Quote:
Originally Posted by tackingdev32
However, in reading lots of material online and in print, this doesn't appear to be a popular idea. Is there something that I'm misunderstanding about the feasibility of cruising US waters in a small boat from a trailer? Is it not possible to leave my vehicle and trailer parked for several days somehow? Are anchorages difficult to find or marina fees excessive? I know that things to see and do along the Texas coast are sparse, but does the same apply to the rest of the country?
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I had a
Morgan 24 for two years, and a
Hunter 260 for two years after that which I just
sold a couple of weeks ago. Trailers with brakes, F-250 pickup, the whole setup.
I couldn't make it
work, at least not well.
* Trailerable boats are too small to live on at
anchor for longer periods (more than a night or two). Not enough tankage, no good way to generate electricity, not enough space or electricity for
refrigeration, no workable choices for
dinghy, boats too small to be stable in bad
weather. In rainy
weather, there wasn't enough space below decks for two people to move around, due to low
headroom and cramped berths. Ventilation was insufficient on rainy days with no dorades or fans.
* At the large end (23' and up) of the trailer sailor spectrum the boats are difficult to launch and land. You need a deep
ramp and it takes time and at least two people. Boat launches and parking lots tend to have overhead obstructions (powerlines, trees, lights). Other
ramp users are IME not tolerant of sailboats that require space for stepping/unstepping and extra time due to their size and
draft. Even with boats like the H260 that are
water ballast, shoal
draft, and designed for ease of launch and land.
* Overnight parking is restricted at most boat ramps and
security is a problem in places where it is not. There is no useful reference regarding parking restrictions or their absence -- you have to scout in person to find a place that will
work.
* It was my experience that paying for dockage at marinas/resorts familiar with sailboats worked best, even if we were not going to stay at the
dock every night. This provided us with parking for truck and trailer and a place to return to for
shore power, groceries, etc, and provided us with an opportunity to launch and land where assistance was available and where there was some understanding and acceptance of what we were doing.
* Dockage availability was limiting and we had to make reservations well in advance. Facilities that were not sail-oriented (i.e. fishing-oriented resorts) usually had length limitations or were otherwise unwilling to work with us. There are few sail-oriented facilities that are trailer-friendly -- some don't have itinerant slips at all, some don't have ramps so you have to pay for a hoist to launch and land (convenient but costs hundreds of dollars and has to be scheduled in advance)
* Compliance with aquatic invasive species
regulations is nearly impossible because there are portions of a trailer sailor that can't be accessed on a trailer for
cleaning, such as the ballast
tanks or the inside of the
centerboard case. Enforcement is becoming more strict making this an emerging problem. After a season in freshwater lakes with zebra mussels it is nearly impossible to remove them completely without significant disassembly while the boat is in slings.
We are moving to a larger boat that we will, for the most part, base in one spot.