Sailing dinghies for sale

Sailing Dinghies – Experience Sailing in Its Purest Form

Sailing dinghies are open sailboats fitted with a retractable centerboard or a daggerboard, which provides the righting moment and counteracts leeway. Sailing dinghies are usually sailed upright and athletically upwind using body weight – on downwind courses, many dinghies set a spinnaker, gennaker or asymmetric spinnaker. On a sailing dinghy you experience the physical, almost athletic side of sailing. There are also the more "laid-back" cruising dinghies. But when "the winds blow" and "the spray flies" on a sailing dinghy, you experience sailing in its purest form.

What is a sailing dinghy

In modern usage, a sailing dinghy is an open sailboat without a cabin, whose righting moment is generated by the water pressure on the relatively wide hull and by the crew positioned to windward. On sailing dinghies, leeway is reduced by a retractable centerboard or a daggerboard.

A special case in terminology are keel dinghies (e.g. the Kielzugvogel), which in most regions are also referred to as open keelboats.

Sailing dinghies are divided into cruising or touring dinghies and racing dinghies.

When does a sailing dinghy capsize

Sailing dinghies generally require an athletic effort from the crew in winds from three to four Beaufort. In sudden gusts, sailing dinghies can capsize if the crew is inattentive or too light. If, for example, the sheet is not eased when sailing close-hauled as the higher wind pressure hits the tightly trimmed sails, so that the pressure is not taken out of the sail, or if the crew does not hike out properly or the person on the trapeze does not weigh enough, the dinghy heels and can capsize. When the wind suddenly drops, a sailing dinghy can also capsize to windward if the crew or the single-handed sailor does not shift their weight to the center of the boat quickly enough.
A distinction is made between a normal capsize (sails and mast lying on the water) and a full inversion (mast pointing down, centerboard pointing up).
Modern sailing dinghies are usually unsinkable and can be righted by the crew within a short time without damaging the boat. Remember: "If the sun is shining on the centerboard, the sailor is doing something wrong!"

Sailing dinghy classes

Sailing dinghies are divided into dinghy classes, which in turn use class rules to ensure that the boats are directly comparable with one another in regattas. In Europe, a distinction is made between single-handed dinghies (e.g. Laser, Finn Dinghy, Contender, Musto Skiff, Aero) and two-handed/two-person dinghies (e.g. 420, 470, Zugvogel, Korsar, Flying Dutchman, 505, Pirat, Windy).

Skiff – the especially light sailing dinghy

Skiffs are especially light sailing dinghies, designed for early planing with relatively wide stern sections and lightweight building materials. The first skiffs appeared in Australia as early as the end of the 19th century. Like many other high-tech racing dinghies, skiffs are usually overcanvassed (meaning they carry proportionally more sail area compared with the dimensions of the hull). Downwind or on reaching courses, large gennakers are set on skiffs, taking them to fascinating top speeds.
Skiffs are a widespread class in various sizes, above all in Australia. The 14-footers and 18-footers (which are sailed by a crew of three) are particularly popular. The skiff became internationally known as a dinghy type through the use of the 49er skiff at the Olympic Games (since 2008).