We have a total of nine different boats, to suit all ages & experience. Each of them has different characteristics of which you can read about here.
YM Day Boat
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The Yachting World Dayboat is a classic dinghy which blends stability and seaworthiness with good performance. Its length of 14ft (4.3m), beam of 5ft 8” (1.7m) and metal centre plate means it is a stable dinghy for safe day sailing and its small foresail can be handled easily. Active racing fleets are located at Poole, Gravesend and Bosham in England. This is the only one in Ireland as far as we know so we had better do a good job of sailing it.
420 Sailing Dinghy
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We bought this boat from Glenan’s Westport for €250 in 2003, it was in a very poor state but we got a spare set of sails and a launching trolley as well.
The keel had spilt the entire length of the boat and had to be rebuilt, the deck had come away from the hull, the transom was separating from the hull and all the fittings were loose. The main work was preparing the boat, the fibreglass cost about €50 and the two tins of paint €50 (€25 per litre, Westport Marine).
We were able to salvage the existing fittings, rebuild the rudder (timber & fibreglass) and cannibalise a wreck for extra fittings. The end result was a fairly good seaworthy boat, She does take on some water but so long as it is taken ashore at the end of the day and allowed drain out, there is no problem. This is common with most boats, especially those that have had a tough life. We launch and recover on a gravel sea bed and there is no shortage of rocks so we can expect damage. The great thing about fibreglass is that it is easy to repair if you know a little about how it works. Every effort will be made to get all of you up to an adequate standard of fibreglass repair.
Lidl “Oppi” Sailing Dinghy
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We bought two of these in May 2008, €1000 each from Lidl, they are new and shiny and don’t require fiberglass repair yet! They appear to be a Lidl version of an Optimist sailing dinghy, I never sailed an Optimist but as it is from the same family as the Mirror, I expected an excellent sailing boat, Lidl don’t seem to have got it quite right. The boat appears to sail well, single-handed, (it is not at all suited for two people). It is easy to handle and responsive. The problem is recovering the boat after a capsize; it just fills with water that you can’t get out. The buoyancy bags are not adequate to keep the gunwale above sea level to allow you bailout. The sailor has to try to keep bits and pieces from trailing in the water and wait for the safety boat to tow them to shore, empty the boat and set up again. I will try to contact the makers and see what they advise. As all our sailing is done under the supervision of a safety boat, there is no need to worry about capsizing and drifting over the horizon without anyone seeing you, just have a little patience and we will get to you! Sometime!
Vivacity 20 Pocket Cruiser
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A 1.3 tonne, bilge keel (700mm draught) sailing boat built in 1968. At the time it was popular to have such a boat with Spartan accommodation that a few people could spend a weekend on. A big boat in the late sixties would have been the Westerly Centaur (26ft). The Vivacity is a surprisingly good sea boat, one even crossed the Atlantic, (why would anyone in their right mind want to cross the Atlantic in a 20ft boat?), we have taken this boat to Innisbiggle, Blacksod, Clare island, Achillbeg, Inishturk and the inner Islands of Clew bay, Westport, Newport and Mulranny. It is well able to handle testing conditions and the sails are in fair condition, there is a Genoa, headsail and a stormjib. Aux power is a 8hp Yamaha. The boat has a ships radio license so one crew member must have a radio operators ticket. There is a small 2 hob gas cooker with grill and a jabsco manual toilet.(your head sticks out the fore-hatch if you are on the toilet, and there is a curtain for privacy below decks). Most people opt for the “bucket & chuck it” system. It is our plan to make some use of this boat in 2010, we want to encourage some of our younger yet competent sailors to take it out on small cruises, if we can get the Achill Sound bridge swung we will go to Clew bay and let the crew explore the islands, they will have to navigate by chart and compass, decide where and how to approach landfall and decide where and how to anchor, some pretty daunting yet very satisfying tasks. The Vivacity will be accompanied by one of the powerboats (crew will camp on Islands) or the Colvic 30, the crew of either boat will be there as back up and give instruction when needed.
GP 14 Sailing Dinghy
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A General Purpose Sailing Dinghy, We bought three of them in 2002 for Approx €500 each, we tidied them up, fitted essential equipment and sold them on to club members at cost price, our only condition was that we can use them for the annual Summer camp. The boats have been available 24/7 since they were bought, thanks to the very generous owners. The GP 14 is relatively easy to sail, it is very forgiving and stable and can easily take four crew, therefore great for learners. We intend to use these boats for THE ISLAND CAMPING TRIPS, The crew will have to take all their own camping equipment and whatever they think necessary for a two-night stay. It should be interesting to see what they regard as essential! There will be a crew of three on the camping trips, one person has to be a mediator. They are of fiberglass construction and all of them are in need of some repair this year, we expect the crews to carry out the work.
Topper Sailing Dinghy
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We have two complete Toppers and a spare hull, we need a mast sail, rudder, tiller and centreboard to complete the other, so if you come across any of them let us know. There are another two Toppers in our yard that Club members have lent to us (four in total). The general opinion in our Club is that the Topper is the ideal learner boat, it is just big enough to take two for a short blast, to give the inexperienced person an idea of what sailing is like, it is “low to the ground” giving that idea of speed and very buoyant with a simple rig. People rave about the plastic construction and it being so easy to repair, that is if you know someone with a plastic repair machine! Where are they? Water ingress problems are usually located at the deck/hull joint and where the painter pulls out on the bow, a shot of mastic and a clamp/pop-rivet has kept us going so far. The sail seems to be the biggest problem, they are prone to perishing at a fast rate and are expensive to replace (€160-200 including transport) repairs to them don’t last long. Like every sail, they should be washed in freshwater after use.
Secu Safety Boat
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The Secu is of plastic construction and as durable as a boat can be, I don’t know of anyone that has found fault with them. The thirty HP engine gives you a top speed in excess of twenty knots with four people on board. It will take water over the bow in rough conditions so care should be taken when taking waves head on! We have filled the boat to the top of the seats sometimes and kept going, (the crew were bailing for their lives though!) On a camping trip to Achillbeg, this boat transported approx 40 people and the entire camp (sleeping tents, mess tents, equipment and food (even firewood) to and from the island when the more sophisticated vessels broke down. Please note: It didn’t take them in the one run!
Laser Sailing Dinghy
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We have three complete Lasers and a spare hull, we need a rudder, tiller, and centerboard to complete the other, so if you come across any of them let us know. (approx €600). This is the boat that allows sailors to develop their skills, they are fast, I have even got a laser planning, it is an amazing rush when you finally get it right and take off. It feels like you are sitting on a rocket! The boats require some attention but are in fairly good shape, we would like to get some more but can’t afford them (€1600-€2000 2nd hand). In the meantime we will look after what we got and use them to their full potential, if people realize the fun they are when sailed properly, the horseplay will stop.
Hobie Cat 18
