First trailerable sailboat? Have 2 small kids.

[Cheechako]

The Cat 22 is very resellable compared with some.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by Dave22q

If you can find an old Lightning (19') grab it. Low weight so you don't need a heavy duty truck to pull it, easy to erect the mast single handed, centerboard so you can beach it if you wish to do so, and most importantly, a stable sailor in case your kids don't like getting the rails wet. Mine was great when my 3 boys were small. Of course overnights are out unless you camp on a beach but plenty of space to load the gear.

Do not do a Lightning. Very bad boat to start with. Its a racing boat. It can turn turtle. We use to race them as kids in our yacht club races. Very uncomfortable and quick in motion. Good for racing but not much else.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by Rhapsody-NS27

The smallest trailerable boat I would consider would be a Cape Dory Typhoon. West Wight Potter's are good boats as well as the Catalina 22 that have been mentioned. Really, it all comes down to budget and what your tow vehicle can handle.

Which base are you at? I'm out of Belvoir myself.

Like mentioned before, if you have the boat in the water, you're more likely to use the boat more often. Raising and lowering a mast for each sail will get old really quick. But having a boat ready to tow down the road to new sailing waters wouldn't be too bad either for weekend trips.

Cape dory typhoons are great boats but they are now the "in" little boat to have and thus the prices are in the $10-20k range. For that price you can buy a much larger boat. The Potter is not only ocean going, but has the feel of a much bigger boat, excellent resale value, and very stiff for a small pocket cruiser.

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Originally Posted by reed1v

Cape dory typhoons are great boats but they are now the "in" little boat to have and thus the prices are in the $10-20k range. For that price you can buy a much larger boat. The Potter is not only ocean going, but has the feel of a much bigger boat, excellent resale value, and very stiff for a small pocket cruiser.

While some can be found at that price, there are still plenty in sailing condition and some needing some work for around $5k and sometimes less.

But yes, for that money, one can get more boat with more cabin room.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by Rhapsody-NS27

While some can be found at that price, there are still plenty in sailing condition and some needing some work for around $5k and sometimes less.

But yes, for that money, one can get more boat with more cabin room.

The ones that are less than 10k usually need a whole lot of work. Got the impression the OP was not interested in working on a boat, but rather in buying one ready to go. The great advantage of the CD-T is its incredible sailing ability. It tracks like a train, can handle almost any sea condition, stiff as can be at about 25 degrees heel, and has a very comfy motion. But it has no cabin space, only storage spaces; is really a day sailor, and the full keel may limit its access to really shallow waters.

[Ramblingman]

You would have trouble going wrong with a Catalina 22 on the Potomac. Unless the boats condition was just dreadful.

There are tons of these boats in the area, Dick Parham sold tons of them and MacGregors ( plus other brands ) for years in the 60's and 70's.

Another boat to think on this the MacGregor 22 or 24 ( look for the "pop top" verisions )

As a kid I grew up around these, and other brands. They are decent boats, we weekended a LOT for years on the 22 to 26 foot trailer sailors. We did however keep them in a slip most often. Trailering when we wanted to go somewhere far away. Like Ocena City MD, launch and explore those back bays.

The "pop top" versions will give you standing room when the top is up.

Are these boats for long voyages and oceans? Not so much but as a family boat, sailing where there are oddball shoals and gunholes inland? Among the best.

You can find tons of good 19 to 24' sailboats that need some love, new cushions, perhaps a sail or other items for a couple of thousand and be out on the water. Using a good eye and knowledge I can easily find a dozen ready to go boats like that locally.

[Shawn67]

If you are always going to be trailer sailing the boat pay particular attention to how easy and quickly you can rig it and also unrig it for trailering. When I got back into sailing I started with a Flying Scot. It took about 30-40 minutes to get it ready for the water single handed. Even that felt like to long for my young daughter. (Only on a lake, not the ocean) The more time you spend rigging the less time you spend sailing. . From there we moved up to boats in a slip.

They wouldn't really have room for overnighting but check out Compac Suncats and Horizon cats. They rig *extremely* quickly and would be great trailer sailers. For daysailing the Suncat Daysailer or Horizon Day Cat both have enormous cockpits for lots of room to stretch out. Both are keel/centerboard for low draft and easier launching.

Shawn

[Steadman Uhlich]

Comfort for Guests on a Small Boat?
For many people who are not yet "sailors" the act of getting stuck for hours on a sailboat that leans, with hard seats, cramped conditions, and no toilet, can be less than desirable way to spend their leisure time. Many people I have talked with might enjoy an hour daysail on a big boat, but smaller boats are not so "inviting." Some complain about the lack of comfort and amenities, even for a day sail. This is compared to the typical power boat (of similar or a bit larger length) experience that has nice soft seating, mostly upright movement, goes faster, and usually has some kind of head/toilet aboard.

The brand of boats that have caught my eye are made by Compac Yachts and their catboats especially. They do make a range of boats, but the 20 foot LOA catboats most appeal to me, and look like they would be very nice for a couple or small family (or with friends) for daysails and/or for "pocket cruising."

Com-Pac Yachts: Trailerable Cat Boats, Trailerable Cruisers, and Cruising Sailboats

I think the catboats they make look great. By "catboat" I don't mean a catamaran. The catboats have a mast located near the bow of the boat. It is a distinctive design, and known as one that is easy to sail (one larger sail).

They make some catboat models for day sailing (big open cockpits that can hold a lot of people) and some with a small cabin that allows one to use it for cruising (a few berths, portapotty, small galley, etc.).

If you want to do some "pocket cruising" and overnight on the boat.
My favorite model, the Horizon Cat has a small but surprisingly roomy and very comfortable looking cabin. The Horizon Cat Week-end Cruiser from Com-Pac Yachts

If you only want to do daysailing with friends.
Check out their "Horizon Day Cat" (20' LOA) as it looks like a lot of fun to me. It has the simple to learn and use "catboat" rig, and it has a very roomy cockpit for a small boat (the cockpit is 10 feet long on a 20 foot long boat), has swing (lifting) keel, shallow draft, and is trailerable. Look at the photos below and see the one the shows that large cockpit. To me, THAT is the feature that will matter for "entertaining" on a day-sailor. The roomy cockpit also has a built-in ice chest/cooler. In addition, it has a small cabin where a porta-potty can be kept private, another thing that is important if you are taking out guests.

For Trailerable Boats: How will you raise the mast?
One of the most appealing things to me about the Compac boats is their method of raising (stepping) the mast when you arrive at your sailing destination by trailer. You can read about their method on their site. It appears that anyone could do it and looks very easy. That is something to consider as one gets older like me, especially those who must single hand or don't use a big crew. In my opinion, having a mast that is easy to step (raise or install for sailing) is a MUST for a trailer sailor (for me) and as I would want to be able to "single hand" the boat whenever I want, I would really want a mast that is easy for ONE person to raise safely. I was impressed by thee photos at the following link: The Mastendr Quick-Rig Sailing System from Com-Pac Yachts
__________

Note: I have no connection to this brand or sellers. I am simply posting information about a boat I admire and would consider as a nice day sailor or pocket cruiser.

Note 2
The links I used and photos I posted with the above text did not transfer here. Simply go to the Com-Pac website and you will se many photos and info on the mast raising etc. or use this link to see the photos and active links in an earlier thread here on CF.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...er-142236.html

[neflier]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

The brand of boats that have caught my eye are made by Compac Yachts and their catboats especially. They do make a range of boats, but the 20 foot LOA catboats most appeal to me, and look like they would be very nice for a couple or small family (or with friends) for daysails and/or for "pocket cruising."

Com-Pac Yachts: Trailerable Cat Boats, Trailerable Cruisers, and Cruising Sailboats

My situation is similar to the OP, but no kids and a larger tow vehicle (8,300# cap).

You mentioned Com-Pac Yachts. How does one get a Com-Pac 23 on and off a trailer at the ramp? I'm coming from many years of trailerable fishing boats in which we'd back the trailer up to where the rear wheel bearings were just out of the water and winch the boat down, or up from its roller trailer. I'd expect the tow vehicle to be in the water, along with the trailer going off of the end of the ramp when trying to launch or recover a Com-Pac 23. What am I missing?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by neflier

My situation is similar to the OP, but no kids and a larger tow vehicle (8,300# cap).

You mentioned Com-Pac Yachts. How does one get a Com-Pac 23 on and off a trailer at the ramp? I'm coming from many years of trailerable fishing boats in which we'd back the trailer up to where the rear wheel bearings were just out of the water and winch the boat down, or up from its roller trailer. I'd expect the tow vehicle to be in the water, along with the trailer going off of the end of the ramp when trying to launch or recover a Com-Pac 23. What am I missing?

Just submerge the trailer, including the bearings. Put bearing buddies on the wheel bearings for greasing externally. Some people have tongue extensions on the trailer. But usually you don't need them.
Some ramps are better than others for sure. One needs to be aware of which are best.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Comfort for Guests on a Small Boat?
For many people who are not yet "sailors" the act of getting stuck for hours on a sailboat that leans, with hard seats, cramped conditions, and no toilet, can be less than desirable way to spend their leisure time. Many people I have talked with might enjoy an hour daysail on a big boat, but smaller boats are not so "inviting." Some complain about the lack of comfort and amenities, even for a day sail. This is compared to the typical power boat (of similar or a bit larger length) experience that has nice soft seating, mostly upright movement, goes faster, and usually has some kind of head/toilet aboard.

This might be a key consideration for some, but for most people the idea is to find a boat that meets their requirements and budget. If you're buying a small trailerable sailboat, you're not getting a party boat or entertainment platform; you're getting something you can sail a lot, in many different places, at a very reasonable cost.

That being said, on our 19' boat we have cockpit seat cushions, a butane stove and a working head. Lots of cabin room for portable coolers, water jug, knapsacks and bags with food, spare clothing, washcloths and soap. We have a Taylor Anchorshade for shade or protection when docked/anchored. A cockpit table. Basically - a smaller version of just about everything you'd expect on a larger monohull. At about half to a fifth of the cost.

For daysailing - four adults (eg us plus two guests) in the cockpit is doable. The foredeck is a nice place to hang out or sunbathe. Unless the guests are totally willing, I don't know any boatowner who'd inflict more than two hours of daysailing on their guests, without at least some sort of break or pause for refreshment and a chance to stretch their legs.

Being a smaller boat, the ride and handling is lively, but more secure than a dinghy. You have to ensure ASAP that your guests are ok and comfortable, and you need to sail conservatively in pleasant conditions... and be prepared to return sooner if they're anxious or getting seasick. Flipside - if the guest is interested in sailing and enjoying things, i find that I can give them the tiller within 15 to 30 min of starting out while I futz with sails, talk them through trim or doing tacks... and they have a blast. Certainly a more hands-on sailing experience than a newbie's going to get from being a guest on a bigger $$$ yacht.

/rant over

ComPacs are sweet. I believe they are still fairly pricy on the used market- maybe twice the price of a comparable used Catalina, Macgregor, etc. Personally, I don't think a single-sail catboat is quite as versatile as the standard 2-sail bermuda rig.

Originally Posted by neflier

How does one get a Com-Pac 23 on and off a trailer at the ramp?... I'd expect the tow vehicle to be in the water, along with the trailer going off of the end of the ramp when trying to launch or recover a Com-Pac 23. What am I missing?

Like many trailer-sailors, our keel cranks up fully so we can launch like any motorboat from just about any ramp; I find that on most ramps our trailer is immersed and the truck's rear wheels are sometimes wet up to the brakedrum.

For something like a ComPac 23 with its deeper draft, I believe most owners have a trailer extension bar which gives them an extra 10 or so ft between the vehicle and the trailer, which allows the trailer to go in deep enough without wetting the tow vehicle. Better built ramps, like at parks, marinas etc can usually handle it.

[edit - pretty much what Cheechako just said ]

[zedpassway]

Originally Posted by reed1v

The Potter is not only ocean going, but has the feel of a much bigger boat, excellent resale value, and very stiff for a small pocket cruiser.

That's not exactly true. What have several very brave or foolhardy sailed who have sailed a 19 foot potter from the east coast USA to England, and one who sailed one from LA to Hawaii. Both were pretty much stock.

They can easily handle 25 knots, something most boats of its size cannot do.

[Cheechako]

What am I missing?
Quote:
Originally Posted by reed1v
The Potter is not only ocean going, but has the feel of a much bigger boat, excellent resale value, and very stiff for a small pocket cruiser.

"That's not exactly true. What have several very brave or foolhardy sailed who have sailed a 19 foot potter from the east coast USA to England, and one who sailed one from LA to Hawaii. Both were pretty much stock.
They can easily handle 25 knots, something most boats of its size cannot do."

[Sea Dreaming]

Hey Zimm,

Did you rent the catalina? What did you think?
Did you enjoy yourself? What does the family think?

[zedpassway]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

What am I missing?

Got me. What are you missing? Would I be crazy enough to take a potter across an ocean? Not on your life, but some people have successfully.

But then I'd require either a steel of an aluminum hulled boat for me to go off shore.