Laser Pico

The Pico is a sailing-school favorite because it is so flexible: one or two children can sail it, or a single adult, and it has a small jib that teaches crewing and sail trim even though it adds little speed. Designed by Jo Richards in the mid-1990s, the 3.5 m hull uses a tough thermoplastic sandwich with built-in buoyancy, which is why ex-school boats survive years of bumps and still sell. It is designed mainly for training and day sailing rather than racing, so if racing matters to you, check whether a club nearby runs a Pico fleet. After LaserPerformance stopped supplying it in 2022, the RS Marine Group took it on under its Ocean Play brand, which keeps new parts available for second-hand owners.