Optimist (dinghy)

For children from about seven, nothing has a bigger network behind it. The Optimist is a 7 ft 9 in single-hander designed by Clarke Mills in 1947, and its class is for sailors up to age 15, so a child can start, race and grow up in the same boat, with a World Championship that draws more than 60 countries. The square, pram-shaped hull is slow and steady, which is the point: a nervous first-timer can steer, capsize and right it without drama. Because junior programs so often run Optimist fleets, used boats turn up regularly and sell on easily when a child outgrows one. Growing teenagers do outgrow it, so treat it as a starter rather than a forever boat.