The past couple of weeks I have been looking for a sailboat to purchase. Last year, as you probably know, New Orleans was hit and, along with the devastation, the boat crew I raced with broke up seeing as there boat was in about 70 pieces in the harbor. My dad, I’m 17, was transferred and I am stuck here hoping the crew will get back together. Unfortunately, it looks like it might not, so here I am, clueless on smaller sailboats. The laser looks like the premium small sailboat but my wallet is a little thin at the moment (5.85 an hour will do that to you). I can reach to around 900 so I was wondering, not finding a Laser in that range, is there another boat that would be suitable? If so which kind? I've seen sunfishes and Force 5's all over the place and almost jumped at a couple of them but I thought I might want to get advice first. If, as it seems, the Laser is the only boat to sail then i'll wait and, with luck, find one. Anything would be appreciated.
I ,ve had a lot of fun in my sunfish and then I got a laser. There is just no comparison, the sunfish is a toy compared to the laser which does pack a lot of real thrill for such a small craft. My sunfish is for sale.
Lasers are good, but there are lots of nice, cheap boats out there. The sunfish is a great boat as well- the hard chine makes it easier to handle in heavy air, and the lateen-rigged sail is so much more adjustible than most normal sails. anything you can find cheaply will work- force 5, 470, 505, any hobie or a-class cat, byte, thistle, Flying Dutchman, F-18, comet, scows, dart, fireball, flying fifteen, flying scott, lightning, Sabot, snipe, star, swan, anything you've heard of before. good luck with finding a boat.
As Rob said, I think you could find a decent Laser for about a thousand. I got my 1980 (but in great condition) for $1000 (canadian). It was basic (wooden tiller, old sail controls) but those can be bought later.
I think you can find a Laser in sailing condition for $1000 or so, though it probably wouldn't be in top racing condition. Sunfish is not a bad boat to knock around in, but I still prefer Lasers. As for the Force 5, how much do you weigh? At 17 you might be a little small. It's a slightly bigger boat than a Laser.