portable dinghy: reverso air

there is a new(-ish) small dinghy on the market, with certainly a new twist – the sailboat hull is ultra-portable with the hull sections actually coming completely apart into 4 main pieces, so that the entire boat, sail, mast, and all rigging components can fit into the back of a car.

photo via Reverso website

the reverso air is built in France, so getting one the USA might be difficult/costly unless there is a local dealer, but if you are looking for a performance sailboat that can be easily transported and stored away in a corner closet, this may be the boat for you.

here is a neat little video showing how the 4 hull sections connect together, and how quickly you can set the entire boat up and have it ready to sail in less than 2 minutes.

back in 2018, Sail-World called it “the boat of the future“:

The four nested modules are assembled and locked rigidly together in a few moments to become a very modern, sporty performance dinghy. In all, it takes less than three minutes – without tools – to turn these parts into an elegant dinghy. It is responsive and fun and is easily a match for some of the latest dinghies from the big builders and uses some of the latest offshore design technology.

for simplicity of setup and rigging, it probably can’t be beat. I’d be curious how the hull joints will hold up to long-term use – it’d be killer trying to reconnect those pieces if the hull joints separated while out in deep water.

for now, I’ll probably just still my good ol’ Sunfish. simple and easy to use, reliable, and it is easy to find used Sunfish on craigslist, FB marketplace, or similar.

you can see more pictures and video at the Reverso instagram.

a Sunfish upgrade?

a random photo sent from my mom, with Dad standing next to a beautiful little sailboat, with just the following text:

Dad is negotiating…..

she’s likely just pulling my leg, but I suppose it’s never too late for Opa to start sailing!

the joy of tiny sailboats

an interesting video about malay jongs – tiny little sailboats.

For centuries the Malays in South East Asia have been racing jongs, or miniature wooden sailing boats. The sport has been dying out in recent years, but volunteers are determined to keep their tradition alive.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/embed/p06tlgdq/46423181

(I can’t the video to embed here… click the link above to see the video)

h/t: BBC article

peanut sailboat

I saw this neat little sailboat for sale on Craigslist the other day.

here is a bit more history on the Peanut sailboat.