# Family appropriate dinghies/day sailers?



## octopuswithafez

Hey all,

My wife and I learned to sail on small boats in our youth ( 420s, butterflies, lasers, etc) and want to be able to acclimate our young ones ( 3.5 years old and a 9 month old). We expect to start off sailing by ourselves and then add the older one to the mix, but I have some questions about a good boat to do this on. It seems that alot of the small boats are really "wet" dinghies suited mostly for racing. My googling for a good family dinghy(?) in the 14-16' range are mostly British ones or old, out of production models ( e.g. Pintail 14'). Our longer term goal is to move up to something like a Catalina 25 for cruising around the Puget Sound and beyond, but for now we want to work on our sailing skils...

So here are some parameters:
Can be hand launched from a yard with ramp or off the dock 
Under 18'
Rig can be Cat, gaffe, sloop
Suited to the light summer winds of the Seattle area

I came across a Pintail 14' , but without a trailer and being 40 miles away, I passed, but it seemed to be the right type of boat.

Any other ideas?

Thx


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## tommays

I did a Hobie Holder 14' with the wife and two children for a few years solid boat easy to setup and tale down the mast SOLO


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## njadventure

I had a 14' Designers Choice made by Howmar. A fantastic sailing dinghy that's very forgiving. I truly regret selling it a few years ago.


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## svHyLyte

See if you can find a Lido 14. Great boats, easy to sail and a lot of fun. For example see Red Lido 14 With Trailer Ready to Sail

FWIW...


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## Kiltmadoc

I loved the holder 12 I had as a kid: easy to handle and set-up, very wide beam, huge cockpit, easy to right when flipped, and (relatively) lightweight in that we were able to put it on the roof of an Isuzu trooper.


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## itsme6582

Look at the dinghy fleets by you. See what they have. Maybe the kids will want to race one day.


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## sailingfool

IMHO the Boston Whaler Harpoon is a uniquely good solution to what you are asking for.

See
Boston Whaler Harpoon Sailboats


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## octopuswithafez

Cool, I have got a list so far:

Lido 14
Vagabond/Holder 14 
Harpoon
Designer's Choice 14

What about Thistles? I noticed a fair number of those around here in Seattle


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## poltergeist

*Thistle*

Thistles are wonderful racing boats, but I wouldn't consider them very family or kid-friendly. The other choices you've been offered fit your parameters better, in my opinion.

Kurt


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## puddinlegs

I haven't seen any around the area, but a Rhodes 19 is a nice day sailor that's very family friendly. You might also run up to Sand Point on Lake Washington and see what's in the yard for some ideas.


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## CLucas

*Flying Scot*

Nobody has mentioned a Flying Scot. This is a time-tested boat -- lots of them out there, very stable and great for family daysails and racing. Take a look and have fun! Flying Scot® Sailboats


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## LookingForCruiser

I like the Cape Cod Mercury, been around since the 60's or maybe earlier, and still manufactured today: Mercury Sloop


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## losesightofland

I have/grew up sailing on a Beetle Cat. The massive cockpit is perfect to toss a couple of kids in, and it's a tremendously stable boat. I was racing in one alone by the time i was eight, it's a very simple boat to sail, and perfect for light air. In heavier wind, it can certainly be a workout.

If wood isn't your thing, there's the fiberglass equivalent which is the Barnstable Cat.

I've sailed it all from Optis to square-riggers, and I keep going back to my Beetle. There's nothing I can compare from the feeling of being that close to the water... sitting right at the water line... and the smell of that cedar. 

I am not sure how prevalent they are on the west coast, they are build in MA. I have however seen some at the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle, so there may be some kicking around out there.


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## sww914

I have to second the Flying Scot. You said 18', it's 19 but it still isn't a big boat. I have one and I absolutely love it. It is a rare combination of fast and forgiving. Watch the video on the website, it's all true. I've had it out in 20-25 kts without reefing and it sailed well. Yes, it was quite heeled over and we took some water over the rail in a couple of gusts but it rounded up nicely and we were always in control. Believe me, I would have reefed if the main had a reef point, but it doesn't so we sailed on. Plenty of room in the cockpit, easy to tow, easy to launch, and I got it for free. No cons at all.


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## poltergeist

Now that other Scot fans have shown up, I'd certainly add my voice to the chorus. Both the Scot and the Rhodes 19 would be great choices if the original 18-foot parameter isn't that important.

Kurt


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## octopuswithafez

Yeah I have had some experience with Flying Scots, and did enjoy them, I am wondering, though, if they are too heavy to just have up on a dock cradle or from dolly , since I am looking at either a dock or yard next to a ramp...


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## sww914

I can roll mine around on the trailer by hand with a hand trailer dolly without much trouble as long as the ground is fairly level. I wouldn't want to pull it up the Donner Pass by hand however. I think they're 850# IIRC, so it depends on your yard's hoist rating. I can, by myself, lift the boat and pivot the bow on the trailer when it's on the hard to get it to some different position if I need to. If it were 5# heavier I wouldn't be able to do that.


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## bb74

if you don't mind getting a bit wet....

Open 500

open5.00.org - there are west coast distributors.

I'm # 40 and with the swing keep easy for a family of 3 or 4 to have fun for the. And this thing flies off wind!


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## JackTar6

Did you end up buying a boat? How is it?


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## bb74

JackTar6 - is that is a question on the 5.00, yes I own one and sail regularly. Very good family sport boat. Myself, wife, and kids of 4 and 7, works fine. Very stable (kids can stand and "run around" a bit), feels like a "real" boat in that it won't capsise, but will over power and point into the wind, pretty fast and will plane at about anything greater than 15 knots true wind speed. Kids can handle the tiller and with kids from about 12 and up they can double or triple hand it if they know what they are doing. Spinnaker and all.

Very versatile sportboat. There are the constraints of it being a sandwich and not mono-plastic boat. You need to raise and lower the swing keel (this gives the feel of the "real" boat. You can't hand launch it. Open transom means wet feet at times.

If you are a HobieCat type that likes the speed, feel, fun, but want a more tame option for the kids on a learning platform, good choice. If you're someone looking for an easy weekend skiff to play around on, better off going smaller with an RS or something of that nature and teaching the kids the joy of re-righting a capsised boat.

I'll probably go back to a Hobie or Nacra 18 foot cat in the next 4-5 years once the kids are bigger and get more aquainted with the wet stuff. That also is due to sailing on a lake (15 miles by ~4) with pretty light winds.


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## MGFtail

*Mgf Pintail 14'*

Hello everyone!
I m new with this forum and I was wondering if anyone can help me or guide me into where can find help in selling my MGF pintail 14'.
Thank you


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## sailingdog

The O'Day Javelin and Daysailers are excellent choices too.


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## rgscpat

Capri 14.2
O'Day daysailer -- maybe a little heavy?
Sunfish when the kids are older and want their own boat (Bic O'pen?) 
Martin?


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## octopuswithafez

*Bought a Vagabond 14*



JackTar6 said:


> Did you end up buying a boat? How is it?


OK, I ended up buying a 1980 Vagabond 14 which came with original sails (good quality) , rudder, daggerboard, and a Tanaka outboard. I plan on keeping her in a yard right off Lake Washington here after I move her from her current moorage...

Thank you all for the tips and suggestions..


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## gypsymusic

I have a Boston Whaler Harpoon 5.2. It's out of production, but it's still the best small daysailor I've ever seen.


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