Recommendations for sailboat for novice sailors

[Thomas L. Miller]

Andrew,
I agree with all Tom said. I've sailed and raced for 50+ years both open ocean and lakes. The only thing I would add would see if you can't get yourself a crew slot on a boat that is raced regularly. Racing is really the only way to build and improve sailing skills because you can get direct feedback on anything you do with the boat. Learning the lesson of "Velocity Made Good is far better than just velocity" separates skilled sailors from "reach and runners". It's a great sport. I hope you enjoy it!
Regards,
Tom

[Tom M King]

Since the view count continues to climb, in this thread, maybe someone will take up my advice on starting with a Laser. I still have two of them. One was the boat I started racing in the 1970's.

I decided to do some current research on the class. I've kept up with it a little bit, by mostly watching World Championship, and Olympic races on Youtube, but have been sailing everything else for the last 40 years. So, I ordered any books on the Laser that I didn't already have, and have read them.

There is one that I would highly recommend for anyone to buy who intends to sail one, or might just be curious. It's The Laser Book, by Tim Davison. Be sure to only buy the sixth edition(latest edition). It covers everything you need to know, to get started, from rigging, to boat handling, and even basic sailing physics. If you get that one, and find it useful, I can recommend the next one.

I've also watched a number of Laser youtube videos, and have some I can recommend for different things about sailing, and rigging the Laser. If anyone is interested, I can post links, and discuss a little. It's been an Olympic class for more than half it's history now, which is pretty amazing to me.

[Alan Rutherford]

I agree with everybody here who is suggesting a boat for you to learn on, no matter what it is. Just don't build it yourself. Buy almost anything with a mast and play with it.

...I’m looking for something that will handle 2 adults and 2 children but can easily be managed with a crew of 2 or even solo....

Having raced a 40-foot sailboat to Hawaii single-handed, I feel that "even solo" will not be a problem in the size range you're likely to end up with. Accommodating 4 people might be. Look for something that one or two of you can learn something from and go from there. Even if you only take it out half a dozen times and it ends up having cost a few hundred dollars after you resell it, you'll be way ahead.

[Tom M King]

Andrew, Checking back in on this to see where you are with your sailing coming up on the fourth season after this thread started??

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I should probably start another thread. Andrew has solved this & sailed to Granada by now. I will add my two cents and encourage folks to check out the Scamp (in case others are thinking about wee boats). My next boat is going to be a Scamp. The CNC cut kit is tempting but building one from scratch will be more satisfying. At 11' 11" the scamp requires no registration in any of the states where we sail. Our kids have grown up and moved away so I no longer keep the registration current on all of the boats in our fleet of small sailboats. I foolishly neglected to title the Flying Jr. and the Sunfish and now the title fees + late fees are more than the boats are worth. The family gunk-hole regatta is a highlight of the year for our family. I am tempted to cut 2 feet off of the FJ and the Sunfish so we can continue use them legally. The reality is they will go to boat hinge or the landfill. Check out Scamp on the web it is a remarkable little boat.

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https://duckworks.com/s-c-a-m-p-plans/

[Chris Parks]

Ignore........................

[Zachary Hoyt]

I should probably start another thread. Andrew has solved this & sailed to Granada by now. I will add my two cents and encourage folks to check out the Scamp (in case others are thinking about wee boats). My next boat is going to be a Scamp. The CNC cut kit is tempting but building one from scratch will be more satisfying. At 11' 11" the scamp requires no registration in any of the states where we sail. Our kids have grown up and moved away so I no longer keep the registration current on all of the boats in our fleet of small sailboats. I foolishly neglected to title the Flying Jr. and the Sunfish and now the title fees + late fees are more than the boats are worth. The family gunk-hole regatta is a highlight of the year for our family. I am tempted to cut 2 feet off of the FJ and the Sunfish so we can continue use them legally. The reality is they will go to boat hinge or the landfill. Check out Scamp on the web it is a remarkable little boat.

Screen Shot 2024-03-18 at 7.21.30 AM.png



https://duckworks.com/s-c-a-m-p-plans/

Here in NY you don't have to register a sailboat that has no motor, regardless of the size. I don't know how many other states are like this, but your old boats would be of interest to someone in a place where there are no fees.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Here in NY you don't have to register a sailboat that has no motor, regardless of the size. I don't know how many other states are like this, but your old boats would be of interest to someone in a place where there are no fees.

Thanks Zachary. Another nice feature of NY! I have offered the Flying Jr. to the Binder Lake Sailing Club. Their private lake is exempt from the 12 foot rule. I am going to pay the fees on the Sunfish and get it registered. It is too much fun to give up on.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Good for you. I'm glad you were able to find a solution. NY is one of the more bureaucratic states about a lot of things, so I don't know why they are more lenient about non-motorized boats.

[Tom M King]

Here is a video of a fun little 14 foot sailboat. I'd really like to have one, but a new one is over 35,000 Euros. All carbon fiber with a foil on the rudder. The whole rig weighs next to nothing. Two people can pick the whole thing up by the wings. It says sailing in 20kts., but I'm not seeing enough whitecaps to look like 20 to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFhJCEswWQ8

[John S Howland]

You could see if there is a sailing club close. They sometimes give lesson, rent boats and races on weekends. The one close to me have boots under 18'.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I have some old copies of Small Boat Journal from the seventies. There is an article about two guys who sailed from New Orleans to New York in Lasers. I hope I can find thoses magizines. It is an exelent article.

[John C Cox]

Any time I hear discussions like this, I always have to wonder... What is your hobby? Building boats or sailing? The truth is that you can buy used sailboats really cheap. Often, they are in pretty good shape and only take a minimum of work to get going.... And then you're sailing. The average boat build never gets finished. The ones that do often take 2-3 years and cost many thousands of dollars.

It sounds sort of depressing, but it's the truth. There is only so much money and so much time. You pays your money and you takes your chances.

I got into building guitars that way. Eventually, I smartened up and realized I liked building guitars better than playing them. About 90% of the people who buy a guitar kit never finish. Of those who do, maybe 20% are really playable like they want. Most never build another, but some, like me, get hooked.

There's no shame in this, but it's worth the soul searching to pin down what you want to do. If you want to build boats, great. Do it and be happy.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Any time I hear discussions like this, I always have to wonder... What is your hobby? Building boats or sailing? Do it and be happy.

After watching the launching of Tally Ho, I re-realize how much I / we have enjoyed both the building and the messing about.
This March our Rangely turned 30. It has a dipping lug rig but the sunfish is much more fun to sail.

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This Pram is the boat I first sailed. It had a Sunfish lateen rig. It was fun and safe. Both of these were built from the lines and instructions in John Gardners Building Classic Small Craft.

[andy bessette]

...What is your hobby? Building boats or sailing?...

It is good to realize this distinction, and to make an informed choice, going in. Though it is possible to do both, but that is definitely not for everyone.

My own "big boat" restoration projects were mostly all done while living aboard, over a period of nearly 50 years: first a wooden 38' Viking sedan (no photo); then came a wooden 32' Chris Craft sportfish (first photo); then a wooden 48' Grandy Marlineer sportfish (second photo); then a fiberglass 39' Freya cutter (third photo) which I sold before completing. Now on a fiberglass 43' President sportfish (last photo).