Comments on this site are not necessarily the opinion of the Dart 15 committee.
Comments are not moderated and people's screen names may not be accurate.
Yes Jonathan, I echo your sentiments .
In fact I'm sure 'Cartamaran'or even 'Cartermaran' would be worthy successors to the D.B*******-The sooner the better!
Any chance he might be persuaded to buy the last show model from the boat stand ?
Then he could call it 'Carter's Last Stand' !!
Ewe afta larf - innit !
Am confused about D15 can I sail one with my 13yr old son with jib/mainsail and Trapize? if so what is the handicap e.g. can I compete on equal terms as single handers in the same club. Plus what should I be looking to buy there seems to be many different ways to describe a Dart 15 (Sprint/monaco/standard etc).
Hi Steve
First of all , congratulations on choosing to buy a Dart 15.
I promise you you will not regret it .
As regards specification, you can sail it una-rig (1 sail and 1 person, 2-up with main and jib , or sprinting which is sailing solo but using main and jib with trapeze . This last variation means you use a lower PY obviously, because the boat is potentially much faster with the extra sail area and leverage you have using trapeze. As all have established PY ratings, you can therefore compete on equal terms, no matter what configuration you choose to sail .
Regarding the description, you should be looking to buy a DART 15 SPRINT, as this means it should come with main,jib with furling gear and trapeze equipment. If you bought a new one, this is what you would get, thereby giving you all the permutations and sailing configurations possible.
Forget Monaco , this just refers to the name they were given at the time of building, so you can tell how old the boat is ( See buyer's guide on the D15 web-site ).
One more tip - Don't go for the DART STING . This was a modified version with taller, heavier mast , and different mainsail, which was much more difficult to right from cap-size, and also carried a lower PY . They are not made any more, hardly ever present at open meetings , and do not hold their value well .
Hope that helps.
P.S. We have a strong fleet at Beaver S.C - why not come over and see us , although our sailing season does not start until early March now.
Alternatively, have a run to Grimwith S.C. and talk to Ian Smith. He has just bought the latest model 'Barcelona', sail no. 1955, so you can see what a new one looks like.
Happy hunting Paul Smith (D15 Fleet Captain Beaver S.C)
