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PalDhadly
4 Posts |
 Posted - 16 Sep 2003 : 23:28:21
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I want to buy a boat to sail with my family, including 5 year old son, and am therefore looking for a boat which is relatively stable, but fun and will allow me to improve my sailing skills. I have only had the oppurtunity to sail a stratos in very light winds, but loved the boat. How does the stratos compare to a wayfarer in terms of stability in a force 3-4 wind?
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Andrew&GillFoord
4 Posts |
Posted - 17 Sep 2003 : 00:03:10
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We have a stratos centreboard, purchased in April this year. We sail with 3 children aged 18mths, 4 & 6yrs. The stratos is an excellent family boat but in no way dull. We have sailed in force 4 with the children and have never been in danger of going over. It is easy to handle in these winds, goes better than a wayfarer in light winds and the design is suited to family sailing- high boom, centre hoop taking main sheet out of the way and plenty of room to fit us all comfortably. We do heel the boat considerably on a close haul and the kids find this fun. Our 6yr has a harness and loves to attempt to trapeze. Watching other peolple in Wayfarers the boat seems to heel more but always feels safe. Our sailing skills have improved dramatically since April and from being fully reefed (we found this comforting) we hardly use the reefing line now. Our 2 oldest children love to crew and take the helm in light winds.
P.S. the boat is great fun without the kids too!! We sailed it this weekend, no kids, in a force 4 with the gennaker and it went faster than we had imagined.
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alastairwilson
33 Posts |
Posted - 17 Sep 2003 : 01:29:33
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I too use the boat with my children, aged 4 and 6. It is a centreboard version. We sail it between us and although I agree it tends to heel, it is very stable; I have had to demonstrate this to my boys so that they will go on it (15 stone on the lee side and it still won't go over)
I have also sailed it single handed, although it is a bit far to cleat and uncleat the jib.
I am still learning to use it and haven't used the trapeze or the genaker yet. It seems to be faster than a wayfarer, although I have not yet raced.
I would certainly recommend the boat for family use, and do not be put off by its sheer size; it is easy to handle on the water as well as up and down slips on your own.
yours
Alastair
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AlisterBeveridge
49 Posts |
Posted - 17 Sep 2003 : 12:13:14
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I sail my centreboard version with 4 year old and sometime two year old. I have found it perfectly suitable and safe. I don't take any risks with the children and wouldn't sail without another adult as my eldest is likely to jump in for fun. I have used the boat in force 4+ with the kids but keep the sail reefed and play it very safe if above force 3. I haen't sailde a Wayfarer but can echo the comments of the others as there are plenty of Wayfarers at my club.
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PalDhadly
4 Posts |
Posted - 18 Sep 2003 : 16:08:38
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| Thanks for your helpful responses. I think I'll probably be buying a Stratos centreboard. |
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AndrewHowe
13 Posts |
Posted - 18 Sep 2003 : 16:17:54
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I share a Keel with my mate Tim. Between us we have 4 kids aged between 8 and 10. Stability was probably the primary factor in our the choice. Whilst it will heel, it is always progressive and we have not yet been even close to a capsize. You get to use most of the space in the boat for cruising because the distribution of the kids around the boat makes no practical difference to how it behaves. The Keel is also very stable when people (generously proportioned adults) are moving round the boat and there is little chance of losing crew over the side who are caught out by a sudden wobble. The high sides and low mounted seats help here too. If there is a drawback to the Keel it is recovering it up dodgy slipways when you are shorthanded.
I have heard tales of Keels been sailed in F6/7 without resorting to a reef. Even allowing for a little sales pitch exaggeration, it is a testament to the boat's stability. I haven't any experience with Wayfarers so I can't comment on any comparison.
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PGuignabaudet
United Kingdom
97 Posts |
Posted - 18 Sep 2003 : 16:19:23
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Hi Pal,
I bought a Stratos Keel earlier this year and the boat is amazingly safe yet fun. I'm sailing her almost every weekend with my wife and our 4 kids on board (8, 6, 4, 2 years). There is plenty of room on board and she is virtually un-capsizable. My sailing skills were not fantastic at the beginning and the boat is very forgiving to any sort of mistake you could make. I did a superd crash-gybe once while taking a private lesson with the kite up (F4-5) and even though the boat crawled flat with the boom and kite stuck in the water for a short while it remained remarkably stable and righted by itself as soon as we let the kite free (I wouldn't do this with my kids on board though).
I'm really pleased with the boat; it's great for learning and it's really fun too.
Regards,
Pascal
Stratos Keel #186 - Datchet |
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PatOBrien
1 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2003 : 16:40:15
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I have learned to sail in a wayfarer. Our school has 4 wayfarers and a stratos centreboard. The wayfarer is far more stable and more sedate but the stratos more fun to sail. However I would go for a Stratos keel - the best of both worlds.
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Topic |
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Is the stratos a stable family day boat?
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