Mariner - Opinions from Owners

jimmcgee

jimmcgee

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Feb 26, 2008
603
Catalina 30 Marathon, FL
Hey Folks,
I'm thinking about getting a trailer sailer to keep at our vacation home in Marathon in the Florida Keys.

I'm looking for an inexpensive boat that I can keep on a trailer when we're not there and tie up behind our place when we are. Something that will be quick to rig and take out for day sailing and picnics with up to four people. No overnights, sailing only inside the reef in protected waters and able to pull up on a beach or sand bar for a BBQ. Sailing in winds under 25 knts and nothing worse than a light chop.

The O'Day Mariner with a center board looks like a good candidate. I was hoping to get opinions from owners on what to look for (or avoid) in a used Mariner, how they sail and your thoughts on using her this way.

Our current boat is a Catalina 30 that we live aboard weekends and sail on Barnegat Bay.

Thanks in advance, :D
Jim
1995 Catalina 30
Island Time
Barnegat Bay
 
centerline

centerline

.
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
jimmcgee said:
Hey Folks,
I'm thinking about getting a trailer sailer to keep at our vacation home in Marathon in the Florida Keys.

I'm looking for an inexpensive boat that I can keep on a trailer when we're not there and tie up behind our place when we are. Something that will be quick to rig and take out for day sailing and picnics with up to four people. No overnights, sailing only inside the reef in protected waters and able to pull up on a beach or sand bar for a BBQ. Sailing in winds under 25 knts and nothing worse than a light chop.

The O'Day Mariner with a center board looks like a good candidate. I was hoping to get opinions from owners on what to look for (or avoid) in a used Mariner, how they sail and your thoughts on using her this way.

Our current boat is a Catalina 30 that we live aboard weekends and sail on Barnegat Bay.

Thanks in advance, :D
Jim
1995 Catalina 30
Island Time
Barnegat Bay
Click to expand
there is a lot written about these little boats on the internet and its all good. the 2+2 model seems to be the boat to look for if you want accomodation room....

for the type of sailing you want to do, it seems like it will be an ideal boat... but you may end up wanting something a little bigger.
for the price, simplicity, ease of sailing and trailering, the macgregor 25 or 26s would be a great option as well and give almost 3 times the interior space without any more trouble rigging or trailering.
 
Pink Flamingo

Pink Flamingo

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Sep 27, 2008
80
Grampian 26 26 Penetang,Ontario
Used to own a 2+2 for a couple of years.Roomy cockpit and lots of fun to sail.
The cuddy is just about useless,unless you are under 5' tall.
Mast is easily stepped with one person with the help of a halyard,setup would take me on average 45 minutes.
Check out the Mariner website,lots of info.
 
jimmcgee

jimmcgee

.
Feb 26, 2008
603
Catalina 30 Marathon, FL
centerline said:
for the type of sailing you want to do, it seems like it will be an ideal boat... but you may end up wanting something a little bigger.
for the price, simplicity, ease of sailing and trailering, the macgregor 25 or 26s would be a great option as well and give almost 3 times the interior space without any more trouble rigging or trailering.
Click to expand
Centerline, I agree that the Macs are good little trailer sailors but in our case the trailer would just be a place to store the boat under the house when we're not there. The only accommodations we'll need is a spot for a porta-podi and a place to throw a cooler and a light jacket.

I'm trying to think simple. Something I can tie up in the canal behind the house when we're there that can be sailing on a whim in five minutes. But also a boat that will be stable and isn't likely to turtle in reasonable conditions (unless I get really stupid).
 
centerline

centerline

.
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
Pink Flamingo said:
Used to own a 2+2 for a couple of years.Roomy cockpit and lots of fun to sail.
The cuddy is just about useless,unless you are under 5' tall..
Click to expand
I wont disagree, but it does depend on a persons point of view.
I had a mac21 that some people have said the same thing about, but considering the overall size of the boat, what is one to expect?... I am 6ft tall 210lbs and I found the mac to be much better accomodations than most tents that people camp in...

Actually knowing how much space one needs to "camp" in, and having reasonable expectations from the space available is the key to buying a comfortable boat.

there are many people in the world who couldnt stand to be cramped up in the confines of a 70 foot boat...

All things are relative...
 
jimmcgee

jimmcgee

.
Feb 26, 2008
603
Catalina 30 Marathon, FL
centerline said:
there are many people in the world who couldnt stand to be cramped up in the confines of a 70 foot boat...

All things are relative...
Click to expand
Very true. I'm 6' 270 and bear a strong resemblance to a gorilla, my wife is a petite 5'1" which makes for some interesting conversations about what is "comfortable" :D

I've stayed aboard our Catalina 30 for up to a week at a time but have met people who think 40 feet is the minimum for a weekender. It's all about your expectations.

What's interesting is the idea of simply sailing off my back porch and no overnights aboard completely re-calibrated my thoughts on an "ideal boat". There's something to be said for very little maintenance and the ability to just step aboard and go; or to just pull it up on a beach and not worry about a dinghy...
 
centerline

centerline

.
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
jimmcgee said:
Very true. I'm 6' 270 and bear a strong resemblance to a gorilla, my wife is a petite 5'1" which makes for some interesting conversations about what is "comfortable" :D

I've stayed aboard our Catalina 30 for up to a week at a time but have met people who think 40 feet is the minimum for a weekender. It's all about your expectations.

What's interesting is the idea of simply sailing off my back porch and no overnights aboard completely re-calibrated my thoughts on an "ideal boat". There's something to be said for very little maintenance and the ability to just step aboard and go; or to just pull it up on a beach and not worry about a dinghy...
Click to expand
sailing off the back porch sounds perfect, but being able to sail off the back porch and find a quiet secluded cove to anchor in, or a beach to pull up on for the night is even better... or having the extra bed available for guests when the boat is docked at the back porch.
 
jimmcgee

jimmcgee

.
Feb 26, 2008
603
Catalina 30 Marathon, FL
centerline said:
sailing off the back porch sounds perfect, but being able to sail off the back porch and find a quiet secluded cove to anchor in, or a beach to pull up on for the night is even better... or having the extra bed available for guests when the boat is docked at the back porch.
Click to expand
Ahh I see what you're thinking.

In our case we're only getting there for a week at a time right now, so the idea is to keep it simple. Overnights are off the table and I need to keep maintenance simple because both time and tools are short once I get there.

We'll eventually move our 30 there when we retire in a year or two.
 
J

jwing

.
Jun 5, 2014
503
ODay Mariner Guntersville
I own a Mariner 2+2. I like it. Fun to sail. Very comfortable for two people day sailing. I love the long cockpit benches! Easy to single hand if you add a jib downhaul or a furler. The cuddy on a Mariner 2+2 is great for storing all the sailing paraphernalia, including cooler, outboard motor and rudder/tiller assembly. Makes it easy to go out on a whim. The 2+2 cuddy is big enough for a person to sit and get a bit of relief from wind and/or sun, have a smoke, or pee in a bucket.

However, it may not be the boat you really want. Mariners are not built with traveler, if that is important to you. Most Mariners have a swing keel housing in the cockpit. That makes the leg room a bit slight in the fore half of the cockpit. On top of that, the main sheet, on most, is mid-boom, so it will get in the faces of the front passengers. I say all that to tell you this: For me, 4 people is too many for fun sails in a Mariner. One or two people are ideal. Three people works good, too. The tillerman can sit near the stern, the crew on the leeward side can lounge clear of the sheet, and the windward crew can lounge or sit. The crew do not switch sides during a tack, but the tillerman does. Lounging may not be possible on old Mariners. See the second-to-last photo on this webpage:
http://usmariner.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=953644&module_id=46762
The rightmost boat is an old Mariner; the other two are 2+2s.

No design or construction flaws, just the typical issues that older sailboats have, mostly dependent on how previous owners treated the boat. Some of the rudder gudgeon backing plates are wood that might be rotting, same for the base of the compression post. Top-notch users association - active, sharing, and supportive: usmariner.org. Mariners are still made by Stuart Marine. Parts available there and at drmarine.com
 
jepomer

jepomer

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Jan 22, 2008
507
Catalina 310 278 Lyndeborough NH
Our O'Day 19 (a "cousin" to the Mariner but with a quicker rating but only 525 were built) has sufficient space in the cabin for people to sit and sleep. It's camping, but has enough privacy for a portable potty (non-debatable feature). Last week we had 6 people comfortably seated while watching the fireworks.For sailing, 4 adults is max.

We use ours to trailer-sail because it is quick to setup.
We have a larger keelboat that lives on a mooring during the summer.

The older Mariners had wooden ribs. Check the condition of any wooden structures that might be resting in the bilge.
 
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Brian S

Brian S

.
Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
Small trailer cabin boats that are easy to set up and sail:

Precision 18
O'day 192
Hunter 185

Plenty of others out there...
 
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