I'm selling my Abbott22 fin keel (3'10" draft) to acquire a trailerable SV to reduce dockage costs and have access to some shallow water bodies. I'm familiar with shoal draft and swing keels etc. I'm seeking opinion on what vessels out there are considered trailerable conveniently and launched safely without a marina crew ?
What is a true "trailer"able?
- Thread starter DockH
- Start date
There are multiple threads here on this topic. There is also a difference between "trailerable" and "trailer sailor". Depends on your tow vehicle and how much work you want to do at the dock. An O'Day 25 or a Catalina 25 is trailerable of course but, some would argue against them being trailer-sailors. my First 235 at 23' (ish) takes a bit to rig and with the wing keel could be ramp launched. With the proper additional rigging you could get the mast up with 2 people. There are the Hunter 23's, Catalina 22's, O'Day's, etc etc.. There are boats that are even bigger that I have seen trailered. We have a Tartan 27 that they haul with a trailer but, obviously that boat is not something you want to do that more than put in and haul out with. It is a broad spectrum of boats and the amount of work you want/need to do.
More than say 30 inches of draft and ramp launching becomes problematic.
More than say 25 feet LOA and mast raising becomes problematic.
More than say 8.5 feet of beam and OTR becomes problematic.
More than say 5000 lbs displacement and towing becomes problematic.
Of course you can bend any or all of these rules, things just become harder. In the used market, a Swing Keel Catalina 25 is about as big as you would go and still fit into all of these criteria. How much are you looking to spend?
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Listen to Jack. Good advice.
When we trailered several times a season and stored our boat home in the winter... it was a 1550# Ranger 20. Owned and sailed it a LOT, for five years.
Great sailing boat for day sailing and spending several nights aboard at a time. OD raced it a lot, too.
We were a lot younger, and were happy to substitute intimacy for elbow room.
That boat drew 19 inches with the cb up. I towed it with a 2 liter Mazda pickup truck, altho my later choice was a short-wide Dodge pickup with a 318. Either option was limited in breaking ability, what with about 2K# behind us.
While that may seem "small" it was always a challenge to walk that tall mast up... fractional rig with a 31 foot air draft.
My friends with Catalina 22's would trailer about as often, and larger choices were a lot more hassle to trailer and launch/retrieve, like the Catalina 25.
It's all just choices and options, as the old saying goes.
When we trailered several times a season and stored our boat home in the winter... it was a 1550# Ranger 20. Owned and sailed it a LOT, for five years.
Great sailing boat for day sailing and spending several nights aboard at a time. OD raced it a lot, too.
We were a lot younger, and were happy to substitute intimacy for elbow room.
That boat drew 19 inches with the cb up. I towed it with a 2 liter Mazda pickup truck, altho my later choice was a short-wide Dodge pickup with a 318. Either option was limited in breaking ability, what with about 2K# behind us.
While that may seem "small" it was always a challenge to walk that tall mast up... fractional rig with a 31 foot air draft.
My friends with Catalina 22's would trailer about as often, and larger choices were a lot more hassle to trailer and launch/retrieve, like the Catalina 25.
It's all just choices and options, as the old saying goes.
It's also geographic. Up here, everybody is a trailerboat. There is a crane organized in the spring and in the fall, however, some of us see that as a single point of failure. The ability to govern your own launch and retrieval removes any overhead, and with well engineered systems and processes to get the thing in and out, the potential stress can be minimized. As @Jackdaw alluded to, raising and lowering a mast on anything above 25' is not something to be done with a bunch of bungee cord and some duct tape.
Jackdaw’s parms are spot-on. I raise my mast on my 28, and it is on the edge of unruly with just a gin pole. The forestay is 38’... that is a lot to control. Ramps are not standard in length or depth or slope, so getting the depth you need is not easy, and if you drop an axle off the end... ugh! The requirements for towing are significant with a bigger boat.
There are some really fun daysailers out that are trailerable with a sedan, will go down a beach or shore or ramp, have a mast that can be stepped by hand, and motored with a 2hp. My old Catalina 14.2 was fun. I even took it on vacation. It was a great addition to the trip.
There are some really fun daysailers out that are trailerable with a sedan, will go down a beach or shore or ramp, have a mast that can be stepped by hand, and motored with a 2hp. My old Catalina 14.2 was fun. I even took it on vacation. It was a great addition to the trip.
Don't necessarily need a ramp. 26 foot. Under 2000# on the trailer. Floats in 18 inches of water. Swing centerboard and rudder. I use a gin pole since I'm old to put the mast up but most younger people just push it up. Those with simpler running rigging are on the water in under 40 minutes at the ramp. 2 of us have spent up to 2 months on the water at a time and I've spent 3 months alone. A good responsive sailboat on the water.
Not the perfect boat for everyone but sure has fit our needs,
Sumner
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1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
Post here always boil down to what is YOUR personal definition of trailerable..
After about 12 years of sailboat trailering, some things that have become important to me. It has all somewhat boiled down to less hassle means you dont mind trailering more often.
My tow vehicle also doubles as a second home get around vehicle (wife drives the vehicle that got us there) and I dont want to have to own some very large truck just to be able to occasionally move the boat. Larger vehicles have higher costs (making them also worse investments) and in some places are simply hard or impossible to park. I suppose I could live with a boat trailer weight up near 5000 pnds but less than that (like under 3000) is my preference.
I need to be able to raise the mast myself and I like the mast raising system itself to not be a hassle to use. Ie, if you have some heavy contraption that has to be put on the boat, assembled, then taken off the boat after the mast is raised, that is possibly too much hassle.
I must be able to launch and retrieve the boat by myself. Sometimes traveling to a new place you just cant find help and I get along better with my wife when I dont need to rely on her during the launching process. I like to be able to do every aspect of launching and retrieving myself.
I sure do like the idea of a Trimaran as was mentioned but the width would end up being a hassle. Slips are easy to find for a under 9 foot monohull and more economical. I dont know what is involved in collapsing that ama's on those but Im guessing that I would get tired of it after a while since you would possibly be doing that a lot more often than just the process of launching. If you are trailering to some new marina, having a boat that fits in a common slip is an advantage both for cost and availability.
A long setup time is OK if you dont do it very often but after some time, a long complicated setup will have you thinking about skipping the next trailering outing. A half hour setup is possible (even solo), an hour is max. Im at about 45 minutes now up from about a half hour in the past and think its a little too much of hassle but I can live with that. Also with complex setups.. you are likely to rig something wrong. I recently trailered, set the boat up and made a minor error in the furler line. Had some high winds that came up fast first time sailing the boat after the launch and could not furl the jib. If you do something enough times, you will eventually screw it up but that is part of my definition of trailerable, you dont mind doing it fairly often.
Trailer tongue extension.. if the boat sits very low on the trailer and the trailer is also designed to keep the boat low, you can get by without needing a tongue extension and still not get the hubs wet on the tow vehicle. Gets rid of a lot of launching hassle including brake linkage if you have surge brakes. Sitting low on the trailer also means you can use just about any ramp that power boats use without worrying about the trailer wheels falling off the edge of the ramp and getting stuck. This is one thing that I may have to live with if I ever get a different sailboat but I have had to use an extention in the past and it would limit how often I thought it was a good idea to trailer.
What I have now and no plans to replace a 1990 Mac 26S. Its been perfect for a long time and comfortable to camp in and I like the large sleeping area in the back (your head is not under a long lightning rod). Super easy to launch myself, no tongue extension needed.
My short list if this boat got stolen.. Maybe a Hunter 26 or 260 (water ballast) because it would be so comfortable and still trailerable. Precision 23 with the shoal keel and centerboard (except for launching, this seems to be ideal for a trailerable boat). Catalina 22 swing keel. And.. those trimarans mentioned.. might be worth the hassle dealing with the width and I would love the sailing aspect.
Although I also sure like boats with full keels or even wing keels, they are just not on the list for me with my current trailering lifestyle which is largely influenced by where I live and sail.
After about 12 years of sailboat trailering, some things that have become important to me. It has all somewhat boiled down to less hassle means you dont mind trailering more often.
My tow vehicle also doubles as a second home get around vehicle (wife drives the vehicle that got us there) and I dont want to have to own some very large truck just to be able to occasionally move the boat. Larger vehicles have higher costs (making them also worse investments) and in some places are simply hard or impossible to park. I suppose I could live with a boat trailer weight up near 5000 pnds but less than that (like under 3000) is my preference.
I need to be able to raise the mast myself and I like the mast raising system itself to not be a hassle to use. Ie, if you have some heavy contraption that has to be put on the boat, assembled, then taken off the boat after the mast is raised, that is possibly too much hassle.
I must be able to launch and retrieve the boat by myself. Sometimes traveling to a new place you just cant find help and I get along better with my wife when I dont need to rely on her during the launching process. I like to be able to do every aspect of launching and retrieving myself.
I sure do like the idea of a Trimaran as was mentioned but the width would end up being a hassle. Slips are easy to find for a under 9 foot monohull and more economical. I dont know what is involved in collapsing that ama's on those but Im guessing that I would get tired of it after a while since you would possibly be doing that a lot more often than just the process of launching. If you are trailering to some new marina, having a boat that fits in a common slip is an advantage both for cost and availability.
A long setup time is OK if you dont do it very often but after some time, a long complicated setup will have you thinking about skipping the next trailering outing. A half hour setup is possible (even solo), an hour is max. Im at about 45 minutes now up from about a half hour in the past and think its a little too much of hassle but I can live with that. Also with complex setups.. you are likely to rig something wrong. I recently trailered, set the boat up and made a minor error in the furler line. Had some high winds that came up fast first time sailing the boat after the launch and could not furl the jib. If you do something enough times, you will eventually screw it up but that is part of my definition of trailerable, you dont mind doing it fairly often.
Trailer tongue extension.. if the boat sits very low on the trailer and the trailer is also designed to keep the boat low, you can get by without needing a tongue extension and still not get the hubs wet on the tow vehicle. Gets rid of a lot of launching hassle including brake linkage if you have surge brakes. Sitting low on the trailer also means you can use just about any ramp that power boats use without worrying about the trailer wheels falling off the edge of the ramp and getting stuck. This is one thing that I may have to live with if I ever get a different sailboat but I have had to use an extention in the past and it would limit how often I thought it was a good idea to trailer.
What I have now and no plans to replace a 1990 Mac 26S. Its been perfect for a long time and comfortable to camp in and I like the large sleeping area in the back (your head is not under a long lightning rod). Super easy to launch myself, no tongue extension needed.
My short list if this boat got stolen.. Maybe a Hunter 26 or 260 (water ballast) because it would be so comfortable and still trailerable. Precision 23 with the shoal keel and centerboard (except for launching, this seems to be ideal for a trailerable boat). Catalina 22 swing keel. And.. those trimarans mentioned.. might be worth the hassle dealing with the width and I would love the sailing aspect.
Although I also sure like boats with full keels or even wing keels, they are just not on the list for me with my current trailering lifestyle which is largely influenced by where I live and sail.
I can throw the mast on my 22 up and down by myself, it’s jsut really awkward with that huge step up from cockpit to the cabin top. Coming down is way more awkward though.
Instead of a gin pole, for a boat like a 28, I always wondered about hooking the mast to the tow vehicle, disconnecting the trialer, and just driving forward. With one on the boat just to stabalize.
For ease of launching any sailboat...look into trailers with a retractable tongue. My trailer extends like 4 extra feet with just the pull of a pin.Really helps avoiding dunking shorter trucks on shallow ramps (unless moat sailboat trailers do this and I’m not that special)
It takes me longer to tune the rig than it does to step the mast and launch the boat, and I have a 2 part A frame to raise the mast, which at approximately 33' is not inconsiderate. The design from the MacGregor was the foundation, and it evolved against the differences on the little Catalina. It's not for everybody, but it is rather ah, interesting, to see the look on people's faces when there's 5 or 6 of them raising the broomstick on an 18 footer and I come along and 2 of us do it in half the time.
It really is all about what you're prepared to do.
It really is all about what you're prepared to do.
@DockH ,
Good morning! It really depends on, like Jackdaw said, how much you're willing to spend, and how much weight/beam you're skilled and able enough to tow. Also, there are a few different varieties of vessels to choose from when you're in this market. Centerboard, swing keels, daggerboard, shoal keels, modified wing keels, cuddy-cabins, full cockpits, masthead sloops, fractional sloops, planing hulls, catamarans, trimarans...the possibilities are endless!
My best friend owns a Catalina Capri 19.2. The thing has a wing keel and is pretty easy to trailer around, and that sucker will MOVE for a little daysailer! The parts are also relatively cheap (as far as boat parts go), and are easy to get a hold of through Catalina Direct. In general, any of the smaller Catalina Capris are great trailer sailors.
Hunter also provides a few options. The 18 is a full cockpit daysailer that's pretty quick and easy to tow around. They also make the Hunter 22, which is pretty fun little sloop, although a bit on the heavy side. The 146 is a little centerboard dinghy, but you may be in the market for something bigger.
AMF was a popular supplier of trailer-sailers in the 60s, 70s and 80s, and their boats were built like bowling balls, so most of them are still around today, and they're pretty cheap to pick up!
Good morning! It really depends on, like Jackdaw said, how much you're willing to spend, and how much weight/beam you're skilled and able enough to tow. Also, there are a few different varieties of vessels to choose from when you're in this market. Centerboard, swing keels, daggerboard, shoal keels, modified wing keels, cuddy-cabins, full cockpits, masthead sloops, fractional sloops, planing hulls, catamarans, trimarans...the possibilities are endless!
My best friend owns a Catalina Capri 19.2. The thing has a wing keel and is pretty easy to trailer around, and that sucker will MOVE for a little daysailer! The parts are also relatively cheap (as far as boat parts go), and are easy to get a hold of through Catalina Direct. In general, any of the smaller Catalina Capris are great trailer sailors.
Hunter also provides a few options. The 18 is a full cockpit daysailer that's pretty quick and easy to tow around. They also make the Hunter 22, which is pretty fun little sloop, although a bit on the heavy side. The 146 is a little centerboard dinghy, but you may be in the market for something bigger.
AMF was a popular supplier of trailer-sailers in the 60s, 70s and 80s, and their boats were built like bowling balls, so most of them are still around today, and they're pretty cheap to pick up!
Seascape18. Trailerable, bulb keel. Small cabin, designed for asymetrical sails, dual rudder, open cockpit.
What more do you need
I've been trailer sailing for decades and I love it. I have also owned a 27' fin keel yacht for more than a decade, berthed in a slip, at the same time.
If you can find mast up storage near a ramp or crane, that's a great way to save money. It adds maybe 10 minutes to the launch time, and saves multiple thousands of dollars a year in wet slip fees, bottom paint maintenance, and diver fees.
Bigger boats take slightly longer to raise the mast. With a good mast raising system, even I can raise any mast single handed. I'm an not-in-shape 66 year old woman.I am limited by strength to lift the mast at one end, and slide it into position to attach it at the mast step.
If you want to keep the boat in your driveway for $0/month and day sail frequently, I'd recommend a pocket-yacht with a tiny mast that doesn't require a mast raising system. Think swing keel or lifting keel so you can launch off the trailer any where. Under 20 feet with a light weight, spreaderless mast, for sure. I've seen 80 year old men put the mast up with just their bare hands. Think Potter 15, Montgomery 15, Compac Suncat, Potter 19, Compac Eclipse, Precision 16, etc. In a boat of that size, you are limited as to how far you can go, because these boats don't sail faster than 4-5 knots. They are for near shore cruising in reasonable weather.
You can keep a bigger trailerable too, for longer trips. Many trailer sailors have a small daysailor and a larger trailerable.
Now a days, I have a folding Corsair Farrier 24 1992. It weighs about 3500# with the trailer. It's as fast or faster than a 35-40 footer, easily does 13+ knots, so it covers a lot of cruising ground and it's a joy to sail. It's very, very small inside, and very big outside. It's a wet ride if you go faster than 9 or 10 knots and you're in lumpy water. I'd love a new F22 - it's more refined and gives a dryer ride. The mast is 35 (?) feet tall, and very stout and very heavy. It's the max weight I can handle by myself. It's easy for me and my husband. It's easy for a reasonably fit man. We have an almost idiot-proof mast raising system. It can be ramp launched or crane launched.
If you have a little more muscle strength than I do, you might consider a corsair or Farrier in the 27-28 range. They are bigger inside.
I still have a highly modified Potter 19 and have taken it all over the west coast and western states for up to 2 weeks per trip. (But since buying the F24, I don't use it). I can arrive at the parking lot and be in the water in in about 1.5 hours. I used a mast raising system The average 50-60 year old man can walk the mast up on a Potter 19 without the mast raising system and save 15 minutes. These boats aren't offshore capable, and should be used in coastal waters. They can comfortably handle Force 5 conditions in the hands of an experienced skipper.
Judy B
If you can find mast up storage near a ramp or crane, that's a great way to save money. It adds maybe 10 minutes to the launch time, and saves multiple thousands of dollars a year in wet slip fees, bottom paint maintenance, and diver fees.
Bigger boats take slightly longer to raise the mast. With a good mast raising system, even I can raise any mast single handed. I'm an not-in-shape 66 year old woman.I am limited by strength to lift the mast at one end, and slide it into position to attach it at the mast step.
If you want to keep the boat in your driveway for $0/month and day sail frequently, I'd recommend a pocket-yacht with a tiny mast that doesn't require a mast raising system. Think swing keel or lifting keel so you can launch off the trailer any where. Under 20 feet with a light weight, spreaderless mast, for sure. I've seen 80 year old men put the mast up with just their bare hands. Think Potter 15, Montgomery 15, Compac Suncat, Potter 19, Compac Eclipse, Precision 16, etc. In a boat of that size, you are limited as to how far you can go, because these boats don't sail faster than 4-5 knots. They are for near shore cruising in reasonable weather.
You can keep a bigger trailerable too, for longer trips. Many trailer sailors have a small daysailor and a larger trailerable.
Now a days, I have a folding Corsair Farrier 24 1992. It weighs about 3500# with the trailer. It's as fast or faster than a 35-40 footer, easily does 13+ knots, so it covers a lot of cruising ground and it's a joy to sail. It's very, very small inside, and very big outside. It's a wet ride if you go faster than 9 or 10 knots and you're in lumpy water. I'd love a new F22 - it's more refined and gives a dryer ride. The mast is 35 (?) feet tall, and very stout and very heavy. It's the max weight I can handle by myself. It's easy for me and my husband. It's easy for a reasonably fit man. We have an almost idiot-proof mast raising system. It can be ramp launched or crane launched.
If you have a little more muscle strength than I do, you might consider a corsair or Farrier in the 27-28 range. They are bigger inside.
I still have a highly modified Potter 19 and have taken it all over the west coast and western states for up to 2 weeks per trip. (But since buying the F24, I don't use it). I can arrive at the parking lot and be in the water in in about 1.5 hours. I used a mast raising system The average 50-60 year old man can walk the mast up on a Potter 19 without the mast raising system and save 15 minutes. These boats aren't offshore capable, and should be used in coastal waters. They can comfortably handle Force 5 conditions in the hands of an experienced skipper.
Judy B
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I can rig (mast up) and launch my Catalina 22 Sport in less than 30 minutes...or retrieve and tear down (mast down) in same time-frame, single-handed, without any special tools or gin poles. At weight of 3100 pounds (boat and trailer) and swing keel up draft, it doesn't get much more trailerable than this.
I'm assuming a place to go stay dry or maybe sleep. The Seascape 18 is an adorable daysailor at US$34K, but if you want to sleep, the Seascape24 is the first option in the lineup, at $75K starting.
Sleep and staying dry wasnt part of the specs
I just saw trailerable. Poster is letting us shop for him.
I think I could live with the smaller space but curious about one thing and I guess this is as good of place to ask as any.. Certainly an option to try and find an end slip or some nook in a marina for a wide boat like that.. but is is "reasonable" and even possible to drop the sails after sailing, fold up the ama's and pull into just about any 10 foot wide slip? Reasonable means that it takes maybe 5 minutes. And with the amas folded up, is the boat useable in a slip - ie, getting on and off? Paying for a double wide slip has be about twice the cost of a single slip.. somewhat of a deal killer for me.
One of the things I like about the Hobie tandem adeventure island is that you can easily fold one or both ama's. Its a much smaller trimaran so a different set of issues but the easy folding ama gives the boat a lot of flexibility in how its used.
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Just looking at DrJudyB's trimaran pictures, I guess I can answer my own question. It looks like the mast is stayed to the ama's so as long as the mast is up, I believe the ama's would have to be out and locked in place.
The Hobie TI has an unstayed mast which makes collapsing the ama's easy but probably not the case for the larger trailerable trimaran.
The Hobie TI has an unstayed mast which makes collapsing the ama's easy but probably not the case for the larger trailerable trimaran.
Yes, it's possible to fold or open the ama's in less than 5 minutes to keep it in a regular slip. Many owners of the F24s, F27, and F28's do exactly that, but they are a minority. For the bigger, ocean going ones over 31', they generally keep them in the water, fully opened. Some folks keep the smaller ones folded up in a slip on a boat lift to avoid needing anti-fouling on the sides of the amas. Without anti-fouling, it's okay to fold it up for overnighting at a marina but you need bottom paint for the longer term. Some people have bottom paint on the sides of the amas for longer term storage folded in the water.
t's not hard to get on and off it when folded if you have normal mobility. They are designed to be capable of motoring with the boat folded. But you have to do so at moderate speeds and not in very rough water or wind-storms. And it's possible to put the mast up and down on the water when the amas are out, because the boat is very stable.
One of the things I LOVE about the F24 is how super easy it is to get around on it when it's open. I have a bad knee. I can get everywhere on the boat without stepping up or down more than 15" when it's opened up. I can get still around when it's folded, but I have to plan ahead so I can favor the bad knee.
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