Harlan Lachman wrote:
Does anyone have sail boat recommendations for a couple in their 80s?

snip

SFWIW, I'm on another list with a guy in Rhode Island that has sailed
a Marshal cat boat for years.

He loves it and while not 80, is no spring chicken either.

If you want something smaller, how about a 9 ft Fatty Knees, a dinghy
designed by Lyle Hess and now being built by Eddy & Duff.

Lew

Lew Hodgett wrote:
Harlan Lachman wrote:
Does anyone have sail boat recommendations for a couple in their 80s?

snip

SFWIW, I'm on another list with a guy in Rhode Island that has sailed a
Marshal cat boat for years.

He loves it and while not 80, is no spring chicken either.

If you want something smaller, how about a 9 ft Fatty Knees, a dinghy
designed by Lyle Hess and now being built by Eddy & Duff.

Lew
I certainly wouldn't recommend a Fatty Knees to anyone with mobility
problems. It would be a death trap - they wouldn't last one tack! I
have one - I only capsized once, but that was stepping into it from my
boat.

A Marshall 15 might be better, but the larger ones have a lot of sail
to handle. I was thinking of a Rhodes 19, or the Mariner (same hull,
with a cuddy). With a keel its going to be stable, nothing happens
too quickly, and the sails aren't to large to handle. Its even
reasonably functional under main alone.

Of course, a lot depends on where they are and what type of sailing
they want to do.

Harlan Lachman wrote:
Does anyone have sail boat recommendations for a couple in their 80s?

snip

Lew Hodgett wrote:
SFWIW, I'm on another list with a guy in Rhode Island that has sailed
a Marshal cat boat for years.

He loves it and while not 80, is no spring chicken either.

If you want something smaller, how about a 9 ft Fatty Knees, a dinghy
designed by Lyle Hess and now being built by Eddy & Duff.


If you want to go with something small, why not a Tech dinghy?


Jeff wrote:
I certainly wouldn't recommend a Fatty Knees to anyone with mobility
problems. It would be a death trap - they wouldn't last one tack! I
have one - I only capsized once, but that was stepping into it from my
boat.


And they're not as tippy as some other hard dinks. A Tech or
one of the other frostbiting classes might be a good mix of
stability & performance.


A Marshall 15 might be better, but the larger ones have a lot of sail to
handle.

A Beetle Cat!

.... I was thinking of a Rhodes 19, or the Mariner (same hull, with
a cuddy). With a keel its going to be stable, nothing happens too
quickly, and the sails aren't to large to handle. Its even reasonably
functional under main alone.


Good idea.

Of course, a lot depends on where they are and what type of sailing they
want to do.

A boat with a cuddy cabin need not make it too large or
heavy or expensive, and can add functionality.

DSK

Before doing any boat recommendations I need to know about the couple.
Eighty year of age does not means much.
How physically flexible is the couple. Are they quick enough to react if the
boom swims toward them. Can they swim ashore if their boat capsizes or can
they get back in their boat. I know people sailing dinghies is their late
eighty and doing extremely well.
Mr. X is over eighty five. He build his own 11'2" Shellback Dinghy. During
the summer he takes his grandson sailing with him or his girlfriend of the
same age.
Conversely, today you can buy 30 (and up) foot sloop sailboat with walk
though transom, furling for the main and jib.
If a couple has been physically active and know what they are doing on the
water age is not a problem.


"DSK" wrote in message
...
Harlan Lachman wrote:
Does anyone have sail boat recommendations for a couple in their 80s?

snip

Lew Hodgett wrote:
SFWIW, I'm on another list with a guy in Rhode Island that has sailed a
Marshal cat boat for years.

He loves it and while not 80, is no spring chicken either.

If you want something smaller, how about a 9 ft Fatty Knees, a dinghy
designed by Lyle Hess and now being built by Eddy & Duff.


If you want to go with something small, why not a Tech dinghy?


Jeff wrote:
I certainly wouldn't recommend a Fatty Knees to anyone with mobility
problems. It would be a death trap - they wouldn't last one tack! I
have one - I only capsized once, but that was stepping into it from my
boat.


And they're not as tippy as some other hard dinks. A Tech or one of the
other frostbiting classes might be a good mix of stability & performance.


A Marshall 15 might be better, but the larger ones have a lot of sail to
handle.

A Beetle Cat!

.... I was thinking of a Rhodes 19, or the Mariner (same hull, with a
cuddy). With a keel its going to be stable, nothing happens too quickly,
and the sails aren't to large to handle. Its even reasonably functional
under main alone.


Good idea.

Of course, a lot depends on where they are and what type of sailing they
want to do.

A boat with a cuddy cabin need not make it too large or heavy or
expensive, and can add functionality.

DSK

Good questions, I will try to address them as you asked them:

In article ,
wrote:

Before doing any boat recommendations I need to know about the couple.
Eighty year of age does not means much.
How physically flexible is the couple. Are they quick enough to react if the
boom swims toward them.

Absolutely, especially since after 60 - 70 years of sailing they can
anticipate the danger based on wind conditions.

Can they swim ashore if their boat capsizes or can
they get back in their boat.

At their age and given the water temperatures and distances of LI Sound
out of Mamaroneck, I think not.

I know people sailing dinghies is their late
eighty and doing extremely well.
Mr. X is over eighty five. He build his own 11'2" Shellback Dinghy. During
the summer he takes his grandson sailing with him or his girlfriend of the
same age.
Conversely, today you can buy 30 (and up) foot sloop sailboat with walk
though transom, furling for the main and jib.

Any suggestions? I think this is the size boat and solutions they would
want to consider. How reliable has mainsail furling become? Do some
boats offer more mechanical advantage on the winches than others (or
electric assist).

TIA,

harlan


If a couple has been physically active and know what they are doing on the
water age is not a problem.


"DSK" wrote in message
...
Harlan Lachman wrote:
Does anyone have sail boat recommendations for a couple in their 80s?

snip

Lew Hodgett wrote:
SFWIW, I'm on another list with a guy in Rhode Island that has sailed a
Marshal cat boat for years.

He loves it and while not 80, is no spring chicken either.

If you want something smaller, how about a 9 ft Fatty Knees, a dinghy
designed by Lyle Hess and now being built by Eddy & Duff.


If you want to go with something small, why not a Tech dinghy?


Jeff wrote:
I certainly wouldn't recommend a Fatty Knees to anyone with mobility
problems. It would be a death trap - they wouldn't last one tack! I
have one - I only capsized once, but that was stepping into it from my
boat.


And they're not as tippy as some other hard dinks. A Tech or one of the
other frostbiting classes might be a good mix of stability & performance.


A Marshall 15 might be better, but the larger ones have a lot of sail to
handle.

A Beetle Cat!

.... I was thinking of a Rhodes 19, or the Mariner (same hull, with a
cuddy). With a keel its going to be stable, nothing happens too quickly,
and the sails aren't to large to handle. Its even reasonably functional
under main alone.


Good idea.

Of course, a lot depends on where they are and what type of sailing they
want to do.

A boat with a cuddy cabin need not make it too large or heavy or
expensive, and can add functionality.

DSK


--
To respond, obviously drop the "nospan"?

DSK wrote:
If you want something smaller, how about a 9 ft Fatty Knees, a dinghy
designed by Lyle Hess and now being built by Eddy & Duff.


If you want to go with something small, why not a Tech dinghy?

A Tech is a great student dinghy, but its still tippy in puffy
weather. The older version were not self rescuing, they would come up
filled with water. The latest version ("the fifth fleet") are said
to be better in this regard.




Jeff wrote:
I certainly wouldn't recommend a Fatty Knees to anyone with mobility
problems. It would be a death trap - they wouldn't last one tack! I
have one - I only capsized once, but that was stepping into it from my
boat.


And they're not as tippy as some other hard dinks. A Tech or one of the
other frostbiting classes might be a good mix of stability & performance.

Oddly, the common frostbiter in Marblehead is the Interclub Dinghy,
one of the tippiest dinks ever built.




A Marshall 15 might be better, but the larger ones have a lot of sail
to handle.

A Beetle Cat!

Good choice. How about one of the variations of an H12?


.... I was thinking of a Rhodes 19, or the Mariner (same hull, with a
cuddy). With a keel its going to be stable, nothing happens too
quickly, and the sails aren't to large to handle. Its even reasonably
functional under main alone.


Good idea.

Of course, a lot depends on where they are and what type of sailing
they want to do.

A boat with a cuddy cabin need not make it too large or heavy or
expensive, and can add functionality.

DSK

In article ,
Jeff wrote:

Lew Hodgett wrote:
Harlan Lachman wrote:
Does anyone have sail boat recommendations for a couple in their 80s?

snip

SFWIW, I'm on another list with a guy in Rhode Island that has sailed a
Marshal cat boat for years.

He loves it and while not 80, is no spring chicken either.

If you want something smaller, how about a 9 ft Fatty Knees, a dinghy
designed by Lyle Hess and now being built by Eddy & Duff.

Lew
I certainly wouldn't recommend a Fatty Knees to anyone with mobility
problems. It would be a death trap - they wouldn't last one tack! I
have one - I only capsized once, but that was stepping into it from my
boat.

A Marshall 15 might be better, but the larger ones have a lot of sail
to handle. I was thinking of a Rhodes 19, or the Mariner (same hull,
with a cuddy). With a keel its going to be stable, nothing happens
too quickly, and the sails aren't to large to handle. Its even
reasonably functional under main alone.

Of course, a lot depends on where they are and what type of sailing
they want to do.

Thanks guys. But I am pretty sure with his experience and money (not to
mention bladder), he would want a bigger boat. I am just not sure anyone
makes anything to compensate for someone unable to reliably hoist and
lower sails manually.

harlan

--
To respond, obviously drop the "nospan"?

On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 09:38:30 -0400, Harlan Lachman
wrote:

In article ,
Jeff wrote:

Lew Hodgett wrote:
Harlan Lachman wrote:
Does anyone have sail boat recommendations for a couple in their 80s?

snip

SFWIW, I'm on another list with a guy in Rhode Island that has sailed a
Marshal cat boat for years.

He loves it and while not 80, is no spring chicken either.

If you want something smaller, how about a 9 ft Fatty Knees, a dinghy
designed by Lyle Hess and now being built by Eddy & Duff.

Lew
I certainly wouldn't recommend a Fatty Knees to anyone with mobility
problems. It would be a death trap - they wouldn't last one tack! I
have one - I only capsized once, but that was stepping into it from my
boat.

A Marshall 15 might be better, but the larger ones have a lot of sail
to handle. I was thinking of a Rhodes 19, or the Mariner (same hull,
with a cuddy). With a keel its going to be stable, nothing happens
too quickly, and the sails aren't to large to handle. Its even
reasonably functional under main alone.

Of course, a lot depends on where they are and what type of sailing
they want to do.

Thanks guys. But I am pretty sure with his experience and money (not to
mention bladder), he would want a bigger boat. I am just not sure anyone
makes anything to compensate for someone unable to reliably hoist and
lower sails manually.

harlan

I wouldn't look for an off-the-shelf boat. It will almost certainly
need electric winches and windlass, and those are add-on accessories.
Implied in this is significant battery power and hence a reasonably
large boat.

To answer an earlier question, boom furling mains are reliable. I did
encounter a few "learning curve" issues with mine but it failed in a
forgiving manner unlike in-mast furlers that fail with an unreducible
sail.

Harlan Lachman wrote:

Thanks guys. But I am pretty sure with his experience and money
(not to
mention bladder), he would want a bigger boat. I am just not sure
anyone
makes anything to compensate for someone unable to reliably hoist and
lower sails manually.

If he gets a sloop, dropping the main is probably the biggest challenge.

You can drop the jib without leaving the cockpit if the halyards are
brought aft.

Get a Milwaukee, right angle, 24 VDC cordless drill fitted with a
square shank adapter to fit the manual winch which will provide power
assist to raise the sails.

They come with a spare battery that can be kept charged.


Lew