trailerable sailboats

[hesmysnowman]

Rob:

In the right location, slip fees are less of a headache than rigging a boat every time you want to put it in. I bought a compac 19 that is an excellent boat for us, but at 45 minutes to rig/derig in sweltering texas heat, we weren't enjoying the process. Used it once every three weeks. Put it in a slip on a large lake and now use it twice a week in the spring summer and fall despite the 55 minute drive there. Guess I would rather drive without the trailer than spend the time rigging. It is nice to have the smaller boat that I can take somewhere if I want, but I have only brought it out for painting. Of course with only a medium size sedan to pull the boat, it would be even more difficult to travel with. Now I am down one spot in my driveway due to an empty trailer sitting there.
Consider the slip fees as a chance to meet your fellow sailor. We have met some quality people at our dock. Maybe move up in size since you don't have to trailer. Just my thoughts on it.


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[Time2Go]

A few years ago when I joined the group here looking for advice The advice I got was to
Purchase a small boat and just sail for a bit.
I bought myself an O Day Mariner 2+2 and have sailed it two or three days a week since. Great little boat, I have had 5 adults on board but sail single handed most of the time. Very active owners association for advice. This boat is still in production.
Over 4,000 made.
The lake where I sail does not have slips but does have trailer storage where the
Mast can be kept stepped, a big time and effort saver. Takes me about 10 minutes
To launch and retrieve.
I got some good advice here which was once again
1. Buy and Sail a small boat to start
2. Sail it, Sail it, Sail it,
3. Crew on other peoples boat to see if you like cruising
4. Get some certs
5. Charter
6. Buy my Big Boat

I'm up to number 4 this summer
And will most likely go to the UK and get at least Day Skipper RYA
Do a cruise, as crew in the Med and stop back in the UK on the way home
To try and get Coastal Skipper
That's the plan at least
The multi step plan I was advised to take as outlined above
Was some of the best advice I ever got

[VinnyVincent]

Originally Posted by hesmysnowman

Consider the slip fees as a chance to meet your fellow sailor. We have met some quality people at our dock. Maybe move up in size since you don't have to trailer. Just my thoughts on it.

This is excellent advice. I am still learning to sail and about boating in general and the help/advice that has been given to me by my neighbors has been priceless. The have helped me with everything from how to get out of the marina to lending me a handheld GPS and referring me to some good local people and shops to perform maintenance and repairs.

[rob67]

Originally Posted by sesmith

rob67,

You live in a great part of the lake for cruising / sailing. We were up your way with our seaward the year before last. Didn't make it up into the bay, but stopped at Waupoos, not far from you.

Our seaward 25 is a nice sized boat for sailing on Lake Ontario, but with your price range you probably won't be able to find one, except possibly a very early model, and the retractable keel 26 is priced much higher. We used to have a hunter 23.5, which can be found in your price range and is a fun boat to sail and learn on. It would be fine on the bay, but wouldn't inspire confidence out on the main lake, though.

Have fun learning to sail. Ontario is such a great place to have a sailboat. We also had power boats for many years. We took a lesson on a sailboat about 10 years ago, and never looked back.

Yes the area we are in is great for boating , both power and sail. Waupoos is only a 25 min drive but is extremely expensive for seasonal and quite rundown in my opinion. We have chartered out of Waupoos to get a feel for sailing and loved it.

Unfortunately the seaward is out of my budget to learn on but the concept of the retractable keel intrigues me .

Have you had any issues with the keel mechanism?

The Bay of Quinte is a good place to learn to sail on with a small boat from what I have been told but It is not that great for larger boats because its to shallow and can get quite weedy.

[rob67]

Originally Posted by VinnyVincent

This is excellent advice. I am still learning to sail and about boating in general and the help/advice that has been given to me by my neighbors has been priceless. The have helped me with everything from how to get out of the marina to lending me a handheld GPS and referring me to some good local people and shops to perform maintenance and repairs.

In my situation I have been cruising off and on for 20 yrs. This has been on power cruisers. The off part was when we moved to the prairies in Canada no water quite boring.

I do understand what you are saying but I feel for us the best fit is taking certified sailing courses , get a small boat and practice. We still have our pocket power cruiser which we keep at a marina for our week to 2 week trips.
I have a hard time forking out another 1000.00 just to keep another boat tied up.

But I do appreciate the advice and if I didn't have my other boat I would definitely be doing things the way you are.
Rob

[rob67]

Originally Posted by Time2Go

A few years ago when I joined the group here looking for advice The advice I got was to
Purchase a small boat and just sail for a bit.
I bought myself an O Day Mariner 2+2 and have sailed it two or three days a week since. Great little boat, I have had 5 adults on board but sail single handed most of the time. Very active owners association for advice. This boat is still in production.
Over 4,000 made.
The lake where I sail does not have slips but does have trailer storage where the
Mast can be kept stepped, a big time and effort saver. Takes me about 10 minutes
To launch and retrieve.
I got some good advice here which was once again
1. Buy and Sail a small boat to start
2. Sail it, Sail it, Sail it,
3. Crew on other peoples boat to see if you like cruising
4. Get some certs
5. Charter
6. Buy my Big Boat

I'm up to number 4 this summer
And will most likely go to the UK and get at least Day Skipper RYA
Do a cruise, as crew in the Med and stop back in the UK on the way home
To try and get Coastal Skipper
That's the plan at least
The multi step plan I was advised to take as outlined above
Was some of the best advice I ever got

The steps that you are taking is the route we are going for sailing. The only reason I was thinking of the trailerable boat is because I have a pocket cruiser that we love to cruise on usually one to two week trips, and I keep that in a slip. I really don't want to pay for 2 slips .The idea of keeping it at a marina on a trailer is something I never thought of and is quite brilliant. I will definitely research that option

Thanks for the advice
Rob

[VinnyVincent]

Originally Posted by rob67

In my situation I have been cruising off and on for 20 yrs. This has been on power cruisers. The off part was when we moved to the prairies in Canada no water quite boring.

I do understand what you are saying but I feel for us the best fit is taking certified sailing courses , get a small boat and practice. We still have our pocket power cruiser which we keep at a marina for our week to 2 week trips.
I have a hard time forking out another 1000.00 just to keep another boat tied up.

But I do appreciate the advice and if I didn't have my other boat I would definitely be doing things the way you are.
Rob

That's right, you already have a power boat tied up, sorry I overlooked that.

What direction are you eventually wanting to go with this whole sailing thing?
Are you wanting to eventually replace your power cruiser, or do you just want to just daysail on the side for fun while still cruising with your power boat?

[Wrong]

Although your budget limit, $5,000, is not generally going to buy one of these, I saw one in New Orleans back in the 90's selling for that. So, it's possible. Lots of information online and you can join the owner's group at https://groups.yahoo.com/group/NorSea27/ for personalized information.

Here's a photo of mine on her trailer at Cattail Cove in Arizona near Lake Havasu.

[cbowers]

Have you considered the sirius21? They were built in Parry Sound by Van de Stat and McGreur ( sp??). Great little cruiser. I sail mine in Newfoundland. Lots available in Ontario area.


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[hesmysnowman]

If you have to go trailerable, go with a swing keel unless you have very steep and deep ramps. Trailer extensions are a pain. I have not been on a water ballast and read that they are tender, but I'm not sure I buy it. They are easier to tow and the centerboard makes for an easy boat to get into thin waters.

My Compac keel only draws 2-3' but I always keep at least 8-10 under that. With a retractable, I would be less hesitant about getting stuck on the bottom.


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[Divevac]

Rob

We talked about getting max sailing experience for minimum investment. That means seeking out a keelboat race crew before the season begins. Why not learn on someone else's boat? I can help you find someone who might take you on as most racers are perenially short of crew and always looking for reliable new crew whatever the experience level because they know you will learn quickly while racing. The learning curve is not steep and you will learn a ton about sailing just racing on the Bay of Quinte twice a week.

Do partake in the Learn to Sail offered at BQYC. Do it now-as the spots fill up quickly in the spring.

The alternative is to buy an older Laser ( I have one with a decent dolley) and sail the hell out of it for one summer in every conceivable weather condition. There IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR DINGHY EXPERIENCE. It will serve you well on any boat and in any weather because you experience the consequences of your actions (correct or incorrect) immediately. Truly sharpens your senses and intuition on the water. You will get wet and you will have a blast!

For what its worth piling on to our conversation of Thursday and taking into account the logical comments here, you could bite the bullet and buy a Shark. There are about 8 in the race fleet at BQYC. While most are alongside for the summer, the best local Shark racer dry sails out of Victoria Harbour. To avoid dockage fees, you'll need to find one on a trailer. There are always 1 or 2 for sale locally. There is a former racing Shark on a trailer at West Lake with two full suites of sails. A little TLC and you're good to go. Lots of potential for Shark resale in the local area as long as the racing fleet holds together (8 years and counting!). There is also a strong shark racing fleet at Kingston YC (resale).

cheers
Dave @ VAC

[Rhapsody-NS27]

For the size or cost you're looking for, Catalina might be a way to go that you could sell later if/when you upgrade to a larger boat after some experience.

There's a lot of boats out there. Just be patient and research what would suit you and what you want to do with it.

[SkiprJohn]

Just a few comments about what folks are advising you. Hake Seaward are usually pretty expensive and over your budget. A catboat sometimes has an unstayed mast and is harder to erect than a hinged mast step mast. The O'Day 2+2 will be harder to launch and recover because it has a fixed keel instead of a swing keel. Com Pac are quality boats but also expensive.

If you have a chance to hang out at a boat ramp and see what sailboats are being set up and launched on a warm holiday that might be an eye opener for you.

Good luck.

[Cheechako]

The Seaward have a great rep, but are in a different class... both cost and build wise than the other two. Budget means a lot. How much do you want to spend?
I guess I missed the$5k budget. Hmmm.. the Chrysler 26 are good little boats. A friend had one. Stiff too for a swing keel.

[Stu Jackson]

Find one that has an active owners association, or else you'll be reinventing the wheel when you try to fix or improve things.

Association Forum - Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Also, in asking a generic question like this, it occurs to me that Google can be your friend.

There have also been books like "20 Small Yachts to Take You Anywhere," and the like.

There are also a few websites that a Google search would lead you to that have lists, and lists, and lists of these kind of things.

There's also search, advanced search and Google site searches on this and many other boating forums.

Good luck, just thought I'd explain how find info you're looking for.

Disclosure: We owned a fixed keel (4'-0", IIRC) Catalina 25 for 12 wonderful years. It had the sail controls required to help us learn to sail properly and all the sail controls found on bigger boats. If you buy a "Toy Boat", IMHO, you won't be learning so much.