Where to buy dinghy in Tampa

[tampabay]

Hi! I'm new to sailing and I've been looking for a dinghy to start learning in Tampa Bay.
It's been incredible hard though to find used or new dinghies.
I've looked online and I've looked for dealers but I can't seem to find anything consistent.
I used craigslist and boattraders but the results are very slim.
From online search I'm interested in the laserperformance dinghies like Bahia and small Catalinas also.
Is there somewhere to go and look at them like a car dealer where they have a showroom?
I find it weird that they have places with a ton of RV on display ranging from $20K to $1M but I can't find anything remotely close to it when it comes to sailboats (or dinghies) that are much cheaper and living in the Tampa Bay area.

Any advice where to look?

Thank you!

[Shrew]

Are you looking for a dinghy or a small sailboat?? When I think of a Dinghy, I think of an inflatable (e.g. Zodiac). Are you looking for a small sailing dinghy, like a Walker Bay?

I would go to any of the online boat sites (yachtworld.com, boats.com, etc) and narrow the search for used sailboats under 15 - 20 ft. That might return what you're looking for.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, tampabay.

[tampabay]

Hi Shrew,

I'm looking for something like:

Hunter 18 - 2015 Marlow Hunter 18, Factory Order Florida - boats.com

Laser Bahia - Laser Bahia - LaserPerformance

Catalina 14 - 2008 Catalina 14.2, St. Petersburg Florida - boats.com (this look like a nice option)


The book I'm reading refers to them as "all purpose dinghies" Or centerboard sailboats.
I have been a crew member for a boat in the Davis Island Yacht Club twice and I liked it. I had no Idea of what I was really doing but I had fun.
They have a ~2 hour race every Thursday.

So I started looking into it, looked up the classes, bought the book and wanted to know my options around here to buy a centerboard sailboat.
I don't want o have a cabin or engine for my fist boat and I want something easy to trail and rig.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by tampabay

Hi! I'm new to sailing and I've been looking for a dinghy to start learning in Tampa Bay.
It's been incredible hard though to find used or new dinghies.
I've looked online and I've looked for dealers but I can't seem to find anything consistent.
I used craigslist and boattraders but the results are very slim.
From online search I'm interested in the laserperformance dinghies like Bahia and small Catalinas also.
Is there somewhere to go and look at them like a car dealer where they have a showroom?
I find it weird that they have places with a ton of RV on display ranging from $20K to $1M but I can't find anything remotely close to it when it comes to sailboats (or dinghies) that are much cheaper and living in the Tampa Bay area.

Any advice where to look?

Thank you!

You might want to check on the Southwinds Magazine classified ads. You might also want to go by and check the bulletin boards at Davis Island Yacht Club and/or the Sarasota Sailing Squadron as both seem to have sailing dinghy's being offered for sale quite often.

Frankly, if you're just starting learning, it might be wise to sign up for classes at something like the St. Pete Sailing Center before diving into buying a boat, no?

[Tortuga's Lie]

FWIW,
you're not likely to find much on Yachtworld in that size range since YW is a broker-listing site and brokers won't mess with small boats like that, typically.
What I would suggest is that if you can't find anything on Craig's List or Ebay Motors, is to kick around marinas that have a lot of dinghies/daysailors in storage, usually in racks, or in the yard somewhere, and ask around. You will be surprised at how many could be had for a reasonable price.

[tampabay]

Thanks for the replies!

Yes, I'm planning on taking classes first, before buying anything.
I wanted to have an idea of what is available, prices, and see some options up close. This is when I started looking for dealers and ads and it surprised me how little I found. I was thinking there would be a lot of stuff for sale from people who started on a small sailboats and wanted to move up to bigger vessels.

I will look up the classified and hopefully get some tips once I attend the ASA classes

[Colin A]

Craigs list or Ebay tend to be best for small sailboats like that. Also ask around the club people are always moving around to different boats in clubs.

[DDabs]

Clearwater has a community sailing center, may want to check that out.

[tampabay]

Wow, just checked this community center and it seems like the perfect place to rent a sailboat to start practicing!

[SFS]

I showed up at a Davis Island YC race one Thursday (after calling first) and crewing on a smallish boat. Nice group of people. I second the motion that you check with them - it's not uncommon for boats to be for sale in a club.

Also, Boca Ciega Yacht Club in Gulfport (south of St. Pete) has a spring and a fall Adult Sailing School. The fall version should be coming up soon. Great place to learn to sail, relatively inexpensive class (don't remember the amount), and it comes with a 3 month provisional membership in the club. They teach in a fleet of 6 Catalina Capri 16.5's.

[tampabay]

Hey DDabs - I signed up for classes with the clearwater community center.
Thanks for the tip.

[DDabs]

Good deal man! If you are ever over in St. Petersburg, the municipal marina has some smaller sailboats available for classes as well I'm pretty sure. USF also rents out their fleet if you join their program.

[Bleemus]

Craigslist. Search for sailboat instead of dinghy.