Hello!

[Docsail]

Originally Posted by Singularity

Welcome.

I'd echo the earlier posts about really the need to make sure the first boat is quick/easy to set up and take down. If you've not been on a Laser or Sunfish I encourage you to take one out before buying a beach cat or otherwise spending more money. It only takes like 5 minutes to setup or takedown a Sunfish after you've done it a few times and this is huge when it comes to asking yourself some mid afternoon "how 'bout I go for a sail." Beach cats are adrenaline fun while Sunfish are not boring unless you're doing something wrong. Main problem with a Sunfish is that it will forever spoil you with it's simplicity to fun ratio, and perhaps they're not impressive/sexy to onlookers.

All in I'd suggest you'd get more sailing in on a pocket monohull and save more cash in the process (nothing to upgrade on the tiny boats)...building a greater desire for making the next boat a cuddy cabin or even smaller cruiser with more money for the acquisition.

Good luck.
Note:
https://jacksonville.craigslist.org/...178935099.html
https://youtu.be/2AwrTrg-kN8

Thank you very much for the sunfish endorsement. I looked at them seriously, and would honestly prefer to learn on a small monohull, but have a couple of minor concerns. Would you maybe be willing to speak to a couple of points?

First, is it feasible to get it on and off the trailer by myself (I’m above average strength for my 180 lbs frame)? I know it’s not very heavy, I’m just not sure how awkward it would be, and I doubt they’ll want me experimenting with this on a rental . Second, is it ocean worthy (relatively near shore), and alongside that, can it be safely beach launched? Finally, any chance of my wife joining me on it? I’d read two medium sized adults really push the weight limit, but I’ve had a hard time finding numbers on that. But heck, maybe we’d be best off each having our own sunfish at first rather than two-handing a slightly larger boat anyway.

And sorry for all the questions. My interest and enthusiasm have outpaced my access to the sport, as I live inland, but am moving to the coast soon.

Thanks again!

[Singularity]

Launch by yourself? Absolutely.
Launch from the beach? Is there any other way? Beach dolly (fluffy tires) is ideal; if I remember correctly one can drag it without wheels but two is ideal to drag (if moving without wheels).
Ocean worthy? Practically speaking, no. You want flat-ish sea state and winds 10-15kts, generally protected waters. Not something to cruise up/down the coast with.
2-up sailing: if your wife weighs same/less than you no problem, except that learning to coordinate movement will result in going swimming routinely until you sort things out.
His/her boats would be fun (I was in a club where we each took our own out). If you go the sunfish route it's simple to learn which lends to easier to get hooked. This coupled with the cramped cockpit can result in a "why don't we just get another one" discussion. People practically give these boats away so it doesn't require any big investment and, importantly, there's so little to possible 'upgrade' that you won't find yourself later having dumped any extra money into it (people tend to try to dump money into whatever they buy; I think a beach cat is horrible in that regard insofar as there are so many doodads available for cats).

[Docsail]

Originally Posted by Singularity

Launch by yourself? Absolutely.
Launch from the beach? Is there any other way? Beach dolly (fluffy tires) is ideal; if I remember correctly one can drag it without wheels but two is ideal to drag (if moving without wheels).
Ocean worthy? Practically speaking, no. You want flat-ish sea state and winds 10-15kts, generally protected waters. Not something to cruise up/down the coast with.
2-up sailing: if your wife weighs same/less than you no problem, except that learning to coordinate movement will result in going swimming routinely until you sort things out.
His/her boats would be fun (I was in a club where we each took our own out). If you go the sunfish route it's simple to learn which lends to easier to get hooked. This coupled with the cramped cockpit can result in a "why don't we just get another one" discussion. People practically give these boats away so it doesn't require any big investment and, importantly, there's so little to possible 'upgrade' that you won't find yourself later having dumped any extra money into it (people tend to try to dump money into whatever they buy; I think a beach cat is horrible in that regard insofar as there are so many doodads available for cats).

Wow, thanks for taking the time to answer so thoroughly. Sunfish is a very strong contender based on your answers, though I’m going to have to figure out if there’s a protected shore location around Jacksonville that meets criteria. Otherwise we’ll be ramp-launching into the St Johns river and that’s about it. Not bad though for the low-cost-barrier to entry though. Thanks again: that was extremely helpful.

[lonesoldier0408]

WindRider 16 and 17 are capable and fun.

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Docsail,

My husband's first boat was an O'Day 15, and from there, he moved to a Catalina 22. In the latter, he took his first wife and 2 kids cruising from Washington to Victoria, B.C. They took it also to the Channel Is. while living in northern Calif. He had a lot of fun in the C 22, still talks about it, hardly ever mentions the O'Day.

....and now, many years having passed, we're still cruising, now in Australia.

Ann