Rhodes 19 vs Flying Scot

[RhodesPerson]

Hello: We have a O'day 17 sailboat that we will be selling and are trying to get into the local sailing club. Most people in this club have a Flying Scots and I have been told that if we are willing to buy one of their old used club Flying Scots we will be able to get in the club even though I am not sold on the idea of such a boat. The club offers the opportunity to learn more about sailing though.



Before this I was thinking about getting a Rhodes 19. They have a nice cuddy, and seem more stable, but I maybe wrong. Also they seem more comfortable to sit in. We are not interested in racing and one does not have to be into racing to get in the club.


Anyway my question is: Is the Rhodes a much more stable boat than the flying Scot? Would it do better than a Scot if the water got a little choppy? People are always going on about just how stable the Scots are, but the Rhodes seem to be more along those lines



I have this youtube vid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJI36kSvjlM

It is of a Rhodes 19 off Hawaii in Hickman's Harbor. Would the same condtions be much more dangerous in a Flying Scot? Thank you for any info

[TheOffice]

It’s been a long time since I sailed both, but the FS is more of a performance boat. It will plane downwind in a breeze. The Rhodes came in centerboard and keel models.
Buy the boat YOU like.

[psk125]

Have sailed both, briefly. The Rhodes is a bit more staid. The cuddy is useful for stowage and keeping things & people dry if the weather stops cooperating. The boats are built pretty solidly. Since they’re old, what’s going to break probably already has, and has been fixed. They look good on a mooring. People seem able to fit them with boom tents and go camping. The keel version will resist capsizing. The boat in the video needs to tighten his jib halyard (since there’s no jib downhaul) and could use new sails.
Flying Scots will be more spritely. The Flying Scot displaces 850 pounds to the Rhodes’ 1325, so neither is particularly light. (The even older Lightning class comes in at 700 pounds.) Class rules make it difficult to change or improve anything on the Flying Scot. In the video’s conditions the FS will be much more lively, but the high sheer and deck would help keep water out even if you heel more animatedly and have to hike more. Holding the boat flat by hiking will improve performance. They can capsize. Look to see if there are flotation tanks and bailers that will enable righting the boat and getting it going again without assistance. The reverse sheer/deck lines take some getting used to.
In the light air we have around here, both boats would be undercanvassed.

[Jim Cate]

G'Day and welcome aboard CF, RP.

The above posts do a good job of comparing the two designs. From a practical point of view, if you are not interested in racing the Rhodes will give you a broader range of experiences... more adaptable to family sailing and short term cruising (camp/cruising can be fun). As to ability to handle rougher wx, I'd reckon the Rhodes (especially the fixed keel models) to be safer and more crew kindly. FWIW, there used to be a Rhodes 19 class racing on SF Bay, and conditions there are on the boisterous side... and the boats did fine.

It's none of my biz, but I'm taken aback by the thought of a small sailing club that predicates joining upon buying a boat from them. I've never heard of such a thing... most clubs are struggling to maintain membership and can scarce afford to turn anyone away that wants to join in. You don't tell us where you are located, but perhaps there is another group that would be more welcoming to newbies.

IME, the good thing about boats of this size and age is that the market is steady, there is no age related depreciation to consider and one has a very good chance of being able to recoup most of the purchase price when it is time to move onward. There will be some ongoing maintenance costs, however, for any boat that you buy.

BTW, my first boat was an O'Day Osprey, the smaller sister of your Daysailor... a wonderfully forgiving boat for a beginner!

Jim

[Don C L]

The conditions in the picture you posted would be fine for a FS I think, but I agree the Rhodes is the better all-around boat for a variety of conditions and crew. I am guessing the club will let you in without a FS, but that the membership came with the FS purchase, is that right?
oh, and the FS is more a boat you sit ON , not in and as such it is more comfortable when heeling of course as you'll be leaning out. I'd say the FS will be a bit more fun.