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I'm looking to upgrade my Sunfish to a sailing dinghy that can seat my family of four. Since I'm not that handy, I would like something that was manufactured within the past fifteen years or thereabouts.
Here is the problem - I am not having much luck finding listings for dinghies.
Craigslist has a TON of junk. I've been looking for weeks, and have not found more than one or two boats of interest.
The internet sites tend to have higher end boats, perhaps due to the listing fee. Yachtworld and other such sites have hardly any dinghies.
I live in Vermont (not near Lake Champlain). I am willing to travel to take a look at some boatyards, perhaps on the coast of Maine or Massachusetts, but I am not sure if even they carry what I am looking for.
Does anyone have any advice on how to get a dinghy for a fair price? Or do I just need to hope to find one sitting along the road with a for sale sign?
Catalina and Hunter IIRC both have what I would call sailing "Dinghy's" for four folks. As does Vanguard, the current builder of lasers/opti's among other boats. An old C-lark was 14' long, 4 folks of smaller size could fit and sail in it for an afternoon. BUT, I would not call a 12-16' boat as "I" would want for four folks to enjoy a sunny afternoon or evening sail a "Dinghy" A dinghy to me is under 10'.
Another option on the west coast, is Gig harbor boats. They have boats from 8-16 in length, most based on wherry style hulls. CLC linked above, has a 14' wherry that would make a neat build your own, as does Pygmy boats in Port Townsend Wa.
Glen-l and Clark Craft are two other places to get plans and kits for boats of all different sizes too.
I could suggest this one. Marine Scene is well known within the sailing equipment industry for reasons other than just offering good value. We realise the need for practical, suitable attire when boating so our marine shop only stocks brand name sailing clothing and wet weather garments to ensure that you not only look the part but are always dressed for whatever the ocean has to offer.
This wasn't so much a question of what to buy, but rather a question of how to find one.
I had thought about building a boat, but at the end of the day I'm just not handy enough to do it with any confidence. I do appreciate the suggestion, though.
And perhaps dinghy was not the correct term. I just wanted people to understand that I am having a hard time finding a resource that lists smaller boats under 17 feet or so.
You might try local dealers for Catalina, Hunter and Vanguard/ actually Laser Performance. They may have access to used models of the smaller ones they sell. Or a new one for that matter.
Locally a few YC's use C16.2's for lessons, some of the LP boats too.
Have you considered a Wayfarer? You sometimes get some for sale in the US at the US Wayfarer site, but that site is practically dead. The Canadian site has much more traffic and more for sale. There's also the CL16 which is basically the same boat.
A Wayfarer is a much better boat than any of the Catalina, Hunter, and Vanguards in the same size.
I found my Wayfarer by using one of the external "search all Craigslist" sites, with say a 500 mile radius.
kilarney are you looking for a small boat or are you looking for an auxiliary? i.e do you want to sail with 4 people or do you want to move 4 people from a bigger boat to shore?
You might be better of with looking "By Name", pick a model such as the Wayfarer mentioned above and search by name/model.
Look at active one design fleets in your area. Almost all 1D fleets have web sites with buy/sell sections. Are there Lightnings around? Trailerable, sails well, fun... should be able to find one at a decent price.
I just tried allofcraigs, and searching the Northeast region. Not much right now. You might just have to keep looking. Took a couple of months for me before my Wayfarer popped up. Then be prepared for a road trip.
You're right, craigslist is not as popular up here. We seem to like easy -to -search classified sites with zoomable pictures that aren't trapped in 1995.
Our local sailing club uses Bucaneer 18s, Tanzer 16s, and Flying Scots. Would any of these be appropriate? I've been looking and have experienced same frustrations.
Find out what the locals race ( suspect Flying Sidewalks and Lightnings ), go to where they sail, they will invaribly have a bulletin board with boats for sale or just send a note to the fleet captain.
if you were west of the Rockys - I suggest a lido 14
Thanks for the help, everyone. I managed to find a Precision 15 that is in excellent condition. It came with a trailer. The boat was sold by a dealer, but the prices were comparable with Craigslist.
I've found dock space on a lake about ten minutes from home, so I've decided to forget trailering and to keep the boat in the water for the summer.
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