School dinghies
The RS School range offers boats designed for teaching, training and recreational sailing. Tough, safe and easy to handle, the RS Zest, RS Quest, RS Toura, RS 2000 and RS Venture cover every stage of learning, from first steps to improving skills and group sailing.
RS Zest
At Proasail.com we recommend the RS Zest to sailing schools and families looking for a sailing dinghy that works both for learning to sail and for progressing further. Successor to the RS Quba and designed by Jo Richards with RS Sailing, this compact boat offers a roomier cockpit than boats of its size from earlier generations: two crew sail in comfort and, even so, the boat remains manageable enough to go out single-handed. Instructors will find practical solutions already built into the design: the pivoting centreboard, the rudder stock with Lift & Lock system, the mainsail that reefs by rolling around the mast and the centre thwart where the beginner crew sits securely. The hull is built in Comptec PE3 rotomoulded polyethylene, a three-layer construction that stands up to the daily use of a sailing school with minimal maintenance. If you are after a first boat that is stable, simple to rig and fun to sail, the RS Zest brings those three qualities together in a hull built to last.
RS Quest
At Proasail.com we suggest the RS Quest to sailing schools and families that need a sailing dinghy with room to spare: an instructor can go afloat with two or three students, and parents can go sailing with their children. At 4.29 m long, it remains easy to handle both ashore and afloat. It is the work of Jo Richards and RS Sailing, and its origins lie in the needs of the UK Sea Cadets; today no other dinghy of its type sells in such numbers worldwide. Why do we recommend it? Because the school gets, in a single beginner boat, a rotomoulded polyethylene hull that hardly needs any maintenance and a stable, spacious platform. Add to that a reefable mainsail, the option of adding a spinnaker and space to stow the gear.
RS Toura
Between the RS Quest and the RS Venture in the RS range there is a gap, and the RS Toura fills it: a 4.63 m sailing dinghy that takes up to 7 crew. At Proasail.com we recommend it to sailing schools and families who want the freedom to go sailing without worrying about the hull: it is rotomoulded polyethylene and built to last. Designed by RS Sailing and Jo Richards, it pairs a very roomy interior with the stability that lets the crew explore coastal waters with peace of mind.The lines are modern and the controls well thought out, so the boat responds nimbly and is rewarding to sail. And because the hull is PE3 polyethylene, the maintenance burden that causes headaches on other boats comes down to very little. From there, each school or family configures it to suit: reefing mainsail, gennaker, outboard bracket and the rest of the options in the catalogue, for beginner and training courses as much as for leisure sailing. With the RS Toura, the adventure is whatever you want to make of it.
RS 2000
When a club or sailing school wants a two-person dinghy to make the leap from training to racing, at Proasail.com we point to the RS 2000. Born as the Laser 2000 and designed by Phil Morrison, it is today a well-established class: active racing fleets, an open-meeting circuit and championships supported by a very lively Class Association. This sailing dinghy incorporates features from the modern high-performance two-handers, such as the gennaker and the self-draining cockpit. And yet it handles with a simplicity that gives confidence to anyone still learning, while still offering lively sailing. It is no accident that the sailing programmes of the British Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force have adopted it as their training boat: it is the natural progression from learning to sail to advanced racing techniques, in sailing schools and clubs alike. Since 2013 the RS 2000 has been built by RS Sailing. On taking over as builder, the brand introduced new moulds and tooling and added improvements with one clear aim: to lay the ground for the class to keep growing.
RS Venture
At Proasail.com we recommend the RS Venture to sailing schools, families and training programmes that need a big, very stable sailing dinghy with international awards to its name. It was designed by Phil Morrison and RS Sailing. It is 4.9 m long and its self-draining cockpit takes up to 8 crew. It accepts a gennaker and an outboard, so it serves just as well for beginners as for training or day trips.And how does a boat this size sail? Nimbly and with notable performance: every outing has its share of excitement, not just plenty of room. Then there is the options catalogue, which is what allows each club or family to tailor the RS Venture to its needs. Two versions: the S has a standard centreboard and the SE a 60 kg weighted steel centreboard that adds even more stability. And for anyone who needs still more flexibility, the range includes a lifting-keel variant, the RS Venture Connect.Where to sail it? On an estuary, on a lake or on a coastal passage: the RS Venture is at home in any of those settings thanks to its stability, its stowage capacity and the space reserved for an outboard. You make the plan; the boat is ready.