Would my 13 year old boy weighing 60kg be able to control a dart 16 single handed

Depends on the wind. Righting would probably need a bag. I'd test this specifically to to be sure. Its one thing to be able to handle the sheets under normal circumstances. Its the abnormal circumstances that kill.

16 foot cats are a handful for two adults at times, and very difficult for two young kids. Except for the lightest of breezes, I think you're asking for trouble.

Get him a Wave, and tie a handheld VHF to his PFD, and show him how to use it.

Mike

I would say yes, a 13 year old boy can manage a Dart16.

Ofcourse assuming that he's not sailing on the sea and in moderate winds.
Give him a good fixed lifevest with a collar (not the one that blowup). And a cell telephone in a watertightbag.

And practice with him righting the cat until he can dream it.

You've probably heard of the Dutch girl which sailed solo around the world in here 16th year. She sailed already alone across the North Sea to England at 14!

Agreed

16 foot is going to scare the daylights out of him WHEN it goes wrong & it will go wrong at some stage, You'll end up with a son that hates sailing and is terrified of it aswell, so buy him a 16footer by all means if that's what your attempting to achieve

As you've asked this very same question on other forums and had a vast field of answers, they have all mostly been along the same vein..... 14foot is probably still a large boat for a 13yearold and a 12 footer is probably just right, it will then depend on your sons skills level, strength, & mental fortitude as to what to get size wise that's the right boat for HIM....






I'm leading my 12footer (sail# 3)out for a sail... I was 13 years of age and the oldest 'kid' in this pic was 15
My dad sailed a 16footer at this time and there's no way in hell he'd have even thought I'd be able to take his boat out....



EDIT: photo circa 1973

I would say not just that.. The unexpected is what seems to kill most.. So try to anticipate any/every item that could go wrong (weather, equipment, people, etc) and practice solutions (MOB, dismasting, turtle, bad tide/current, injury, etc)

I recall not being allowed to singlehand my family sunfish until I could successfully right it, raise & lower sail on water, retrieve a lost centerboard, and sail without a rudder. I think I was around that age (12-14 years).

Not enough specifics provided in the original question... where are you sailing? How much prior experience does your son have? How big is he?

I was younger than that the first time I solo sailed our family's Hobie 18, but that was on a lake in a 5mph breeze. Within a few years, my buddy and I were racing the boat ourselves. So, yes it can be done.

Would I recommend that for every kid - no way. Frankly, if dad doesn't have enough experience with the boat himself or a high enough level of confidence in his son's ability that he needs to ask the question on a forum, then the answer is probably NO.

sm

Or dad is seeking for armouring his arguments with his obstinate and self confident son.

Who knows he can do it and we are about to lose the future world top catsailer!!!!!!!

Yea, get haim a Wave, and totally turn him off to catsailing on these slow/bathtub boats! Get real, and don't let him go out when it's blowing 'dogs off chains'

Your logic makes absolutely no sense. Do Optis turn kids off of sailing monohulls? We're talking about a training boat for a solo 13-year old, here. When he gets good on the Wave, and finds a good crew, then move him up to something faster. Don't jump right to the fast boat and scare him off sailing when he gets in trouble (as others have mentioned).

Waves are fun for adults too, as others here will attest. Faster than monohulls too.

Mike

Mike,

Will this kid have to move the boat around by himself? If so, small and light would be the key words...

Waves certainly aren't the lightest boats to manhandle on the beach, I'll give you that!

Not a lot of light cat options for kids, are there?

The Wave target market does include kids, maybe not solo.

Mike

With the limited information provided, NONE of us can give you a reliable answer. Cold water and a gust front from an unexpected thunderstorm could kill the best of us! Hands on instructions from a knowledgable sailor is your best bet.