Buying First Sailboat - Advice? - Page 2

BigDreams · 09-06-2009, 09:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by spooky alice

I have a Toyota pickup, 4 cyl. It will pull my 22 ft sailboat and I have launched it with it but it's a BIG load for it. I only go a couple miles to the water, I wouldn't want to go much more. Stopping is a adventure as the boat is about twice as long and heavy as the truck. An 8 cyl toyota will pull better but still have the stopping problem.

Alice,

Even short distances will eventually wreck your motor if its not up to the task. I learned that when I was in my teens with my first 16 foot catamaran. Plus, as you said, stopping ability if not adequate would put you in liability for lawsuit if the police determined an accident was due to you not being able to stop properly.

I had a hitch installed on my Honda Civic & used it to tow my boat/trailer over a two year period. One day my car just totally gasped and died at 80,000 miles.

I did receive hundreds of astonished looks from other drivers, though, which was amusing. But I was a kid !

Thorpydo · 09-06-2009, 23:15

My truck is a 4x2 Toyota Prerunner 4.0L V6, 6 speed manual transmission with rear locking diff. Toyota listed specs are 3500 lb. standard towing capacity and 6500 lb. maximum towing capacity. I'm not sure if any extra hardware is required for the maximum towing capacity but the 3600 lb balboa is right on the edge of the "standard" - whatever that means. The trailer has got to weigh something too though. . . I don't have a trailer assisted breaking system setup but the wiring is installed. I believe I would need the little box system inside the cab and a trailer equipped with breaks. I don't know how much either of those things would run or if boat trailers of this size normally come setup with breaks. If the trailer is the original, then I would guess not. . . but I really do not know. I bought the truck about a year ago knowing that I would but wanting to tow at some point, so I hope this doesn't work as a limit in my decisions.

Little side story while the talk is cars - my first, and previous car was a mazda 626. I hated that thing. It was in and out of the shop and I spent more money fixing it then it was probably worth. At one point, I had it at the auto shop for some work being done. I called one afternoon to check on the status and got a worried "Let me call you back response". Found out about a half hour later that some crooks had stolen it out of the gated auto shop over the weekend and went joyriding. The car was recovered several days later from a casino with Cadillac rims off another car. The trunk and backseat were full of other peoples things, including the registration from another (stolen) car. Needless to say, the car was in there with transmission problems for a reason and the half hour drive just about to ruined the car. The car was totaled and I ended up getting about three grande through the auto shop's insurance company. Depending on the quote that I would have recieved from the auto shop, I was thinking about selling it anyway. So while I initially pissed off (this only added to the long of things that had been stolen from me in the last 6 months), it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I got far more money for it through the insurance company then I would if I had sold it.

Apparently this sort of thing is a normal occurrence. They have police drive the casino parking lots and run license plates - that was how mine was recovered. Now, you would think that when they find one, the police would wait it out and catch the thieves. I'm not sure the real reason why they don't, but when I inquired, I was told that even if they caught the guys, it would be hard to get a conviction. The rule being that the police have to prove that the suspect knew they were stealing the car. Sounds like a load of crock to me.

Man. . . was that off topic.

BigDreams · 10-06-2009, 10:21

[QUOTE=Thorpydo;291359]My truck is a 4x2 Toyota Prerunner 4.0L V6, 6 speed manual transmission with rear locking diff. ....

I think you mentioned keeping your boat at your apartment and the first thing I thought of was 'bad idea.' It will be broken into or vandalized by the local idiots. I know what you mean about the cops staking out a stolen car & I don't buy that excuse. I once got hit by a drunk driver and the cop who responded totally amazed me in that he began to merely write down the guys information rather than make an arrest. I was so astonished that I blurted out, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? !!" to the cop, who looked at me and asked, "well what do you want me to do?" to which I said, "I WANT HIM ARRESTED." Only then did the cop make the arrest & the guy plead guilty later to DUI.

Anyway.....

I don't have a vehicle that will tow my Catalina 18, but its not often that I do anyway. So I rent a Ford F-250 pick up from a local equipment rental yard & just tow it that way. But as you said, the trailer doesn't have brakes so I have to drive with caution and not flat out highway limit. I did hit a large bump one time on the freeway going about 50mph and that caused a moderate fishtail which scared the bejeebers out of me... My guess is, without knowing your truck model well, that the F250 is a heavier truck. The rental charge isn't cheap but cheaper than owning a truck I don't need. Usually about $175 not including gas for about 100 miles. i.e. water to storage yard. The truck is high riding, too, so I don't have to back in beyond the mid wheel cover of the back wheels. But, I also have a trailer extension.

Thorpydo · 30-06-2009, 03:07

I've been out of town and away from a computer for the last week.

22' Balboa sailboat & 2 outboards

This popped up on craigslist. I emailed the seller and may check it out tomorrow. What do you guys think?

Dockhead · 30-06-2009, 03:20

For another view, a very critical view on the Catalina 22, have a look at this:

Catalina 22 Boat Review

This boat is really better suited to lakes and bays than the ocean, and is not going to be very comfortable even for one person for more than a night or two.

You will really want to try to scrape together the money for something a little bigger and better designed and more seaworthy, if you want to spend more than a night at a time on the boat, or take it any distance.

Thorpydo · 30-06-2009, 12:28

I've read that review and I think that was what initially turned me off of that boat.

But I'm confused. . . this is a balboa 22, not a catalina 22. I understand that the condition of this particular boat might not be what I'm looking for but I'd like to base that off of an inspection and not just a low price. And I was under the impression the balboa's were built much more robustly than their competition. That is, however, assuming, the balboa 22 was built similarly to the balboa 26.

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09-06-2009, 23:15	#17
Thorpydo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 8	My truck is a 4x2 Toyota Prerunner 4.0L V6, 6 speed manual transmission with rear locking diff. Toyota listed specs are 3500 lb. standard towing capacity and 6500 lb. maximum towing capacity. I'm not sure if any extra hardware is required for the maximum towing capacity but the 3600 lb balboa is right on the edge of the "standard" - whatever that means. The trailer has got to weigh something too though. . . I don't have a trailer assisted breaking system setup but the wiring is installed. I believe I would need the little box system inside the cab and a trailer equipped with breaks. I don't know how much either of those things would run or if boat trailers of this size normally come setup with breaks. If the trailer is the original, then I would guess not. . . but I really do not know. I bought the truck about a year ago knowing that I would but wanting to tow at some point, so I hope this doesn't work as a limit in my decisions. Little side story while the talk is cars - my first, and previous car was a mazda 626. I hated that thing. It was in and out of the shop and I spent more money fixing it then it was probably worth. At one point, I had it at the auto shop for some work being done. I called one afternoon to check on the status and got a worried "Let me call you back response". Found out about a half hour later that some crooks had stolen it out of the gated auto shop over the weekend and went joyriding. The car was recovered several days later from a casino with Cadillac rims off another car. The trunk and backseat were full of other peoples things, including the registration from another (stolen) car. Needless to say, the car was in there with transmission problems for a reason and the half hour drive just about to ruined the car. The car was totaled and I ended up getting about three grande through the auto shop's insurance company. Depending on the quote that I would have recieved from the auto shop, I was thinking about selling it anyway. So while I initially pissed off (this only added to the long of things that had been stolen from me in the last 6 months), it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I got far more money for it through the insurance company then I would if I had sold it. Apparently this sort of thing is a normal occurrence. They have police drive the casino parking lots and run license plates - that was how mine was recovered. Now, you would think that when they find one, the police would wait it out and catch the thieves. I'm not sure the real reason why they don't, but when I inquired, I was told that even if they caught the guys, it would be hard to get a conviction. The rule being that the police have to prove that the suspect knew they were stealing the car. Sounds like a load of crock to me. Man. . . was that off topic.

10-06-2009, 10:21	#18
BigDreams Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 80	[QUOTE=Thorpydo;291359]My truck is a 4x2 Toyota Prerunner 4.0L V6, 6 speed manual transmission with rear locking diff. .... I think you mentioned keeping your boat at your apartment and the first thing I thought of was 'bad idea.' It will be broken into or vandalized by the local idiots. I know what you mean about the cops staking out a stolen car & I don't buy that excuse. I once got hit by a drunk driver and the cop who responded totally amazed me in that he began to merely write down the guys information rather than make an arrest. I was so astonished that I blurted out, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? !!" to the cop, who looked at me and asked, "well what do you want me to do?" to which I said, "I WANT HIM ARRESTED." Only then did the cop make the arrest & the guy plead guilty later to DUI. Anyway..... I don't have a vehicle that will tow my Catalina 18, but its not often that I do anyway. So I rent a Ford F-250 pick up from a local equipment rental yard & just tow it that way. But as you said, the trailer doesn't have brakes so I have to drive with caution and not flat out highway limit. I did hit a large bump one time on the freeway going about 50mph and that caused a moderate fishtail which scared the bejeebers out of me... My guess is, without knowing your truck model well, that the F250 is a heavier truck. The rental charge isn't cheap but cheaper than owning a truck I don't need. Usually about $175 not including gas for about 100 miles. i.e. water to storage yard. The truck is high riding, too, so I don't have to back in beyond the mid wheel cover of the back wheels. But, I also have a trailer extension.

30-06-2009, 03:07	#19
Thorpydo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 8	I've been out of town and away from a computer for the last week. 22' Balboa sailboat & 2 outboards This popped up on craigslist. I emailed the seller and may check it out tomorrow. What do you guys think?

30-06-2009, 03:20	#20
Dockhead Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 307	For another view, a very critical view on the Catalina 22, have a look at this: Catalina 22 Boat Review This boat is really better suited to lakes and bays than the ocean, and is not going to be very comfortable even for one person for more than a night or two. You will really want to try to scrape together the money for something a little bigger and better designed and more seaworthy, if you want to spend more than a night at a time on the boat, or take it any distance.

30-06-2009, 12:28	#21
Thorpydo Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 8	I've read that review and I think that was what initially turned me off of that boat. But I'm confused. . . this is a balboa 22, not a catalina 22. I understand that the condition of this particular boat might not be what I'm looking for but I'd like to base that off of an inspection and not just a low price. And I was under the impression the balboa's were built much more robustly than their competition. That is, however, assuming, the balboa 22 was built similarly to the balboa 26.