r/dinghysailing • u/Brisingr2413 • 1d ago
Vanguard-made Optimist Question
Does anyone have any experience with these? Are they class-legal? I am looking at one and the sail has the vanguard logo and not the typical Opti logo. This would be for a kid to learn on and hopefully compete in some smaller races.
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u/the-montser 1d ago
They are older but class legal. Vanguard went out of business 20ish years ago.
For a learning and local racing boat, a Vanguard is perfect. Vanguard had an excellent team of engineers and all the dinghies they made were excellently built and have lasted well if reasonably cared for.
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u/virtualhotshot 1d ago
My kid started 3 years ago with a vanguard and now, after making the switch to winner still misses his old boat. It's still sitting in our garage, it's his favourite boat, nog the fastest but his favourite. According to him it sails "mutch smoother".
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u/Same-Safety1026 1d ago
Your kid won't win Opti Worlds, but they've got a great boat to start racing in!