So which boat should I be looking for?

General chat about boats
Hotspur
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Hotspur »

Thanks - that might explain why there seems to be a relatively high number of very cheap older Solos coming onto the market...
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chrismartin3583
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by chrismartin3583 »

If you're ok with wood look for a Solo built by Richard Lovett. They are still on the pace inland and very well built.
JimC
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by JimC »

davidh wrote:Oh dear oh dear oh dear,
Sometimes our vision can be so limited and blinkered.....
There are some great boats out there that all fit Hotspur's criteria
Well I was struggling.

I eliminated:
- classes that haven't had a published PY number since the 80s (difficult to find and many of them were just not very good)
- classes without a wood deck option
- classes with what I consider to be very low boom height
- classes with what I consider to be very low freeboard
- classes that are heavy for what they are
- classes that are so popular they don't need to be mentioned
- classes that are really two handers
- high performance classes requiring unusual levels of agility

reckoning that was a reasonable approximation of his criteria, except that I don't like part time two handers and have never come across one I'd want to sail every week. That left me with not a lot...
Stephen Hawkins
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Stephen Hawkins »

I used to sail a Miracle as a single handed quite often.

It would have to be an old N12 as well, with a steel plate perhaps and not too much 'extra' sail area. i.e. sails of an older cut.

Either that, or go find a 'crew' that you can team up.

I had the occasional 'use' of a learner crew last year. She was keen and a good learner but, unfortunately, she was far too good looking and unattached. People kept putting 2 and 2 together and making 5. The funny looks/comments got wearing in the end and I allowed her to drift away....hurumph!

Hey ho!

Steve Hawkins
Steve Hawkins

1967 National 12 2383 "Sparkle"
roger
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by roger »

Stephen Hawkins wrote: It would have to be an old N12 as well, with a steel plate perhaps and not too much 'extra' sail area. i.e. sails of an older cut.


Steve Hawkins
Not that you have one up for sale at the moment Stephen. :shock:
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Pat
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Pat »

One of our club sailors seemed to get nice lady crews but he frequently managed to capsize with them though he's a good sailor. We just joked about a liking for wet T shirts. :D
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Stephen Hawkins
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Stephen Hawkins »

Indeed, Roger.

I am hoping to do some work on it this summer. And the other one.

I thought I was being made redundant next month and was making plans to refresh Planet and finish my Merlin. And then re-deck Sparkle. I thought I was going to get the summer off!

Unfortunately, the 'company' has seen fit not to make me redundant till this time next year. Hurumph!

Another year paying into the pension, I suppose. Still go to find something to do for another 20 years though :(

Cheers
Steve Hawkins

1967 National 12 2383 "Sparkle"
Hotspur
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Hotspur »

Thanks all, I really appreciate the thought people have put into this. I'm on holiday now so can give it some consideration wt my leisure.
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stuw
Posts: 26
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by stuw »

How about a splash or a comet uno, both easy to sail and quite comfy, old national a possibility but tend to be a bit heavy for single handed sailing esp if wind picks up.
Rupert
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Rupert »

Every now and again a Mark comes up for sale - sort of like a 12 foot Finn, from Ireland. Look nice, but rare!

Otherwise, I'm with Jim on this - once you rule out sailing surfboards, very tippy boats like the SkolMoth vintage of Int Moth, big ones like the Finn, non cvrda qualifying ones, you aren'tleft with many. An old wood Solo would be a great choice, a GRP one from the 70's a very bad choice - I know, I owned one, briefly. The OK is well worth a sail to see how you get on with it - the boom really is higher than a Solo boom when you tack, as the hull is so deep. If I wasn't so into the twin beasts of Lightning and Minisail, I'd be tempted to sell both and replace with an OK. Maybe in a few years.
Rupert
Bootscooter
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Bootscooter »

I've got 2 CRVDA-able OKs that I need to sell.... one is all wood, s/n 1225 (built 1968), and the other is s/n 1963 (built 1981) but needs a deck revarnish.
Interested?

Cheers, Jon
Hotspur
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Hotspur »

Thanks all. An OK sounds like a genuine option then, and it seems that and an older wooden Solo are probably top of the pile. I love the idea of a Finn but realistically I wonder if its size and weight would stop me sailing it as much? The Mark sounds pretty good, if only one were available.
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Nigel
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Nigel »

Going a bit off piste - Firefly.

Single handing is an option and can take a crew giving you the opportunity to be sociable. If you are considering, it would be worth taking advice from someone like Rupert on which to look for or avoid.

Agree totally about the Megabyte and the Hit though :) . I won't part with my Megabyte but might be tempted to let go of the Hit for the right offer.
Hotspur
Posts: 117
Joined: Sat Sep 10, 2011 7:38 pm

Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Hotspur »

Nigel wrote:Going a bit off piste - Firefly.

Single handing is an option and can take a crew giving you the opportunity to be sociable. If you are considering, it would be worth taking advice from someone like Rupert on which to look for or avoid.

Agree totally about the Megabyte and the Hit though :) . I won't part with my Megabyte but might be tempted to let go of the Hit for the right offer.
Interesting... Got any pics?
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Nigel
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Re: So which boat should I be looking for?

Post by Nigel »

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