Posted by Rob Dahmes on 5/6/2009, 6:55:37

I'm narrowing down my choices in the small sailing dinghy range: Bauer 12, Trinka 12, Freebooter 14 and the Gig Harbor Lobster Boat. I sail on Lake Pontchartrain, weigh about 275lbs and am 6'2" with a bad back injured in a plane crash). Any thoughts on these choices would be appreciated. Rob

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Posted by Dave Laux on 5/6/2009, 17:18:29, in reply to "small sailing dinghy"

Those are small boats for someone your size and with some disablity. Something bigger would be less likely to need fast reaction movements and allow more flexability in choosing where you sit. Dave

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Posted by Ray Frechette on 5/7/2009, 14:26:35, in reply to "small sailing dinghy"

More info would be helpful. Is there maximum weight and size considerations to consider? Budget? Intended use? Just you or frequent crew.

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Posted by Michel on 5/7/2009, 15:33:19, in reply to "small sailing dinghy"

A man of your size would have absolutely no problems in handling a good sized dinghy. Most 14 foot boats weight about 250 pds. Add another 100pds for a 16 foot boat. You would have enough room in a 14 foot boat and using your own weight, the boat would not be in danger of being overpowered. IMO. Do you think about camping aboard? It might be a factor in choosing a good boat for you.

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Posted by dave scobie on 5/7/2009, 18:27:24, in reply to "small sailing dinghy"

a small 'dinghy sailboat' required much dynamic movement and acrobatics. as already stated such a boat weights in at 200-300 pounds. YOU are the weight of the boat and EVERY movement you do will change how the boat presents itself to the wind and sea. for example (but a fair IMO comparison): when i was in my middle teens (and about 80lbs lighter) i sailed a minto. great boat ... but you needed to be quick when sailing as in any breeze you could 'dip the rail' by not changing your seating location in the stern. this involved ducking under the boom, avoiding the tiller, and pivoting on your butt. i suggest a boat (not a minto) that is larger in cockpit, ballast, etc. dave scobie M17 #375 - sweet pea (http://www.m17-375.webs.com) M15 #288 - SCRED (for sale, http://www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred)

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Posted by Rob Dahmes on 5/7/2009, 19:33:51, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

maximum crew weight would be 600-650 lbs. strictly daysailing, no camping. would like a non-athletic "cruiser" type daysailer. sail on lake pontchartrain, avg depth 15 ft, short chop. budget under $20k Rob

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Posted by Dave Laux on 5/8/2009, 3:59:23, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

The boats you are looking at are too small for that kind of weight. Talk to Ray about a CS-17 or look for a used boat in the high teens in lenghth. Actually go to your local sailing club and ask to sail on some boats as crew and get a feel for what seems right to you. Dave

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Posted by Ray Frechette on 5/8/2009, 4:09:57, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

So maximum crew of 600-650 would indicate to me about 4-5 crew at times right? How many on a usual basis? How often the 4-5? The boats you have mentioned are clearly too small for 4-5 with any sort of comfort. I would be looking at 15 feet as an absolute minimum and would prefer upwwards to 17 feet minimum. Lots to choose from in that length and budget limit. Once I know answer to number of crew usually and what percentage higher numbers I can start giving narrower suggestions...

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Posted by Rob Dahmes on 5/8/2009, 7:31:57, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

Crew=2-3 people (we're big folks). Have sailed on lots of boats from 16 ft Rebel through Hunter 54. Along the smaller sizes, the Rhodes/Stuart 19 was a great boat, comfortable, easy motion, low capsize number and non-athletic. But I was thinking about something a bit smaller. Any thoughts about the Catalina 16.5, the Precision 15K, the Cape Cod Mercury or the Montgomery 15? Rob

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Posted by Ray Frechette on 5/8/2009, 10:32:22, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

Are you thinking cabincruiser now? Or open cockpit boat? Beachable or fixed keel? Or Beachable cabin cruiser? What is your tolerance for heeling and tenderness?

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Posted by Michel on 5/8/2009, 14:12:14, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

Rob, IMO, You should look at something at least in the 17/18 foot range with some decent ballast. You will be able to sail in confort and you will not have to worry about capsizing. Think about M17, Capri 18, Precision 18, Oday, Hunter, WWP and many others. They all have boats in that range of size. All are trailer sailers and are not too hard to rig and out in the water. These 17/18 foot boats have also the tendency to feel like bigger keelboats. Not a bad thing for some confort. The small cabin is a plus too if you want to get out of some weather or use the head. Just my two roupies!

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Posted by Rob Dahmes on 5/9/2009, 16:44:44, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

fixed keel, open or small cuddy, non-beachable. Rob

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Posted by Ray Frechette on 5/9/2009, 18:27:09, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

OK, at first you were talking a small dinghy and now we are at a larger boat with a fixed keel. Are you looking for a ballasted boat? And what is your tolerance ( and your crews) for heeling or initial tenderness?

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Posted by Ray Frechette on 5/9/2009, 18:31:42, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

And, New or used?? Leave in water all the time or launch when used? Set up time/ease of set up important?

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Posted by Tod Mills on 5/9/2009, 20:54:12, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

Cape Dory Typhoon? I think with that much crew weight the Montgomery 15 will be a little on the small side. http://www.capedory.org/specs/brochures/TyphoonBrochure.pdf Tod

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Posted by Rob Dahmes on 5/20/2009, 8:03:40, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

As I digest more and more of the ideas suggested, I'm concluding that with 600-700lbs of crew weight that a sailing dinghy below 17 feet won't work. Secondly, for safety and comfort, a keel boat would be best. Then, I used the Sail Calculator Pro and entered criteria such as capsize ratio < 2.2 and motion comfort > 10 and looked at the boats generated from the search. The H 12 1/2 was there, along with a bunch of Bolger designs, but the Alberg designs were in the pack as well. In looking at those, the Typhoon and Pearson Ensign look very promising. Both are trailerable (with a bit of difficulty because of the full keel), easily managed by one person and on the used market.

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Posted by sinbad on 11/17/2009, 22:45:09, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

How about and oday day sailor. 16'6" about 500lbs. Easy to trailer and set up. A cuddy cabin to get out of the rain. Plenty of them on the used market. Even class racing avialble. It is a centerboard and beachable. But I feel that a fixed keel is to much hassle to get on and off a trailer. Classic design Been around since the late 1950s

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Posted by solar on 11/18/2009, 18:09:58, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

I sail an America Sail 14.6 in a small lake and in ocean. It is pretty stable compared to the other boats I have tried. I keep it on Davits and launch all the time. It is an in boat sailer. Meaning it does not require hiking out the side of boat. I weight 165# and stand all over very edge all the time while getting in and out of boat. It is NOT tippy. I have taken it out in ocean in up to, weather channel advertized, 25mph winds. I do not like to do that regularly as I think anything over 20 will stretch the sails eventually. I do not think it is a lot of work even though I have a restricted right arm. Like any sailboat it requires moving to windward side every time you tack. I had a large 13 foot sailboat before but it was just too small. I think a 12' boat will make you uncomfortable real quick. My second choice was a Catalina 16.5 keel. They are pretty hard to find. I did find an American Sail 18' which I almost bought but The 14.6 fits my needs.

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Posted by solar on 11/18/2009, 18:15:49, in reply to "Re: small sailing dinghy"

You should check out the American Sail 18. It has a weighted centerboard and is pretty stable. I sailed one alone quite a few times. The centerboard is weighted. This is a school boat at Nova University's Tigertail lake by the Ft. Lauderdale airport. I also sailed the Catalina 16.5 keel out of Santa Barbara, CA. I think the American Sail 18 is a great boat for sailing 2 to 5 large adults more. The 14.6 is maximum 2 large adults. It is not very expensive brand new and they have a lot of boat show specials.

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