This thread is all about Trailer Sailors and Pocket Cruisers.
Thread Criteria: The boats discussed in this thread must be trailerable and are designed to be trailerable by their owners.
____________
Reason for this topic: I am starting this thread to provide some resources to help sailors who may be interested in
purchasing a "trailer sailor" type
boat. That is a broad category, so some of these boats may be daysailors and some may be suitable for short term cruising. Some may be suitable for protected waters, while some may be suitable for coastal cruising (or possibly to the Bahamas).
Because of the wide range of
boat types that fit this category, it is important for
new sailors to do some
research into any specific boat. This thread is simply to provide an Illustrated Guide and some reference materials and links and
advice. Any boats I post with a link to a
sale listing are simply to provide an example of
current street
price and condition and possibly help someone find a good example boat. I have no connection to the boats or sellers. Caveat Emptor!
_______________
Share Your Experience or Opinions or Insights Too!
While I am including some links in my OP or top post, I encourage any CF
member to contribute other links, more
advice, good examples, and anything else you think may help new
trailer sailors or even experienced ones too.
____________
Small trailerable boats such as a
Catalina 22 or a
MacGregor 26S are often recommended to people who want to learn how to sail and are curious about what boats they could buy that would allow them to do some
learning and some short term cruising. I will add some photos of representative examples of popular trailer sailors and a few that may seem uncommon too. I will add these along with some example posts to show what their features are and typical asking prices.
But, the category of "Trailer Sailor" does not end with just a
dinghy or
Catalina 22. There are smaller boats and larger boats that I will include in this thread too.
Just remember the thread criteria: It must be a boat that can be trailered by the owner.
______________
Experienced Trailor Sailors Advice Wanted
While I have sailed on many "trailer sailor" size
dinghy class boats, (e.g. Laser, Force 5, El Toro, Hobie Cats, Prindle Cats, Thistle, 405, etc. ) and boats such as a Catalina 25, and other small
keel boats, I don't claim to be an expert on them. Instead, I would prefer to see other CF members add their experienced views to this thread.
Similarly, there are Trailer Sailor boats that are designed with berths, galleys, and heads. These small "pocket cruisers" may be ideal for many sailors. I encourage experienced sailors to add their favorites to this thread and to offer their insights, advice, and tips too. I will be adding boats such as a Flicka 20 and other "Pocket Cruiser" boats I find.
____________
Outstanding Resources!
The best
single resource to learn about how to sail and modify and
cruise in a trailer sailor I can suggest is a website created by one of CF's members "SUMNER" who has put together a very extensive collection of links and tips and voyage
logs based on his own experience with a
MacGregor 26s.
I think ANY new trailer sailor will find his site to be informative and inspirational! Even if you are going to
purchase a different brand or model of trailer sailor, I encourage you to visit his site via the links below to learn what you can. I know one could spend many hours just reading the material and viewing his modifications and
logs. There is a wealth of good information there.
If you know of more Trailer Sailor resources, post a link in this thread. If you want to share your opinion on any trailer sailor boat you have sailed or owned, feel free to add that too.
_______________
Outstanding Trailer Sailor Resource Links
One of CF's members, SUMNER, has done extensive travel and sailing with trailer sailor boats and he also has a
Endeavour 37 too. I very much enjoyed reading his excellent and very helpful written and well illustrated logs he has published online. See the links below for these. I think many
new sailors who are considering
buying any kind of trailer sailor boat would learn a lot from Sumner's experiences and his nicely written and organized information.
So, even if you don't plan on
buying a Mac26S, you can learn from his experience. I enjoyed reading about his Bahama Voyage (2015) and noted many of his observations would be helpful to me when I make a similar voyage in the future. He has done an outstanding job of writing, photographing, and assembling lots of information that is helpful. In short: Highly Recommended Reading!
IF you are interested in buying a trailer sailor and making modifications to it to make it more pleasant or
seaworthy, I encourage you to spend some time reading what Sumner has done.
IF you are interested in taking a
small boat to the
Bahamas, I encourage you to read his account of his voyage. It is the best I have found. I know I plan on reading it again, completely, before my trip to the
Bahamas in a
small boat and consider it a "Must Read" to see what can be anticipated. His many photos and clear writing give an excellent "Virtual Cruise" in a small boat in those waters and achorages.
Sumner's 2015 Bahama Trip MENU Page
http://1fatgmc.com/boat/mac-1/2015%2...Main-Menu.html
Sumner's Things to Do and Know Before Heading to the Bahamas
This page has very good insights into preparing your boat and yourself for the trip to the Bahamas in a small boat.
http://1fatgmc.com/boat/mac-1/2015%2...onsider-1.html
Sumner's Bahamas 2015 Voyage INDEX page
This page has links to each leg of his voyage. Each leg is written in detail with many very good photos illustrating his trip.
http://1fatgmc.com/boat/mac-1/2015%2...p%20Index.html
Sumner's Other Trips in a MacGregor 26S
Lake sailing in the American West, Lake Powell,
Canada,
Florida Coastal and Keys, etc.
Macgregor Trips-1 Index
Sumner's MacGregor 26S MENU Page
This page has links to many articles which illustrate and describe Sumner's modifications and updates to his MacGregor 26S boat. I enjoyed viewing these articles to see how he had prepared and customized his boat for travel and Voyaging and comfort. Well worth visiting if you are a trailer sailor even if your boat is not a Mac 26S. Lots of ideas illustrated.
Macgregor 26S Index
Sumner's Links Trailer Sailor Page
This is a very extensive page of links to many sites that will interest trailer sailors. Especially noted are the many trailer sailor groups or associations around the
USA. While many of the links are to MacGregor boat groups, many are not. There are also links to exemplary blogs by trailer sailors. And links to sources of
parts etc. So, there is a long list of sites and blogs which can help a trailer sailor learn. Well worth seeing and bookmarking for future reference.
Macgregor - Venture Sailboat Links
Finally, if you learn something from him or enjoy his writing, drop him a "Thank You" to show his many hours of writing were appreciated. Good Karma!
_______________________
This is an Ongoing Thread so there will be much more posted over time!
This will be an ongoing thread where I will post boats I find over time.
I hope you find this ongoing thread helpful. It will take some time to upload all of the relevant examples, so stay tuned or subscribe to see more boats as I update the thread as soon as possible.
Occasionally I will post a link to a boat I find that is currently
for sale. I may include photos of it and photos of other sister boats too. I include photos to ILLUSTRATE the boat type or model. So not all of the photos may be from a linked boat that is listed
for sale. Remember that. The photos are from a mix of sources.
_______________________
Linear Mode
Recent Discussions