First trailerable sailboat? Have 2 small kids.

[zedpassway]

I don't think the OP is coming back. He hasn't been here since his first post on June 20.

[OS2Dude]

I trailered my O'Day 23 behind my Lexus RX 330. I was told by a mechanic that the trailering capacity of a car is rated for how much it can STOP, not how much it can pull and that by using a trailer with surge brakes you can go above the tow limit somewhat. Only issue I had with my surge brakes was backing up a hill. I had to lock the mechanism so it would not set the brakes backing up my driveway.

Whatever size you get, just make sure it is balanced correctly. Too much weight on the aft part of the trailer and the load will fish-tail like a drunken sailor.

[Dear Abby]

I have a Catalina 22 on the Potomac near Coles point. Love the boat, solidly built, large enough for wife and I to overnight. Planning some longer cruises up the bay to Annapolis so we trust the boat. Raising the mast is easy but not what you would want to do every time you go out. 3500 pound towing capacity is OK but you need wheelbase to control that weight. I use a van or a full size pickup. Current in the Potomac is a factor. You will have trouble sailing upstream with this size boat so make sure you have a strong engine. I just upgraded to a 9.8 Tohatsu electric start with a 25 inch shaft. Engine runs strong, electric start has an alternator to charge the batteries, wish I had spent the couple hundred bucks for electric lift. Buy the newest boat you can. They're out there for the same money. Have fun.

[patn44]

I'm 70, female and singlehanded raised and lowered my C22 mast. There are a lot of 'production' answers about raising the mast but I found that an A frame and no wind was the answer. If there was a second person around would use the trailer winch for muscle. But many just 'jurk' it up or down. Check out the C22 websites and organizations in your area. Since 15 thousand of these boats were built you can find them at any price and in any condition. Look for leaks at the windows and delaminated bulkheads. Common problems but easily fixed. I've rebuilt about 3 of these boats. Not hard just takes some work. Trailerable gives you many more choices in were you sail, swing keel multiplies that. There is no perfect boat, only an acceptable compromise.

[CarolinaCalm]

There were a lot of responses to this thread and I enjoyed the stories of small sailboats and families. Thanks to all that shared memories of family weekends and time together.
Some responses on boats recommended seemed to be on target with the OP,..some not. I am interested to hear what the OP ended up doing. Curiosity lives...

[zimm]

Hey all, I'm back. I had gotten all excited for a small sailboat and drove 4 hours away to check out a "cherry" 80's era Catalina 22. It turns out that all the work done on the boat was actually done by a prior owner years ago. The current owner had just sailed it with no maintenance done. It was quite a big rougher than advertised, but what really stopped me was how small the boat was, and how much set up is involved. Way too much work at the ramp for going our for a few hours. I think I need larger boat with a real helm vs a tiller, and more room for the family of 4 to overnight and instead of trailering, keep it in a wet slip. Thanks for all the insight and I'll start reading about larger boats.

[Dave22q]

Seems like you need to really think about what you want and why. Trailer v. slip certainly saves set up time (maybe less than you think) but costs an extra $5-10,000 /year in slip fees. My experience is that even a car trip with the kids can take what seems like hours to get on the road.
Overnight use means a cabin and some type of porta potty as well as bunks and maybe a basic galley, very different from a day sailor needing none of that. I like wheel steering but would be surprised if you find one on anything under 25' except on power boats. Maybe going power boat would suite you better. The set up time is much less.
If your problem with the 22 ' boat you saw was size then you may well be right that trailering is not for you. In that case you need to works up some kind of budget covering not only purchase, but maintenance and slip fees.

[Bprestonjd]

I have a great ComPac 23 for sale listed in boat trader in new Smyrna Beach Florida for $6500. The listing explains it all with pictures and I'm glad to talk to you if you're interested.

[Teknishn]

Zimm,
My first sailboat was an O'Day 21. Shoal draft fixed keel. Picked it up for $2K when I was stationed in Norfolk. It had very tired sails but they were still usable for day sailing. Everything else on the boat was in perfect working order, including the Johnson 9hp outboard. Too small for overnighting with a family, but was a fun little boat to sail and learn on. Kept it at the Naval Base marina which was great because I could call the wife on a Friday afternoon, walk off whichever ship I was stationed on and meet her and a couple of friends at the marina with dinner and refreshments in hand for an evening sail.

Later upgraded to a Cal 27 (for about $4k I think) that needed a bit of work on the interior but nothing major. Sold the O'day for what I paid for it. And had even more fun since we could overnight with friends.

Point of my post here is that the convenience of having the boat in the water at the base where I was stationed and having it ready to go at a moment's notice made our sailing experiences much more enjoyable and hassle free. My division officers on the ship would ask what my plans were for the evening..."Well Sir, going to drop the top on my restored MGB and then hop over to the marina, step aboard my "yacht" and have a twilight dinner on the Ches Bay with friends. And your plans Sir? "Umm, shopping with the wife (sigh)". For a, then, 26-year old Navy sailor...well, felt like we were like those rich folks you see in all those fancy sailing magazines. Was living the dream!

[lorrie]

Catalina 25
Small Galley, Ice Chest and two sleeping births. Porta pot worked good for nights.
Not a boat you want to launch every weekend. I kept it in the water for a couple years. When work took me to another location, pulled it out.
The previous owner trailered it to lakes for a week or two with the trailerable club.
I was too lazy and worked too much.
I did spend Thursday night through Sunday on it for almost 2 years while racing on another boat.



Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Teknishn]

Oops, Just saw an error in my previous post (and too late to edit it). Sorry for that. The second boat was not a Cal 27....it was a Cat 27 (as in Catalina 27).

[Steadman Uhlich]

Looking for a First Boat, Day Sailor or Pocket Cruiser or Trailer Sailor?

Two of the most popular (and most produced) boats that are commonly recommended are made by Catalina. Here are links to the best and most comprehensive reviews I have found about these two boats.

Catalina 22
Read this review first for extensive information about this boat, including characteristics, design, links, and videos.
https://whichsailboat.com/2015/08/22...ina-22-review/

Catalina 25
Read this review first for extensive information about this boat, including characteristics, design, links, and videos.
https://whichsailboat.com/2014/07/27...ina-25-review/