I have never been a fan of the J-80. IMHO , of all of the ''sprit series'' the J-80 has seemed to be the least well conceived and designed. I know that they have a following but I have never enjoyed sailing the J-80.
I would like to suggest a couple alternatives here. First of all, I would suggest a J-27. These are substantially less expensive than the the J-80. J-27''s can often be found under $15,000 where as the J-80''s typically sell for over $25,000 on up. The J-27 is rated a little slower than the J-80. I raced on a J-27 for a number of years and we generally finished ahead of the J-80''s whose one design fleet started with the MORC fleet that we raced in. Sailed with a non-overlapping jib like the J-80 uses the J-27 would be a nice daysailor. That said, I would say that neither boat is really children friendly. Both boats are a real handful when things pick up.
Another similar but slightly slower boat is the Colgate 26. These were designed for use at sailing schools and are a little bit more manageable.
A boat that I am very familiar with (I have owned mine for the past 13 years. She is currently for sale) is the Laser 28. While you are not looking for as much accomodations as you might find on the Laser these are well constructed and fast boats (somewhere between the speed of a J-80 and a Colgate 26). Price wise the Laser falls closer in price to the J-27 than the J-80 or Colgate. Of the bunch the Laser is probably the most child friendly and more suited to the kind of day outings that we used to take when I was growing up as a kid on Long Island Sound. I frequently single-hand my Laser 28 and find that they are great for that purpose. Please don''t get me wrong here. As much as I would love to sell my Laser 28, that is not the reason that I have included the Laser 28 in this list.)
I think that it is wonderful that you are introducing your kids to sailing at a young age.Good luck in your search.
Regards
Jeff
I would like to suggest a couple alternatives here. First of all, I would suggest a J-27. These are substantially less expensive than the the J-80. J-27''s can often be found under $15,000 where as the J-80''s typically sell for over $25,000 on up. The J-27 is rated a little slower than the J-80. I raced on a J-27 for a number of years and we generally finished ahead of the J-80''s whose one design fleet started with the MORC fleet that we raced in. Sailed with a non-overlapping jib like the J-80 uses the J-27 would be a nice daysailor. That said, I would say that neither boat is really children friendly. Both boats are a real handful when things pick up.
Another similar but slightly slower boat is the Colgate 26. These were designed for use at sailing schools and are a little bit more manageable.
A boat that I am very familiar with (I have owned mine for the past 13 years. She is currently for sale) is the Laser 28. While you are not looking for as much accomodations as you might find on the Laser these are well constructed and fast boats (somewhere between the speed of a J-80 and a Colgate 26). Price wise the Laser falls closer in price to the J-27 than the J-80 or Colgate. Of the bunch the Laser is probably the most child friendly and more suited to the kind of day outings that we used to take when I was growing up as a kid on Long Island Sound. I frequently single-hand my Laser 28 and find that they are great for that purpose. Please don''t get me wrong here. As much as I would love to sell my Laser 28, that is not the reason that I have included the Laser 28 in this list.)
I think that it is wonderful that you are introducing your kids to sailing at a young age.Good luck in your search.
Regards
Jeff