What type of small sailboat - recommendations

[TheFrog]

I recently completed a similar search. There are a large number of boats in that size range that are nice day sailers. As you are picking up, it all depends on how willing the captain and crew are to get wet. Personally I was leaning towards the Buccaneer but after taking a lot of advice both on this board and off, I settled on a Scot. Reasons include the fact that it is stable but still fairly nimble, easy to trailer, fits in the garage, and it is a sit-in rather than sit-on design.

A couple of boats that haven't made this list yet but may be of interest. Unfortunately neither are really raced one design, but both can be raced in mixed fleets. The Boston Whaler Harpoon 5.2 and the Vanguard Nomad.

[T34C]

Originally Posted by bobmcgov

I sail a Buccaneer18, which is also common, also cheep, also simple to rig and quite fast. But it is a BEAST of a boat and I cannot recommend it for new sailors unless they are fully willing to swim a little. If they are, and if they can handle the learning curve, it's a stitch at 500 lbs. Best with two to three people. Chop three feet off the transom, reduce sail area, and you have the Mutineer, altogether better-mannered and available for beer money. Not so much fun as the Bucc, tho!

Take another 1.5 ft. off the the Mutineer and you get the Pirateer with was my first sailboat. They are a blast to sail, easy to handle, but only good for 2 people and stability is about what you'd expect for a 13.5 ft. boat.

[WouldaShoulda]

Originally Posted by rfarson

I don't think they are looking for a cabin boat/cruiser. Just a small sailboat built for 2 with possibility of a few more on special occasions.
Flying Scot sounds good, is there a lighter version?
Thanks,
Ron

The answer is no. There is no lighter version of the Scot they are built to the same specs for single class racing purposes.

They are very stable for a centerboard -20ft daysailer.

They are difficult to fit for a motor however so if you go Scot plan on relying on sail or oar power only.

A Rhodes Mariner is a sweet alternative and more easily powered. (If necessary)

[mkeChris]

Depends on what's more important, quick or comfortable. If quick is what you're looking for, you can look at a J/22 or J/24. They have some cabin space and are fun to sail. They are not "beginner boats" per se, but you don't have to use all the controls available. A Merit 25 is a similar class boat that is a bit more comfortable, but also more expensive. These are ideas for quick boats rather than simple straightforward ones.
If comfort and simplicity is what they're after, the Pearson Ensigns are fantastic, sturdy and simple boats.

[sailaway21]

I might be inclined towards recommending the ComPac if only for the mast tabernacle alone! What is likely to most discourage the new trailer-sailor is the time and effort involved in rigging the mast and launching. Com-Pac's boats are not particularly fast but offer ease of use and a good amount of room for their size. While I and others might be biased towards such as a Cal or San Juan 21 for many reasons, our willingness to deal with tight spaces below decks might not be shared by others.

[sanjuan2R]

I might also recommend the San Juan 21 for a small, easily managed trailer-sailer. They only have a 1400# displacement & can handle a spinnaker when you progress upwards in your seamanship. Clark Boat Co. made over 2700 of them; so they are many available. When I sailed one racing, they were pretty fast in comparison to others on the water.

They aren't equal to a J/22 or Melges 24 but could handle competition from some Catalina 22, Hunter 23, Precision 23, Mirage 5.5, and O'Day 22.

SJ 21 have the standard 4 berths and their boats were well built. Just find one that was taken care of and not abused.

S/V Doodles
C&C 27

[Fonkamex]

I have a Sunfish 14' and it's very easy to sail and transport. This is a "cartoppable" sailboat, so you don't need a trailer

[sww914]

I sailed my Flying Scott for the first time today. I was very impressed. We picked it up (free, get it out of here) 3 weeks ago. Of course there were some hardware and running rigging issues to sort out and we decided to go out in spite of the small craft warning. I haven't piloted a sailboat in about 9 years and my crew were my wife who has sailed twice before and my 11 year old son who has sailed 3-4 times. It was pretty windy, a solid 15-20 with bigger gusts.
What a great boat! Super stable for such a fast boat, super fast for such a stable boat. We passed everything on the bay, we blew past a couple of daysailers on a broad reach like they were standing still. The boat isn't exactly forgiving per se but I think you'd need to try really hard to capsize it. I made a couple of mistakes but we stayed dry. It's wide enough that when you get hit with a hard gust it will start to lift the rudder out a bit and you round up rather than going over. It will reward you with speed when you get it right but it won't punish you too bad if you don't. Overall a great design. Easy to set up solo, easy to launch, easy to tow, easy to sail, and fun.
Now I'll paint it!

[boats4me]

The 83 Starwind 19 was repaired after a hurricane and at that time options
led to combining parts of a Compac with fiberglass work to give the unique
round portlights on either side. Great sailing to everyone !!!

[emcentar]

I'm learning to sail on a Flying Scott and I can definitely recommend it as a good beginner boat for daysailing - lots of fun as well.