Small, easy soloing daysailing sailboat choice?
- Thread starter apell
- Start date
Personally, I prefer the older designs. I love the Snipe and for a bit bigger boat, the Rhodes 19, in any one of her models. Going just a bit larger, but perhaps a bit easier to sail (I took one out alone and sailed to windward and set the chute multiple times one day), is the Colgate 26. It is one of my favorite small plastic sailboats, and probably the safest. I'd buy one of those, for the right price, any day.
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I've too many hours doing varnish and working on wooden boats to go back, much to my sorrow.
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Never been a fan of lapstrake hulls, but thanks for picture, and the thought. Until we leave Japan, I likely will remain boatless.
I discovered the lap strake hull on The Montgomery 15. I felt it served 2 functions in my experience. It caused splash to bounce away from the hull, providing a drier cockpit in a small boat. I felt it helped to keep the boat on track when healed.
These were more experienced observations than science based facts.
A Catalina EXPO 14.2 has a beam of 6 feet and is cat rigged, no jib. Very easy to sail and almost impossible to capsize. Fits 4 easily. The Hoyt boom keeps the boom well above heads. I sail it in Boca Ciaga bay just north of Tom Stewart causeway, a three by five mile stretch marred only be the wakes of inconsiderate stinkpots (only 10% are inconsiderate). A 2-3 hour sail to punctuate my day when in FL. I mostly sail the Hudson above the Tappan Zee as far north as West Point. Challenging as you pass through the highlands with wind direction and speed dictated by the cliffs on either side of you. I sail two boats on the Hudson, a Beneteau 30.1 (last year as it is very new) and a Catalina Capri 22. The Capri is more fun but the Bene is more comfortable.