Is Optimist the best children’s training sailboat? (Explained)

An optimist is one of the best children’s training sailboats. Theoretically, any boat with a stable hull and a conservative amount of sail area is a good training sailboat for youth.

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What are little sailboats called?

People call the little sailboat dinghy. Most sailing schools and youth training programs use dinghies as their training boat. The majority dinghy is between 10~14foot long, one-person sailboat.

The dinghy is also a good choice for a beginner’s sailboat because it’s lightweight and easy to handle. Many adult use dinghy as their first sailboat to practice their sailing skills.

The advantage of using a dinghy is it is centerboard and lightweight so it is responsive. Small changes you made on the sail will get instant reactions on the boat.

The dinghy is inexpensive and in small size. Most training programs like to use dinghies for budget and safety considerations.

The disadvantage of a dinghy is it is easy to capsize. Because of the small size of the dinghy so instructors can not ride with you.

What is the most popular sailing dinghy?

Both International 420 and Optimist are very popular sailing dinghies and youth training dinghies.

International 420 dinghy is a sailing dinghy and is also popular as a training and teaching boat. 420 is the sailboat’s length as 420 centimeters, about 13 feet.

An Optimist is a low-cost, small dinghy specially designed for youth. The dinghy is about 7.5 feet long. An optimist has all the major components of a sailboat such as a mainsail, rudder, boom, etc, and also is one of the most simple dinghies to use.

There are over 150,000 Optimist dinghies that have registered worldwide.

Wayfarer is also a popular dinghy brand in US and Candan. There is roughly 1000 wayfarer in US.

Here is a good video of an Optimist ride on waves

What age is youth sailing?

Most youth sailing training programs specified the age group as between 7~15. A kid can start to learn to sail when they are 7 or 8 years old.

The majority of training programs request the child can swim before they let you register in the program.

Sailing instructors are in the boat with the students at the beginning but not all time. Sometimes instructors sit in the other boat to watch and teach students.

How do kids get into sailing?

Kids get into sailing mostly through the influence of their parents or friends.

If parents have a passion for sailing and bring their children on board constantly, the children can build an early interest in sailing. After all, sailing is a fun activity.

The other way that kids get into sailing is through their friends. Many children start their interest in sailing through summer sailing programs with friends.

Normally the summer sailing program is 3 weeks long with different classes, such as basic program, intermediate, advanced program, etc. The program is about $600 per week per student.

During the training, the student needs to bring a water bottle, lunch, sunscreen, and a set of change clothes in case.

Are small sailboats faster?

Normally bigger sailboats go faster than smaller sailboats because the longer of the hull the faster the boat.

As the boat move through the water, longer hull can produce longer waves to move boat faster in the water.

Is learning sailing hard?

Learning sailing is not hard but to be an sailing expert is hard.

Any person can learn basic sailing skills through a couple sailing classes. As a beginner you can starting with a dinghy, because a dinghy is easy to handle with one master sail. Once you are comfortable to handle danghy you can go on to the keel sailboat.

It is hard if you want to be a good sailor and can handle any situation on the water. Sailing is a lifelong learning process. Even most experienced sailors said they are learning every day.

Here is a good video of 8 year old learning sailing

Can you sail without experience?

I believe you can motor around the water without experience but not sail.

if you knew nothing about the sail and the wind, how can you make the boat move forward, backward or turn in a direction?

Who is the youngest person to sail?

Laura Dekker is the youngest person to sail around the world at the age of 16.

Laura Dekker is a New Zealand born Dutch sailor. She inherited the passion of sailing from her father. She sailed often with her father in her youth time. She owned several boats and all named Guppy.

She started her journey from Gibraltar on August 21, 2010 and finished at Simpson bay on Jan 21, 2012. The total trip tooks about 1year and 5 months.

What sail shape is fastest?

The most common sail shape is triangular because traiangular sail is easy for air to go through.

If you want sail fast then your boat’s point of sail should be reach.

Reach: to sail across the wind at an angle that allows the sail to work efficiently

What is the safest type of sailboat?

Modern designed sailboats are all sturdy enough to do what it suppose to do. How safe is the boat depends on the sailor’s knowledge and how good the boat has been maintained.

Any boat can be safe with good sailing knowledge and good maintainese. Any boat can be dangerous without knowledge and proper care.

Youth sailing programs and races

There are all kinds of youth sailing programs and races locally and nationally. Check with your local sailing association to get all these information. below is a list of some programs and races from US sailing organization.

The new USA sailing Junior Olympic sailing festivals

High school sailing- governed by the interscholastic sailing association (ISSA)

College sailing- governed by the inter-collegiate sailing association(ICSA)

US youth match racing championship

US youth championship

US junior women’s championship

CHUBB US youth triplehanded championship

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