Flying Scot

[TheFrog]

Prankster,

Your thoughts match mine.

If you do want a dinghy, there are many, many to choose from. Search around here and you will find a number of threads with recommendations. Just a partial list:
Flying Junior, Thistle, Highlander, Flying Scot, Lightning, O'Day Daysailor, Boston Whaler Harpoon, Buccaneer, Capri 14.2, Precision, etc.

You need to know how many people you want to be sailing with and what type of sailing. For most of the boats I listed, you can hunt around and find ones in all different conditions. Most are very low maintenance if dry sailed. They all have different characteristics. Many come up on Craigslist, eBay, or a bulletin board at a local sailing spot.

[hriehl1]

This boat has potentially big problems, and obviously many modest problems. That seems like a price twice (or more) as high as it should be.

I closely watch the prices for O'Day Daysailers. Granted, they're a bit smaller at 17 feet, but their usable cockpit space is comparable with a Flying Scot.. both get real crowded with more than 4.

A very clean water-ready O'Day with decent trailer and maybe even a small outboard can be had for $1500 all day long and a patient shopper can get one for $1200 or less.

Scots are nice boats, but there have been a lot of them made... I think the comment that they don't hit the market very often is exaggerated... I'd pass on this boat unless you're:
a) handy doing your own repairs
b) enjoy doing your opwn repairs

But if you want to get on the water, keep looking.

[micksbuddy]

I'd definitely pass on this one. I bought #768 last year for $2300(older at '65, but it's one design, so who cares?) and it had a pretty good trailer, 3 sets of sails(including one almost new set of Madsails) and was ready to go. I sailed it quite a bit last summer and am getting ready to go for my first sail this summer. You should defintely be able to better than that.

Matt

[paulk]

If you're into one-design racing and FS's are the only show in town, this one is not going to put you at the front of the fleet. If you're not into one-design racing, or if there are other boats racing locally, FS's are (imho) downright ugly tubs. If you're looking to get into something a bit cruisier/keelier in the long run, why not look for a used J/24? Decent ones are available for around $5000 all over the country, and ones needing work can be had for less than what this seller thinks his very tired dinghy is worth. I saw a J/24 this morning that had been sold, with trailer, for $1.00 plus the yard bill (maybe $1000?). The deck needed about 3 square feet of recoring to be ready for another 15 years of sailing. ($500 to have a professional do it?) You can get on course towards your long-term goal without breaking the bank, in a boat that isn't too much to handle, and which has a steady and broad resale market. Switch gears and move on, as far as this dinghy is concerned.

[merryprankster]

I'm definitely passing on this. I was looking at it as something close easily trailerable. Definitely looking for bigger in the long run though. Talking with a guy that has an Allied Princess II and am going to look at that soon. There's a handful of boats close by me (South Padre Island, Port Isabel) but I've always got Corpus, Houston, Galveston to look too.

I'm really in the market for 30'+ cruiser but taking my time with that big of an investment.