Possible to Retrofit Drop Keel?

[clockwork orange]

An S2 7.9 is a practical, good sailing, very trailable boat in your size range and budget, maybe worth a look.

Steve.

[DuaneGraham]

Thanks Steve I'll check that out. Sorry this thread sailed its way in another direction.

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[MarkSF]

I currently have a 31ft boat in a marina. Knowing what I do now, if I were to go back to a trailerable, I would get something heavily built in the 20-22ft range with a gaff or gunter rig - no jib. Like a catboat.

Gaff or gunter rig : shorter mast, easier to raise and launch. Simple rigging.

No jib - easy single-handed tacking.

Smaller - easier to trailer and launch.

Some suggested reading for you :

Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere: John Vigor: 9780939837328: Amazon.com: Books

[MarkSF]

[QUOTE=DuaneGraham;1626137Sorry this thread sailed its way in another direction.

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That's what threads are for!

[roverhi]

The Hobie is an easy boat to sail. It may be a racing sled but has been sailed single and double handed to Hawaii, down the coast of CA and to Mexico a lot and usually winning it's class. Amenities are spartan, however. No head so you'd need a portapotty, minimal galley but still a good boat for lake sailing where many of them are sailed. If you are looking at the Aloha as a minimum standard, the Hobie wouldn't be your cup of tea.

[DuaneGraham]

I think what I want exists but only in my head. Going to have to make some sacrifices. Not seeing many of the recommended boats for sale in my area so going to have to keep looking, it's almost winter so hopefully when they're pulled out of the water I'll see a lot more.

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[MarkSF]

The advantage of a trailerable is that it doesn't have to be that local. My Wayfarer was 350 miles away. It's worth a road trip to get the right boat. Sold it to a guy from LA, also 350 miles away.

I'd almost given up finding one, when it appeared on Craigslist.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Originally Posted by roverhi

From reports on this site, the allure of trailor sailing seems to lose it's appeal quickly because of the hassles of raising and lowering the mast and the hassles of launching the boat. Takes more time to get the boat in and out of the water than actually sailing.

Having done it, it's just not worth it. The first few times, it's exciting and fun with the towing , raising the mast and all that, then it becomes, "Well, it's a a chore, but it's worth it", then it becomes "Nah, it's not worth the trouble on Friday after a work week, we'll go Saturday morning early", then it becomes "No, not worth the trouble, maybe for a long weekend", then there's a For Sale sign on the boat.

You may have a vastly different experience, but to me, it lost it's luster quickly. That's why I went to wet slips. Show up, untie, sail however long you wish, return, clean boat, go home. I'm not talking about Hobies and Sunfish, but larger trailerable sailboats.

[MarkSF]

Wax on, wax off.

On the other hand, a trailerable is a wonderful boat to work on. Most jobs are a pleasure when the boats in your drive on a trailer. Running costs are practically nil. I sailed mine for a year, and got back my purchase price and half what I spent on upgrades. So I lost about $500 for a years sailing. I got to sail in places I never could have otherwise.

If you tire of trailer sailing, what have you lost? A few hundred bucks at most? And you'll have some valuable experience under your belt.

I tired of trailer sailing eventually and bought a boat in a wet slip. Do I regret my trailer sailing phase? Not one bit.

[DuaneGraham]

Yeah I'm not worried about driving a few kilometers to get one, I've been scouring the closer provinces, my idea of too far is about 1000 kilometers. But I hear what the good doctor is saying as well, it would eventually become a chore that one would tire of. How long does it take to get underway when you arrive at a launch with a trailer and horizontal mast?

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[bsurvey]

cost of retrofit is well beyond the values you are willing to pay there are stability issues. suggest a balboa 26 or Catalina 27 both come with swing keels

[davidfay]

My father just sold his Tartan 27, vintage 1970, for $7500 so don't rule out the Tartan. He sailed it for almost 45 years single-handing most of the time. It was a sweet boat but he kept it on a mooring rather than on a trailer. With the size of the mast, it's hard for me to imagine trailering it.

With that swing keel, it was easy to get up close to the islands in Maine and to back off the ledges we ran into from time to time.

David

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by DuaneGraham

Hey Mark, yeah I guess I'm sort of here and there with what I'm looking for, the aloha I particularly like the interior. I guess I got short sighted when I saw it and the fact it is/was Canadian made. But what I'm looking for is a type of man cave on the water. I want it to be operational single handed, inboard motor, I'm not too fussy on much but I'd like it to sleep at least 4 and more than anything a well laid out comfortable saloon for entertaining, drinking and cards at dock. I'm 30 years old and obviously not looking for a speedboat so not expecting to get anywhere quick just want to enjoy the ride. And am expecting to be buying something quite a few years old as even 20,000$ cdn for a nice hobie 33 is at the very top of my budget and wouldnt allow any extra for upgrading.

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Here is a boat that appeals to me for several reasons:

1. Style, gaff rig catboat, handsome hull
2. Ease of rig and sailing simplicity
3. Easy to raise the mast (a few minutes) see the link on the linked page for the patented mast raising system.
4. Nice cabin for a small boat
5. Attention to details and quality
6. Trailerable

The Horizon Cat Week-end Cruiser from Com-Pac Yachts

This is not a typical 20 footer!

[DuaneGraham]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Here is a boat that appeals to me for several reasons:

1. Style, gaff rig catboat, handsome hull
2. Ease of rig and sailing simplicity
3. Easy to raise the mast (a few minutes) see the link on the linked page for the patented mast raising system.
4. Nice cabin for a small boat
5. Attention to details and quality
6. Trailerable

The Horizon Cat Week-end Cruiser from Com-Pac Yachts

This is not a typical 20 footer!

Wow, thanks all for the ideas, but these cats particularly interest me, theyre small but look extremely comfortable. And most appear easily trailerable. Thank you kindly steady, I'm going to be keeping an eye out for these in my search.

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[DuaneGraham]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Here is a boat that appeals to me for several reasons:

1. Style, gaff rig catboat, handsome hull
2. Ease of rig and sailing simplicity
3. Easy to raise the mast (a few minutes) see the link on the linked page for the patented mast raising system.
4. Nice cabin for a small boat
5. Attention to details and quality
6. Trailerable

The Horizon Cat Week-end Cruiser from Com-Pac Yachts

This is not a typical 20 footer!

That's a real nice boat, however I found the com-pac 27 to be pretty much exactly what I was looking for the interior looks very well laid out and roomy, and they have inboards. I feel a little ridiculous I was recommended cat boats in the past but I always thought cat was the short form of catamaran (oops). I am "quite" new to this. At 27' It is seemingly on the very edge of being trailerable with not everyone believe it's a great idea. I'd definitely be looking for a package deal including a trailer but has anyone here witnessed/experienced such a large boat being trailered? Beside the shear size, weight and need for a heavy duty truck, what should I be asking myself before getting too attracted to a boat like this?

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