Spare trailered boat

[oldiesrocker2001]

A thought occurred to me this season of non-sailing (for me, anyway) while on the one trip to our usual lake to only 'hang out' instead of sail this year. My V21 is a great boat(after years of work) and fun to sail but labor intensive to rig. My usual sailing lake almost ALWAYS has a draw-down of quite a few feet by August. This makes it really difficult to launch and board for me(but mostly the Admiral). My first solution was to seek a lake elsewhere-my first try was Hopatcong-good thing I didn' t get the mooring or even field and launch there this year! Then I started thinking about a couple of Snark Wildflower boats that I'd seen-small enough to not need registration here in Jersey and still fit 2+ in the cabin with simple rigging.
So Here's the question: how many trailor sailors have thought about keeping a second, smaller boat to use in addition to their usual one? Since the only time the boaters at my lake got together to ask for at least a later draw-down the govt officials changed it to earlier and more drastic, I thought I'd rig my Venture at the beginning of the season and later would tow up the smaller one to leave there and break down the venture to come home(I'd simply peel the parking sticker off one and slap it on the other-I doubt they'd even notice! :stirthepot:

 

[Timo42]

How about hauling it to the ocean? If some people are to be believed, the level is only going to go up in the near future.:naughty::stirthepot: 40 mi away, the Venture can take it, ask Charley Cobra

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

Thought about that too, Timo! Am looking into a marina just off Raritan Bay even as we speak. It takes me so long to rig the venture for the water that one-day jaunts to sail are not likely. This was another plus for a smaller spare that would fit behind my shed until needed. I've had my Venture in Biscayne Bay, Charlotte harbour(fla) and Lake George(which can feel like the ocean often enough), so I know you're right about this little boat's toughness..:dance:

 

[Brian M H23]

I have a 505, which is a 250 lb, 5 meter racing dinghy. It's a blast! I've done 10 knots single handed, and towed it behind a powerboat at over 16. It takes about an hour to rig and launch, most of which is rigging. Launching, all I need is some beach and i roll it right in on the dolly.

 

[SamLust]

My trailer sailer (Hunter 260) IS my smaller boat. Once that's rigged it stays in for a while.

Why don't you try Barnegat Bay. It's not too far away. It is protected, yet connected to the ocean so they CAN'T draw it down. I can show you a great secret launch and a few anchorages.

 

[Capt. Kermie]

I have a 505, which is a 250 lb, 5 meter racing dinghy. It's a blast! I've done 10 knots single handed, and towed it behind a powerboat at over 16. It takes about an hour to rig and launch, most of which is rigging. Launching, all I need is some beach and i roll it right in on the dolly.

This sounds like just what the Doctor ordered! My big boat is a MacGregor 26M and I am slipped on the ocean ready to sail at a moments notice. It is only a 20 minute drive to the slip and maybe another 20 minutes to remove covers and get equipment out and get under way.
So why would I want a second smaller boat???
Because it sounds like a great idea and I would love to have a small easy to luanch dinghy to take to different lakes and mess ariound on my own. I only use the Mac when my wife or someone else is with me, rarely on my own but I am sure I would make good use of a small dinghy if I had one.
So for those of us contemplating a second boat what are some good suggestions for a fun dinghy sailer? I am not too familiar with what is out there.

 

[Phil V25]

My other boat is a .......

So for those of us contemplating a second boat what are some good suggestions for a fun dinghy sailer? I am not too familiar with what is out there.

I have a Flying Junior (FJ) and I'm almost to old to sail it anymore. But it's fun and fast. I can pull it behind my Ford Focus and set it up by myself in under half an hour.

 

[Daves299]

I have trailer sailed my m22 for years, I would have assumed the v21 was easier to rig. I always leave it rigged(in the sense that all rigging stays attached). I have a roller mast support that attaches at the rudder... I slide the mast back, connect it at the tabernacle an stand the mast up using the halyard for the foresail. Attach the forstay, boom, mainsheet and sails and its ready. Mine is rigged for singlehanding so all the lines are led aft. 10 min in a big hurry or an hour at a slow pace. all that being said ... the reason I have probably stated the obvious is because I ran into a guy recently that unhooked all the running rigging and coiled it up neatly every time. Totally unnecessary in my opinion.

 

[dserrell]

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[oldiesrocker2001]

Hi Deserrel & daves299,
You both make valid points. Shortly after I made the jump to the V21 from my Oday style 17 footer, I started experiencing pain in my hip, but having been 'trained' to ignore such things as a child -kind of like a pit-bull, I just moved a bit slower until the doc insisted I was ready for a replacement. This meant (and it was only the first 'aftermarket part' that ended up in me!) limitations on movement presumably, forever. If any of you out there have had a hip replaced, you already know there are movement limitation that we ignore at our own peril-I obviously wasn't going to be able to hold onto the mast and climb onto the foredeck at the same time to pull the final 45* to vertical; I needed much more checks and balances in stepping the mast; of course I kept the standing rigging attached for travel and bungeed up, but babystays had to be attached correctly, gin pole attached, vang used as block tied correctly, etc.. Since the Admiral was born (and remains )extremely uncoordinated, I could rely on her to probably hold the 'back off' line, as I called it, from the block but little else. The result is me dragging in and out of the boat a half dozen times during setup or breakdown-pretty much singlehanded. My son, now at the age I was when I held down 4 jobs is often even less help and nearly killed me the last time he helped by 'zoning out' when he was supposed to be steadying the mast on breakdown(OK, it was hot but I'M the one with the pacemaker!).
I have been looking for marinas nearby that will offer a slip or even park and launch which is what I do at spruce run(when the water got too low there I often broke down the 17-footer and went to round valley). Since at the moment my boom crutch attaches to the pintles(gudgeons?) that my rudder does, the mast isn't coming down underway. Some marinas have a low bridge that needs to be raised if I can wake the bridge engineer up, or I have to keep circling. I would, obviously try to avoid that. On that same situation: 4 hp enough to fight tidal flows in or out? These are all questions I have to look into while awaiting my 2nd knee replacement(when I won't be allowed to kneel on either knee instead of only one..).

 

[dserrell]

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[walt]

Im about to go look at a Coronado 470 (15 foot). Ill probably buy it if its in good shape but any feedback on this boat?

Im partly getting this to leave at my parents (600 miles away) so Ill have something to sail when I visit and partly to replace a Hobie 16. The Hobie 16 has been a fun fast boat but the hassle factor is almost higher than my old Mac 26S and I end up taking the old Mac out more. A lot of the hassle is the mast - its a fairly big deal to set up even with a gin pole raising system. Ill still keep the Hobie 14 as this is a low hassle fast single boat.. Dont think I need to have four sailboats so if I pick up the Coronado, the Hobie 16 will go for sale.

Edit - this boat is actually called a Coronado 15 (15foot 4 inch, 5 foot 8 inch beam) 385 pounds. It has a swing centerboard and kick up rudder. Came with a real nice aftermarket traveler setup. Ill have to do some cleanup and a little fiberglass work but looks like its going to be a real nice low hassle day sailboat.

 

[walt]

I spent the last week going through the Coronado 15 (basically a two person planing racing monohull) and finally took it out today. I did a bunch of things to the trailer to make it easier to use and also an item or two to make the mast stepping easier. The boat was a peice of cake to set up and launch. A fair amount easier than either the Hobie 14 or 16.

I was saling along in light to medium winds and thinking to myself what a wonderful well balanced boat. Also seemed pretty fast..

My wonderful sail was short lived however as I was all relaxed and not minding the sheet when a gust hit. If I had been paying more attention, I probably would have handled the gust.. but I wasnt and the boat went over. The old mast didnt float at all and the tip quickly sank. This boat has a little compartment up front with a wood door and with the tip of the mast heaiding towards the bottom (eventually getting stuck in the bottom) the comparment door was under water and leaked pretty bad - of course, filling up the inside hull with water. I could not get the boat to come back over hanging on and eventuallly standing on the centerboard because the hull had filled with water (sheets were all released). Finally a power boat helped out and towed me to shore where I bailed the interior hull for a long time and got the boat to where I could paddle it back to where I launched. I got pretty cold (this was on Cherry Creek res in Denver mid October) as I was wearing a life jacket and dry suit but had only put the legs on of the dry suit and tied the top part around my waist.

I really liked sailing the boat until I flipped it... Its the easiest setup of all the boats Ive sailed to date (Hobies and Mac 26S). Im thinking I need to make sure the mast floats before I take it out again and cant relax like I do with the 26 foot boat (which remains my favorite to sail). Maybe even a "bob" float at the mast tip like the Hobie cats have. Sure was a great fun boat before the "little adventure". Lots to learn about sailing a boat like this..

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

Hey, Walt.
The Coronado sounds like a good boat and a good size. I couldn't find one though. I started out in an 11 foot super snark that I modified with a mast extension, float on the tip of the mast and a homemade nose cover(too cheap to buy one). gotta watch little boats all the time, though. I reversed the mainsheet to lead back to the tiller and as long as I didn't foul the rudder with it due to carelessness the boat would simply sail in circles if I went awol unexpectedly. I decided to roll the dice and managed to be the only bidder on a chrysler 15 that looked really clean. I only need to have the shipper/haulers call me back with a $$ figure now since it's too far away to make a round trip over a weekend. I don't expect it to be as pristine as the 17 footer that I sold on ebay that looked as well cared for as a beloved pet, but I don't know how boat haulers deal with smaller boats like this that have workable trailers. Anyone out there with experience from guys like this? Had I owned this boat or a similar one this season, I would sailed through september even though I wasn't physically able to rig my Venture for most of the season. While I've never bought something like a boat without seeing it in person, i've had fairly good results in supplying my recording studio with used gear(quite a few thousand$$ worth) over the years, so I have to get a chance to really inspect this new rig before the weather makes it impossilble before I decide if I've made a "chump" move...

 

[walt]

Just a little follow up on my Coronado 15. Some pictures from the North Sails web site http://www.northsailsod.com/class/coronado15/coronado15_whatsnew.html

I took the "bob" off my Hobie 16 and put it on the Coronado 15 this morning and then took the boat to the lake to do some "controlled" righting tests (ie, from my employer pespective, I was "working at home").

In shallow water, I tipped the boat over and with the bob (see pictures), the compatment hatch stayed high and dry. It took very little effort to right the boat pulling down on the centerboard. Im confident my kids will be able to do it. I only had the jib rigged as I was short on time but it really was simple. I did a little sailing jib only, once again, just a pleasure to sail that boat.

Putting a Hobie Bob on this boat is somewhat like putting training wheels on a racing bike.. Oh well.. Im not trying to get every little bit of speed out of the boat, just wanted a pleasant (and fairly fast) easy to set up small sailboat.

Sort of interesting. I went sailing yesterday at my high mountain lake (in the 26 foot sailboat) and after sailing talked to a park official. The person I talked to was involved in rescuing three small sailboats this summer. All had be blown over, one went turtle..

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

Like you, Walt, I was looking for something quick and easy to set up and sail on those occasions that I wouldn't use the larger boat. I'm hoping to take delivery in the next week or so but all rigging will already be stowed for an 800 mile trip, and I'll have to wait till spring to check it out (other than actual inventory) completely. This will mean that I have to prepare it for winter right away and shakedown only in the spring. Unless there is hidden problems, this may be just what I was looking for.

 

[walt]

Shakeout sailing - Im still hoping for one more time.. Picture from today

 

[BobM]

I was considering buying a Force 5. They are dirt cheap and seem like they would be fun and easy for two to sail. Simple, but adjustable rig too.

 

[kenn]

I still get the occasional sailing fix by windsurfing

Super-fast set-up, and a real rush if you can get it planing. There's been a new resurgence in windsurfing longboards, which are sailable by anyone, even seniors, and there's still a good supply of second-hand late-80s longboard classics like the Mistral Equipe or Superlight, F2 Lightning, Fanatic Megacat that are great fun at very reasonable cost.

 

[walt]

One last post on this but one of the things which always ends up being important to me sailing at 5000 feet or higher elevation is wind range. One other boat I wanted to point out which I think would be good to have "as an extra easy to own boat" is a Hobie Wave. This is about a 13 foot plastic hull cat normally operated with a main only. I currently have a Hobie 14 and 16 and like both of these but the 16 is more hassle than I like and the 14 is a single person boat. The Wave is slower than either the 14 or 16 but its still relitively fast and easy to set up and can handle a couple of people. The Wave can flip but its supposed to be fairly easy to get back over and the higher floatation hulls make it less likely to submarine than the 14. The 14 is fairly difficult to upright (Ive had to do it) and I dont even want to think about trying to upright the 16. I dont own a Wave but have sailed one before solo and with my kids and think it would make a great "extra" boat.

Ive taken the Coronado 15 out a few times now (single handed) and its wonderful in light winds. It will move right along even when I can hardly detect any wind at all. But if the wind comes up much, it can get out of hand fairly quickly for me and I have to drop the jib. I think in the same up and down winds, I think my Hobie 14 would have been in better control. The Coronado is still easier to set up and get in/out of the water and pretty easy to drop the jib while out on the water so Im happy with it.

I windsurfed for many years.. Nothing like it when dialed in. I havent done it much in the last few years because Im usually at a high mountain lake with very gusty winds and a windsurfer has probably the lowest wing range of anything Ive sailed. But its the the best water sailing when conditions are right. If I lived somewhere with steady winds, I probably would still be only windsurfing.