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