I've been leaning more and more toward a monohull dinghy. I've looked a
little at the 505, and like the idea of having a boat I can progress with up
to spinnaker sailing. How is the 505 for singlehanding? I also understand
the dilemma which you mention, I drive a Miata, which has made driving fun
again, and my truck doesn't even get started anymore, despite it's greater
utility. Although the addition of a small boat will motivate me to drive it
again. ;-)

Does anyone have an opinion about the Fusion 15? I was just reading about it
in Sailing World. Sounds like it could be a good first rig as well

I have been sailing and racing 505s since 1977. By far the best boat I have
ever sailed in 32 years of sailing and racing. I do single hand from time to
time.

There is a short article -- taken from e-mail discussions -- about single
handing the 505, on the International 505 web site.

International 505 web site: http://www.int505.org
single handing article: http://www.int505.org/singleh1.htm

For a high performance dinghy, the 505 is relatively easy to sail. However
though there are people who learned to sail on a 505, it is more powerful and
faster than most dinghies and has more complex control systems, and is not
something normally considered as a learn-to-sail dinghy. I have single handed
the 505 from the trapeze, with main jib and spinnaker in up to about 13 or 14
knots. What a BLAST!!!! But it is pretty much a one-armed-paper-hanger
routine, particularly tacking, gybing, hoisting and dousing the spinnaker. I
would not suggest a newcomer to dinghy sailing try that until they had some
dinghy experience.

The Laser is a very simple one-sail boat with a pretty good power to weight
ratio, it is simple, easy to find one used, and a good starting point. Optimum
weight (serious racing) for a Laser is about 175-185 pounds, though it can be
sailed and raced quite a bit lighter than that, especially if you sail in a
light wind area. The Laser radial rig is better suited for lighter people
(same hull and foils, different lower mast and sail).

I also learned to sail on an Albacore. It is larger than the Laser, heavier,
and intended for two people, like the 505. Though rigging can be quite complex
on top racing Albacores, most Albacores have very simple rigging (not as simple
as the Laser though). It could also be single handed in lighter conditions,
though I think I'd be better of single handing a 505 from the trapeze, than
trying to hike an Albacore down by myself in 14 knots.

I have never heard of the Fusion 15. Sailing World and other sailing magazines
are full of articles about new designs that advertisers like to see in the
magazines. The majority of new designs disappear quickly, while strong long
existing classes by and large continue to have large turnouts for racing. The
strong classes remain strong, and most new classes never make it. The Laser,
introduced about 1970, is almost an exception in this regard. It has become a
very strong class. If you do not care about racing and a class association and
just want to learn to sail, then some of the newer designs may work just fine.

The analogy of a cruising boat being like a Winnebago while a racing dinghy is
a sports car is valid in my opinion. A good dinghy is much more sensitive and
has a much stronger feedback loop than a keelboat. If you are sensitive to the
load on the mainsheet, the load on the tiller, and can develop a feel for
speed, you will learn faster and better sailing a dinghy than you will in a
keelboat. Sailing lessons frequently put adults in keelboats, but kids who
don't mind getting wet are usually taught in small dinghys. The skills you
learn in a dinghy are useful even in keelboats, while if you learn in
keelboats, you are going to be missing some of the dinghy skills. A good high
performance dinghy racer can figure out a racing keelboat, while a racing
keelboat sailor is probably going to be swimming a lot, if they try and race a
high performance dinghy in any breeze.

To continue the analogy, the Laser is a fun, simple, inexpensive sports car,
the 505 is a Ferrari (bigger, more expensive, tweakier, and quite a bit
faster), day sailing/racing keelboats like the Sonar, J22. Melges 24 are
trucks, and keelboats with actual sleeping accomodation and heads are
winnebagos. By the way, a long weekend cruising on a "winnebago-type" sailboat
can be wonderful. Even spending the day sailing or racing with friends on
"truck" can be fun. They are just very different from sailing or racing a high
performance dinghy.

Alexander "Ali" Meller
505s 8263, 7200, 8776, 7080
Lasers 11166, 173969
Albacore 4862