good boat for kids

[BarryL]

Hello,

My kids (7 year old son and 10 year old daughter) have expressed an interest in sailing their own boat. Any suggestions on what is appropriate? I would like something that can handle an adult (me) and a kid, has just one sail, and is easily transported, assembled, and launched.

Would a sunfish type boat be a good choice?

My budget is small, real small, like $500 or less.

Old and beat up is ok, I think it would be a good family project to restore it before sailing it.

Thanks,
Barry

[sailingdog]

A Sunfish or Laser would both be great boats for your kids. Another, less common one, would be something like a Melonseed skiff. Might also be worth looking at some of the stitch-and-glue plans out there, since it might be a good project for you and your sons to build the boat they're going to learn on.

[JohnRPollard]

Barry,

Do you plan to tow it behind the mothership? Or is this for cartopping/trailering to local destinations?

If for use in conjunction with the mothership, I would recommend one of the hard dinghies like Dyer (but there are many options). We tow an 8' Dyer, it is easily rigged to sail with short spars that can fit on deck, etc. All our kids learned to sail in it. If you shop around, you can sometimes find an 8' Midget in your price range, in need of some TLC. We also built a larger (11.5') stitch and glue dinghy that we sometimes tow behind our boat, and which we trailer with us on road-trip vacations.

If it's intended for cartopping/towing, there are loads of options. As much as I like Sunfishes and LAsers, they are VERY heavy for cartopping. Without a trailer, my hunch is you would not use them very often if you had to heft them on roofracks every time. If roofracks are your only option, try to keep it VERY light -- 8-9 foot sailing dinghies are what you should be looking at.

P.S. Another reason to keep it small is because, after some basic training, the best way for kids to learn is to sail the boat on their own -- without an adult on board. If you're worried about that idea, just remember that without an adult weighing down the boat, kids can sail these little dinghies in the faintest of breezes. So you can stick to very calm conditions that mitigate the parental anxiety.

[camaraderie]

Barry...can I suggest a Snark? The nice thing for kids is that the hull is pure flotation and very lightweight and easy to get back up from a knockdown.
CastleCraft Sailboats | Small Sailboats | Snark |* American Eagle
Brand new they go for $1k...I'm sure Craigs list/ Ebay etc. can get you one cheaply.

[Vitesse473]

If you are hoping to get your kids into a wholesome sport through the nasty teens, then think about what the high school and collegiate teams are using. Go to CollegeSailing.org - Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association of North America (ICSA) to get a good feel for what's going on in the world of youth sailing. There are also tons of sailing camps.

I grew up sailing the Flying Junior, commonly known as the FJ (which was acquired by Vanguard). I'd be shocked if you couldn't find a 70's vintage for $500. I'd argue that you should get a boat that has a head sail, and a little length (like the FJ), as the three of you can go out together. You drive, one tends to main and the other to jib. Everyone has a job and a purpose (like on a race boat). As they begin to understand that job, rotate everyone to new positions.

I've also spent (and still do) a considerable amount of time on Laser's. Because of the age of your kids, I would not recommend the Laser, as it would not fit you and your two children. It's actually a very difficult boat to sail when the wind picks up. Cramped quarters and lots of capsizing leads to crabby kids!

Other options are the Sun Fish or El Toro. Both are great options if you want to sit on the dock and watch them sail, or do a sail with you and one other. Again, shocked if you couldn't find one for $500.

btw, I started sailing when I was knee high to a grasshopper and I've always thanked my Dad for getting me out there at a very young age. My kids (7 and 5) love it, love it, love it. Look first around your area to see if there are any youth sailing groups, as you may be able to join a club for way less than $500, and have access to great boats and great people you and your kids can learn from.