Not sure its worth it

[Captaink73]

Some of the purest are gonna hate me for this, can't believe that I'm saying it myself. Have you looked into something like a Macgregor 26? A trailerable sailboat/motorboat hybrid. From what I understand they're a lot of fun on lakes, they just don't handle heavy seas very well.

[jrbogie]

been sailing sailing and winning races since i was thirteen and never paid a dime for lessons nor am i certified to sail anything or anywhere except whatever and wherever i want. just go sailing. good luck and have fun.

[Dave22q]

I urge you to start with a small/trailerable boat. Your costs will be dramatically lower and your choice of places to sail much greater. Years ago I learned on an old lightning (19') largely from books. That size boat is more forgiving and has lots of room. However, small cats are fun for the more adventurous who doesn't mind an occasional dunking. In looking at your choices think about how you want to sail: laid back or aggressive, pushing the envelope/wetting the rails. Also consider the set up and take down time and difficulty. Some trailer boats can be rigged in minutes others take a lot longer.
If you start small and cheap you can always upgrade once you decide what suites you best. You may learn that your greatest problem is finding the rime to sail more often.

[superdad88]

All great replies, I thank everyone for the input. I do have a10 year old daughter that would enjoy this also. The biggest lake around here is 390 acres. Would have to travel 2+ hours to find a 1800 acre lake. And with in 5 hour drive is a lake that's 35,700 acres. All easily done in a weekend. So I would be looking for a boat that I can trailer and easy to launch.

[boeing1]

yes go for it one of my first boats was a Catalina 22 that I sailed on a lake, it never got old.....

[jenders]

Superdad88: I see you are getting lots of encouragement. Let me add mine: From my own experience, the best way to learn to sail is to get on a small boat, and sail. You'll learn wind and current behaviors, how your boat behaves (or doesn't), and how to react to all sorts of events. Those who learn to sail on large boats, IMO, have less direct connection to the wind and the water. It's easy to work your way up. Just get out there and do it.

[Manos1955]

Sailing is all about the voyage and not the destination. Start watching YouTube for sailing technique
There is Maryland School of Sailing that offers very good training videos, start from there and go forward to read some books
When you are fit again take some lessons on your own boat
Enjoy

[Manos1955]

Originally Posted by superdad88

All great replies, I thank everyone for the input. I do have a10 year old daughter that would enjoy this also. The biggest lake around here is 390 acres. Would have to travel 2+ hours to find a 1800 acre lake. And with in 5 hour drive is a lake that's 35,700 acres. All easily done in a weekend. So I would be looking for a boat that I can trailer and easy to launch.

How far are you from Chicago and lake Michigan?

[Manos1955]

As for license, I recall a great debate back in the 80s when the Brits were voting if they will introduce licenses for private sailors

The main argument from people against licensing was:
If someone knows how to sail he needs no license
If someone does not know how to sail he/she will be too scared to go sailing anyway LOL

[jwing]

Originally Posted by superdad88

All great replies, I thank everyone for the input. I do have a10 year old daughter that would enjoy this also. The biggest lake around here is 390 acres. Would have to travel 2+ hours to find a 1800 acre lake. And with in 5 hour drive is a lake that's 35,700 acres. All easily done in a weekend. So I would be looking for a boat that I can trailer and easy to launch.

I was all set to jump on the "Heck yes, it's worth it" bandwagon until I read this. In my opinion, 390 acres is too small to be interesting unless there is a Sunfish or other dinghy racing fleet that you can join. 1800 acres is on the low end of big enough, but a 2+ hour drive each way is too far away.

But that's just me, and my motivations and pleasures are probably not the same as yours. I drive 40 minutes to where my 19' boat stays set up. The lake is larger than 4000 acres, but I'm satisfied to sail in the 3800 acres closest to the marina.

[superdad88]

Originally Posted by Manos1955

How far are you from Chicago and lake Michigan?

About 7 hours, I am in Omaha, NE

[cwyckham]

You really have nothing to lose. If you buy a day-sailor, then buy it used and you can sell it used next year if it isn't fun anymore.

Your 10 year old daughter is likely to see the lakes as bigger than you do and it will be a great way to get her outside and introduce her to new things. Can you "sail camp" on some of the lakes near you? You can sail up to a spot and camp on the shore?

If it's still fun, then you can plan a vacation on a bigger boat and do a cruise and learn with the family in the PNW or Caribbean, or somewhere fun like that.

If it is't still fun, then you can sell the boat and you'll always have some fond memories of that summer on the lake with your daughter.

[superdad88]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

Can you "sail camp" on some of the lakes near you? You can sail up to a spot and camp on the shore?
.

Yes all 3 lakes have sail camp and I believe all three have marinas.


A quick google search shows 4 sailing clubs. Mostly racing but lessons available. I have reached out to all three. And the best part from looking at their websites they are always looking for a crew member for racing. Looks like at least one of them is more of a laidback relax and cruise


I am really jazzed now!!!

[superdad88]

OK now I need to figure out what a snipe boat is? Anyone have any pics or brands? Looks like that's what 90% of the people around here use for racing and relaxing, probably because of the small lakes. LOL

[ztsf]

OK, you've gotten a lot of replies. May I offer an additional thought?

There's no better teacher than "experience", good or bad. No matter what the outcome of taking a lesson on a Catalina 22, you will come away with more more knowledge than you had when you started. It may be knowledge that improves your sailing, or simply knowledge of the Catalina 22, or both.

You may find, after sailing the 22 (which is great boat), that you like the "amenities" versus a 12' or 14' daysailor. The 22 is trailerable, so you are not committed to one lake or one marina, if that is your main concern.

However, I'd make one more suggestion. Go down to the marina in question, and start talking to some sailors about their boats and their experience. I ca't think of one sailor that doesn't like to talk about his/her boat! And, if you hit it off, you're likely to get offered a ride - and then you will get more "experience", and have another data point with which to make your decision.

I'd take the course if I were you. I'm self-taught for the most part, and can tell you that things like that will help you climb the learning curve much faster than trail and error.