People are probably sick of me promoting Optis, but I still think it is the best possible boat for young kids to learn in. There are many reasons why it is the best choice.

1. They are everywhere. Most yacht clubs use them for their junior sailing programs.
2. The kids can learn best in an environment with a bunch of other kids instead of having adults involved.
3. MOST IMPORTANT is that an 8-year-old can sail an Optimist Dinghy by himself or herself, which gives them a feeling of power and control.
4. It is much easier to learn on a monohull than on a multihull, because a monohull gives you instant feedback (like heeling in a little puff of wind).
5. A monohull usually gives you better feel of the helm.
6. Optimist regattas are the largest in the world in the terms of boats that attend.
7. Because of the type of sail plan, Optis can go out in bigger winds and seas than most of us would venture out in on our "adult" boats, and this adds to the kids' confidence (while it scares the parents).
8. Many of the best sailors in the world, both monohull and multihull, started out in Optimists or Sabots or similar. This includes Randy Smyth and Hobie Alter Jr.
9. If your child starts out on an Optimist Dinghy, after they learn how to sail and how to control a boat in a variety of conditions, that child will be much more likely to be impressed by a multihull that goes faster. It will give them something to aspire to when they get a little older and start getting bored with the Opti.
10. It's too bad Optis are too small for most adults to learn to sail in them. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Reason for NOT getting your child into Optis: If your child likes racing, you are going to have to give up your own racing for maybe years to take your child to Opti regattas. Most catamaran sailors are not willing to make that sacrifice. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Personally, I cannot think of any reason to NOT start a child in an Optimist -- well, unless the parent is so prejudiced against monohulls that he/she cannot be properly supportive to, primarily, get the kid interested in sailing with a group of their peers, and secondarily and later, to get the kid (and maybe his peers, as well) interested in switching to a catamaran.

Well, anyway, that's what I would do for my grandchildren, if they lived near a yacht club with a junior sailing program.