Sailing is often looked at as a hobby that is restricted to the richest individuals. After all, buying a sailboat is not exactly accessible, and once you have one, the financial upkeep is staggering. You have to house the boat, maintain it, keep it registered, and everything else.
However, that doesn’t mean only the rich get to sail.
There are kits called dinghy sailing kits that allow just about anybody willing to save for a little bit to own a very nice, if not small, vessel.
Curious? Here’s a bit of information about them.
What are Dinghy Sailing Kits?
Simply put, a dinghy sailing kit is a kit that comes with everything you need to build a small sailing vessel. Now, don’t get ahead of yourself. You won’t be building some massive boat with a cabin and the whole nine yards built-in. A dinghy is a very simple vessel that’s large enough for one or two people, and it’s sail-powered. However, you can use oars or a small motor to help get you where you’re wanting to go if the wind isn’t working in your favor.
These kits come with the complete boat, but you have to put the pieces together yourself. The dinghy you end up with will be no larger than a decent-sized canoe.
While some assembly is required, this is both a pro and a con. They’re not exactly difficult to put together, and they can be torn apart for easy storage. We’ll get into that more later on, though.
Why Should You Get a Dinghy Sailing Kit?
If you imagined yourself sailing on the finest vessel imaginable, a small, plastic dinghy might not seem all that appealing. However, there are several good reasons you should consider one.
We’re not just talking about their lower price, either. Check it out.
1: Beginner Friendly
Controlling a larger vessel is difficult, but even absolute novices can control a dinghy. They’re wind-powered. So, you don’t have to use a motor or any complicated technology to get them going. However, you can also use oars to give them a manual boost, or you can install a small boat motor on some models.
Either way, a dinghy is much easier for a beginner to use than a full-blown sailboat.
2: Easy Upkeep
All you really have to do is keep your dinghy clean and repair any damage that occurs, and you will have a boat.
You don’t need to worry about marina storage fees, complicated repairs, maintaining onboard technology, or anything like that. In some places, you don’t even have to register them unless you install a motor over a certain size.
3: Storage
As we said, with a normal sailboat, you have to pay to store it. A dinghy kit is meant to be easy to assemble and disassemble. If you have your own body of water, you can build it, leave it in the water until the cold season hits, and then disassemble it for easier storage in your garage. If you go to a public spot, you can disassemble it for the ride home each time.