Id like to get something fun to sail that my boys age 10 and 13 will enjoy for a few years sailing on thier own. However, they would be using this little sailboat on a mountain lake which can have high gusty winds and the water never gets very warm (ie, it can be on the dangerous side). They would be wearing wetsuits. I have a Hobie 14 that I sail when alone and they would have a blast with this boat until it flipped - which would certainly happen - and that might be the end of things. They have spent time in the little Pram from Vangard on a less gusty lake but they have really outgrown these. The older one spent some time in a Pico which he liked. So Im either thinkin of putting a reef in the Hobie 14 to de-power it a fair amount when the kids sailed it or maybe a sunfish or laser or something on these lines. What I really need is something which can handle a big wind range without reefing, ect and that if it is prone to capsizing, they could easilly upright (which they have done a bunch on the little Pram). Any opinions on the best small sailboat for this particular application?
). A laser is a boat to actually learn about sailing with (and the girls that like lasers would be more fun to sail with anyway). As far as your boy's ability is concerned, how long does it take for teenagers to actually master something like a laser - all of a couple of hours? Don't stunt their growth! When you look at resorts like Sunsail, who cater to sailors, they have lasers on the beach for sailors to sail. Other resorts have Sunfish for tourists who can't tell you the difference between a tiller and a rudder or couldn't even identify one or the other on the boat. OldCat has it right with the adaptibilty as they grow! I agree with the safety factor -- be sure they are wearing good wetsuits, the water in those reservoirs are frigid and any boat you are thinking of has the potential to capsize easily as you already know.
