Sailing
 

I'm 55 and I'm thinking of taking up a new hobby. Any suggestions on sailing? I'm looking at a 17' O'Day tomorrow as an entry level boat. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

perfect boat to start with! Dinghies are a great way to learn, much easier to get a feel for how a boat reacts to current, wind and sail/rudder inputs.

Have fun! I have NEVER been without a sailboat since I was 18 or so. There were times when I had no car, and hitchhiked to work & school, but I've ALWAYS had a sailboat... if even a $500 dinghie

Sailing sucks in this part of the state... Yes it can be TOO windy..

I had a 16' Hobie Cat as a beginner and that was a good choice for me...

Hobie cat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The O'day is a good beginner boat...a "family" dinghy, if you will...nice & stable, as dinghies go. ;) Translation: Not the fastest dinghy out there, but still take nothing aboard that you would mind if it gets wet. It's not IF you'll suffer a knockdown & go swimming, it's when. :D

Damn, I miss our 15' Mutineer...gave it to our daughter when sailing became too much for Cindy. Then our daughter never sailed it, just sold it! :mad:

never get into ANYTHING that does not have an engine in it!!!:eek:

I'm teaching my daughter how to sail right now (well not RIGHT NOW, but over the next three to four weeks)

She's picking it up pretty well.

I sold my SJ24 - and I'm teaching her on a Boston Whaler Squall dingy. Great fun

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1304392346.jpg

Dingy is a great learning boat - 17 ODay is a great starter

Plenty of good comments so far. I especially agree with Notfarnow, about dingy sailing as a good starting point.
The Oday 17 seems to be a good design. Uffa Fox was the master, and did many classic designs.
So for your thinking for tomorrow. How many do you plan to sail with? Is it big enough? Are you going to be trailering? Does it have a good trailer? What is the condition of the boat? really check out the seats and floor if they are glass over plywood. Is there a good outboard engine. How is the hardware, rudder, centerboard? Mast, boom, and rigging? I would think that sails for a class boat like this should be quite reasonable. Are there other boats around to compare?
This looks like a fun boat. the cuddy cabin would carry a cooler, or a little camping gear for some fun outings.
Let us know how it works out.
Oh, I sailed up and down the Hawaiian chain for years on my 25' sloop w/o an engine. Good fun, and good learning.

Cheers Richard

If I had more time/money. I would be on this like white on rice...

14' Finn Sailboat / Sail Boat

One fun memory with my boat,,,here I am, head of the launch line, others behind me, and a county marine deputy decides to check my dinghy out for safety equipment. Life jackets, yes..sound device, yes...the list goes on, he checking his little form...all kosher. (everybody in line fuming...being held up from launching)

Then he asks if I have a coast guard approved gas can. I say no. Ditto a coast guard approve spark arrestor muffler.

He starts writing feverishly, I stand there grinning. Then he scans the mast, the furled main...and says: "Why...why, you don't have a motor."

No schmidt, shylock...:D

Others behind me start laughing loudly...

This was funny!

There seem to be two kinds of sailors: ten-year sailors and life-long sailors.
Jake (Notfarnow) is a lifetime sailor, I was a ten year sailor.
It is indeed a great way to spend time on the water, with either the family, the dog or by yourself.
Don't get too hung up on the 'perfect boat', as that can change from person to person and from time to time.
Just get on the water.

(Don't pee to windward.)
Les

I'm a novice, having crewed less than 50 times (on a 30' and 72'er), and wish I'd learned the basics on a dingy first (learning the basics without having to unlearn bad habits later). If you desire to move up in size...I suggest "friends with sailboats". I've got "money pits" of my own, but I ain't stoooooopid. I considered buying the 30'er and relocating it to a landlocked location here in NC, but quickly came to my senses :). Too much wind for sailing? ...like too much HP in a racecar...blasphemous!!!

Great news! Another sailor! My family are lifelong sailors. My wife and I started in Hobies in San Diego, moved up to Chrysler 22 on L. Michigan and then to O'Day 26 on L. Michigan and moved her to Puget Sound.

O'Days are great, you should not regret.

[QUOTE=Snapper33;5999455...O'Days are great, you should not regret.[/QUOTE]

I didn't think the O'Days had a stellar reputation for "build quality", feel free to correct my "noviceness"? A friend purchased a 34'er 20 some years ago...maybe he got a "lemon"??? Now the Morgan I've done most of my sailing on....built like a '72 911 :).

Are you sailing by yourself or with family?

If by yourself think about a scow. You can get a 16' cat rigged like the Melges MC which is much more responsive than the O'day.

I have been a scow sailer for 15+ years, E, M20 and M16.

Speedy:)

jjone20, an O'Day 17 is a great little boat to learn on and has been said dingy sailing is the way to learn. The principals carry over to many othe boats. Your sig says you are from Oklahoma so I asume you will be a lake sailor? When purchasing a boat the waters you will be sailing in have a lot to do with purchase. Depth of water, weather conditions, etc. The type of sailing you want to do will also factor in. Will you be sailing alone or with one other person or will you be making a day of of it and be out for hours away from shore with several people aborad or kids?

The 17 is an easy single hander and is easily trailerable. Assembly and disassembly is quick. There is a small forward cabin to put a duffle with dry clothes, phone, radio, lunch etc. How ever no place to get out of the weather for passengers. The 17 has a very low freeboard ( the sides are low to the water) this will make for a wet ride even in the calmest of conditions. This you will want to consider if you are inteneding to take the wife or little kids a long. It is a centerboard boat so it is easily run up on a baech for a picnic. You will be hard pressed to take more than 1 adult or 2 small children along with you on this boat and find it enjoyable. There is little on this boat to go bad and it should last for years. Parts are readily availalbe if something needs to be replaced. The rig (Mast and boom) are made from aluminum so you should spend time fully inspecting them especially if the boat spent any time in salt water. Throughly check mounting point, rivets etc. Sails new and used are availalbe as well.

Again depending on how and where you want to sail you may want to look into an O'day 22 or something similar while not "as" easily trailerable it also sails like a dingy. However having a fixed keel and higher freeboard it is more stable and dry. It also has a small cabin with a head (toilet) and amenities including a wet locker, V bunk for naps and a sette. Great for the wife and kids for a day out and a place to go should the weather turn or the sun become to much. You can easily take 4 adults for a nice sail. She draws 23" of water so you can get her into little coves or very close to shore in remote areas for a picnic.

You will love sailing. Good luck in your decision.SmileWavy

I agree that a dinghy is a great place to learn but... the above picture is a great illustration of guiding principle that is often overlooked until it is too late.

Which of the 2 people in the boat will have an easier time crossing under the boom? Of course one of the 2 will have an easier time holding it down in a good blow too and one of them will have a much easier time righting the boat after it does go over.


There was a saying that used to go around, " A man shouldn't sail a boat whose length is much less than his age." there is a certain amount of truth to that as we get older and less flexible and less immune to bruising and more sensitive to cold water a bigger boat does provide a certain amount of insulation from that.

I started in dinghys as a kid but the last few times I got in one it wasn't half as much fun as the first few times

I think that for a 55yr old just learning, a small keel boat, maybe in the 19 -22 foot range, might make more sense.

I would recommend finding a sailing club around your area. See what boats they sail and arrange to crew for them on a race day. It will teach you about sailing and you will learn first hand the good and bad of each boat.

If you choose a boat from an active class, you will have experienced sailors to learn from and later compete against if you get into racing.

Don't be too quick to jump into a boat purchase. There is always another great deal around the corner...

I sail a laser and it is great fun. Fast and light. Hopeing to crew on an E-Scow this season...

This is why I went with a laser. Its an active class out here.