Shallow docking & low bridge -- Folding mast & retractable keel

[michaelgibek]

New to sailing, we're looking for a starter pocket cruiser that we can grow with.

Two big caveats - it must have a retractable keel for shallow docking by our home. Also, our home is behind a low hanging bridge so the sailboat must have a folding mast and motor to get us past the bridge and into the bay.

I was looking at Macgregor 26 but noticed they stopped manufacturing sailboats a while back.

What are our options now?

[gtwashio]

Perhaps try to find a boat with a centerboard instead of a " retractable keel " .

The "folding mast " is going to be rare. There is a lot of work involved in putting a mast up and it could take a long time to do so.

For the engine get a " long shaft" outboard.

I don't know the mooring rules where you live but .......put a boat on a mooring on the other side of the bridge and then take dingy to the sailboat and go from there. That way you can get a small sailboat with a diesel engine, and may not require a centerboard but a regular keel.

I lived on St Thomas and I kept my boat(s) on a mooring, carried the dingy in my truck, went to the beach, rowed out to the sailboat.

I hope this helps,

Tom

[valhalla360]

What is the air clearance?

Dropping/Raising a mast on even a fairly small boat can be challenging to do on the fly.

[Dymaxion]

Hunter 240, trailer sailor, water ballast, drop keel. And set up for easy self stepping. One at marina near me, can't say how well it sails, but will do 50+mph on its trailer....

[Davy J]

I had the same exact problem when I first wanted to buy a sailboat. I chose a Catalina 25 with a swing keel, although a wing keel model is also available that will do the job without the extra maintenance.

Here is video of us lowering the mast while underway to get under the bridge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwrmxKPdaY4

Here is an old video of me lowering it by myself at my backyard dock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r33VCObNroY

I set up the boat specifically to do this. It took about 15 minutes to lower and then rerig the boat for sailing.

Finally, this is a short video of the components that made the job easier:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsLxujYRsMQ

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Dymaxion

Hunter 240, trailer sailor, water ballast, drop keel. And set up for easy self stepping. One at marina near me, can't say how well it sails, but will do 50+mph on its trailer....

Had a friend with a similar size boat...took about 1/2hr with 3 of us in a calm slip to put it up. You might shave some time off if you did it frequently but I find it hard to believe you could get it under 5-10min and rushing tends to result in mistakes.

Now try it out on the water as a powerboat comes by and throws a wake, so the boat is wobbling side to side and the mast is half way up.

Honestly, if you can't find a boat that fits under with the mast up, I would look at a power boat as much more practical.

[Davy J]

Now try it out on the water as a powerboat comes by and throws a wake, so the boat is wobbling side to side and the mast is half way up.

The way that my Catalina 25 was rigged, this was not a problem. The forward lower shrouds were attached to the a-frame. This prevented the mast from swinging from side to side by all but about 12" to 15".