What Boat is Right for Me?

For all new sailors, you're going to need a small starter boat of some sort to learn on.  Lasers, FJs, Optis, sunfish, and small catamarans are all excellent examples of such.  So there are a few key questions you need to ask yourself before considering renting or buying a starter boat.  What type of terrain will you be sailing in, do you plan to sail alone or in groups, and how do you intend to use your boat (racing, exploring, relaxing, etc.)


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Small catamarans such as this Hobie Cat are lots of fun.  They can handle more intense winds and both salt water and fresh water terrains, however they are not the ideal boat for smal lakes and areas with little wind.  They're best used in teams of two and you often need a person to hike out on straps to keep the boar balanced as seen in the picture above.


FJs also work better in teams of two however can be managed by your self if you are comfortable with running two sails and a tiller at the same time.  However, without a second person you do run the risk of capsizing the boat without the extra weight to level out the boat.  I'd say FJs are a better selection of a starter boat if you're working in groups and do not have access to large bodies of water or the high wind you would want to operate a Hobie Cat.


Optis are the most simple of one man sail boats and generally for younger users.  They will not get as much speed as other one man boats but are easy to manipulate as well as store, because of their small size.





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Finally, lasers and sail fish are probably the best one man starter boats to get if you live near a lake with moderate wind and want to have some fun.  Both structured almost identically with one sail and just a small pit for the sailor, they are easy to operate on your own and can pick up speed quick without the need for vigorous wind.  They're am excellent choice for older sailers who want a one man starter boat.

Getting Involved in the Sailing Community

As a novice sailor, getting involved eith other sailors and organized activities is an excellent way to expand your knowledge of sailing and become more comfortable with sailing.  There are two sailing camps locally and I would highly recommend looking into them, as well as local ragatas and clubs.  The most prominate of the two is Columbia sailing club, who you can check out at http://www.columbiasailingclub.org/.   I spent several summers at Columbia sailing camp and they are especially good at teaching younger sailors how to handle a boat.  They teach capsizing recovery, points of sails, how to rig and de-rig your boat and offer a lot of hands on learning in the water.  They have a large selection of Optis, small one man sail boats for children to learn on.

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However Columbia Sailing is orientated much more towards children who are new to sailing.  For adolescents and young adults new to the sport, Lake Murray is probably more your speed.  Though the class is still taught in a manner to catch new sailors up to speed, Lake Murray moves at a faster pace and is directed at an older audience.  They teach primarily on Fj sail boats, two to three man boats with a jib and a main sail.  While you are still supervised and Lake Murray, I found myself with lots more leeway to learn on my on my own and working in groups allowed us to learn from each others mistakes and practice working in teams, skills which are essential to learn to operate bigger boats.


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Both a Lake Murray and Clumbia offer week long camps in the summer as well as organize a étude ragatas in the fall.  However, if camps are too pricy for you or you would like a more familiar community to expamd your hobby with, many high schools and colleges offer different forms of sailing clubs and there are loads of local organizations just a click away on the web.  Get involved!