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Old 22-01-2013, 10:14   #1
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26+' sailboat with wheel steering

I'm looking for a 26+ foot sailboat with a draft of 5'6" or less (Catalina 30, Hunter 30, O'Day 272LE, Islander 28, S2 9.1/9.2, etc., preferably shoal draft or wing keel), wheel steering, roller furling headsail (jib sail or genoa), double lifelines and preferably an inboard engine (though that isn't exactly a necessity). The boat should have a cockpit that can comfortably seat at least 6 adults, and the cabin should be safe for two young kids. TLC (e.g., woodwork needing refinishing, minor leaks from portlights/windows, etc.) is fine (and even expected) but no soft spots or truly major repairs. Sails should be in decent shape (i.e., usable for at least a year or two), but they need not be perfect condition. Center cockpit would be great, but isn't mandatory. Prefer that the boat be in the Philly/Jersey Shore area, but anywhere between Annapolis and Long Island could work if the boat can be safely sailed to Barnegat Bay. Our budget is $5,000.
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Old 22-01-2013, 10:56   #2
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

Just start shopping on craigslist and contact brokers in your area and you might find just what you're looking for. Ebay is another option but don't buy without seeing and don't buy without a survey unless you are very experienced.

Walk the docks in the local marinas and look for pin up for sale signs.

Most folks here on the forum will say that a wheel is very much not necessary in a boat under 35 or 36 feet and I would agree. Center cockpit takes up too much interior room in a boat the size you are shopping for. Wing keels will stick in the mud or sand like an anchor if you do happen to go aground.

Good luck in your search. Have you checked the advertisement section in this forum?

kind regards,
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Old 22-01-2013, 11:23   #3
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

John,
Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I don't live all that close to most marinas (there are a few on the Delaware River, but even those are an hour away), so walking the docks isn't really an option. I do monitor Craigslist, SailboatListings, eBay, Yachtworld, BoatTrader, BoatsFSBO, and a few others on basically a daily basis (sometimes more like an hourly basis, if I'm bored!). But I know a lot of people use this forum, so I thought it was worth a shot.

I agree with the idea that a wheel isn't a necessity from a steering perspective. However, my old boat was a Catalina 25, and the tiller dominated the cockpit when underway. We have access to a condo at the shore, and tend to "hang out" there, rather than aboard the boat, so we're looking more at how the cockpit is set up when underway. My wife and I sail with our 2 young sons (ages 7 and 5) and the 4 of us pretty much filled the cockpit when the boat was underway. We like to bring one of the sets of grandparents along pretty regularly, and that made things very tight when we were on the C25. With a wheel, at least you don't have to keep a large swath of the cockpit clear for the tiller. A wheel is also more fun for kids to steer, and is easier for my wife to steer, too (that whole "backward" thing for the tiller can be tough). Plus, I've knocked my boys in the head with the tiller a few times, and that isn't fun for them (or me). So, although I'll lose "feel" and increase the complexity of the boat (extra belts/chains/etc.), I'll gain comfort and enjoyment while we're aboard, and ultimately that's our goal with the boat.

As to the center cockpits, you're right, they do eat up a lot of space. I've been aboard an S2 9.2 and really liked that, though. I'd love to find one of those. The high cockpit on that also should make it easier for my kids to see forward, which is a big deal. On the C25, all they could see was the bulkhead; it was almost impossible for them to see over the cabin top, and even I had trouble seeing without kneeling on the seat or standing. I do have concerns about the high freeboard/increased windage making it more difficult to dock a center cockpit, but hopefully I'd learn to deal with that (without damaging anyone else's boat!).

I also agree, a wing isn't necessarily the ideal, but given the skinny water where I'll be sailing, it's better than having a swing keel and not dropping the keel. A shoal draft/full keel/sheel keel would be great, but those can be tough to find.

Your other point, about the survey, is also well taken. I'm anal and will scrutinize all the places that I know to look, but I'm not an expert or even all that experienced, so a survey is a necessity. Besides, after the hurricane, my insurance company told me that a survey will be mandatory, even for a cheap boat (that wasn't true when we bought our C25).

Please understand, I do sincerely appreciate your feedback, and my comments above aren't meant to be combative or argumentative; they're merely meant to provide our thought process. When our last boat was totaled, we had to figure out whether we were going to get back into sailing, and, if so, under what conditions. That made us sit down and really assess what our needs/wants are in a next "big" boat (we have a 15' Albacore, too), how/where we'll be using the boat, etc., and the wheel and shallow draft came out very high on the list. I'd LOVE to find a sugar scoop transom (my boys really liked swimming off the boat last season), but it looks like those didn't come out until the late 80's or later, and those newer boats are typically out of my budget, so I've dropped that from my list.
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Old 22-01-2013, 23:46   #4
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

Aloha Jim,
It's good to hear you've thought all these things through. I nearly bought a C25 for a second boat. It had a tall rig and fin keel (not shoal). I didn't get a chance to sail her so really didn't know how she'd act and it was just too far away to make it pay to have it and only use it a couple weeks a year at most.
I've had both wheel and tiller and know about knocking passengers around. My first boat was a Catalina 22 fin keeler.
I wish you luck on your search. It appears you have all the good links.
kindest regards,
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Old 23-01-2013, 01:33   #5
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

Hi Jim,

This Space Sailer SS20 is on a trailer, below your budget ($ 3800) and might be interesting to you.

She is a modern fin keeled sloop. Boat has two mains, two spinakers, three jibs/genoas and a small assemetrical spinnaker.
Boat has a float in trailer, small cabin for 4, porta potti, VHF radio (new in box needs to be installed), bumpers, fenders, Avon inflatable, outboard, lines. Trailer ready to roll.
It is a small compact trailer sailer that actually can sail. Weight 1,900 lbs, ballast is lead and weighs 700 lbs.

Space Sailer SS20
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Old 23-01-2013, 05:43   #6
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

Thanks Jort. Unfortunately, we really want the next boat to have wheel steering.
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Old 23-01-2013, 06:31   #7
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

Hi Jim,

Considering the price of the boat and your budget it might be possible to convert to a wheel. I'm not sure about how feasable that is in this particular cockpit, but for the $ 1200 you shoulld definitely be able to build in wheel steering.
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Old 23-01-2013, 07:34   #8
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

While I surely can appreciate you looking for your sailing dream, some of the items you want in your next boat are not consistant with a 5k budget. I just replaced an aging edson steering system for 2k and that was bare bones. That would leave 3k for the boat and unfortunately, you would be looking at a complete project boat which would probably cost you 4 times as much to bring her back to half way decent and safe condition. I realize all boats are compromises however there are some hard rules of things that need to be correct on boats. So, if it were me, I would continue saving until I got between 10k and 15k and then start looking in earnest. If something comes up in the meantime, then you could jump on it. Just a caution, wheel steering is a whole lot more complicated than tiller, and in a smaller boat, tillers are able to be up and out of the way to expand your cockpit area and a wheel cannot, it's just a thought, but hey, it's your dream, and you can have it anyway you wish, all it takes is money.
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Old 23-01-2013, 07:47   #9
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

What Wizard1_us says is right. In the end you always spend more than budgeted. Boats like this always come with unexpected surprises, so you are better of f starting with a slightly higher budget.

On a boat of this size it is much more practical to have a tiller. The helm gives much more feel on a tiller and improves sailing a boat like this. It also creates space in the cockpit when not sailing. However, if you really want a wheel you can probably find something second hand that you can use. A brand new Edson system is not the way to go for a boat like this if you want to stay within your budget.

If you want to have six people in the cockpit while sailing you might want to consider a bigger boat. That also increases the price, so that might not be an option.
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Old 23-01-2013, 08:20   #10
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

Thanks for the feedback! I'm anxious to see what I can find despite my admittedly low budget.
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Old 23-01-2013, 09:51   #11
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I just bought my C27. Listed at $5500 I offered $3500 and got it. I think your on target about the wheel being better space wise.

We have had 4 adults aboard but 2 usually stay below under sail due to the tiller issues. If we cleaned out the vbirth you could sleep 2 little ones up there.
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Old 23-01-2013, 10:30   #12
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

Seafarer made a 26' boat, and many came with wheels. A McCurdy and Rhodes design that sailed well.
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Old 23-01-2013, 10:47   #13
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

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I owned a 26-foot Westerly Centaur for many years on which a previous owner had converted the tiller to wheel steering, using a home-made but functional wood built binnacle.
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Old 23-01-2013, 11:15   #14
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

Can I ask why you want a wheel on such a diddy boat? When we rebuilt our first yacht, an Eliminator32, we put in a wheel. Two years later we took it out. I loved it, but NONE of the crew could steer her for toffee, since the wheel was so sensitive. They all managed the tiller just fine though, and it DID make much more space. Plus a tiller is much more comfortable and convenient to use with an extension than a wheel.
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Old 23-01-2013, 11:19   #15
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Re: 26+' sailboat with wheel steering

I would take a tiller over a wheel anyday!

I don't think the 5k is to little. Example.

If I buy a 5k boat or a 10k boat, I'm probably going to replace sails, interior and systems.

Same cost for each, but I paid 5k less to begin with. I come out spending 5k less in the end. I looked and did not find a boat I liked for 10k as they all needed to be redone anyway.
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