Novice / rookie to sailing & this forum. Seeking opinions if a Catalina (C25) is a large enough boat for mostly day trips on Cape Cod Bay. Possibly o/n trips to nearby ports, but nothing major. Grew up sailing small boats, now want to get back into sailing with my family. Some say perfect size, others say way to small. I always watch weather/conditions and know the area well. Thanks for your feedback.
25' Sailboat - large enough for CC Bay?
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You mention "family" but no detail. I use to crew on a C25. The boat would be fine for the bay so long as you know the waters and watch the weather. But the size depends upon size and number of family members. And whether you are planning an occasional overnight.
Re: Family - Wife & three kids, 13, 12 & 7 year old. O/N trip would be rare, if anything, hang with kids on mooring on a nice night.
I've got an O'Day 27 out of Stage Harbor in Chatham on Nantucket Sound. I had a Cape Dory 25, but it wasn't enough. You might want to get something a little bigger if you plan to overnight. I love my 27. It's perfect for Nantucket Sound. You don't get the waves on the bay, but the winds are the same. There are a lot of bargains out there so shop around.
Not so much
You can do it, and you'll be proud of yourself for doing it. But 25 is still small for a bay of that magnitude. The danger is winds that make the boat unoperable under motor, never mind sails. Plus you'll have water coming over the bow and gunnels, which will make everyone uneasy and eventually unhappy or sick. That could ruin them from going out again.
Rule of thumb for 25s: Stay close enough to port that you can get back safely within an hour.
Now if you solo sail, go for it as long as you've got stamina and provisions.
You can do it, and you'll be proud of yourself for doing it. But 25 is still small for a bay of that magnitude. The danger is winds that make the boat unoperable under motor, never mind sails. Plus you'll have water coming over the bow and gunnels, which will make everyone uneasy and eventually unhappy or sick. That could ruin them from going out again.
Rule of thumb for 25s: Stay close enough to port that you can get back safely within an hour.
Now if you solo sail, go for it as long as you've got stamina and provisions.
I think that a 25' is definitely a lot more reliable than is given credit above. With that being said however, a crew of five adults, or almost, will be very cramped. I have an O'day 25 and I love my boat. Its perfect for two people to sail and good for four people. Five + people on the boat gets very cramped for actual sailing. There will be people on sheets, in the path of the boom or jib, or people will need to spend time in the cabin. All of this makes for a lot of crew shifting during even the simplest of maneuvers. This could get dicey if the weather were to kick up. My suggestion would be something in 30' range. I have talked to many larger sized families and they also say they started in the higher 20' boats but had to upgrade to accommodate their upgrade in family size. I think you missed the chance to get this size of boat and need to move to the upgrade size 
. Whatever you do, stay safe.
. Whatever you do, stay safe.All good advice, many thanks. I am capped at 25' due to my mooring location, so unless I get a waiver, may be a moot point.
Have you considered chartering a boat vs owning? Storage, insurance, maintenance all add up and with a family of 5 I have to imagine that boating may only be a few times a year event. You might be able to charter a much larger boat a few times a year for about the same cost as owning a smaller boat. Or charter a boat similar to what you are considering for a purchase as a test run. Sure, it will cost some money, but if you find out it doesn't work out you won't be stuck with a boat that doesn't work for your family.
Good Luck
Good Luck
When the chips are down, an inboard diesel with the propeller well below water level, beats an outboard every time. I used to have a 23 ft Clipper Marine and several times got in the situation where the outboard was hopelessly ineffective in big waves when the propeller was coming out of the water. My Hunter Cutter 37 powers effortlessly through similar conditions while we serenely enjoy a cup of coffee behind the dodger.
That said, we had that 23 footer for 16 years when I could not afford anything else and had endless family fun time on it. I just had to restrict acitivity to sheltered waters.
That said, we had that 23 footer for 16 years when I could not afford anything else and had endless family fun time on it. I just had to restrict acitivity to sheltered waters.
Good point on the inboard vs outboard in rough seas. I didn't consider that as I thought the longer shaft would compensate. Not thrilled with idea of an inboard though where an outboard is easy to maintain, store, etc. Have not thought of chartering. A lot to consider over the long winter here in NE.
Hi,
This is the same question as asking if I need a MiniVan or will a Mini do the job!
I had a Tanzer 26 with an outboard and sailed from Montreal to the Bras d'Or; it had an outboard engine and we had three chidren aged 11, 14 and 16 at the time. Were we crowded? Was this super comfort? At the time we didn't even think of those questions, we were out where most people didn't venture even in large boats with inboards and all that other stuff you can think about.
(GPS, fridge, dodger, bimini, oven, generator, dinghy etc...)
BTW the Gulf of St-Lawrence is larger than the Gulf of Maine and makes CC bay look like a backyard pond!
Go for it, the kids won't be there forever! Mine are now 30, 33 and 35 and the 26 would be too small!!!
Pierre
This is the same question as asking if I need a MiniVan or will a Mini do the job!
I had a Tanzer 26 with an outboard and sailed from Montreal to the Bras d'Or; it had an outboard engine and we had three chidren aged 11, 14 and 16 at the time. Were we crowded? Was this super comfort? At the time we didn't even think of those questions, we were out where most people didn't venture even in large boats with inboards and all that other stuff you can think about.
(GPS, fridge, dodger, bimini, oven, generator, dinghy etc...)
BTW the Gulf of St-Lawrence is larger than the Gulf of Maine and makes CC bay look like a backyard pond!
Go for it, the kids won't be there forever! Mine are now 30, 33 and 35 and the 26 would be too small!!!
Pierre
25 footers are often, it not always, built as trailerables. There are pros and cons to that. One con is the draft of the hull. There's probably some fancy word for it but bear with me. Once you go to 27', trailering isn't normally done, so the belly drops further into the water giving more head room, head-room and, well, room. 25 and under would be quite close for 5 adults, no matter how you stack'm. I've done 4 on my Lancer 25. It was close quarters, even with my 5'-10 head room. So, if you can, get the waiver and a longer boat, especially since you're mooring it anyway.
Look up Bonzai on this forum. He may be under the Lancer Owners arm of the website. He picked up another boat which I believe is a 25 footer but has a different look to it which gives it lots of room inside.
Look up Bonzai on this forum. He may be under the Lancer Owners arm of the website. He picked up another boat which I believe is a 25 footer but has a different look to it which gives it lots of room inside.
We take a 22' trailerable Starwind 223 to different and interesting sailing venues every year. Among the larger bodies of water that we have done are the Chesapeake Bay, the Long Island Sound and the Outer Banks. We have not done Cape Cod Bay but would not imagine it would be much different. We have encountered foul weather in some of these trips and have had to take sails down and motor in. We have ran legs with the prop of the outboard engine popping out of the water every other wave and even dunking the powerhead under 3 or 4 times. I guess there is enough air in the cowling to keep it going because it never quit. My biggest worry in those events was the rudder as I could hear the wooden tiller creack under pressure. Would I do it in a Catalina 25? Sure, bigger boat, more comfort. Some of these trips have been made with 4 adults so I do not see a size problem for your family in the larger 25'. We like to sail the weather not the scheduled but when on a long distance trip from home sometimes we have to go in iffy conditions and sometimes those conditions go South.
Friends of ours cruised with kids precisely that age (all boys) for a week or more on their Catalina 25. We buddy-boated with them on our Pearson 26 along with a few other boats. They were (still are) an exceptional family. And the boat could be taken more than an hour away from port without any dire consequences. I still remember a particularly lumpy passage from Five Islands up the Sheepscot River to Sebasco Harbor, Maine. 6-8 foot waves on 25 footers. Not fun, not comfortable, but we came out of it with some good stories!
So yes, it can be done!
I'm not very familiar with CC Bay so can't comment on the wx conditions there.
Had a Catalina 25 for ten years. Used to sail it from Mystic Ct. to Nantucket with a family of four and stay for a week, stops at cuttyhunk, Newport, Block Island, Marthas Vineyard. Boat is plenty large enough for the bay and such. The rigging is a little light though, the lower shrouds only attach to fitting through the deck, not tied into the hull or bulkheads. I had a blast in that boat, great single hander also. Go for it.
I'd bet that you can find a Catalina 27 or 30 at a very reasonable price. If you haven't done any shopping yet, you will soon find out. When we started shopping, we only had to look at the first 3 boats, 27', 25' & 24' before we quickly realized that the extra size did matter (to us) and we quickly eliminated anything smaller than 27 feet. The safety factor wasn't an issue for us (small, inland lake), and we intended to keep the boat in the water (not on a trailer). Price differences weren't much of an issue, and become even more meaningless as all the other costs of maintenance, upgrades and storage quickly become more meaningful.
I guess my point is that you should begin shopping with your eyes open and an open mind rather than being locked into a particular mindset right from the beginning. Everybody has their own justifications for what they prefer. I believe that your gut reaction when you start shopping will tell you more than we can.
I guess my point is that you should begin shopping with your eyes open and an open mind rather than being locked into a particular mindset right from the beginning. Everybody has their own justifications for what they prefer. I believe that your gut reaction when you start shopping will tell you more than we can.
Never heard that rule. Good thing Tania Aebi and Robin Lee Graham didn't know it either.
If the Cat 25 is a fixed keel model it will be more seaworthy... in any event... if you don't find it to your liking it will be easy to sell and move to a heavier boat.
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