Club Boats
The club has a fleet of boats which are available for members to use at the club. These include boats suitable for younger members such as Optimist and RS Tera dinghies, for Youth members such as Topper, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial, Fusion and RS Feva and for adult members Laser full rig, Fusion, Vision, Comet etc. The Fusion dinghies can also be sailed by two people by adding a jib sail which makes this boat suitable for parents sailing with younger children. This provides a chance for you to try out different craft before you make a purchase of your own boat.
Club boats can only be hired by members for personal leisure use, or to join in with club racing or Kickstarter when the safety boat is operating and there is a committee key holder on site. Typically this is most Wednesday afternoons/evenings in the summer, some Saturdays and most Sundays .
The sailor using the boat must have RYA Junior Stage 2 / Adult Level 2 or equivalent skills to use the club boats outside of a training course or improver session.
Club boats are not allowed out in conditions with a wind speed in excess of 20mph without express prior permission from an Officer of the Club or a member of the Training & Coaching team. This is to minimise the risk of equipment damage or sailor injury. If you book for a day which turns out to be too windy, or no wind, for you to go out we will transfer the hire to an alternative date. Club boats are not for use by visitors and non-members unless the boat is being used by a member to share their sport with a guest or potential member.
The member booking the boat is responsible for it during use and must ensure that it is correctly rigged and de-rigged and put away, and all equipment is replaced in the correct storage area. After use the cover must be tied on properly and the boat tied down in the berth. If any equipment is broken or requires repair the member booking the boat is responsible for contacting the bosun, either in person or via the whiteboard on the training container door to advise of the repair needed.
The member booking the boat must ensure that sails are correctly furled when the boat is moored at the jetty so the sails do not flog (sails rolled round the mast or dropped). Sails flogging for an extended period dramatically reduces their lifespan.
All boats are to be booked online, there is no facility for cash payment at the club. If you decide to take a club boat for a spin when you are at the club without pre-booking, this is absolutely fine and can be booked on the day, please be honest and pay for it when you get home. Bookings are available via the RSC website and there is usually no cut off time. Committee will act to ensure club boats are paid for as they are a valuable club resource and the boat use fees go towards their maintenance costs.
If you wish to use a club boat to participate in a club racing series please contact the club by email (coaching@ripon-sc.org) to make arrangements as the club will charge a lower hire rate to encourage participation in club racing. The same helm needs to race the boat throughout the series to qualify for this discretionary fee.
Club buoyancy aids are included in the hire fee for members if required. Non-sailing guests are politely requested to make a small donation to club funds for buoayancy aid use, this goes towards maintaining the buoyancy aids. Buoyancy aids should be returned to the rack after use, they are hanging up in size order. Club policy is that buoyancy aids are available for all RYA Training Courses and for Improver sessions until the participant obtains RYA Stage 2 or RYA Level 2, at this point the club expects members to purchase their own buoyancy aid as they feel the member has made the decision to continue to sail and should start to invest in their own protective equipment.
Boat type or class | No. of boats | Cost per session | Qualifications/Experience required and limits on hire (outside of organised Training & Coaching Sessions) |
Optimist | 6 | £15 | A minimum of RYA Junior Stage 2, under 16's only |
RS Tera | 6 | £15 | A minimum of RYA Junior Stage 2, under 16's only |
Topper | 6 | £15 | A minimum of RYA Junior Stage 2 or Adult Level 2 |
Fusion (incl jib) | 6 | £20 | A minimum of RYA Adult Level 2 or RYA Junior Stage 3. |
Laser Full/Radial/4.7 | 4 | £20 | A minimum of RYA Adult Level 2 or RYA Junior Stage 3. |
Inspired Laser | 1 | £20 | Priority to Youths who may pre-book for a series. Others under supervision of training team or committee member only. A minimum of RYA Level 2 or RYA Junior Stage 3. If the sailor is under 14 years of age, permission must be sought from the Y&J Sailing Secretary or a member of the Training & Coaching team prior to use. The use of this boat is prioritised towards the Youth sailors who are moving into the Laser class. If you wish to arrange use of this boat for an extended period (usually while you search for a decent boat to purchase), please speak to the Y&J Sailing Secretary. |
RS Feva (incl spinnaker) | 1 | £20 | A minimum of RYA Level 2 or RYA Junior Stage 3. |
Comet Trio (incl spinnaker) | 1 | £25 | A minimum of RYA Level 2. An adult must be in this boat at all times, unless express permission has been given by an Officer of the Club or a member of the Training & Coaching Team. |
RS Vision (incl spinnaker) | 2 | £25 | A minimum of RYA Level 2. An adult must be in this boat at all times, unless express permission has been given by an Officer of the Club or a member of the Training & Coaching Team. |
*A session is normally a half day, which typically is considered to be 0900 -1300 or 1300 - 1700.
We need to invest in our club fleet so that it is well maintained, offers good value and provides a safe and fun introduction to sailing for our novice members. We also need to ensure we have funds saved to replace the boats at suitable intervals. We purchased new Fusion dinghies in 2019 and 6 new SailCube Oppies in 2022. In 2024 we have purchased a 3 further Lasers. These were funded from club boat hire fees supplemented by a capital investment from the club funds. We also hope that members will move on to own their own craft once they have gained sufficient experience and the club fleet allows time for members to investigate which type of dinghy will suit them best.
Due to the amount of work involved we do not refund cancellations made within 7 days of the date of the booking and accept your donation to club funds gratefully, alternatively we will consider moving your booking to an alternative date if you contact us. .
Last updated 13:42 on 16 April 2024