Small Sailboats - Trailering

[sailstoo]

Having been there and done that with trailerable sailboats i found I sailed it less and less as I thought about putting that mast up and outboard on. With any kind of a stayed mast you're looking at at least a half-hours work setting it up and, again, taking it down and you are most likely going to need help with it. So, you don't use it much.

[Gene Neill]

Originally Posted by GTom

BTW is there a database that can be searched defining weight and size at the same time? Advertising sites I know only allow for length not displacement - and beam is also important, because everything above 2.55m beam requires a special permits in each country you are crossing.

Sailboatdata.com

[GTom]

Originally Posted by sailstoo

Having been there and done that with trailerable sailboats i found I sailed it less and less as I thought about putting that mast up and outboard on. With any kind of a stayed mast you're looking at at least a half-hours work setting it up and, again, taking it down and you are most likely going to need help with it. So, you don't use it much.

In my case trailering would mean 2-3 moves per year, definitely not a daily routine.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by sailstoo

Having been there and done that with trailerable sailboats i found I sailed it less and less as I thought about putting that mast up and outboard on. With any kind of a stayed mast you're looking at at least a half-hours work setting it up and, again, taking it down and you are most likely going to need help with it. So, you don't use it much.

For a young couple or a few friends, the small effort required to set up a trailerable boat is more than offset by the fun of exploring and cruising new areas a couple of times a month. And the total cost is modest.

With help, or using aids like a gin-pole for mast-raising, the effort involved in raising/lowering the mast is manageable. But yeah, unless you have an Indy pit crew, it usually takes us 30 to 60 minutes to set up the boat for launch. Not that terrible.

[Gene Neill]

After a couple years, we found we day sail less. But we overnight more. The hassle is worth it if you're out there for two days and a night, instead of just one day.

[MarkSF]

I towed my Wayfarer with a Jaguar XJ8. The late, great Frank Dye towed his with a Renault 4, with all of 40hp. So there is a trailerable boat for any car.

[GTom]

Originally Posted by dixiedawg

Sailboatdata.com

Yeah, that searches only by LOA, giving houndreds of uninteresting hits (beam more than the allowed 2.55m, weight more than 2.5t). I need LOA, beam, and displacement combined. Tom Dove's Sailboat calculator is better organized, but it doesn't have that many entries.

[Cujo665]

Later model 23 O'Days have much more civilized cabins than the 22 Catalina. Very easy to spend a weekend on, and are still trailerable. If you go larger you can still trailer many 27's but stepping the masts becomes an issue requiring more helpers or gin poles. Setup and takedown time will ventually make day sailing less enjoyable.
The 22 Catalina and especially the post 78 O'Day 23's are probably your best choices right now.
Set em up Friday evening, sail em all weekend and take em down Sunday evening to go home.
Tohatsu 6hp sailmaster is about 54 lbs and has a charging system for your house battery.

The O'Days are still fully supported through R&D marine in Rhode Island, and Cat's still around too.

Compare the cabins, you'll see the difference

[trik77]

I have a cat ketch rigged Sea Pearl 21 that I sailed from VA to Daytona Beach FL (1 month) and then flew back drove down and trailered it all the way back with a old F150 V6.

My boat takes 15 mins to rig single handed with it's unstayed masts. Did I mention it's for sale lol.

[GTom]

I'd be interested in the 25-27' size, but so far I haven't found many with <2.55m/8.3' beam, <2.2 tons weight and swing keel. - The First Class 8 looks interesting, but I'd appreciate a bit more displacement.

Originally Posted by Cujo665

Later model 23 O'Days have much more civilized cabins than the 22 Catalina. Very easy to spend a weekend on, and are still trailerable. If you go larger you can still trailer many 27's but stepping the masts becomes an issue requiring more helpers or gin poles. Setup and takedown time will ventually make day sailing less enjoyable.
The 22 Catalina and especially the post 78 O'Day 23's are probably your best choices right now.
Set em up Friday evening, sail em all weekend and take em down Sunday evening to go home.
Tohatsu 6hp sailmaster is about 54 lbs and has a charging system for your house battery.

The O'Days are still fully supported through R&D marine in Rhode Island, and Cat's still around too.

Compare the cabins, you'll see the difference

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by GTom

Question to those, who trailer in Europe: there is a width limit of 2.55m, as far as I know in the whole continent. Does that mean that I can pick an exactly 2.55m beam boat? How do the authorities check the dimensions usually? Just looking at the boat's papers or measuring? (I am asking because I have to cross a few borders, like Italy, Slovenia, Croatia)

Not sure but in the USA, it's typically the widest measurement of everything. The whole point is can you fit in a typical lane and 2.55m is consistent with the width of big trucks.

You can go over but you get into wide load permits (no idea the European rules on wide loads)

To the original question: The problem I see is people don't trailer sailboats for day sailing. Just too much hassle. They either wind up getting a slip, selling or letting it rot in the yard.

[GTom]

We can get permits up to 3m width, but in Europe you have to apply in each country you are crossing. In my case it would be more of a lake-hopping: rent a mooring for a month in one lake, then move on to the next one. Trailering every day is tedious I agree...

[Cujo665]

Originally Posted by GTom

I'd be interested in the 25-27' size, but so far I haven't found many with <2.55m/8.3' beam, <2.2 tons weight and swing keel. - The First Class 8 looks interesting, but I'd appreciate a bit more displacement.

The O'Days in those sizes are still trailerable.
The 26 has an 8' beam, the 27 is 9'

[GTom]

Found a new one: Baycruiser 26 - unfortunately way beyond my assigned budget.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by GTom

I am younger than that I am prepared to take the BE-test in the coming months. I was not aware of the 7m length limit! In German regulations I keep finding an 18m overall limit and just a 12m limit for the tow. 12m/40' wouldn't be an issue, but 7m very much...

This is were the rules are difficult to interpret. think of a caravan 7m long with an A frame sticking out the front. Remove the van body and you have a ladder chassis 7m long in an oblong shape, plus the a frame. the load can overhang this at the rear and the bow of the boat can encroach over the a frame. So now we are looking at 8-9m boats which will weigh in at over 2 tonnes and probably the maximum you want to tow any distance. Certainly my 22ft diesel engined rib on the trailer came in at 2.5T and towing it through France was okay but I wouldn't want to go much bigger.

there is a 24ft yacht with lifting keel that may fit, only I can't quite remember the name at the moment, "wait out" would be the VHF instruction.

Pete