Cruising craft
It is fair to say, not too many good cruising craft come up for sale, so you may need to be patient to find a good one.
It is absolutely vital to have good advice when buying a cruiser, there are some very poor craft out there, but you just couldn’t tell without some inside knowledge.
In contrast to old race craft, which are likely to be uncompetitive but workable, the dodgy cruiser could turn out to be an expensive liability that leaves you stranded on the mudflats miles from rescue!
F25/F35
This is a hybrid racer/cruiser, and might well be an ideal introduction to the sport. You can race it, or equally it is suitable for cruising use in protected waters. Generally quite small, F25 craft can be bought for quite reasonable prices.
This type of single seat (plus small child) craft may well be a good first craft, so long as you don’t want to carry passengers.
Challenger Homebuilt
A large number of these homebuilt craft come up for sale, often as neglected or unfinished projects. They can be bought for a few hundred pounds, but they are not really suited to cruising.
The challenger can be recognised by the flat (usually plywood) deck, small thrust duct and segmented skirt. They usually have a small 2 stroke motorbike engine, and have been built to plans that are easily available, such as the ‘Constructors Guide’.
Many people build these craft as projects and have a great time doing so, but the performance of the craft will be limited, the build quality may be variable, and it certainly is not a cruiser – it would be unsafe in all but the most protected waters. They may be raced in the HCGB series – this will be a lot of fun, but don’t expect to win!