What is a true "trailer"able?

Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
And if it’s on a mooring, somebody’s got to be capable of looking out for it. 5 hours is a nasty drive if somebody calls and tells you the mooring dragged.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Hi Kelsey. First welcome to the forum. Hope you change that “very novice sailor” condition into “Yes we sail.. we are learning a lot... but we enjoy the water and can sail safely”.

I am that “John” that Meriachee mentioned. I located my boat up on the Puget Sound and drive 250 miles one way to spend time on my boat. This is a new boat to me and very different from my trailerable 15ft Montgomery I had for 19 years.

The 15ft’r was a back pack tent on the water. It could sleep two close friends and there was space in the cockpit to have “a Kitchen, Lounging, and showering” space for one at a time, or I could use it to sleep out under the stars. We sailed on rivers, lakes, and the Puget Sound. She was a great “little” boat. 750lbs on the trailer. I could pull her with my 1989 Vanagon. Not much on comfort, A terrific sailing boat, versatile, and gave me wonderful adventures.

But I wanted more. Enter into my life the S/V Hadley. She is 35 feet. Beds for 5, Kitchen, Head, Engine, able to sail in adventuresome waters that may not play nice. But she is 5 hours - 250 miles from my home. She needs a lot of work (born 1974 about 12 years of neglected maintenance by previous owners). But she is beautiful. And we have started to have some great experiences.

The challenge I see having a larger boat, say a 6 to 9 meter boat is the time/cost you spend on maintenance and mooring vs sailing. Especially if you enjoy backpacking and you just want to take these skills on the water. In that case I would lean to a trailer boat 4.6 to 5.5 meter boat that is designed to pull behind a car. The other boats can be put on a trailer (trailerable) but there can be a lot involved.

Beyond 9 meters you are going to want the boat in the water all the time. The Salish Sea waters are great for that type of boat. Additionally you experience winter weather that is harsh on boats in the water. So you need to store the boat. This would be best, in my opinion, right at home. My 15ft’r spent the winters next to the house under a tarp. And on those special weeks when the winter weather was mild it was nothing to go for a day sail. Rigging took only 30 minutes and I was on the water. Pulling her out and prepping her for the next adventure was less than 90 minutes.

There are a number of boats in the trailer category. Sage manufacturing in Colorado makes a great boat.

I wish you best in your search.
 

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
.. We had a MacGregor 26c model for 15 years and used to do exactly that. The boat logged almost as many miles overland as water, was rigged and launched in 1/2 hour and without the water ballast was light on it's feet..
Another happy Mac Classic (S Model) current owner.

Instead of leaving the boat in the water consider leaving it in a mast-up yard. Then it will just need to be backed in when you get there and pulled out on leaving. The Mac....

.... launches and retrieves easily and at 1800 lbs. (empty) pulls easily compared to most boats of this length,

Sumner
====================================================================================
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
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Except that the Mac was less than ideal on a couple of fronts, the overall stability was a detriment to the benefits of water ballast for us.
 

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
Except that the Mac was less than ideal on a couple of fronts, the overall stability was a detriment to the benefits of water ballast for us.
I'd agree with that depending on a person's ability to tolerate heeling and boat movement. The Mac will almost always be moving, even at anchor. It will dig in at about 20 degrees of heeling under heavier conditions. Ruth wasn't comfortable much past 14 degrees so we didn't sail as much. Nothing bothers Dottie, so now sail in much heavier conditions and I also did single-handing.

I was so use to the boat moving around on the Bahama trip where I might not go ashore for a couple weeks at a time, that when I did, I ended up taking Dramamine going ashore, as I'd get sickish feeling there. Here is a video showing how the Mac does become stable if you will let it heel...
http://1fatgmc.com/boat/mac-1/2015 Bahamas/1-Port Charlotte to Key Largo/PC-to-Bahamas-Page-1.html

... notice that even when Scott went below the boat didn't move much. I found out that at 15 degrees the boat is effected a lot by gusts and such. Around 20 it becomes very stable.

The Endeavour in comparison almost feels like I'm on land a lot of the time :waycool:. If someone is looking for a more stable boat that doesn't heel as much I'd agree that they might want to look at a different option,

Sumner
================================================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
 
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Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
That’s the trick. The Mac would go 10-15 right now and then dig in. It also bounced around a whole lot on the ball. One one level, it’s a boat, but on another, it’s a trade off. On this lake it’s a good trade off, there’s probably 25 of them here.
 
Sep 10, 2012
220
Hunter 450 Gulfport, Florida
I had a 240 that was easy to set up by myself but like the mac 26 was tender until on a good heel, even then it could get spooky on the high mountain lake microbursts. The Dehler 25 is an awesome trailerable as it is an eight foot beam in the vicinity of 2500lbs towing weight dropping 800lbs of the ballast as you move to the parking lot washing down the ramp. it still carries 800lbs of cast iron fin vertically moving keel. I towed with a 5.9L Durango and it was effortless even over the high passes. It is also a one person set up in 45 minutes, a gin pole came with the boat when new but was absent when I came along so I made one. It has baby stays but was much better with side stays for the pole as well. If your boat is easily trailered and set up then you can sail far and wide. Mine traveled to the Sea of Cortez twice, San Juan Islands, every large reservoir in Colorado, Gulf of Mexico. It is so stiff that the rail has never been under as it will round up before you can get it wet. It serves as a fast racer cruiser that beats much longer waterlines and comfy camper on the road, dual axle trailer means no sway. Sadly it is time for a new home as two boats is one too many.
 

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