Question:
I've found a Lido 14 for sale, and this boat seems to meet most of these
criteria. The one thing I'm not sure of is it's speed. I realize it is
a "low-performance" dinghy, but
1. How slow is it compared to other sailboats? (Ex...DaySailor,
Flying Scot, Sunfish)
2. Does anyone know the Portsmouth Yardstick handicap numbers for
this boat?
I've also talked to the local Flying Scot club rep, and of course, he
thinks the Flying Scot would be a better choice for me. This would
probably stretch my budget up into the $3K range, which is doable, but a
tough sell to my wife. A bigger concern is that I plan to trailer this
boat and am worried that the rigging and loading of such a big (19')
boat would be too much (especially if it's just me and my 2 small boys
going out). I'm told the FS is a much faster boat, though, and it has
room for 6 which could come in handy from time to time.
3. Should I consider a Flying Scot?
Answer:
- From April 1997 US Sailing Portsmouth Handicaps..
D-PN 0-1 2-3 4 5-9
DaySailor 99.9 103.2 101.1 98.1 96.7
Flying Scot 90.4 92.1 91.4 89.7 87.8
Sunfish (race) 99.0 102.7 101.0 (97.0) (93.5)
Lido 14 99.5 99.7 99.7 98.8 (98.9)
In short, the DaySailor, Sunfish (race) and Lido 14 are very close in handicap,
while the Flying Scot in theory takes 90.4 minutes to go around the same
course that the Lido does in 99.5..
There is an explanation of the above handicaps in the US Sailing Portsmouth
manual... for a simplified version of the explanation online.. check URL:
http://www.sailing.org/int505/handicap.htm
It discusses higher performance boats (you can ignore that part), but does
explain how the handicaps work.
>I've also talked to the local Flying Scot club rep, and of course, he
>thinks the Flying Scot would be a better choice for me.
Rolling on the floor laughing.... I suppose as a 505 class officer I should try
to convince you the International 505 is the perfect boat for you... but I just
don't have the stomach for it this time.... perhaps if you and your family
enjoy sailing (it is the most wonderful sport/lifestyle/pastime I have come
across, I hope you come to love it as much as I do), we'll get you out for a
ride in a 505 some day.
Congratulations to the FS rep for promoting their class!
My suggestion is to contact the local fleet for each of the boats you are
considering and ask to go out for a ride. Ideally you get a feel for what each
boat is like, and you may well get a feel for how helpful (or unhelpful) the
local class association is....
- this is not what you asked for BUT look at the Santana 20 a small family keel
boat not much larger than the Flying scott .Used boats can be had for about the
same price . very active national fleet plus Texas has a huge regional fleet
Look at www.s20.org for info an talk to one of the fleet officiers they will
let you crew, test drive, locate a used boat, also this years nationals will
be in Texas . E mail me if you need help or Questions P S these boats are easy
to trailer an over nite camping
-The Scot really isn't that much of a handful for a boat of its size.
The one caveat that I'll attach to this is that the "optional" mast
hinge really is vitally necessary if you trailer; it turns raising
and lowering the mast from a chore into a very easy procedure --
you just plug the mast into the hinge, and one person cranks the
winch while the other makes sure that the mast doesn't fall to
the side while being cranked. Not much strength is needed for
either job.
