Daysailerr

The idea behind the new boat was a dinghy that could combine performance with a greater weight-carrying capacity than Performance's The Byte. We are talking serious weight here. In fact, at 225 pounds, I am at exactly the target crew weight for this design. The result is a big singlehanded dinghy with a 14-foot, 3-inch LOA and 5 foot, 2 inches of beam. These proportions give the MegaByte stability and, more importantly, the sail-carrying power to allow it to be muscled up in the sail-area department. The displacement of the MegaByte also means you can have friends with you on this dinghy.

The bigger hull (bigger than a Laser's) allows the MegaByte to have a real cockpit with an average depth of 15 inches. The sides of the cockpit well bond to the bottom of the boat, so there is no cockpit sole per se. Side decks are broad and chamfered on the edges and identical to those on the Tasar dinghy. In fact, the entire deck is identical to that of the Tasar. This is a comfortable cockpit and much easier on the knees than the shallow well of a Laser. You will also stay drier on this boat due to the increase in freeboard. Dinghy bailers will keep the cockpit from filling up.

The mast is carbon fiber and the sail is Mylar. There is 20 more square feet to this sail than on a Laser, but hull weights are listed as identical. Upwind in flat water the Laser can give the MegaByte a run for its money, but once you turn the corner, the extra length of the Byte works to make it faster off the wind. A unique bungy cord in the luff of the Mylar sail allows for good sail draft control. This allows a sail with generous luff roach to match the bendy stick. There is also a traveler. Both the daggerboard and the dagger rudder are built from aluminum extrusions.

The size of this dinghy makes it suitable for family daysailing. As a training boat it has the advantage of allowing both student and instructor aboard at the same time. The boat is fitted with an additional set of hiking straps forward for the crew. I've taught people to sail by putting them into my El Toro and shoving them out and calling out instructions from the beach, but it's much nicer and far more elegant to be able to take those first few rides together so the student can build confidence.

Performance Sailcraft just launched its 150th MegaByte. It has also signed on an additional hull and deck builder (the boats are finished at the Performance Sailcraft plant). This is becoming a popular dinghy.

This is definitely the type of dinghy that can slap you around a bit if you are not diligent with your weight distribution and your sail trim. But that's one of the best ways to learn. A little swim now and then can reinforce good sailing habits. Personally I'm beyond the days when I enjoyed a dunking. In Puget Sound the 49-degree water tends to be a bit too bracing for my attitude, and I'm starting to look really weird in a wet suit. Of course, you can always start out in the light stuff and slowly graduate to planing across the bay in total control.