Sailing Dinghies for Young Sailors
Youth sailing dinghies range from simple first boats for children learning to sail through to fast two-person performance boats for experienced teenagers. DinghyMart brings together the main junior and youth sailing classes, making it easier to compare used boats for learning, club sailing, racing and progression into adult dinghy classes.
Choosing a Youth Sailing Dinghy
The best youth sailing dinghy depends on the sailor’s size, experience and ambitions. A young sailor taking their first steps afloat needs something stable, simple and forgiving. As confidence grows, they may want a more responsive single-hander, a two-person boat with a jib and spinnaker, or eventually a high-performance youth racing dinghy. There is therefore no single “best junior dinghy”. Boats such as the Optimist, Topper and RS Tera are very different from an RS Feva, 420 or 29er, but each can be an excellent choice at the right stage.
Optimist
The Optimist is one of the world’s best-known junior sailing dinghies. Small, simple and remarkably capable, it has introduced generations of young sailors to both recreational sailing and competitive racing. Its compact size makes it particularly suitable for younger children, while the enormous international racing scene means ambitious sailors can progress a very long way within the same class. For a first used Optimist, condition and completeness are usually more important than buying the newest boat. Check the sail, spars, foils, buoyancy, fittings and launching trolley carefully.
Topper
The Topper has been a mainstay of British junior sailing for decades. It is simple to rig, relatively tough and easy to transport, making it popular with sailing clubs, schools and families. Topper racing also gives developing sailors an excellent introduction to starts, tactics, boat speed and larger youth events without requiring a complicated boat. For sailors progressing from an Optimist or another small training dinghy, the Topper can provide a useful bridge into larger and more powerful single-handed boats.
RS Tera and Topaz Taz
The RS Tera and Topaz Taz are modern small youth dinghies designed with younger sailors in mind. Their durable construction and straightforward rigs make them particularly attractive for sailing schools, club junior programmes and families looking for a manageable first boat. They are also easier to handle ashore than many larger dinghies, which can be just as important as performance on the water when the sailor is still young.
Laser Pico, RS Zest and RS Quba
The Laser Pico, RS Zest and RS Quba occupy a useful middle ground between children’s first boats and more specialist racing dinghies. They can be used for training, family sailing and general club sailing, with flexible rig options on some models allowing them to be sailed either alone or with another sailor. The Laser Pico in particular is a familiar sight at sailing centres around the UK thanks to its simple rig and tough rotomoulded construction.
ILCA / Laser
The ILCA / Laser family is one of the most important progression routes for young single-handed sailors. Different sail sizes allow the same basic hull to suit sailors of different weights and stages of development. This means a sailor can move through the smaller and larger rigs while retaining the familiar Laser-style boat and controls. Used Lasers and ILCAs are also widely available, making them an attractive option for families looking for a boat with strong club recognition and a large second-hand market.
RS Aero and Byte
For youth sailors who enjoy lightweight, responsive single-handed sailing, boats such as the RS Aero and Byte provide another route. The RS Aero uses different rig sizes and is exceptionally light ashore, while the Byte is a compact performance single-hander that can suit lighter sailors particularly well. Both represent a step towards more performance-focused sailing compared with basic training boats.
RS Feva
The RS Feva is one of the most recognisable modern two-person youth dinghies. With mainsail, jib and asymmetric spinnaker, it introduces young crews to teamwork, spinnaker handling and faster downwind sailing while remaining considerably more approachable than a full performance skiff. It can be an excellent progression boat for two young sailors who have already developed the basic sailing skills needed to work together as helm and crew.
Cadet and Mirror
The Cadet and Mirror offer a more traditional route into double-handed youth sailing. The Cadet has a particularly strong history as a dedicated junior racing class, teaching young sailors both helming and crewing skills. The Mirror is extremely versatile and has been used for generations for junior sailing, family sailing, training and club racing. Older Mirrors can also represent excellent value for families looking for an inexpensive introduction to owning a sailing dinghy.
420 and 29er
At the performance end of youth sailing are boats such as the 420 and 29er. These are not beginner boats. They are intended for experienced young sailors who have already developed good boat handling and teamwork. The 420 introduces more traditional performance double-handed sailing with trapeze and spinnaker, while the 29er offers fast, modern asymmetric skiff sailing and is a natural choice for crews interested in progressing towards high-performance dinghy classes.
Which Youth Boat Should I Buy?
For younger beginners, start by looking at boats such as the Optimist, RS Tera, Topaz Taz or Topper. For general youth training and family use, consider the Laser Pico, RS Zest, RS Quba or Mirror. Young sailors who want established single-handed racing may prefer a Topper, ILCA / Laser, RS Aero or Byte. For two-person sailing, the RS Feva and Cadet provide excellent progression opportunities, while experienced racing crews may eventually move into a 420 or 29er.
Before buying any used youth dinghy, check the hull, spars, sails, foils, rudder, control lines, fittings and trolley. Also consider the classes already sailed at your local sailing club. Having other boats of the same class nearby can make learning, racing and finding advice considerably easier. Most importantly, buy a boat appropriate to the sailor now rather than one they may eventually grow into. A manageable boat that gets sailed regularly is far more useful than a faster boat that is too difficult to enjoy.
