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Buying a dinghy

Be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time researching all areas of dinghy ownership before you actually commit to buying a dinghy. Here are some areas to think about:

Where am I going to store the dinghy when not in use?

Where can I sail?

What should I wear?

Which type of dinghy should I choose?

Do I need insurance?

Where am I going to store the dinghy when not in use?

Windsurfers on water on dunny day Speak to your club - many cater for berthing of dinghies but you will need to get your dinghy to the club. If it is only small, then you may be able to transport it on top of your car, if not, you will need to borrow or purchase a trailer and you will also need a car with a towbar.

Where can I sail?

In theory you can sail pretty much anywhere with a large expanse of water, but in practice it is better to look for a sailing club and most of them will welcome new members with open arms.

Try looking at local reservoirs, lakes, rivers, and along the coast for a suitable club and don`t be afraid to ask lots of questions.

Membership fees can vary considerably and will relate to the facilities provided such as:

Location
Opening Times
Facilities
Number of Instructors
Size of the Venue

Historically, sailing clubs have been predominantly focused on racing, but are now looking to help those who just wish to learn sailing techniques or wish to sail recreationally.

What should I wear?

To start with you will need a pair of shoes or trainers that will be comfortable when they are wet, your usual swimwear and a buoyancy aid (these are usually compulsory at sailing clubs).

If you decide to pursue sailing further you will probably want to invest in a wider range of clothing so that you can cater for different conditions, additional items could include:

Wetsuit
Spray suit
Dinghy Boots
Gloves
Drysuit

Most equipment can be found second-hand if you are on a budget and you do not need to spend huge sums of money on apparatus.

Note that the clothing you would wear for sailing dinghies is very different from that you wear when sailing yachts.

Which type of dinghy should I choose?

This depends on many factors:

How much do you intend to sail?

There`s no point spending thousands on a dinghy that will get used once a year? So be realistic about your choice if you will get little chance to sail.

How much can you afford?

Obviously this will be the biggest factor when deciding which type of dinghy to choose, but there is no point in spending several thousands of pounds on a new dinghy just to crash it several times in the first week whilst learning to sail!

How many people will you want in the dinghy?

If you intend just to sail on your own, then a single-hander will be fine, but if you intend to sail with a friend, spouse or someone from a sailing club, you will need to look at two-handers. The later is certainly more sociable but you need to be certain that you both wish to sail the same number of times per month otherwise you will both be getting frustrated with each other.

But there are a couple of models such as the Enterprise and the Mirror, which can be manned by either one or two people.

How much maintenance are you prepared to do?

Remember, wooden boats require a lot of TLC to keep them in good condition, whereas fibreglass boats require less maintenance (but they still need to be cared for!)

How experienced are you?

If you are just learning then it is fair to assume you have little or no experience and some dinghies are easier to sail than others. It`s worth thinking about the power of a boat as learning in a boat that has a large powerful sail will soon see you getting more than your feet wet!

Try to forget about the "look" of your first dinghy and concentrate on a model that will be easy to handle.