International 14 - buyer's guide

Andy Loukes looks at what your money can get you in the leading skiff development class

Above: Bieker 3 (left) (GBR1445) and 2 (GBR1436) with high racks (right)

£5,500 - £7,500

This is where the 'rack' boats start to appear and where to look if you have experience in twin wire boats.

Paul Bieker designed in the Bieker 2 in 1996 and by 1998 the slab topsides and racks to trapeze from were appearing from other designers. Early Bieker 2s were built in the USA and are very light the earliest 2 with a UK sailnumber is GBR1374.

In this price range you will start to see 'bendy' rigs appear. The CST mast made the rig more controllable with fewer strings. Some boats can't even rake, relying on the cunningham and kicker to flatten the sail. A bendy mast also flattens the sail in gusts, easing the load on the helm. But bear in mind that the boat that was 5th at the 2002 Europeans had a stiff raking mast similar to the popular (before 1999) Willets mast.

A CST rig might add £1000 to the value of a boat. The UK builder, Specialized Marine, started making Bieker 2s with higher racks. This made it easier to heel the boat to windward and less likely to catch the crew's feet or the racks in waves.

Bieker 2s have sailnumbers up to GBR1431. A Bieker 2 with a CST rig won the 2000 Worlds and was third in 2001. It is also worth noting that £1000 spent with a boat builder or a bit of fairing and painting yourself can make a £5500 boat look as good as new.

Below: B2 with low racks (GBR1415)