long time trailer sailor. going back to sailing after 8 yrs w/ 2004 Seaswirl 2101 ocean fishing boat. looking at 25' (1980 to 1989) wing keel catalina and 26 capri wing keel (1990+). Feedback needed to help me decide. Chief
Capri or older catalina 25-27' wing keel trailerable?
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"Any" boat is trailerable, just depends on how big a tow vehicle you have. The Catalina-25 and Capri-26 are trailerable, but would require at least a 3/4 ton truck I would think. Also, they will require you to have some type of mast raising system. You ain't gonna man-handle the mast on either of those boats. Both being wing keel versions, I would go with, especially if you'll be in salt water,(the C-25 swing keel is cast iron). Are you looking for room? Have you thought about a C-250 water ballast? Now I was not a fan of water ballasted boats until I was on a friends C-250. More interior room than either the C-25 or the Capri-26,(the Capri-26 does have standing headroom). The C-250 is easy to raise the mast and rig single handed with the factory mast raising system.
Just a thought,
Don
Just a thought,
Don
I have a 88 Catalina 25 Wing Keel that I trailer from time to time. I use an "A" frame and the boat winch to raise and lower the mast. The "A frame connects to the forestay with a roller furler. The trailer has a 16' tongue extension to launch. I pull mine with a 3/4 ton Duramax diesel 4x4 truck because that is what I had when I purchased the boat. I have two sailing friends that tow theirs with 2 wheel drive 1/2 ton trucks. One is a Chevy and one is a GMC.
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Thanks for the response from both of you. I have a 4x4 Titan so towing either of these boats would not be too heavy as its full rating is 9400. 7000 lbs is the max I would tow(75%concept). Is the Capri fiberglass as thick as the Catalina 25's? Overall quality same in these boats? Will be used in ocean and lakes.
hewebb: How much have you sailed your boat off shore, and do you deem it a capable boat for sea use? I suspect that the Catalina is made better than the Capri; am I right?
Thanks, Chief
Thanks for the response from both of you. I have a 4x4 Titan so towing either of these boats would not be too heavy as its full rating is 9400. 7000 lbs is the max I would tow(75%concept). Is the Capri fiberglass as thick as the Catalina 25's? Overall quality same in these boats? Will be used in ocean and lakes.
hewebb: How much have you sailed your boat off shore, and do you deem it a capable boat for sea use? I suspect that the Catalina is made better than the Capri; am I right?
Thanks, Chief
I've owned a Cat25 and have sailed on a Capri 26.
Given the choice between the two I would take the Capri 26 in a heartbeat. It is a much more modern design, and much faster on the water.
That being said:
The Capri is VERY beamy, at almost 10 feet you are going to need trailer permits everywhere.
The Capri's reverse transom is very pretty but a crappy place for an outboard. We have one in the slip next to our 260 and they have a hell of a time backing out. Hard ergonomics.
They make the Capri with a diesel option. I can tell you that is the way to go.
Built quality I'd figure close to the same on the fiberglass. The Capri being much newer is better engineered. The older Catalinas look like they were designed in a garage. The Cat25 hull is solid glass. The Capri MIGHT be cored.
Given the choice between the two I would take the Capri 26 in a heartbeat. It is a much more modern design, and much faster on the water.
That being said:
The Capri is VERY beamy, at almost 10 feet you are going to need trailer permits everywhere.
The Capri's reverse transom is very pretty but a crappy place for an outboard. We have one in the slip next to our 260 and they have a hell of a time backing out. Hard ergonomics.
They make the Capri with a diesel option. I can tell you that is the way to go.
Built quality I'd figure close to the same on the fiberglass. The Capri being much newer is better engineered. The older Catalinas look like they were designed in a garage. The Cat25 hull is solid glass. The Capri MIGHT be cored.
I have the Catalina 27 shoal draft. I would not recommend it as a trailerable day sailer. I use a 12’ telescoping extension to launch it. I can launch it in about 10 minutes from hookup to in the water, but then I only have to tow about 300 yds. Raising and lowering the mast is fairly easy using the boom as your gin pole. However supporting the mast can be problematic. I use an extension ladder strapped to the bed of my truck. If I needed to rig the boat more often I would make something up that was easier to setup. I would imagine with a little creativity I could rig something that would allow me to raise the mast in about 20-30 minutes. Right now contending with the extra shrouds and the furler it just is not worth setting it up for less than 4 day sail. I removed the brakes from the trailer because they fell apart, but since I don’t go onto the streets I don’t need them. I will eventually switch to electric brakes, the wife wants to drive to San Diego someday for a week (after towing 2500 miles from PA I have no proble going to San Diego).
I do like the Hunter 260. It is a water ballast and sits really low on the trailer. It’s easy to tow and launch. My neighbor just traded his Cat 22 for it plus $20k and he loves it, though he spend most of his time washing it. I’ll post pictures of it later. I looks like it just came off the show room floor.
I do like the Hunter 260. It is a water ballast and sits really low on the trailer. It’s easy to tow and launch. My neighbor just traded his Cat 22 for it plus $20k and he loves it, though he spend most of his time washing it. I’ll post pictures of it later. I looks like it just came off the show room floor.
It depends on what you mean by "trailerable".
It would be a real PIA to launch every time that you go sailing. If you did not have it in mast up storage - then it is a huge amount of work as well.
Locally, these boats are on trailers for the winter. They are launched at a steep boat ramp in spring and pulled in late October. Even fin keelboats are launched this way. If you do a search on launching with a tow strap or a tongue extension, you can see how it is done.
I keep my small easy to launch C22 in a slip because I know it means I use her more. Just step aboard. Slip, mooring or smaller boat will almost certainly result in more sailing time.
OC
It would be a real PIA to launch every time that you go sailing. If you did not have it in mast up storage - then it is a huge amount of work as well.
Locally, these boats are on trailers for the winter. They are launched at a steep boat ramp in spring and pulled in late October. Even fin keelboats are launched this way. If you do a search on launching with a tow strap or a tongue extension, you can see how it is done.
I keep my small easy to launch C22 in a slip because I know it means I use her more. Just step aboard. Slip, mooring or smaller boat will almost certainly result in more sailing time.
OC
Ok, I had to reread the original post to make sure I think I understood...
Agreed... 22 foot is probably the last sized trailerable I'd consider day sailing FROM a trailer.
I've owned a Capri 14.2, a Capri 22, and a Capri 25 (the 25 is the racing boat lighter than the Catalina 25)... I like the lines of the Capri 26 (it's a nicely laid out cruiser).
I day sailed my 22... solo. It took about 1 hour to setup, and 1 hour to tear down. I only did it once, and I was pretty good at it when I did it (had the boat for over a years when I tried it). It was the easiest trailerable wing keel boat (draws 2.5')... I could launch it without an extension, it self centered on the trailer... and I used an A-frame to raise the mast myself.
Now I am WORKING towards setting up my 25 footer with a 4' fin keel to self-launch. it's too large to do without strap launching (or an extension)... I use the same A-frame to raise the mast. I figure I'll be doing pretty well, if I can get it launched for this season in under 2 hours. The 26 is bigger/heavier (slightly shallower).
I slip my boat from May to Oct. It's the best money I've ever spent on my boat. I don't have my boat on big water (because there is none close by)... I instead put it on a lake where I can get to it quickly (45 minutes is quickly)... when I get there, I am sailing withing 10 minutes flat. WORTH VOLUMES to me!
Consider long and hard how you will use your boat.
By the way, my 14.2 Capri was a 3 stay rig, and my best time launching was 30 minutes.
Agreed... 22 foot is probably the last sized trailerable I'd consider day sailing FROM a trailer.
I've owned a Capri 14.2, a Capri 22, and a Capri 25 (the 25 is the racing boat lighter than the Catalina 25)... I like the lines of the Capri 26 (it's a nicely laid out cruiser).
I day sailed my 22... solo. It took about 1 hour to setup, and 1 hour to tear down. I only did it once, and I was pretty good at it when I did it (had the boat for over a years when I tried it). It was the easiest trailerable wing keel boat (draws 2.5')... I could launch it without an extension, it self centered on the trailer... and I used an A-frame to raise the mast myself.
Now I am WORKING towards setting up my 25 footer with a 4' fin keel to self-launch. it's too large to do without strap launching (or an extension)... I use the same A-frame to raise the mast. I figure I'll be doing pretty well, if I can get it launched for this season in under 2 hours. The 26 is bigger/heavier (slightly shallower).
I slip my boat from May to Oct. It's the best money I've ever spent on my boat. I don't have my boat on big water (because there is none close by)... I instead put it on a lake where I can get to it quickly (45 minutes is quickly)... when I get there, I am sailing withing 10 minutes flat. WORTH VOLUMES to me!
Consider long and hard how you will use your boat.
By the way, my 14.2 Capri was a 3 stay rig, and my best time launching was 30 minutes.
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