Re: Dinghy to learn/brush up helming skills

Martin wrote:
....
I live in Cardigan Bay, West Wales. What i'm looking for is a dinghy
that I can sail on the sea in reasonable weather single-handedly (I'm
about 14 stone) and with crew. Basically a dinghy that will be
manageable but something that can become exhilarating - I'm used to
crewing in some fairly rough conditions inshore and offshore.

I'm not really familiar with what's out there, but i've come across a
Laser 2000, which seems to fit my requirements - not too small for the
sea, I like the idea of the gennaker, and it looks like a lovely and
versatile boat.

I think the Laser 2000 - which is used extensively as a training boat -
would be good. You could try playing with
<http://www.lasersailing.co.uk/boat-selector/uk>

The RS Vision, which is pretty similar to the L2000 but in polypropylene
rather than fibreglass (doesn't matter so much if you beach it), may
also be a good choice :-
<http://www.rssailing.com/fleets.asp?fleet=RS%20Vision>

If you expect to by doing mainly single handed sailing, the RS Feva may
also be worth a look, though it wouldn't be a good choice with more than
2 people on board.

Others have mentioned Topper's Sport 14 and 16 - they're no longer
produced. Topper's current range is shown at
<http://www.toppersailboats.com/>.

Personally I don't think Topper historically made any really good boats
in this sort of category. Their current range looks better, but I'd regard them as unproven. Laser and RS would be _much_ more likely to get
my money, though I'd also look at one of the Comet range :-
<http://www.cometdinghies.com/> In this range, I think I'd consider the
Comet Versa or the Comet Trio.

If you wanted some more traditional alternatives, GP14, Leader and
Wanderer would probably fit the bill, but if you want a modern boat with
a gennaker then you should look at Laser, RS or Comet.
.

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