Laser as first sailboat.

Thats the secret....investigate the local scene. Locally, the best fun is in the Snipe class. First class sailors, 18 to 65 years old, every weekend rain or shine...and always good sea stories after.

 

That is the best course if you are at all interested in racing, which most people are. Lightnings are great boats but do race with a crew of 3. Getting and keeping crew is one major headache to many such sailors. I would think a $500 Lightning might not even float, much less be able to race without major cash outlay. New ones are pretty expensive.

The Laser is a great little boat but I question the claim that they are rugged. They are built with a chopper gun and the hull becomes soft with hard use. In any collision with other boats the Laser usually loses. A trailer must be fitted to the boat properly or the glass will deform and become soft. Leaks around the hull deck joint are epidemic. The bailer is not very effective. Don't ever let water freeze in the mast tube. They make a kit for repairing broken mast tubes from hard sailing by heavy guys in heavy wind that includes part of the deck because that breaks too. I started sailing Lasers when they first came on the scene almost 40 years ago and had a 3 digit number plus several others later.

Again, a great boat that will teach you more and faster than most others but they do age faster than most. I paid $695 for the first ones and don't know how many thousands they cost now.

 

Ya, local scene is definitely something I gotta pay attention to.

I wish I knew something about sailing already, the Moth foil seems to be a scream. Or kite surfing, but IMO the moth would be better just from watching the video. Doesn't look like a beginner boat though

The lightning is too much boat. I'm looking for something with an optional extra person. I suspect most of my outings will have a crew of me plus the soggy doggy.

I know somebody with a laser. She has delamination between hull and deck more than half way around, the bailer is just plain missing and there is some broken glass, through the fibers. I keep telling her to take care of it now or it will multiply, but she seems intent on sailing it till it sinks with no maintenance.

I've been on her boat single handed, and also with both of us. Definitely overloaded there! I'm 260 lbs and she's not exactly petite either. I could really like a laser, and I could definitely car-top it so that's a big plus.

The only other sailboat I've been on is a 420'er, which was awesome but I think a bit too big to fit the garage comfortably, I would have to Get Rid of Some Toys. Gotta avoid that.

 

Scroll right down to other classes of dinghies and choose your weapon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/505_(dinghy)

 

That's a nice looking boat. I wonder if it can be made of wood? Wet deck maybe?

I saw references that you needed a 'gorilla crew' to race a 505er. So not likely to be easy to handle by yourself on a day out sailing?

 

505-wood

Check this thread: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/wooden-505-a-36868.html


click on image:

 

Yeah.

Bet it's heavy though.

Do I whine too much?

Actually what I had in mind was something like this, only maybe obviously wooden all the way around. And of course, a sailboat that you can drive alone or bring a guest. And fast. :

 

Swift Solo

This is too much as a first boat but it is something to aspire to. Light. Fast. Wood.Beautiful.

http://www.single-handedskiffs.com/homepage/compare.html

click on image:

 

That's the ticket! Open transom, gorgeous as far as I can see. They need high resolution pictures of these, how do they expect us to choose with the crud they're showing?

Downloading a movie now.

 

This is the only time I've ever seen something use carbon fiber without prominently displaying it. I completely approve. This boat is like **** for woodworkers.

 

I'm not saying it can't be car-topped, but it will be a real chore to do

by yourself, and even for two big strong people.

However, you will find having a boat of that size on your roof really helps keep the vehicle cooler and shaded in the up coming summer.

I guess I'd go with top sides up and a nice system of roof rollers, and transom/tiller mounted set of wheels.

That way you rig a nice way to stow the dismounted mast, sails, rudder, daggerboard, and wet lift vests and shoes and ice chests inside and on top the boat.

Plus, you can fiddle with deck fittings and whatnot while still on the vehicle back at your house or in the parking lot of the Marine supply store, with the aid of a step ladder or 5 gallon bucket.

What vehicle do you plan to use, and does it already have racks?


Keep your eyes peeled for a electric trolling motor that would fit on the rudder mount, for fishing and non-sailing use, like duck hunting or bird watching....or watching THEN hunting as the case may be.

 

Re: putting a laser on car top.

I've seen a couple rack systems that would work nicely for that, but I'll probably weld something up special. I have built trailers and racks, and the car this would go on has seen better days, so it wouldn't have to look wonderful.

I've helped my friend put her laser on her shiny new car without scratching it while nagging constantly and not really helping at all, so I think I can manage to put mine on the junker I would be using to haul the boat by myself, especially if I can add my own rack.

What I have in mind, I'll probably be able to roll it up right beside the car on the dolly, clamp the boat to the rack, strap the dolly to the boat, clamp the other side of the boat and then winch the whole thing sideways, then right up to the top upside down. I'm sure I can mount the mast too, though the sails will probably go in the car.

An old laser is already going to be scuffed up, the junker car I use for that sort of thing is already scuffed up, and I really don't care what it all looks like. I can make something that supports the boat properly and loads it one-handed. I'll use cranks if necessary but I doubt it will come to that. I think a block and tackle will work well enough.

On the other hand, the International Swift Solo would get its own custom trailer and get towed with something a bit nicer...

 

Look at your requirements, and find a boat to match. A laser is great as a first boat, and for single-handed racing. I would suggest you pay as little as you can for a decent condition boat. Sail it for a few seasons and plan to change it. As you gain experience and knowledge, you can start to define what you want your next boat to do. You can also sail with people who have boats which are similar to the one you want.

Buying a 2-man boat without a decent amount of experience and knowledge is a pretty risky strategy. They are significantly harder to handle (afloat and ashore), have more complex rigging, more bits to go wrong etc.

In terms of a roof rack, two fixed bars with nylon covered padding will be more than adequate. The only trick is in ensuring it is lashed properly.

On the subject of "Best Dinghies"... best at what? All boats have slightly different properties, and you'll have to pick the one with the properties you want. That's where it gets difficult.

There are a lot of people who put way too much money into their (or worse, their kids') first boat. The important thing is to get out on the water in something sea-worthy.

Hope this helps,

Tim B.

 

Car topping is possible for a laser, but its a pain in the ***. I prefer a trailer. Makes sailing fun and you can build a decent size plywood storage box on the trailer tongue for sailing niks naks......and as a handy place to heave all you wet gear after a sail.

http://www.rightontrailer.com/

 

The problem is, I need to avoid buying excess trailers. In my city, I can't store them outside. $100 a day fine. I don't have garage space for all that. Everything I have needs to be able to slide into a corner, hang on a wall or from the ceiling of the garage.

Given the current real estate situation, I'm stuck in my house for awhile. Can't move. Can't add any more garage space, won't store it off my property, no room for yet another trailer.

I have room for a laser and a dolly, because the laser can hang on the wall and the dolly can hang from the ceiling.