Hey im looking at getting a 18ft skiff but i doesnt come with sails. Just wondering is there any places that you can bye second hand sails. And if so how much do they sell for. Cheers

contac the 18' skiff league in sydney

they often sell off any stuff that gets retired from the fleet at the end of the year

oceans15 said...

Why buy a skiff?????? Cats are faster, cheaper and easier to rig up, launch and sail!!! I would rate the 18' skiff as the worst boat i have ever sailed, slow upwind (compared to an f16, f18, tornado, etc etc) and by far the most work to rig & derig. You need to more carefully consider your choice of boat (ie MUST have sails or be ridiculously cheap or free) not be on here looking to buy sails for a boat u dont own. No offence intended - this is good advice from someone who has already sailed both

yea i haft to agree cats are faster in many ways but it's the thrill of trying to keep it up, one minute your screaming along and the next your pullin it out of the water. You need allot more skill to keep it upright. i have just gotten a 29er and i haft to admit their more fun to sail than like windrush 14 or a hobie.

oceans15 said...

Not a fair comparison - try a cat with a kite - w14's and hobie 16's are old designs - u don't 'scream along' on a 29er - try 25 knots downwind on a Tornado...

Yeh you can't compare a monohull (bicycle) with a cat (bicycle with trainer wheels). Monohull requires more skill and is much more fun.

hey neilw - go away and put yourself out of your misery before a highly skilled f18 sailor does it for u - cat sailors almost never go back to monos (which many BEGINNERS start out on) because they know monos are rubbish!

which lake?

oceans15 said...

which lake?

Lake Cootharaba

Yeah neil - maybe i will c u @ boreen sometime

Amongst other things - i have a 30 year old (build date is stamped into transom) 16' beach cat which is easy to rig, neutral helm, fun and very fast (relative to age & cost & vyc yardstick of 83) for under $500 including $105 to get trailer registered - bludy good value i would say... I think maybe u r confusing boats which take skill to sail faster than average (ie - win races) with boats which are a royal pain in the sars to get much out of @ all! Perhaps borrow a cat and give it a try - u might be surprised on more than one level

hoop said...

A good skiff sailor could sail a cat fast with ease. Someone that only sails cats would be lucky to get 20 metres off the beach in a skiff. (not kiddy skiffs like 29ers or Cherubs)
I think the whole cat verses skiff argument is just a matter of how limited your sailing skills are.
It seems Oceans 15 has tried sailing some proper boats but wasn't very good at it so went back for the easy option. Good on you for dealing with your failures and keeping positive about it Oceans.

ah please don't call them kiddy skiffs, you haft to start at the bottom and work your self up. 1 and half seasons ago i was learning to sail in a little minnow which are only meant for kids up to 12 and i was 15, now i am sailing a 29er. theres a hell of allot of difference in the 2.

Let me know if you find some secondhand 18 sails as I might be after some if they would fit my boat...

That's okay Oceans. If you're happy with your skill level where it is, that's good.
If you're not confident aiming any higher then it's best not to let anyone push you.

dralyagmas said...

Let me know if you find some secondhand 18 sails as I might be after some if they would fit my boat...

yes ....thats what the topic is all about!!!!!

hoop - your a bumhole
sexy - dunno when foiler post got started but i saw one in action yesterday - it was an 'assasin' brand boat - brand new. boat is a mammoth task to rig and launch etc as it's T foils dont lift - has to be capsized in deep water and swum/carried to bank to retrieve! An A class cat (comparable as it also only has 1 sail) would destroy that (and most others) around a race course and is much easier to handle for the rest of its owner's time. Sailing does not have to be hard work & a pain in whatever to participate contrary to bumholes posts. Only 2nd hand 'A's are cheaper than a new 'assasin' though. I am not suggesting that all dinghy racing should be stopped but would like to see more kids exposed to multihull sailing - not just what their parents used to sail...

Oceans, why is it you think skiffs and other mono's are hard to rig? I'm guessing it's due to your basic lack of skill that you struggle with it.
A twin wire cat with asymmetric kite like a Tornado would be no easier or harder than a twin wire skiff like a 14 or 49er to rig. I'm not sure where you're coming from with your arguments.
Cheers, Bumhole

i would like to chat too you about this boat!

C4 said...

I have a complete set of 18 sails, big and small mains, big and small Spi's, small, med and large jibs, Comes with big and small masts and complete 18ft skiff on unreg trailer, needs some tidying and shock cord, but is in sailing condition, boat is the ex 1991 AAMI Bethwaite boat, now in Lucozade Yellow Livery.
$2.5K.