New Boat
- Thread starter EnamrdSalr21
- Start date
You probably couldn't be any more right about that! I'll spend some time planning before I make that leap! My budget is probably around $20k but I'd be happier with spending less obviously.
In the trailerable category, I think Hake Yachts (Seaward) makes some of the more impressive, solidly built ones. Back when we had a Hunter 23, I greatly admired how solid the RK 26 was. They also make an RK 32, which is sort of marginally trailerable, but... huge.
....And then on the rare occasion you want a 2-3 week ocean cruise, charter a comfortable and capable boat for that voyage.
Article:
Trailerable Cruisers
There’s a lot to be said for a trailer sailer. Say goodbye to expensive boatyard haulout and storage fees. Forget about the laborious annual bottom scrub andwww.sailmagazine.com
I'm a trailer sailor and I have gone down the bigger-boat-itis rabbit hole once. If you are really a trailer sailor, then this axiom will be true for you ... the smaller the boat, the more often you will sail it. If you want to go to camp grounds, and bring your boat... go to the great lakes and sail your boat ... trailer to the outer banks and bring your boat....AVOID SLIP FEES.... then the ability to trailer, launch and retrieve should be weighted high on the list of trade offs. And you can charter a week here and there on a 30+ sloop for a lot less than the cost of owning that sloop. Take a look at the Compact 19, the West Wright Potter 19, the Rhodes 22 or the Catalina 22, Hunter 23 or 23.5 or 240 or if you have a big truck the Catalina 250 or Hunter 26 or 260. The last three will have enclosed heads and a very functional galley.
Here is a potter in your back yard...
If one of the sets of sails is still in good shape, the trailer is sound and the O.B. reliable, then the asking price is about right. When you buy a boat this old, you are actually buying the trailer, sails and O.B.
If you've reached the decision to not try to marry an ocean voyaging vessel with a trailer sailer there are a lot of options. I always Rx for a good sailing boat over many amenities. If the sailing isn't fun the trailer trips will become longer and more frequent. The sailing less so. Easy to set up is important for the same reason. For trailering under 25' is basically reasonable. Over 25' less so. Fixed keel or centerboat/daggerboard? Fixed keel will limit your launching options. But wait, there are other options.
A catboat is one. You would be limited to under 20' because they are wide and you bump up against land width restrictions for trailering. But they have very good space for the length, can be centerboards, sail well and are pretty stabile. They can go in shallow water. They are not for big water.
The trimarans are another. They take longer to set up for trailering. But provide fun sailing and are good camper/sailors. Some can handle big-ish water but not, in my opinion, with youngsters. I expect blowback from other posters on this point.
And there are the Hakes. If you have the budget that is a nice platform.
There are lots of designs for camper/cruisers on the internet and especially on wooden boat sites which could provide what you want.
Widen your search criteria is my advice.
A catboat is one. You would be limited to under 20' because they are wide and you bump up against land width restrictions for trailering. But they have very good space for the length, can be centerboards, sail well and are pretty stabile. They can go in shallow water. They are not for big water.
The trimarans are another. They take longer to set up for trailering. But provide fun sailing and are good camper/sailors. Some can handle big-ish water but not, in my opinion, with youngsters. I expect blowback from other posters on this point.
And there are the Hakes. If you have the budget that is a nice platform.
There are lots of designs for camper/cruisers on the internet and especially on wooden boat sites which could provide what you want.
Widen your search criteria is my advice.
Wow! Nice find! I had just looked on craigslist but did not see this one! I have also heard that the potters are pretty awesome. This one looks good! I must admit that I have experienced the benefits of having a smaller boat. My cal 21 is a boat that I have stepped and sailed by myself many many times. If it were any bigger I probably would not have been able to do that on my own. Definitely something to think about!! I'll take a look at this Potter and discuss with my wife. Thanks for the input!!!
I'm a trailer sailor and I have gone down the bigger-boat-itis rabbit hole once. If you are really a trailer sailor, then this axiom will be true for you ... the smaller the boat, the more often you will sail it. If you want to go to camp grounds, and bring your boat... go to the great lakes and sail your boat ... trailer to the outer banks and bring your boat....AVOID SLIP FEES.... then the ability to trailer, launch and retrieve should be weighted high on the list of trade offs. And you can charter a week here and there on a 30+ sloop for a lot less than the cost of owning that sloop. Take a look at the Compact 19, the West Wright Potter 19, the Rhodes 22 or the Catalina 22, Hunter 23 or 23.5 or 240 or if you have a big truck the Catalina 250 or Hunter 26 or 260. The last three will have enclosed heads and a very functional galley.
Here is a potter in your back yard...
If one of the sets of sails is still in good shape, the trailer is sound and the O.B. reliable, then the asking price is about right. When you buy a boat this old, you are actually buying the trailer, sails and O.B.
Hi Todd,
welcome aboard. I hail from Indiana too, but I am up on the”North Coast”, in Lake county, and I sail on Lake Michigan. Are you sailing on lake Monroe?
Your plans sound very ambitious, but exciting.
I started sailing about 10 years ago After going out on a friends Catalina 30 one afternoon. I took a charter class out of Michigan City and was then able to charter a 34-foot Catalina from the charter company. then I started Looking at boats in earnest.
At first, I thought a MacGregor 26M would be the ticket. Trailerable and can take a 50hp outboard. Motors pretty fast. Sounded like a neat combination. I found someone to take me out for a sail. We met at the boat ramp and we set up the boat (probably 60 minutes)...and alter helped him tore the boat down to put back on the trailer...another 60 or so minutes...I decided after that, that I would keep a boat in a slip...
we sailed the Mac 26x on Lake Michigan....it sailed ok, but not great. We dropped the sails, drained the water ballast tank and motored with a 30 or 50 Hp outboard....she didn’t really motor that well, we could not get the boat on a plane, which I thought it was supposed to do....after that, I decided I wasn’t going to purchase a Mac 26X or M. Other Mac 26-footers may be great sailor, but not the Mac 26X or M.
i changed my wishlist after that to include:
1) 30-foot or more for sailing on Lake Michigan
2) a diesel engine
3) wheel steering - just my preference
My first boat was a Hunter 280... 1996 built. Really great shape, low maintenance issues, Great starter boat. Bought the boat immediately after my first choice, a 1988 O’Day 322 sold before I made an offer. Sailed her for 5 years, but never stopped looking for my next boat...
About 5 years later, got a call that my O’Day 322 was in the market!
i bought the O’Day and sold the Hunter, and never looked back.
Your needs are obviously different, no big water in Indianapolis...so a trailerable boat may make the most sense. But that leads to more questions...
1) What sort of tow vehicle doYou have or plan to buy?
2) What sort of time do you have available for traveling with a sail boat?
3) How much room do you need to be comfortable sailing and sleeping on a sail boat?
My wife enjoys a sunny day, light wind, calm sea sail. She won’t go out if the weather is cold and wet, she won’t go out if the winds are above 15 knot or waves are more that 2 feet. She just doesn’t enjoy it, and I have to respect that. But it certainly cuts down on the sailing we do TOGETHER. I do a lot of single-hand day sailing instead.
So, you need to think through all the questions people on the forum are asking, and see if it helps lead you to any sort of conclusions on what works best for you.
It is all very exciting, and I dream of ocean voyages. But I think my dreams are a bit impractical and I need to find a way to enjoy sailing in my reality...which today means sailing my O’Day 322 on Lake Michigan on maps many day sails as I can squeeze in during the season. When I retire, maybe that will change, but for now, that is my reality.
Good luck in the search!
Greg
welcome aboard. I hail from Indiana too, but I am up on the”North Coast”, in Lake county, and I sail on Lake Michigan. Are you sailing on lake Monroe?
Your plans sound very ambitious, but exciting.
I started sailing about 10 years ago After going out on a friends Catalina 30 one afternoon. I took a charter class out of Michigan City and was then able to charter a 34-foot Catalina from the charter company. then I started Looking at boats in earnest.
At first, I thought a MacGregor 26M would be the ticket. Trailerable and can take a 50hp outboard. Motors pretty fast. Sounded like a neat combination. I found someone to take me out for a sail. We met at the boat ramp and we set up the boat (probably 60 minutes)...and alter helped him tore the boat down to put back on the trailer...another 60 or so minutes...I decided after that, that I would keep a boat in a slip...
we sailed the Mac 26x on Lake Michigan....it sailed ok, but not great. We dropped the sails, drained the water ballast tank and motored with a 30 or 50 Hp outboard....she didn’t really motor that well, we could not get the boat on a plane, which I thought it was supposed to do....after that, I decided I wasn’t going to purchase a Mac 26X or M. Other Mac 26-footers may be great sailor, but not the Mac 26X or M.
i changed my wishlist after that to include:
1) 30-foot or more for sailing on Lake Michigan
2) a diesel engine
3) wheel steering - just my preference
My first boat was a Hunter 280... 1996 built. Really great shape, low maintenance issues, Great starter boat. Bought the boat immediately after my first choice, a 1988 O’Day 322 sold before I made an offer. Sailed her for 5 years, but never stopped looking for my next boat...
About 5 years later, got a call that my O’Day 322 was in the market!
i bought the O’Day and sold the Hunter, and never looked back.
Your needs are obviously different, no big water in Indianapolis...so a trailerable boat may make the most sense. But that leads to more questions...
1) What sort of tow vehicle doYou have or plan to buy?
2) What sort of time do you have available for traveling with a sail boat?
3) How much room do you need to be comfortable sailing and sleeping on a sail boat?
My wife enjoys a sunny day, light wind, calm sea sail. She won’t go out if the weather is cold and wet, she won’t go out if the winds are above 15 knot or waves are more that 2 feet. She just doesn’t enjoy it, and I have to respect that. But it certainly cuts down on the sailing we do TOGETHER. I do a lot of single-hand day sailing instead.
So, you need to think through all the questions people on the forum are asking, and see if it helps lead you to any sort of conclusions on what works best for you.
It is all very exciting, and I dream of ocean voyages. But I think my dreams are a bit impractical and I need to find a way to enjoy sailing in my reality...which today means sailing my O’Day 322 on Lake Michigan on maps many day sails as I can squeeze in during the season. When I retire, maybe that will change, but for now, that is my reality.
Good luck in the search!
Greg
Unless I missed the news, there's no bridge from the US to the VI. How exactly would you expect to tow a trailer sailer to the Caribbean, or if you sailed it down, would you ship your car and trailer?
It has been said that a little old lady can sail from Cal to Hawaii in a bath tub without any navigation equipment (pre-c-19) but you'd be hard pressed to carry the stores, spares and water it would take on a trailer sailer, for three.
Much of the time your wife (or you) will be occupied with the child, unless you want to lock it below, on a small boat like that, so someone will be single handing a lot.
I think it best to get a trailer sailer for the foreseeable future and put off your dreams of ocean sailing until you can buy a boat that is a comfortable ocean cruiser. Something you can stand up in would be nice. I don't know your wife, but if she isn't a sailor yet, you must consider her comfort and concern for her child's safety if you don't want to turn her off.
It has been said that a little old lady can sail from Cal to Hawaii in a bath tub without any navigation equipment (pre-c-19) but you'd be hard pressed to carry the stores, spares and water it would take on a trailer sailer, for three.
Much of the time your wife (or you) will be occupied with the child, unless you want to lock it below, on a small boat like that, so someone will be single handing a lot.
I think it best to get a trailer sailer for the foreseeable future and put off your dreams of ocean sailing until you can buy a boat that is a comfortable ocean cruiser. Something you can stand up in would be nice. I don't know your wife, but if she isn't a sailor yet, you must consider her comfort and concern for her child's safety if you don't want to turn her off.
At what cost. Your '62 VW will not pull a 27 anything over the big hills. If you need that 350 diesel to drag the boat to the other coast, you have to figure that cost into it, and then there's trailer and maintenance, and how do you get the boat on and off the trailer, (I'm NOT putting my trailer into salt water)
Any boat that would be capable of any kind of comfort offshore would be incapable of travel across the country without some serious muscle. So, on that point alone, you can double your cost estimate.
Buy yourself a nice little day cruiser, stick it in a local lake and go enjoy yourselves. Get some experience, take some courses, get some certifications and go charter someplace.
OK, so I'll throw out something here...what about a Catalina 270? I'll concede up front that its not a bluewater boat - but sailing to the Dry Tortugas from Florida is doable in a good weather window, and maybe further. But it IS trailerable (here's one that comes with its trailer) although you'll need a capable vehicle to tow its 6,400 lbs dry/8,000 lbs wet weight:
www.luxuryatch.com
Also, its got standing room - not sure if its 6'4", but my 1974 Catalina 27 headroom was over 6', so its pretty close. Plus the 270 is relatively modern, has all the up-to-date conveniences like a galley, head, water heater, electronics, and open plan and even a sleeping cabin. The online owners forums have ideas for mast raising systems which would obviate the need for a marina crane (but I'm guessing its not trivial). Nice writeup here by a guy who trailers his to different destinations and talks about why he chose that boat.
unsinkable2.com
I concur with other posters who mention concerns about bluewater sailing with a trailerable boat not designed for such. That's not to say others haven't done it. Patrick Childress was 28 without a long sailing resume when he reinforced Juggernaut, a Catalina 27, and circumnavigated her over 3 years. But practical considerations like volume for the fuel, water, spares, and food needed for long distance cruising require SERIOUS compromises in a small boat. Plus, imagine living together inside a minivan for month or more without being able to get out (except maybe to go swimming). That'll test a marriage.
Then there's this nut:
www.yachtingworld.com
Catalina 270 Boats for Sale Wing Keel with Trailer Specs & Price
Catalina 270 for sale from 27.000 USD. We can say that, this 1997 Catalina 270 Wing Keel with Trailer model, which can be examined by anyone with special permission, ($27,000) is a good opportunity for serious buyers. It has electronic equipment with Raymarine quality and much more.
Also, its got standing room - not sure if its 6'4", but my 1974 Catalina 27 headroom was over 6', so its pretty close. Plus the 270 is relatively modern, has all the up-to-date conveniences like a galley, head, water heater, electronics, and open plan and even a sleeping cabin. The online owners forums have ideas for mast raising systems which would obviate the need for a marina crane (but I'm guessing its not trivial). Nice writeup here by a guy who trailers his to different destinations and talks about why he chose that boat.
Why I Chose a Catalina 270 Sailboat | Unsinkable 2
I think sailors begin dreaming of their next larger size boat about 1 year after purchasing their last next larger boat. This year, I made…
unsinkable2.com
I concur with other posters who mention concerns about bluewater sailing with a trailerable boat not designed for such. That's not to say others haven't done it. Patrick Childress was 28 without a long sailing resume when he reinforced Juggernaut, a Catalina 27, and circumnavigated her over 3 years. But practical considerations like volume for the fuel, water, spares, and food needed for long distance cruising require SERIOUS compromises in a small boat. Plus, imagine living together inside a minivan for month or more without being able to get out (except maybe to go swimming). That'll test a marriage.
Then there's this nut:
Undaunted – the 42-inch yacht still hoping to become the smallest boat ever to cross the Atlantic - Yachting World
On discovering that a 5ft 4in yacht had crossed the Atlantic, a seed was sown in Skipper Matt Kent's mind, which resulted in the custom-designed Undaunted.
www.yachtingworld.com
That goes back to the post I put up here this morning. Having been over some of the longest, steepest grades in N.A. with our 270, I can say from first hand experience that it's not something to be taken lightly. That isn't to say don't do it, but you get into this whole scenario of what the boat can do, and what you want to do with it. There isn't enough space for provisions for a week solid, and it's pretty short to be out in serious water, unless you like getting tossed around. With a trailer, you're looking at 11k lbs or more, ruling out much less than a one ton, and it's wider than a lot of places allow, and suddenly you're into wide load permits, travel windows, and being forced to stop at weigh scales where the staff may not be particularly accomodating.
You can charter a nice 32, something like 10-15 times for the price of that one ton.
A Norsea 27 would do what you're asking. You would need a substantial tow vehicle and the boat would probably have to be lifted off the trailer to launch it.
If you're just doing coastal sailing and maybe out to the Bahamas, a Seaward 25 or 26RK would work. We've taken our Seaward 25 to the coast of Maine and Rhode Island as well as a couple of the Great Lakes. For either of these Seawards your tow vehicle would have to be able to pull 6000 lbs.
If you're just doing coastal sailing and maybe out to the Bahamas, a Seaward 25 or 26RK would work. We've taken our Seaward 25 to the coast of Maine and Rhode Island as well as a couple of the Great Lakes. For either of these Seawards your tow vehicle would have to be able to pull 6000 lbs.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my cal 21. I could sail it around the world by myself. The wife and baby present the problems here. My particular boat is bare bones. No marine head (although I did add one myself that is shoddy at best) no headroom (even for my wife who is 5'6") and no sink or stovetop. The potter may not be the answer but I do need something with just a couple amenities.
thank you for the input!!OK, so I'll throw out something here...what about a Catalina 270? I'll concede up front that its not a bluewater boat - but sailing to the Dry Tortugas from Florida is doable in a good weather window, and maybe further. But it IS trailerable (here's one that comes with its trailer) although you'll need a capable vehicle to tow its 6,400 lbs dry/8,000 lbs wet weight:
Catalina 270 Boats for Sale Wing Keel with Trailer Specs & Price
Catalina 270 for sale from 27.000 USD. We can say that, this 1997 Catalina 270 Wing Keel with Trailer model, which can be examined by anyone with special permission, ($27,000) is a good opportunity for serious buyers. It has electronic equipment with Raymarine quality and much more.
Also, its got standing room - not sure if its 6'4", but my 1974 Catalina 27 headroom was over 6', so its pretty close. Plus the 270 is relatively modern, has all the up-to-date conveniences like a galley, head, water heater, electronics, and open plan and even a sleeping cabin. The online owners forums have ideas for mast raising systems which would obviate the need for a marina crane (but I'm guessing its not trivial). Nice writeup here by a guy who trailers his to different destinations and talks about why he chose that boat.
Why I Chose a Catalina 270 Sailboat | Unsinkable 2
I think sailors begin dreaming of their next larger size boat about 1 year after purchasing their last next larger boat. This year, I made…
I concur with other posters who mention concerns about bluewater sailing with a trailerable boat not designed for such. That's not to say others haven't done it. Patrick Childress was 28 without a long sailing resume when he reinforced Juggernaut, a Catalina 27, and circumnavigated her over 3 years. But practical considerations like volume for the fuel, water, spares, and food needed for long distance cruising require SERIOUS compromises in a small boat. Plus, imagine living together inside a minivan for month or more without being able to get out (except maybe to go swimming). That'll test a marriage.
Then there's this nut:
Undaunted – the 42-inch yacht still hoping to become the smallest boat ever to cross the Atlantic - Yachting World
On discovering that a 5ft 4in yacht had crossed the Atlantic, a seed was sown in Skipper Matt Kent's mind, which resulted in the custom-designed Undaunted.