Hi all,
I am new to this forum, but not new to sailing. A little background: Back in 1990 I had a mint 14T, prism sail, trap, etc. but sold it back then because I was always trailering, setting up solo, (stepping the mast etc was a real pain alone). So I dabbled w/ a couple of monohulls, a Force 5 (hated that boat), then later on a Zuma (it was ok, but like they say, once you have had a CAT, you don't want anything else. Or something to that effect
)
Eventually I went to a 17' bowrider stinkboat, mostly because I got into fishing, and camping on remote lake islands. Kind of gave up sailing for a while.
So now, 10 or so years later, I am REALLY getting the itch to get back into it. Plus I want to teach my two kids, 4 and 8, to sail. They love the water and hanging around watercraft. I know they would love a cat.
I now have access to a cottage on a small inland lake (about 1 mile long), so leaving a boat there partially rigged there is my plan.
For the most part, I would be sailing w/ no crew to speak of. The 2 kiddos would just be along for the ride, maybe man the jib. No real ballast here w/ a combined weight of maybe 90 lbs.
And I only weigh ~150, so I do have concerns that a 16 would be overpowerd for this lake, not to mention problems righting a it if it did blow over. Plus, I have read that 16's are not great for frequent tacking, as the jib battens tend to hang on the mast/halyard. Not sure how much of a concern that really is.
A 14T like I had was a blast, but as I recall, could get pretty squirrelly in gusty conditions. Not that there are huge winds on this lake, they are just unpredictable. Kind of a concern w/ younger ones.
The tramp on these is also a little limited on space (looking back at my old photos), especially w/ the jib blocks partially occupying the forward area real estate. Having the whole family of 4 aboard (in light wind only!) might be a little crowded.
Now, I am trying to decide, should I drop $4500 for a NEW Wave, (these are near impossible to find used up here in New England).
The much cheaper options include used 14T (need a jib for this one, as lots of tacking takes place on a small lake), or a used 16. I can find the latter two in decent shape for around 1-2k.
Safety, simplicity, and fun are utmost concerns.
So just looking for a few comments, with the collective experience of the forum members. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Thanks!
Jim