With all the talk of the Opti-killer, etc.. It would be fun to learn from everyone "What was the first boat you learned to sail on, and at what age?"

And/or as a follow-up "What was the first sailboat you actually owned?"

For me, I learned to sail on a wooden Sailfish (flat deck version of a Sunfish) that our family built in the basement from a kit, when I was about six.

The first sailboat I bought was an Interlake, 18' monohull day-racer.

That's creepy - that's exactly what happened in my family. Dad built the Sailfish in the basement, but I was only about 4 years old. Later additions were a Flying Junior and a Hobie 16.

First boat I owned myself was a Sunfish I bought with my own money at 16 (new, it was $658). I inherited the H-16 at 23.

First sailed on a Sunfish with my Dad around age 5 or so. Got in a little big-boat monohull cruising in high school. Began racing Hobie 16s right after college. First boat purchased was a Mystere 4.3 from Mike Fahle in 2001 or so. I'm only on my second beach cat.

I think the first sailboat I was on was a Melges X Boat at summer camp. I don't know for sure, all I have is foggy memories from when I was nine and it looks about right from what I remember. The first boat I owned was a Sunfish, then a 85' H16, 06' H16, 83' H14, 04' FXone. All this in less than five years.

First thing I sailed was a windsurfer after the sailing school said I was too young at 9; came back the next year with a short board and showed them how to do it!

Then did some squad stuff in Toppers, 420's / Larks and the like and also crewed on a Dart 18; then helmed for my dad on a Dart 18 and then bought the boat off Dad.

First boat I really bought was a Hurricane 5.9.

I was 26 or so, when I learnt sailing on an "Ixylon" (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixylon). It is a strange boat, buildt in the former "German Democratic Republic", the communist eastern part of Germany. In this time it was forbidden to sail on the sea, because it could be used to escape. However I learnt on it after the end of the cold war in Bulgaria on the the black sea.
First boat I owned was a Dart 18. Today I sold it...

I seem to be coming at this from the other end of the scale: my first experience of sailing was on a Hobie Wave on the last day of a Carribean holiday aged 41 (no, not 14). Based on that experience, I bought a Dart 16, Dart 18, Nacra 6.0, and Spitfire in rapid succession over three and a half years. Sailed the Spitfire for three seasons, and now have a Shadow. I wish I'd started a lot earlier!

Hobie 14 (presumably, I was only 12 back in 1982, in NZ... ) was the first sailing boat I ever sailed on. I remember my dad kept complaining about the awful tacking, but I was hooked from that moment on.

Later I learned to sail properly on a Bruynzeel "Valk", at around age 25.

First boat I ever bought was a Foacon Efsix (www.efsix.nl) type keel boat.

My first boat was a Hobie 16. Local radio station and Hobie Fleet was giving rides for the March of Dimes. For $10 you got a ride and a T-Shirt, money went to them. That was 1979, I bought the boat and have been hooked ever since. I went from C fleet to A fleet in a year and a half on that boat!! So John, was the 4.3 a good trainer for the new boats? Still want to get a Blade.

Doug

ditto here, went from zero to Hobie 16 <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Hmmmm.... let me think.

First boat I EVER sailed on?? Not a clue, I was WAY too young to remember that. Dad is a boat dealer and we grew up with all kinds of "toys". I know the fist boat I sailed by myself was a foam "snark" I think at ~10. I got a sunfish at 11, started racing on a Soverel 33 at 13, got a Star at 16. Somewhere in there we had a H16 and I bought a P-18-2 in college. I've sailed/owned more boats than I could even even try to list. Last two were H20 and N6.0.

I'm currently boatless for the first time since 11 (except for my 32" RC) and am trying to figure out what to put in that slot. I20 or..... "other" <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I sailed on a freinds Nacra 5.8 as crew, next week I bought a TheMightyHobie18. I had never sailed before. Still learning how to sail.

E-Scow

then H16

Owned a Kiwi 24

11' styrofoam Sea Snark when I was 16 yrs old. Think "unsinkable floating bathtub with sail" and you'll have the right picture. Mine came with a Kool cigarette sail (used), but I loved it so much that I bought a new sunburst sail. It's scary now how far out in the Gulf of Mexico I went in that thing!! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Learned how to sail on a sunfish at a church camp on Lake Webster outside of Fort Wayne, Indiana on a Monday in late July of '72. I had just turned 14. 4 years later the camp director and I cut lunches all week to have our own regatta.

Just bought my first; a Hobie 18 magnum last November. Rev Bob Dexter: come to FL and lets go sailing!!!

was given a soft and blown out 78 hobie 14 in trade for some work on a friends house... first time i ever sailed by my self... 3 time on the water i was racing at a regatta,,, didn't even get across the starting line..... lol... have had a super cat 17 twice, anouther hobie 14 and a supercat 19... ohh and bought my dad a sunfish for his lake behind the house...

I was on a small beach in Nevada City Ca. At Scotts Flat Lake...When here came a guy "Flying a hull" it was a old blue H-16. He stopped at our beach and asked if I had a cigarette..gave him one, took a ride,fell in love with it, and a week later I owned that boat ! yes I paid far too much for it but never regreted doing it ! That was 30 years ago..a lot of boats, wonderful memories, great mates,and money...only wish I knew where he was so I could thank him.

A Scorpian was my first other then a 26" mono that I do not know what is was. Then to a 14' Mcgregor Cat with aluminum rudders. What as dog in the water. Not wanting anymore dogs, I built a Tornado. Interesting progression, steep learning curve.

First sailing experience 1976 week long vacation on Mission Bay with family, guys next door from Phoenix brought there H16 I spent several hours on that boat with them. Got back to NM and somehow, never really thought much about it until about 7 years ago, My wife and I took a weekend trip back to Mission Bay (stayed at the Dana Inn) rented a 12' something or another and scarred the crap out of her. 2 years later took the entire family back to MB (GOD I love that place) and rented a condo for the week. rented a P19 ended up flipping it on the far north end of the bay. Lost all kinds of goodies to the bottom of the bay. Thanks to the guys on the black H16 with a shark mouth graphic either on the main or on the hulls for your help getting it back up right and making sure my daughter was ok!!!

First boat I bought 2 years ago, 71 or 72 H16. and am now waiting on a possible h17 as well, should know about it next week.

Building Sailfish may be a common thread here...

My parents had one of the first fiberglass Bullseyes (Hereshoff 12 1/2 knockoff) made by Cape Cod Shipbuilding - molded in ribs, cotton spinnaker. Great sailing boat for the Narragansett Bay. At 13 I built my own Sailfish knock-off - still have it, a little refurb project in the waiting. By then my Dad had gotten a Northstar 500 25 keelboat, learned a lot on that too. My Dad was real interested in multis, but my first cat was a hobie-14 I bought used after college. I didn't start any kind of racing until later when I got involved in the Galesville fleet with my Hobie-18 Magnum.