Fun, packable, sailing dingy?

[thinwater]

Not windsurfers. Great fun, but not the question I have.


Not "practical" sailing rigs in square little prams. Without question, space is at a premium for most, and some swear everything should serve two purposes. I'm not sure I agree, since single-purpose things are often better.


I sailed an inflatable Tiwal a few days ago. There was not enough wind to get a real feel for it in all conditions, but it seemed pretty nimble and I'm sure she scoots in a breeze. On the other hand, it is single-purpose and probably takes 15 minutes to set up. It is also a wet ride, which is either a negative or part of the fun, depending on the situation and your outlook.


I've always taken kayaks on my cruising cat, in a addition to a "practical" inflatable tender. The kayaks are more fun than the tender. The more I look at the growing size of cruising boats, "fun" is not the best word to describe the sailing. It feels good sailing a large boat, but visceral fun isn't really a good description, not for me. They are boring and perhaps challenging at the same time. Rewarding, perhaps. Often peaceful. But only "fun" when the wind is up just so, and at that point tacking and jibing become a little too physical to call them "fun."


So if you had some room, what would you take for "fun" sailing at anchor etc.?

[thinwater]

Nothing?


I have a friend that carries a sail rig for their pram-style hard dingy. It looks relaxing and fun, but not spirited, which is fine. I've considered a sail rig for my kayak, but not gotten around to it.

[Training Wheels]

MiniCat

[ChesapeakeScout]

Hmmmm..I posted a reply but looks like it didn't get past the moderator. It included a link to a Baltimore based distributor of portable sailboats, which is probably why. So I'll leave that link out this time and just say...there's a local distributor of Minicats you can check out.

Other than the Tiwal, there is also the Minicat, Smartcat, and Ducky inflatable catamarans, and nesting sailing dinghies (like the new Reverso).

I just bought a Minicat, and I'll post a review once I've been able to sail it a few times.