Trailerable Sailboat or Not?....

[KidTwist]

Ok heres my question....I live in Midlothian Va, right down the street from where I live is a 3000 acre lake, that just so happens to have 2 nice, but small yacht clubs already sailing on it...My parents happen to have a home in Deltaville, Va.....(Need I say more)...My delima is this, do I purchase a trailerable boat of about 22 ft to sail on the weekends here near my home,and how hard /difficult are they to keep having to put up the rigging and taking it down?...Or do I purchase a weekender?, I have been looking strongly at the Catalina 30s`, and stay on it when I have the chance to go and be at my parents...which is maybe 4 times a year...Of course I would try to make it more seeing how my boat might be there...
I would definatly be able to sail more if I were near home than having to find the time to go hang out at my parents place, and sail in the bay.
How difficult is a trailerable boat?
Can anybody give me some ideas or experinces you may have had...I appreciate any and all information given.

-Dwayne

[Charlie]

Dwayne:

I have a Capri 22 trailer sailor. The worst thing about it is putting up the mast. It's not that physically hard but it takes time. Then storing the boat and everything takes about 40 minutes set up and 50 minutes take down. When we were able to keep the boat at the lake with the mast up it was alot easier and we sailed her more. Keeping a boat with systems to use 4 times a year is alot of expense. That's my opinion. BTW I have no idea what significance Deltaville has.

[KidTwist]

Hey thanks Charlie, Yeah, from what I have been hearing its a tremendous pain to have to keep putingt them up and taking them down....Oh and sorry for the "Deltaville" comment...It just so happens that Deltaville is a hotspot for sailing activity on the Chesapeake Bay area...I didnt take into consideration that those of you guys who live on the West Coast may not have heard of it...( or even the Gulf Coast for that matter)...Sorry...

[scallywag]

Dwayne,
I still have a Mac Gregor 22' Venture Newport. When I first boat it I keep it in a marian that had in&out service. All I had to do was call and they would tow the boat from its designated parking place to the water and launch it, then tie it up on a floating dock. Relatively inexpensive. The next year I keep it at a slip. More expensive. The following year I towed it to Sea Isle N.J. and keep it in a slip. 70 miles away and the weekend traffic was bad, so I did not use it much. Brought the boat home an keep it in the yard and towed it to a lake in PA. Well I could not place the boat properly on the trailer and towing it home was an ordeal. The ramp was not deep enough for the boat to float properly onto the trailer. When the boat was positioned on the trailer it towed like a dream. You could not feel the boat behind you. It did take about an hour to set up the mast but it was not difficult if you use a two or three fold purchase. I could raise and lower the mast myself. I guess the bottom line is if you want to put the time and effort into something which way you go does not matter. I found I did more work on the boat when it was at my house than anywhere else. Boats take time to keep up. There is the interior to clean. The exterior to clean and wax. The bigger the boat the bigger the job. The boat to load with groceries and clothes for the weekend. I think this took more time then to raise and lower the mast. The boat became smaller when children can along.
John

[KidTwist]

Yeah John, I can see your point, I just didnt know if it was something one guy could do by himself...(puttin up and taking down the rigging)...and are there torque requirements for the stays and shrouds...I guess it all comes down to whether or not it truly matters to me...I look at it like, what the hell at least im sailing right?...So it may take a little extra time...but I am sailing nevertheless

[scallywag]

Dwayne,
I just tightened the self locking nuts on the shrouds a little more than finger tight. The forestay was tightened with a turnbuckle. The aft stay was left at the same length all the time. This was not a lean mean sailing machine. I put the rig up and just sailed. I would not point close to the wind. Because of the drop fin keel the boats would slide sideways. I was on the water for the peace and quiet and not the noise of an motor. We would sleep aboard some nights. We had a good time in cramped conditions. Would I recommend a trailersailer? Yes. Will you move on to something bigger? If you like sailing.
John

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Dwayne,
My first boat was a Catalina 22. One strong young person could raise and lower the mast pretty easily. Although I kept the boat in the water most the time I did take the mast up and down a few times. It does take time and you have to have your ducks in a row. I found that I sailed it more frequently than any of my many boats since. The value is learning about boats, maintenance, systems, sail trim, trailering, etc.
I would recommend that you get what you would be able to use most often. The point is to sail as much as you can when you are younger so that you can learn about systems and sail trim. There will always be time for you to get something larger when you have more experience to know what you might want to move up to. If your immediate goal is to make long cruises then go for the bigger boat near Deltaville.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[Steve Rust]

I would say go with the trailer sailer. Keep it somewhere in the 18-22 foot range and under 2000lbs. A nice feature is a pop top to give you standing headroom. Catalina 22's have this as does my Siruis 22, I am sure there are others. You may eventually get a little bored with the same lake and having the mobility to go someplace else should not be underestimated. Believe me, I have been there. Once you have some practice and your system figured out you can get launched and be on your way in 45 minutes. It is generally a two person operation. It may be possible to do this yourself depending on the design of the maststep. My rigging and mast step is set up so all I have to do is release the headstay. Everything else is left as is. My wife and I have spent may two and three week vacations on our 22 footer mostly in Lake Superior and Lake Huron over 23 years of ownership.

[Boracay]

If by weekender you mean a small cottage in a vacation area I would go with the cottage.

Boats are a very expensive long term buy. A good weekender should make money.

It may be possible to do both. Buy a weekender with parking and a smaller trailer/sailer.

It sounds like 22' is on the upper end of practicable size.

[KidTwist]

Excellent, advice guys, Thank you all very much, I do appreciate it all...I think my biggest problem is I want to be sailing all the time...
I learned how to sail on a Hunter 33 in Deltaville, Nortons Marina to be exact, ASA 101 and ASA 103...Hopefully I will be going back in the fall for my ASA 104 class...
I really loved the way the 33 handled in the water...I have thought about a trailerable only because of the conveinence to home and the ability to go sailing at any given notice...
Im will move up to a bigger boat Im sure of it...No question about it...I was just unsure as to the time and effort it may take to sail a trailerable...
I like the way the Catalinas look, and like I stated earlier...I will probably end up with a Catalina 30 or 38 eventually...I just dont know if it made sense to start with one that big or not...And I agree totally with you SkiprJohn the value is about learning...and I would say that through trial and error is a very good way to learn, hands on so to speak...Who knows maybe I will buy one of each...My wife will love that Im sure...
Again, Thank you guys for the replys.
....Oh yeah and if you guys know of anyone looking for crew...Im ready to go!

-Dwayne

[Therapy]

Here may be a hint.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post167717