Hire Club Boats

Dinghies, Kayaks and Paddleboards are available for hire by members at very reasonable prices to cover the running costs.

What's Available:

Fusion: New in 2021 & 2022, the club has 8 Fusion dinghies. These multi-purpose boats are ideal for adults learning to sail, being easy to rig and forgiving of mistakes. With mainsail and jib, they can be sailed by one adult, an adult/child combination or 2 teens.

Hartley 15 & Wayfarer: With 2 of each, these double-handers or 'family boats' are really versatile and accommodate 2 to 5 people

sailing together.

RS Tera: A relatively new junior class that's growing in popularity. With 3 sail sizes & simple rigging, the Tera can support youngsters from their first time out, to club and national level racing. We plan to add six Teras to our fleet in 2023.

Optimist: A popular junior dinghy for learning in with a big racing circuit. The club has 6 basic plastic boats, and one 'race spec' fibreglass boat for members wanting to try out the class. The Oppi is a technical boat, allowing intermediate & advanced sailors to make fine adjustments to the rig setup.

Topper: A popular 'classic' that's been around for years. The club has one
well-spec'd Topper for people to try out the class. Reasonable quality 2nd hand boats are available for a relatively low cost.

Feva: A junior/youth double-hander with an asymmetric spinnaker. Fast in the breeze and a great boat for getting to grips with a kite. Also suitable for parent & child combination. The club has two Fevas.

Laser: Four Lasers with 3 rig sizes are great to support the progress of juniors, youths and adults after beginner training. Lasers are popular boats with good racing and fleet support. More sail sizes and upgraded control lines are new for 2023.

SUPs: The club has a fleet of 10'6'' Sandbanks Style stand-up paddleboards available for hire. In a range of colours, these boards are stable and great for beginners learning how to paddle. Hiring a club board is convenient without the need to pump up your own board, and is a good alternative for a no-wind activity.

Kayaks: Seven single sit-on-top kayaks are available at the club. These boats are probably the easiest way to get onto the water, being easy to paddle, self-draining and safe, it's a great way to get afloat and to build water confidence without needing too much prior training.

Windsurf: The club has a basic range of non-planing windsurf kit, suitable for beginners starting out and to get some practice following our RYA Start Windsurfing course. A range of rig sizes accompany a selection of different boards to cater for different conditions.

Session Times & Hire Prices

Club equipment is available to hire during casual watersports sessions at reasonable prices to cover the maintenance costs. Hire charges are per 'session' or per 'day'. Weekend sessions are 10:00 to 13:30 and 13:30 to 17:00. Sessions on Wednesdays and Fridays are 16:00 to 20:00. A day is use of the equipment over the duration of 2 sessions. E.g. using a club dinghy for a Friday evening sailing clinic is a 'session'. Using a Laser for the duration of Sunday club racing is a 'day'.

Junior Dinghies: Tera, Optimist, Topper, Pico*, Feva, Laser 4.7*, Laser Radial*.

Adult Dinghies: Fusion, Pico*, Hartley 15, Wayfarer, Laser* (all types).

*Where boats can be both junior or adult classes, any member who would qualify for Junior membership pays the reduced rate.

During club opening times, assistance may be available should you need help locating the parts, and to make sure the boats are rigged properly. It is worth checking that someone is going to be available, to avoid disappointment.

Prerequisites: Sailing dinghies can be hired by anyone holding RYA Level 2 or Stage 3 (Stage 4 for the Fevas). People hiring Kayaks and SUPs should have a basic understanding of boat/board control, and most importantly how to self rescue and how to assist with rescuing a peer. These things are normally covered on our 'Intro to Kayak' and 'Intro to SUP' sessions. NB Equipment can only be hired in suitable weather conditions - this will depend on both the kit being hired and the experience/qualifications of the user.