WA
10 posts
Hi,
I've done a small amount of sailing and am now looking to get something at the (very) low end of the market?
I'm thinking of spending around $5000 to start with. Does anyone have any recommendations/warnings as to what I should or shouldn't be looking at.
Cheers.
33 posts
Depends on what it is you want to do, cruise, race or muck around a bit on a weekend. Can get a lot of starter boats for less than 5, but you need to know what you are after/ want out of it. Have a look at local clubs etc, might be cheaper, experience wise, till you are sure. Don't get put off by some comments you may receive, just get out and have fun. Best of luck.
WA
10 posts
Thanks for the advice and wishes feather,
I'm basically looking for something to muck around in on the weekends to have a bit of fun and build up some confidence sailing.
A red witch seems ideal but they appear hard to find.
WA
110 posts
Quite a few "Witches" around and they are a good little boat but probably best kept at a Club which obviously adds to expense.
There are a lot of people who can help out and don't hestitate to contact me if you want some direction in this regard. I'd agree that it's a good idea to have a bit of a bash on one as a crew so that you get a feel for them. I've sailed them for many years and they certainly have their pluses and minuses.
Cheap, forgiving, tough, enjoyable, wet, slow, heavy etc..
Good luck and there's always a spot for someone to crew so don't hestitate to come forward to ask. South of Perth YC is probably your best bet in terms of fleet size but you'll find a few over at Nedlands and Claremont with the odd one at East Fremantle and The Cruising Yacht Club.
WA
32 posts
hey, i would definately suggest a redwitch
they are basically indestructible and are very forgiving to sail, they have a very shallow draft and a short rig, however if you know how to sail them well you can easily sail away from larger yachts in the fleet
there are witches at cyc, neddies, one at royal perth on a traior, heaps at sopyc, if u get onto the assoiation website www.redwitch.asn.au
you can find heaps for sale and the contact details of association members
hope you get into them, they are rewarding boats
WA
20 posts
Dunno if your intrested in small boat sailing? I would suggest a Laser. They the most sailied boat in the world so your assured of local support (from your local club etc) and they a fantastic boat.
Also stacks of info on line and for 5000$ you could get a sweet ready to race one with all the bells and whistles.
NSW
864 posts
Before lashing out on a boat, maybe you need to decide what kind of sailing you want to do. Dinghies? Skiffs? Small yachts? Cats? There's a lot of options out there... could be worth trying some clubs and different boats just to get an idea of what you enjoy most.
WA
10 posts
Thanks to everyone for the comments. I think I'm gonna go for a small yacht and I've found a red jacket for sale quite cheap. Does anyone know anything about these?
WA
15 posts
I was looking at one last month and found this website
www.johncrawfordmarine.com.au/trailer-sailer/library
you can download the original red jacket brochure as well as heaps of other trailer sailer info.
Is it the one for sale down south? looks nice.
WA
10 posts
Yeah that's the one Sabalo. I'm thinking of heading down to take a look some time. Would this be an easy yacht to sail and learn on?
WA
15 posts
well having never sailed one I wouldn't like to say for sure, but thay have a good ballast ratio(bottom is much heavier than the top ) so it should be stable. Plus all that sweet cockpit space for chillin in
So my guess is its as good a place as any to start and when you are feeling onto it it will be up for rotto missions ( the story goes that some brilliant nutter followed the sydney hobart fleet )
WA
10 posts
Cheers Sabalo. Sounds good. Now to find an excuse to head down south so I can check it out.
