Hello,
What would be a good small and basic sailboat for a beginner to sail in the sea off a metro beach? It would only be for casual leisure sailing in gentle wind not for racing. Also if anyone has such a boat for sale in Adelaide I'd be interested.
To fit roofracks of a small sedan it would need to be with these requirements
Mast/boom – no more than 4.5m (14ft) - small mast with basic sail is preferred.
Hull weight – no more than 40kg (88 pounds)
Beam – no more than 1.2m (4ft)
Length – no more than 3m (10ft)
Carrying capacity - 100kg
Perhaps consider a tasar or spiral.
Your 10ft length will be too restrictive (both as far as your options & trying to fit into it.
Best idea is to call in to one of the local sailing clubs and look at what is being sailed locally (timing mightn't be great given the season is done but you might find some enthusiasts.)
L.C., what sort of moth are you suggesting ? Scow, skiff or foil ? I don't think the latter 2 would be very beginner friendly & The scow moths would be rather hard to find other than in a museum.
Cheers.
11ft should be ok as long as it isn't too heavy, what would be the weight of some of the suggested boats?
The beam and the weight are the most important factors + being beginner friendly.
Early scow moth, pre wings would suit a beginner. With wings would make it easier to load on a roof rack.
Bit of a resurgence of classic moths.
Spiral is far too heavy to be holding above your head and is mainly a NSW boat. Should be a picture of my moth on roof racks in SA in 1970 with my photos.
Google is your friend. Failing that try "The Observer's Book of Sailing Craft of Australia and New Zealand".
see if you can find a cheap Sabre around. Bit bigger but not very heavy and they have a nice big cockpit so you could take a mate or two!!!
Scow moths can be light and are short to suit your car top needs. Most would be pretty old now. The Scow moths I used to see were built to minimise weight and not to last, mast steps failing etc seemed to be pretty common.
If you find one thats been looked after you could have a lot of fun.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
Looks good, the moth is probably a bit advanced and more of a true racing sailboat, I was really looking for something really simple, someone was selling a sparrow like this
www.mysailing.com.au/news/reader-seeking-sparrow-dinghy-or-similar
Which looked really good until I found out it was too big (1.4m wide).
The moths seem to have a lot of rigging (mast supports etc) and the wings which don't look that beginner friendly.
The car it would have to fit on top of is the Daewoo/Holden Nubira 2001.
Even something I could also put a small electric trolling motor on would be good, the sail can be quite small too.
Its going to be tough to find something that has the power to weight ratio that you are looking for. To have a carrying capacity of 100kg but a hull weight of <40kg will be tough. Moths are probably the exception due to the fairly open design rules for them that encouraged innovation and light hulls.
The only other option I can think of is a Topper, a UK design which didn't get much of a following here, too many other faster, cheaper dinghies to sail. Fits most of your criteria. Simple to rig and sail, a bit agricultural, but good for learning.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topper(dinghy)
You might get one on EBay etc.
Thanks the size is about right, looks good also the new price would be a bit much but I'll keep looking, although on ebay it's rare to see any sailboats for sale in SA.
Occasionally I have seen a few similar size micro sailboats on classifieds but they have never been in SA.
Since it's not meant for racing it doesn't really have to be any major class of boat can be something no one has heard of.
A while ago I was looking at this sea snark
www.sailboatstogo.com/content/snark_super_snark_sunflower__sailboats
But when I emailed the company and found out that is would cost $1000 shipping I decided against that but is there anything similar made in Aus?
Also are there any boats that may be designed for two teenagers but one adult could sail one instead?
The best thing to do is to get along to your closet sailing club and talk to them, they proberbly have training boat to teach with and many have space to store boats, which will open up the boat options.
I have a "Topper", designed to on the top of a car. 2 piece mast, hull 3.5m long, unbreakable plastic hull, carry 2 adults. 40kgs. check out their website. Mine was built in 1992, still going strong,heaps of fun.
Looks great, thanks for the link, price is fine too.
Only one slight problem, it's in WA and I live in SA. lol :) If only the owner could sail it down for delivery :)
Also even something with a smaller sail, more basic would be great too.
I want something more for leisure sailing rather than hardcore sports sailing.
With boats such as the topper, is there any way to setup the sail to make it smaller?
These are the sort of things I am looking for most
This cost $969 which is ok but then another $1000 for delivery from the US, so that's out.
and this was too wide, it looks smaller than it is in pictures.
Have you thought of building one. Have a look at this site.
bandbyachtdesigns.com/catspaw
Graham the designer is Australian. I am currently building the Catspaw 8 but only as rowing tender. It is approx 2.4 long and 1.2 wide. Will carry 2 - 3 people and weighs around 70 pounds.
We'll it would probably be quite difficult for a newbie at woodwork. But it's interesting to see that a wooden boat can be as light as 32kg.
How long do you think it would take and how much would it cost to build a boat? How would you make the sail?
Are they a big problem if they capsize compared with fibreglass closed top designs?
The size is right.
Select to expand quoteultrleisure said..
We'll it would probably be quite difficult for a newbie at woodwork. But it's interesting to see that a wooden boat can be as light as 32kg.
How long do you think it would take and how much would it cost to build a boat? How would you make the sail?
Are they a big problem if they capsize compared with fibreglass closed top designs?
The size is right.
If the size is right just buy a Sabot, or as your in SA just buy a Holdfast Trainer which is just a Sabot with a bowsprit and jib. The Catspaw is just a stitch and glue version of a Sabot hull. Watch Ebay and Gum tree.
Cost should come out under $800 for sailing version. There are several internal fitouts in the plans with built in floatation. Mine will have sealed compartments under front and rear seats. Only basis woodworking skills required. The build is called 'stitch & glue'. The plywood is cut out to shape and then stitched together with copper wire. The joints are sealed with epoxy putty (epoxy + sawdust is one type) and all the wood is encapsulated in epoxy which keeps water out of the wood. Have a look at my photos taken during construction
boatin.smugmug.com/Boats/The-New-Tender/28845385_BTRrF7
Like this forum there is an amazing amount of people to help you along your way.
Looks good, except could it be made without the power circular saw, with hand tools?
All those clamps look like they would cost a bit :)
Would a Holdfast trainer have a 95kg carrying capacity?
Someone was selling one before but he said he thought it would be too small.
Although anything would be fine as long as it doesn't sink from the weight :)
I mean I don't care about perfect balance for racing etc.
I like the idea of a boat where you can spend most of the time sitting in rather than leaning heavily over the side to keep a massive sail from tipping it over.
Picture gentle sailing on a calm spring or summer day just out from the beach 200m+ and maybe a small electric motor if there's no wind, not racing or sports sailing.
What would be the minimum thrust you would need to power an 8ft boat? I am wondering it it is possible at all to power such a boat from a solar panel.
Select to expand quoteultrleisure said..
All those clamps look like they would cost a bit :)
Yup, they do look like they would cost a bit
Plus you would need to beef the boat up to take your "trolling" motor
Even the least powerful model?
Btw the motor is not an essential but do you think if you had a 40lbs trolling motor and a 200w solar panel (132mm x 99mm) you would...
Move?
Have room to sit?
If I looked for one of these holdfast trainers would it have enough carrying capacity for 95kgs?
Select to expand quoteultrleisure said..
Even the least powerful model?
Btw the motor is not an essential but do you think if you had a 40lbs trolling motor and a 200w solar panel (132mm x 99mm) you would...
Move?
Have room to sit?
No idea, I'm not into trolling
