I just bought an eastport pram to build with my 8 year old daughter. The boat will be for her to sail by herself. We don't have any local racing, so I figure the Eastport is a better choice than an Opti since it is substantially lighter and much more visually appealing.
One thing I wonder about is the wooden rig with 42 sqft of sail area and a relatively high boom. I assume a wood rig is heavier than an aluminum one. Since my daughter is pretty light, I was thinking about using the rig and sail off an Opti. Rationale is that there will be less weight aloft, less sail area, and a lower boom to reduce the tipping moment from the force on the sails.
Is my rationale sound? Has anybody tried this before? Any advice? I know it sounds crazy to build such a beautiful boat then stick an aluminum pole on it...