Just getting into the sport, I have an old 1 mtr that I have cut my teeth on and I'm now looking to buy a competitive boat, new or a good second hand one. Any advise on where to start.

Hi JAD57 I think you need to know first off to what level you want this boat to take you, local, regional or national. This will dictate a likely expenditure. If it is for local use only the water conditions you sail in could change the designs you look at.

If cost is not a limiting factor you cannot go wrong with a Britpop, V9, Vision or Mojo (others are available). The issue is that to buy any of these designs new there are waiting lists, so you would need to check with the builders. If you order a new boat don't forget to order preferred sails as there is also waiting lists for these. If you are looking for a second hand boat this forum is good or you need to keep your ears open locally as to who is buying a new boat as their current boat will normally be up for grabs.

Eric

Hi James,

Welcome to the forum, firstly great to hear that after an initial start you are thinking of upgrading. Eric has highlighted a few good points, but the most important is an understanding of what you want to do and your likely commitment in terms of both cash and time.

The reason I say this is because so many skippers feel that they need to have the latest and greatest to improve, but then struggle to find the time to work on their "game" or maintain the kit. Remember it is the fact that there is a skill to learn that makes what we do a sport. Natural enthusiasm means that people end up collecting a variety of different boats when they start, some good, some bad, I know I did!

The best piece of advice you can get is to buy a well built boat, made by a good builder with the right kit and stick with it for a couple of years whilst you learn. Expect to get a few battle scars on the way and end up with sails that look like the dog slept in them; it's all part of the process, but better to do this with a used boat than a brand new one. Also worth remembering that a decent secondhand boat will only have cost you a few quid per year when you come to upgrade further.

So which design, as I say my advice would be to look at the package rather than the design, any of the boats by Sailsetc, BG, Barry Chisam, Phil Playle, Graham Elliott will have been built to the correct quality, and the Widget and Lintel from Dave Creed can be great if put together by the right person, but if pushed and not being bought to win a world championship, I would go for an Elliott Widget, or a Sailsetc Topiko, Pikanto as a step up from a base IOM, and maybe place an order for the next level boat ready to upgrade in 12-18 months.

If you ask around you can normally find a quality boat with all the kit being offered by someone at a reasonable price.

Until then just enjoy what you have and have fun learning on the way.