, perch64
 
I think a Laser would be the best of both worlds, I can't really say what size rig you want, as that depends mostly on your height/weight/fitness etc....
 
The Laser II can only be found on second hand markets. It really is meant to be sailed by two, although it can be sailed by one person. As Icedtea already wrote, a 'regular' Laser is much more suitable for a newbie.
 
Thanks for input Icedtea & Wavedancer.
I found a site "In search of the perfect Dinghy", search criterion met mine, several well writen descriptions. I noted four:
Laser 2
Bombardeir 4.8
Wayfarer
Snipe-McLaughlin
Have you knowledge of these? Where do I shop for used boats?
 
perch64 said:
Thanks for input Icedtea & Wavedancer.
I found a site "In search of the perfect Dinghy", search criterion met mine, several well writen descriptions. I noted four:
Laser 2
Bombardeir 4.8
Wayfarer
Snipe-McLaughlin
Have you knowledge of these? Where do I shop for used boats?
Click to expand...

I don't know about the Bombardier, but the other boats are better sailed with a crew.

The Laser II is a sporty boat that requires a decent amount of skill. It has a trapeze and a chute. The class is pretty dead in the USA, but if you just sail for fun, that shouldn't matter much.

The Bombardier 4.8 is discontinued, like the Laser II. Don't know anything about that design.

A Snipe is a pretty technical boat. A recent thread on this Forum indicates that hiking is a pain in the b.tt. The level of competition is quite high at national events.

I have seen a few Wayfarers in regattas where I sailed. A small, but friendly class, I gather.

To find a second hand boat, consult the respective class pages. In addition, there's always
Craig's List
E-bay
 
Interesting that the "perfect dinghy" list identified those... very different boats.

There are a lot of things to consider that maybe the "take the quiz for auto-guidance" may not be evaluating completely.

For instance, where are you sailing? In Southern California and Central Florida, the Snipe class is very large, and boats and help are readily available, although you might not see a wayfarer on the water after years of looking.

As for the Laser II, 25 years ago, I thought the class would have been more popular than it was, but I've never seen an adult in one, and in fact I rarely see them at all anymore. I'm not sure an unsupported one-design boat is going to be a good recommendation for anyone.

So, for the sake of discussion, are you looking for a single-handed boat? Do you expect to race it (ever)? Will you always transport/launch/rig/sail the boat alone? Are you looking for a simple boat to sail or a more technical one? (one hand for boat, and one for beer?) Are you looking for thrill ride or something to carry a romantic date at sunset? What's your size/athletic ability/sailing experience? What part of the globe do you sail?

My first boat was a 40 year old one-design keel boat and I had only ever seen one other before or since, and then only on a trailer, never in the water. That said, I absolutely loved sailing that boat, raced it successfully for a while, and then found someone else to love it and I moved on to something else. I'm not sure that anyone would have steered me toward that particular boat, but it was the right place at the right time.

Sail anything you can get your hands on. I'm a little surprised that anyone would be drawn toward a Laser II. But if that's what makes you happy, that's great!
 
I would also consider the Laser Vago. Some tout it as a modern replacement of the Laser II. It can be singlehanded (on trapeze), or doublehanded when you want. It's a fairly new boat compared to the II, so you may not find too many on used sites.
 
Maybe a bit late for answering to this post but if it can help...
I have a laser vago (quebec city canada) and I am very happy with it. can be sailed solo or duo, fast, modern I love it!
It is amazing that the vago is still so rare on this side of the atlantic: it is a great boat.
One thing however: the pub said that it is a very easy and forgetable boat... dont be foolish by that: it took me a summer to master the boat in solo on the wire. But once it is done it is pure fun.
 
You can't go wrong with a laser, choose a rig by your size, weight and strength especially if you intend on racing

what I like about the laser is that it is simple, you can put it on top of your car, rig in 10 minutes, sail fast and easily recover from a capsize. Its also a boat that is a great challenge to master and by far the best one design sailing period.

I've sailed some of the modern day speed machine dinghy's and I still prefer the laser, the new boat designs might point a little higher and sail a little faster, but most of them are a PITA to rig, a PITA recover from a capsize and cost at least 2x as much as a brand new laser.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top