The Best Beginner Sailboat Of 2023 (Reviewed By Sailboat Owner)

A sailing adventure begins with choosing the right beginner sailboat. This article guides you through the myriad of options, focusing on finding a sailboat that aligns with your needs and aspirations. Whether for leisurely sails or gaining mastery over the waves, discover how the right beginner sailboat can shape your nautical journeys, turning the daunting into the doable. Your maritime adventure is on the horizon; let’s set sail towards making an informed choice!

Here’s what to look for in a beginning sailboat that will work well for you and some of the best models to consider.

What to Look for in a Beginner Sailboat

If you’re just getting started with sailing, you may have dreams of the yachts that you will someday captain, but you probably realize that it may not be a good idea to go purchase that dream yacht right away.

As with most hobbies, starting small when you begin sailing is a good idea. 

As you gain experience, you’ll better understand what you want in your dream sailboat. Here are a few things to look for in a beginner sailboat to help you decide on the best option for you:

• Affordable. You don’t want to start out with a sailboat that you are terrified of damaging. In order to become a good sailor, you need to take risks and test your skills, which means that you need a boat that you can afford to lose.
• A simple rig. Sails can be very straightforward affairs that do little more than go up and down or they can be highly complicated, requiring lots of fine-tuning and maneuvering to get right. When you’re just getting started, you want a simple rig to help you learn the basics. The lateen rig is a great starter rig because it only requires two ropes to handle.
• Small enough to right yourself. When you are learning to sail, you should capsize every now and then. If you aren’t capsizing at all, you aren’t learning how to test the limits of your sailing and your vessel. So that capsizing doesn’t become a big issue, it’s a good idea to choose a sailboat small enough that you can get it back upright again by yourself.
• Shallow draft. Doing it in shallow water can be helpful when you’re learning to sail. This significantly reduces the risk if you are in trouble and makes it easier to right a capsized boat. Therefore, a boat with a draft that lets you sail somewhere that you can easily stand if it tips over is a good idea.

Best Beginner Sailboats

Sunfish

The Sunfish is a favorite among both beginners and experienced sailors because it is a lot of fun to sail.

It is technically a racing dinghy, although it’s also perfectly good for leisurely sails. 

It has a shallow draft that enables it to zip over flats with ease. The big sail and light hull mean that you can take this boat out even in very light winds and have a great ride.

The Sunfish capsizes quite easily, but it isn’t hard to right either, and you’ll learn valuable lessons as you figure out how to get great speeds from it while avoiding capsizing. 

Laser

The Laser is similar to the Sunfish in that it’s about the same size, surprisingly fast, and capsizes quite easily.

Many people consider it to be a bit more challenging than the Sunfish to handle, but it may be a bit faster too.

In fact, the Laser has been raced in the Olympics, so while this is a great boat for beginners, it’s no toy.

If you’re learning on the Laser the way you should be, you are pretty much guaranteed to capsize it, but it’s easy to right and you’ll learn a lot by avoiding capsized and by capsizing. 

West Wight Potter 15

Are you looking for a sailboat that’s great for beginners but can also accommodate cruising? This may be the boat for you.

Although it’s only a couple of feet longer than the Sunfish or the Laser, the West Wight Potter has a cabin that can sleep two people. 

The cockpit can fit four, so if you want a little boat to tool around on and take your friends out, this may be perfect for you.

This boat only draws about 3 ft and it’s self-righting, so it’s very convenient to sail just about anywhere.

It is designed to be very safe, as it’s quite stable under sail, unsinkable, and has a self-bailing cockpit. While you may not learn as much sailing skill on this easy little boat, you’ll have a lot of fun and can start cruising right away.

Hobie Cat

A Hobie Cat is probably right for you if you want to start sailing on a catamaran. Both the 14 and the 16-foot models are great options.

If you’re looking for a fun little boat that you can easily slide up on the beach when you’re done sailing, this may be the one for you. 

However, this little boat isn’t sluggish. They are often used for racing and can get going quickly in good conditions. Like most multihulls, this little cat is less likely to capsize than monohulls, but tacking upwind can be challenging. 

If you intend to stick with multihulls, learning to sail on this little catamaran may be a good idea.

However, learning the basics of sailing on this boat can be a bit more challenging than a Laser or a Sunfish. 

Challenger Trimaran

Whether you’re looking for a trimaran as your first boat or just want a sailboat you can have fun in without worrying about capsizing, the Challenger is a superb option.

It is well known as a good option for people who are disabled and for people who are starting the sailing hobby later in life and don’t want to have to worry about flipping over or requiring a lot of physical strength to sail.

On the other hand, it is a mistake to think about the Challenger as being a boring sailboat. The difficulty in capsizing the Challenger means that it can achieve tremendous speeds without flipping over, which can make it a lot of fun to sail. 

Wayfarer Cruiser

The Wayfarer is a cute little dinghy that’s extremely popular with sailing schools. It has a charming appearance that appeals to the romance of sailing for beginners.

It’s generally considered to be best for day sailing, but it has been sailed in the open ocean and taken on long journeys many times before. 

In fact, the Wayfarer has sailed from the UK to Denmark, crossing channels on the way.

This is one of the most stable small boats you can buy, so if a lot of capsizing as you learn to sail doesn’t sound appealing to you, it may be a good option for your first sailboat.

Because this is such a popular boat, you can often find it used for a good price.

Choose a Great Beginner Sailboat for You

If you’re thinking about getting into sailing, you have lots of options to choose from. Beginner sailboats can be extremely affordable, easy to tow, and easy to store.

You don’t have to make a huge investment to get started with this rewarding hobby. In fact, it’s a very good idea to start with a small sailboat that you can knock around and tip over.