Best Dinghy?

[mackid068]

What does everyone think is the best dinghy in existance (or that has existed) and why? Just wondering....

The Moth has been around forever but since 1999 has begun a revolution that has implications for all of sailing. It is difficult to learn to sail but is now one of the fastest boats(not just monohulls) under 20' thanks to the two foil hydrofoil system pioneered by Ian Ward and perfected by John Ilett and Rohan Veal.
Before the Moth, with the possible exception of some Windsurfer designs, all sailing hydrofoils had three or more foils. The Moth is the first sit-down sailboat in history to fly on just two foils!
Rohan Veal has proved that the Ilett foil system is effective on race courses in most conditions except perhaps the ultra lite conditions when it can't foil.
The boat(11' hull; 12.75' overall) is so blisteringly fast on foils that it beat a fleet of 18' A class catamarans in November, 2004.
The success of the foiling Moth has sparked debate in many existing classes on the viability of foils in those classes and I think the Moth as a class and the individuals listed above deserve a huge amount of credit for pioneering an entirely new form of sailing.
And I personally thank them for the inspiration they have given me!

[mackid068]

Thanks for the response, Doug. I just hope other people (meaning you, yes, you, you who is reading this) put in their 2 cents.

[boby boy]

The custom is the best 'cause it does what you want.

[usa2]

International 14

[mattotoole]

Originally Posted by boby boy

The custom is the best 'cause it does what you want.

I say the opposite. The greatest of all time has to be the Laser. They're practically a commodity, so everywhere you go there's a fleet. Ultimately it's not about the boat, but the sailing, the racing, and the fellowship. By sheer numbers there's more of it in Lasers than anything else.

It's sort of like the fax machine analogy -- the first one was worthless, but its value increased with every new one that was was sold.

[grob]

"Ultimately it's not about the boat, but the sailing, the racing, and the fellowship"

I agree with this statement, but not the boat.

In that case it has to be the optimist, it has introduced more people to sailing than any other boat. You may graduate to a Laser but most kids start in an Optimist.

[bullfrog]

P Class, New Zealands youth dinghy.

The Optimist may be where you start sailing, but the P Class is where you really learn how to sail, Blake, Dalton, Coutts, Dickson... all started in a P Class

[grampianman]

I'll put in a plug for a Mirror. This dinghy has sure taught a lot of sailors about not only sailing but about how to build a boat as well. This was my early exposure.

Cheers,
Ian

[DaveB]

I'd have to say the laser also... biggest fleet n' lotsa people can sail 'em... different rigs... (radial) n' masters classes too!

[water addict]

Laser by far.
Good performance, simplicity, low cost, fairly light, huge class. Almost any sailor of wide skill level can sail one, unlike a lot of other performance dinghys.

[quicksail]

For me it has to be the Merlin Rocket. Interesting boat with lots of design variation. Can you say doing it with flare.... Also the Flying Dutchman and 505 need to get some props. These boats helped up the performance level and were original for their time.

[doesitfloat]

I've got 2 good ones. The hobie 16. Great entry level cat. Huge racing class and now you can buy one with a trailer and race for $500.
Also the 49er. talk about a fun boat to race. Steep learning curve but once you learn a blast. Learning to tune the skiff rig and how it works in puffs and slop is easy to learn and difficult to master.

[mackid068]

Thanks to those who responded! By the way, I have to say: The Laser would haveta be the best. It can be customized easily (with stock parts) for different weights (with a radial or 4.7). Also, it's nice and FAST, which I appreciate more than you know.

[Karsten]

The Laser hurts! The Contender was 20 years ahead of its time. Fast, a bit of a challenge to sail, extremely good in lots of wind and heavy seas, plenty of adrelanin and a good crowd at least in Europe. Try it and you will be converted.

Karsten