[ldeikis]

Hello all. I've been scouring through the archives, so this isn't totally without research. I've also dug through more day-sailer specific sites, but I know well enough from other forums that we can be a bit particular to our specific passions, so I thought this might be a less prejudiced audience.

I'm a fit mid-30's man moving from land-locked upstate NY to lower NY, on/near the Hudson (near Peekskill--about 25 miles from NYC the way the crow flies). I grew up sailing a laser I (and various slower sunfishes etc) on medium sized lakes in Michigan--not competitively, and without a jib... I don't even remember when I learned to sail, actually... and I have fond memories of sailing with a grandpa and uncle on much larger boats in Lake Erie and the Chesapeake. BUT, I haven't sailed anything larger than the laser solo, and haven't been on a sailboat in 15-20 years, due to moving and family passing away etc.

I'm excited for the possibility of making sailing a part of my life again.

I would ideally like a boat small enough that I can singlehand it on the Hudson at that location--which is pretty big for a river--because my work schedule is erratic, so I may often be free to sail without the wife, and also because I don't know how she'll take to it (she's never really sailed). BUT, I'd ALSO like to sometimes bring along the wife, or a friend or two, or the dog (he puts up with rough river canoeing and is mostly lab, so swims well). Hoping to be in this for <$2k including a trailer. No desire at all to race. I'm 100% confident that I could rig and sail a laser solo tomorrow morning, but I remember that even as a highschooler, sailing a laser with two of us (even with a 110 lb high school girlfriend) was a real let down. I *do* have access to an affordable mooring, and likely having the boat moored would be preferable to trailering and setting-up a laser, as I don't anticipate the new house having tons of spare real estate to keep a boat trailered all summer.

The question is, is something like an O'day Day Sailer I going to be too much boat for a person with decent instinct but rusty skills--in which case I'll buy a laser, have a season of solo sailing, and then move on--or is that a reasonable boat that I'll be able to deal with? Also interested in thoughts on Flying Jr's. Don't seem as many of them around, but maybe fits the niche I want? Obviously so much of it is subjective, but it would help to get some opinions.

Thanks!

Luke (soon) in Peekskill

(edited to include price)

 

[capta]

I have always considered the Rhodes 19 to be the perfect beginner's day sailor. It is a stable boat with lots of cockpit space, yet easy to sail and dock with only one person. They are common and can be had at a good price and are pretty well bullet proof, so a few novice mistakes won't send her to the bottom, even if you do chip the gelcoat here and there.
I believe there are enough around that they might even have some class races now and then.

 

[Stumble]

Vanguard 15. Probably a little more than 2k but not much.

 

[Sal Paradise]

My friends have an Oday Daysailer moored a bit further north than you and they say it is fine on the Hudson.

One person can sail it fine. Picking up the mooring alone would worry me a little if it was rough out.

There are a lot of them around here, not many Rhodes 19's. Also the Oday has a centerboard so it's easy to trailer home but it's not as stable as the Rhodes.

This looks promising and is nearby -

http://newyork.craigslist.org/wch/boa/4580685177.html

 

[jppp]

Rhodes 19 is a great idea. I have a friend who sails one out of Peekskill YC.

 

[ldeikis]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm not going to buy a boat until we've actually bought the new house and pulled off the move. Unfortunately that means I won't be sailing likely this season, but it does mean I'm buying at a good time of year.

It sounds like the consensus is that an Oday is a reasonable choice *even considering my reasonably beginner skills*? Poking around on the web proves lots of people singlehand them, my question is more about whether I'm in over my head to have that be a reentry boat.

Thanks again.

Luke

 

[ldeikis]

Thought I'd just reply to my own thread in case it helps anyone digging through the archives in the future.

I did go ahead and buy an O'Day Daysailer towards the end of the 2014 season. I found it very well suited to what I was looking for. It was not at all too much boat for even a rusty sailor to singlehand, although I would not try to launch the spinnaker alone for sure. As far as suitability to the Hudson--the river's strong tides mean you can't really go out if it isn't blowing reasonably well, which meant I did a lot of sailing on pretty gusty days. I usually planned my sail based on returning home with the 5 knot current, or at least not having it on the nose, as fighting back against that even with kindly winds can be very time consuming. Haverstraw Bay is pretty large, but quite shallow, and the water can get very choppy when the wind and current combine. The boat wasn't too much boat to handle in even pretty strong wind, but with only one person aboard an essentially unballasted dinghy, I found even with a reef tied in and hiking straps, I was often unable to keep her as level as I'd like. I nonetheless had a great season sailing it alone. I had a small 3.5hp outboard to negotiate the mooring field, which was useable to get home if the wind totally died and the current wasn't actively against you.

I'll be selling her in the spring, as we now have a 6 month old and I realized that something with just enough of a cabin for Jr. to nap in will really change the way we as a family can relate to sailing... he made it out on the Daysailer towards the end of last season, but the boat is small enough that there really is no room for crew who isn't actively involved in the sailing... so we've stepped up to a 19' Mariner--essentially a Rhodes 19 with a little cabin built on her. Very excited for spring.

Thanks for the input.

Luke

 

[miatapaul]

Thought I'd just reply to my own thread in case it helps anyone digging through the archives in the future.

I did go ahead and buy an O'Day Daysailer towards the end of the 2014 season. I found it very well suited to what I was looking for. It was not at all too much boat for even a rusty sailor to singlehand, although I would not try to launch the spinnaker alone for sure. As far as suitability to the Hudson--the river's strong tides mean you can't really go out if it isn't blowing reasonably well, which meant I did a lot of sailing on pretty gusty days. I usually planned my sail based on returning home with the 5 knot current, or at least not having it on the nose, as fighting back against that even with kindly winds can be very time consuming. Haverstraw Bay is pretty large, but quite shallow, and the water can get very choppy when the wind and current combine. The boat wasn't too much boat to handle in even pretty strong wind, but with only one person aboard an essentially unballasted dinghy, I found even with a reef tied in and hiking straps, I was often unable to keep her as level as I'd like. I nonetheless had a great season sailing it alone. I had a small 3.5hp outboard to negotiate the mooring field, which was useable to get home if the wind totally died and the current wasn't actively against you.

I'll be selling her in the spring, as we now have a 6 month old and I realized that something with just enough of a cabin for Jr. to nap in will really change the way we as a family can relate to sailing... he made it out on the Daysailer towards the end of last season, but the boat is small enough that there really is no room for crew who isn't actively involved in the sailing... so we've stepped up to a 19' Mariner--essentially a Rhodes 19 with a little cabin built on her. Very excited for spring.

Thanks for the input.

Luke

Well good luck with the sale, and child! I am just across the river from you in Haverstraw for the winter, and not sure where I will end up this spring/summer. Will likely be in Viking yard for a while, then further up river or stay in Haverstraw depending on where I am working by then. I am at the other end of the child thing, as my youngest is graduating from high school this year.