West Wight Potter

[Eric]

I noticed in another thread that Gord May suggested a West Wight Potter for someone who is learning to sail. This question is for him or anyone else, of course , who wants to contribute.
I want to sail out of Corpus Christi. I have very little experience, and I want to get my wife involved in sailing. For budget and ease of use, the WWP looks pretty good. The positive flotation looks like a real plus.
I would consider something smaller, but my wife and I are both 57 years old, and I can't see her thinking several dunkings per trip to be a fun time. I want this to be fun for her.
Later on, if things work out, then we could try something bigger.
Oh, I forgot to ask the question. Are there things I haven't thought of that I should be thinking? Is the West Wight Potter as safe as I think it is?
Thank you for your advice.

[Jentine]

big boat capability in a small package. I have never owned one, but I have sailed one and they are impressive.

Jim

[Jim H]

We considered West Wight Potters, and there was a 15 and 19 that were for sale locally at very good prices.

There's all sorts of good online resources avaiable about the boats, including the forum at trailer sailor:

http://bbs.trailersailor.com/forums/potter/index.cgi

You might also enjoy the book "Sailing on a Micro Budget" by Larry Brown. He relates his fun experiences with small sailboats, and then settles on a WW 15 as his choice for a trailer-friendly boat.

As for us, I saw new WWs at the Seattle Boat show last year, and there are several on the Columbia where we sail. If we had to have a trailerable sailboat, I think a 15 or 19 would be our choice. As it turned out, we didn't want to trailer, and instead have a boat at a marina ready to go. Since that was the case, we went with a 20 foot boat with a 900 lb. keel, which is plenty stable for the sailing we do.

WWs get great reviews for stability, but the one thing that concerned us was the lightweight keel (I believe the total weight of a empty WW 15 is 900 lbs). This is excellent for trailering, and the hull is designed for this type of keel, but we were looking for something more.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide.

[Eric]

Thank you for your comments, Jentine and Jim H. I intend to get the book by Larry Brown.
Jim, if you don't mind my asking, what twenty foot boat did you get?
Eric

Eric, The WWP's are great boats, and a lively sail. I have done a bit of sailing on pocket cruisers in this size range, including the WWP 19, and they make for a lively sail. I used to own a Space Sailor20. It is the only one known to be in the US, but I am sure a few from OZ know the boat. I sold it to a friend and we sailed it quite often in the Monterey Bay. The boat is a bit tender, but I have seen 7kts through the water with this little 20 footer. The sailing was a bit too lively for my wife, but it worked for me. A light boat in that size range is easy to rig, and tow, as well as easy to park in a driveway, so you will be more likely to use it. It is much harder to get inspred for a day sail when 4 or 5 hours of that is spent launching and rigging, and derigging the boat.

[Jim H]

Eric once whispered in the wind:
Jim, if you don't mind my asking, what twenty foot boat did you get?
Eric

My brother and I picked up a 1967 Cal 20 for $600. It had sat on barrels for about 8 years, but we restored it over a three month period and learned a great deal. We posted sets of pictures throughout the process, and here's a link to the final set (maiden sail):

http://homepage.mac.com/bear33/PhotoAlbum28.html

The funny thing about Cal 20s is that they have a real following. There's an active fleet that races locally, and serious members of the local sailing community own and sail them. They hit a "sweet spot" of being affordable, easy to maintain, fun to sail, and are relatively seaworthy for a 20 foot boat. Down in California they are sailed to Catalina Island on a regular basis, and one was sailed to Hawaii.

Anyway, we love the boat and even sail it in the winter. They are available in the $2k to $5k range in much better shape than the one we started with.

[maxcontax]

A California geologist sailed a WWP 19 from San Francisco to Hawaii a few years ago--not that I'd recommend that--but they have a reputation of being a stable sailboat due to a semi-dory hull design. Not sure if trailering or launching fits into the equation, if it does, look at the Wayfarer 16, it is about 365 lbs, 16x6 feet with bow and lazarette stowage, sails very well, a good learning boat.

[capncusp]

Hey I might have that boat in my yard. I bought it last year in Hawaii kai and shipped it over to the big island on a trailer. Whomever it was added three feet to the keel in length and depth and added a steel or iron weight at the bottom of the keel. I cut off two feet and the iron last week and am getting it ready to sail again. A little small for me to sail across, for sure. Ron

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Eric,
Here on the Big Island too.
The WWP 19 is a big boat on a budget. Our club's 19 has everything a big boat would have and a bit of comfort too in a 19 foot trailerable package. Our clubmembers use it very frequently and I teach using it as a platform for those who want to sail something a bit larger than a Sunfish or a Flying Junior.
Great boat. You'll love it.
A clubmember here had a WWP 15 and they were out on the water more than anyone else for years until he reached his 80s.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Eric,
Great boats. Our club has one that we use all the time for training. They have all the things a big boat would have in a small easily affordable package. You'll love it. Ours is a 19. A clubmember had a 15 they sailed in the bay more often than all the other sailors in the area until he reached 80.
Good luck,
JohnL

[SkiprJohn]

Why did I send two messages? Getting old. Got my first SS Check the other day. That proves it.
JohnL

[Eric]

I found a used copy of Larry Brown's "Sailing on a Micro Budget". What a great book!
I am now a frequent reader of the trailersailor website. It's a good place for information.
A few days ago I bought a Precision 14. I am going sailing on it today for the second time.
I want to build up my skills before I take my wife out.
I hope to sail the P 14 for about two years(or whatever it takes) in the local lakes and then buy the WWP 19.
Jim H, the Cal 20 story was very inspiring.
Eventually I want to be sailing something around 26 feet.

[West Wight Pott]

Check out International Marine/West Wight Potter's 2012 April Newsletter.
And here is Ken in a video of

things to come.