Best Dinghy for a Sailing School?

[gbam]

Hey,

I'm interested in seeing what everyone thinks would be the best learn to sail dinghy for a sailing school.

Requirements:
1.) Must be mass produced
2.) Must be able to handle intense learn to sail smashed into pier conditions
3.) Needs to be easily sailed under main alone
4.) Needs to be easy to repair

I haven't been able to find it but I'm ideally looking for a small dinghy with main jib and spin that is able to sustain the beating of a sailing school (IE not a 420). Something that doesn't require having a jib on it to sail.

Thoughts?

[belizesailor]

Is something like an Optimist to small for your plans?

[callmecrazy]

If optimists are too small, look into the Flying Scott.

[rebel heart]

I'd vote for optimists. If you want bullet proof tanks that are idiot proof, get little walker bays. They suck for performance but breaking them is borderline impossible and maintenance is non existent.

[Eric M]

Sunfish - Hard to beat the simplicity and with a piece of a pool noodle wrapped around the bow of each one, even during bumper boats they are pretty indestructible. We used a fleet of nearly 20 of them at a club I used to teach at.

[gbam]

Thanks for the replies... Optis and sunfish are an option but ideally, this would be a dinghy you'd want to sail afterwards. It would be something that you could have club races with too.

[hummingway]

I'm really enjoying my Walker Bay RID 305s. I've got the performance sail package so it has a main and jib and really sails and rows quite nicely. The hull is that hard to kill plastic and there are inflatable tubes that help prevent flipping. It seems a well thought out package. There is also a smaller version available.

[callmecrazy]

Thistles are another (to the flying scots) well mannered and beautiful classic with one design racing potential and long-term ownership value. I'd also put Snipes dinghies in this category. All 3 may be a bit of handful for first time singlehanders, but experienced doublehanders can transition to singlehanding them well.

Most fiberglass dinghies are gonna be just about equal in the maintenance and 'toughness' catagory.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by gbam

Thanks for the replies... Optis and sunfish are an option but ideally, this would be a dinghy you'd want to sail afterwards. It would be something that you could have club races with too.

This would certainly tilt the decision toward the Flying Scot or something similar.

[callmecrazy]

or even Lasers.

[Stumble]

Wait two years and I can tell you where to get about 100 flying Scots cheap.

The entire Gulf Yaching Association is in the process of getting rid of the FS because no one want to sail them.

There are a number of contenders for replacement boats, but right now the top of the list is the VX One Design. Fast, fun, not terribly expensive, easy to sail, good OD class (they are selling 5 boats a month since launch in January).

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Stumble

...
The entire Gulf Yaching Association is in the process of getting rid of the FS because no one want to sail them.

....

So what is their issue(s) with the Fly Scot?

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

So what is their issue(s) with the Fly Scot?

Everyone wants to sail Lasers instead?

[SkiprJohn]

Lots of universities use Flying Juniors. If you didn't have the jib and spinn requirement I'd vote for Sunfish. Very cheap, easy to find parts but they are not indestructable.

Walker Bays have cheap spar attachments and fittings such as oarlocks. However, their hulls will bounce off lots of stuff and they can be dragged across rocks for many years. And, of course, they don't have jibs and spinnakers.

The indestructable training dinghy with a jib and spinnaker hasn't been invented yet as far as I know. Nothing is sailor proof.

kind regards,

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Walker Bays have cheap spar attachments and fittings such as oarlocks. However, their hulls will bounce off lots of stuff and they can be dragged across rocks for many years. And, of course, they don't have jibs and spinnakers.

,

Actually the WB performance sail kit includes a jib. Most of the kit seems pretty good to me though I'm not crazy about the way the boom to mast or bowsprit to mast connectors work. The main can be reefed though which is a bonus.