Single handed Otter

Discussion forum for the Otter class of sailing dinghy

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ss007
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:27 am

Single handed Otter

Post by ss007 »

I have been looking for a smaller boat as my sons are too busy to sail my Wayfarer with me. I have been considering buying an Otter as they look quite stable but I wondered how easy they are to sail single handed for instance in the Solent? Steve

justin
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 4:43 pm

Re: Single handed Otter

Post by justin »

In most conditions, the Otter is a great boat single handed. First, it is light enough for one person (of average strength/fitness) to launch and recover. Secondly, the reefable mainsail allows you to reduce canvass if necessary (although doing this alone, and at sea is not entirely simple - it is much easier to reef the sail before setting out). The boat handles very well when reefed, and can tackle quite serious weather.

There are a couple of very minor drawbacks... first, you need to sit quite far forward in the boat when single handed. The extension tiller is really necessary, and could do with being a little longer (especially when the wind is strong enough for you to want to hike-out). Also, I have found that the boat is not nicely balanced without the jib, so in stronger winds, one faces the dilemma of having either too much sail, or being poorly balanced. Generally the lesser of the two evils is to keep the jib up, and reef the main as much as possible. Finally, the otter anyway has quite a lot of freeboard, which is not helping upwind performance in strong winds. When you are alone, this is more noticeable (I guess since the boat rides higher in the water, and is lighter). (n.b. I am talking about the more modern bermudan rigged otter... maybe some of these comments don't apply to the gaff.)

Overall, I would say that the Otter is a great boat for a single-hander. In light winds, it is a clear advantage to be one-man, in average winds, you can quite easily make it plane, however in stronger winds you need to be a bit more careful and you begin to wish for a crew!

ss007
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:27 am

Re: Single handed Otter

Post by ss007 »

Justin

Thanks for your help with this I will be having my first sail over the weekend and your tips will be useful. Cheers Steven

wingsx2
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 8:53 am

Re: Single handed Otter

Post by wingsx2 »

I, too, plan to sail the Otter single-handed (most of the time). For me this will be a step-up from a Mirror (which I have cruised and occasionally raced single-handed for some years). I note that there is another member who sails on the River Exe and that's where I'm based. I have not yet acquired an Otter, but the know-how shared by members of this Sailsite topic is already proving helpful reading! Thanks.

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