The 9 Best Sailboats for Beginners
Whether you’re considering a career in marine sciences or just love spending time out on the water, learning how to sail is an invaluable, essential skill.
But before setting off for the horizon, you first have to earn your sea legs, and that means learning how to sail. These best beginner-friendly sailboats ensure smooth sailing for new sailors, allowing you to gain skills and confidence as you learn the ropes (literally) of sailing.
What makes a good beginner sailing boat?
What makes a certain sailboat model a good option for beginners? Here are some characteristics you want to keep in mind:
- Size: If you’re a beginner sailor, it’s best to start small. Even though they may feel more unstable than larger crafts, small boats are easier to handle and enable you to learn and practice skills in a manageable vessel. A small boat also usually has easier rigging and set-ups, allowing you to master the basics.
- Stability: The downside to smaller crafts is that they can be more susceptible to rough waves or strong winds. Ideal beginner crafts should have a low center of gravity that is forgiving and responsive if you make mistakes in choppy waters. For this purpose, try sailing dinghies or a small keelboat.
- Durability: When you’re learning how to sail, making mistakes is inevitable. You may run aground in shallow water or bump into docks, which is why you want a strong, durable craft that can weather some wear and tear.
- Simple sails: For beginner sailors, it’s best to stick to the basics sail-wise. Single-sail boats or crafts with simple, straightforward rigging are best as you’re learning sail controls.
- Affordability: It may be tempting to splash out on your first boat and buy a fancy model, but it’s best to resist the urge. Sailing can be an expensive hobby and buying a nicer, larger boat comes with a larger price tag, so new sailors should be frugal.
- Trailerability: Small boats are also easier to haul on a trailer and move around, allowing you to practice in different locations and on different bodies of water.
Our top picks for the best beginner sailboat
From keelboats to catamarans, our favorite picks for the best beginner-friendly sailboats cover a wide range of options. Please note that the pricing can vary depending on the retailer and whether the boat is used or new.
1. Optimist Dinghy
Size: 7 ft, 9 in length
Type: Dinghy
Price: Starts at $3,000
Designed for children up to the age of 15, this small, single-sail dinghy is the first sailboat for many a young sailor due to its compact size, simplicity, and stability.
2. Sunfish
Size: 14 feet
Type: Sailing dinghy
Price: Starts in the $1k range for used models
Popular with new sailors for its easy transportability and lightweight nature, the Sunfish is an icon in the sailing community. The board-like hull provides just enough space for one or two people, and the single-sail design allows beginners to master rigging techniques before moving on to more complex systems.
3. Laser
Size: 14 feet
Type: Sailing dinghy
Price: Starts at $4,995 (older models can be found in the $1k range)
What makes this one-handed, one-design board boat a great choice for racing — light, agile, and with a single sail that can be rigged three ways — also makes it a great choice for beginners to learn the basics of trimming, balance, and reacting to wind shifts.
4. Flying Junior
Size: 13 feet
Type: Sailing dinghy
Price: Starts in the $500 to $1k range for used models
Designed to be sailed by two people, this sturdy, zippy, and responsive craft is a great option for learning with a friend. It’s a great option for learning techniques like weight distribution and sail trimming.
5. Hobie Cat 16
Size: 16 feet
Type: Catamaran
Price: Starts at $14,000
The Hobie Cat is said to be the most popular beach catamaran of all time, with a multihull set-up made of lightweight fiberglass for zipping over the water. They’re more difficult to tack and sail upwind, and the rigging set-up is a bit more complex than other models, but its speed and fun is sure to make you catch the sailing bug.
6. MiniCat Catamaran Guppy
Size: 9.8 feet
Type: Catamaran
Price: $4,500
As inflatable boats, MiniCat catamarans are a favorite for their portability and simple, easy set-up.
7. West Wight Potter 19
Size: 16 feet
Type: Keelboat
Price: Starts at $10,000 for older used models
These stable crafts are good for beginners on account of their stability and easy rigging system. They’re also easily trailerable, which is a plus.
8. Catalina 22
Size: 22 feet
Type: Recreational keelboat
Price: Starts at $3,700 for used models
This sailing boat is so popular that it practically has a cult following. It’s stable, forgiving, and easy to manage, which makes it ideal for beginners. Another plus of the Catalina 22 is that there are plenty of affordable used models on the market, and beginners can take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and resources from the owner’s community.
9. Hunter 22
Size: 22 feet
Type: Recreational keelboat
Price: Starts in the $500 to $1k range for used models
Both beginners and experienced sailors alike love this model for its stability, ease of use, and open-transom cockpit. The masthead rig is a good option for learning the basics, and the lightweight fiberglass hull means it’s a good trailerable boat as well.
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Requirements
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Certifications
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About The Author – Mike Meighan
Experiential educator and adventurer, British-born Mike Meighan developed a love for the outdoor and underwater world at an early age. He became a PADI Scuba Instructor at the age of eighteen, then sailed the Mediterranean before entering Southampton University in the UK where he earned a First Class Joint Honors degree in Oceanography and Marine Biology. In 1995, Mike joined the team as biologist, oceanographer and scuba instructor for ActionQuest, the teen sailing and scuba diving arm of Global Expeditions Group.
His passion for experiential education led to the development of our accredited college-level program Seamester in 1998 and GoBeyond in 2002. Mike sails with our largest programs in the BVI during the summer and, throughout the rest of the year, lives in Sarasota with his family Jo, Joshua and Kai, where he directs Seamester, ActionQuest and GoBeyond.
