We kept our Flicka on a can for a couple seasons, and used a W.B. 8' to get to her . . . Nice little rowboat, but the oarlocks would pop out too easily, and the boat flexes a bit with a couple people in it, which is a little nerve-wracking to those who don't want to get wet . . . One of my Flicka partners preferred to use his Mad River canoe to get to the sailboat . . . We still have the W.B., but I think the Flicka's going in a slip this Spring, and don't know what we'll do with the dink . . . Walker Bay makes a 10' version now, right? I think the 10-footer would've been preferable for us, but the 8-footer's price was right . . . Per Gordon, I'd rather have the Monty 8' . . . ----- Original Message ----- From: <IDCLLC@aol.com> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 5:02 PM Subject: Sportyak A Walker Bay Eight was our first sailboat. Like most 8' dinghys, it could row 1-3 tolerably well, and tracked reasonably well, but it was so short going over 3 mph was lots of work! Sailing singlehanded wasn't real comfortable, but it could be fun in for short periods. The daggerboard was high aspect and thus stalled at low speeds. With plenty of wind, it would make 5 mph on a reach, and I never dumped her. She was a very cute little boat, but limited because of her size. She weighed 70 lbs and was awkward to carry any distance for one person. A couple of her clever features were a tiny plastic wheel in the skeg at the transom, allowing her to be rolled wheel barrow style on smooth surfaces, and a hollow skeg that made a good bilge, keeping one's butt dry. A sponge mopped her out easily. She made an excellent water toy. The kid's favorie games were "king of the boat" and "capsize"! Steve Tyree, P-15 In a message dated 3/22/2004 12:40:52 PM Central Standard Time, gordonallgrove@mindspring.com writes: Scott, Before you resort to/invest in a Walker Bay Dinghy, you might want to be on the lookout for a Monty 8. The used ones often sell for a very reasonable price (like ours did), sail kit and all. Gordon