Best Starter Sailboat for a Neophyte

[lliversjr]

Neophyte Sailer, Over the past weeks, I have taken a general boating course with the New Orleans Power Squadron, and currently taking a sailing course with the Southern Yacht Club. After spending countless hours at the New Orleans Yacht Club, a number of the member convinced me to try sailing. Currently I am a neophyte and have no real sailing experience. Would you please recommend a Good Starter BoatTo date, subject to change, my objectives are as follows:a.) Purchase a Used Sailboat under 28 feetb.) Maximum Budget: $25Kc.) Need a Boat that can be easily sailed by Two , me and my wifed.) Weekend use e.) Overnight Use, not more than two nightsf.) Water: Lake and nearby portsg.) Probably Trailerable,Currently South Shore has a problem with available slips As a small business owner, I work long days and nights. I want a nice boat that can be sailed by me and my wife. The ulitmate goal is quality time. Not interested in complicated boats that require many to sail. If all goes well, I hope to buy a larger boat in the near future. 

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Profile says:

you own a hunter 260.Also says you registered in 2005.

 

[lliversjr]

Don't Own A Sailboat

Sorry, the profile was incorrect. I don't own a sailboat at this time.

 

[Bad Obsession]

It is all a compromise

Try a Hunter 260, Hunter 250, a Catalina 250, a Catalina 25, A Catalina 22, an O'Day 23, or a Hunter 22. All of them are good trailerable boats.The compomise is a boat that can be trailered but it doesn't have a fixed keel with the extra weight. The extra weight makes the boat have a better ride in rougher water and a fixed keel will point better.Most of those boats don't have standing room inside of them. The nice thing, and I would reccommend, is getting a fixed head if you plan to spend anytime in the boat. The porta-potty can be a nasty thing.Look at a lot of boats with your wife. Get a feel for what you like. If you have friends with any of the boats that you like you can sail with them to see if you truely like it.

 

[George]

Starter Boat

Try this link as a starting place: http://kobernus.com/hunter260/index.html

 

[frmreilly]

O'Day 27

Lots of advantages -- it was my first boat. It's easy to sail, very roomy, and you can find a decent used one for well under $8000.One thought -- it's very hard to sell a used sailboat, and so you should consider getting a bigger boat right from the start. My friend's starter boat was an O'Day 34 -- he likes it & he's not looking for a bigger boat already, as so many of us do.Another thought -- anything worth sailing is going to be too big to trailer and too much of a pain to put the mast up/down all the time.

 

[Hogan]

Precision 23 fits your requirements

Easy to sail by one person, however quite a quick boat on the water. I have used mine as a weekender since 2001 and although not as roomy inside as the Hunter 260 I purchased recently, it is easy to anchor, navigate the marinas and slips and nice and comfy for a couple. The two burner alcohol stove is handy for cooking meals or use the grill mounted on the cockpit rail. The Precision is a 23 footer and moves along quickly when using the 10 horse 4-stroker outboard.

 

[Banooma]

trailering

I respectfully disagree with frmreilly that anything worth sailing isn't worth trailering. I've had a lot of happy experiences sailing trailerable boats before stepping up to a slip. To take a few years learning the ins and outs of the waters you plan to sail and get your feet wet in the sailing experience, you'd be wise to look at a trailerable boat. They're smaller, more quickly responsive, and can involve less maintenance and complexities. You'll be able to trailer it to whatever launching ramp you want, and not have to worry about slip fees or winter storage. That said, you'd be compromising factors like "home" comforts like standing room, possibly a fixed head. You'll also learn to appreciate the convenience of a docked or moored boat over the time and effort involved in stepping your mast, lugging a motor, and ramp traffic. By then, you'll have developed your skills and might be ready for your next step. This all assumes that you have the convenience to pick and choose your sailing weekends by following the weather, and you have the ability to be flexible with your schedule. If you have one weekend all month to sail and you're committed to staying in a daysailer rain or shine, and you're not into the adventure of it, and it rains, you might find the experience dreadfully claustrophobic.

 

[Paul Brinkley]

According to your listed requirements...

any of the MacGregor 26 boats would also meet your need. They are water ballast boats, which means they are much lighter than other boats their size, which enhances their trailerability. They have either a centerboard or a daggerboard, depending on the model, so they can go into very shallow water (float in less than 2'), and are easily launched and retrieved. The newer X and M models have standing headroom in the cabin, and more interior room overall than the older D and S models. The X and M also carry larger outboards (50 hp +) since they are powersailors. However, the older D and S sail better. All have enclosed heads, which seems important to wives and families. The M's and some X's will push your $25K limit. D's and S's can generally be found near $10K, and make great starter boats. Check them out...lots of info at the 2 sites below. -Paulhttp://www.macgregorowners.com/http://www.macgregor26x.com/

 

[higgs]

Go used

There are a ton of used boats, for a lot less than 25k that meet your requirements. As stated, boats are hard to sell, so if you only spend 3 or 4 grand on your starter boat. you will be able to afford to buy that bigger bat while you put the old boat on the market. If you have 25k tied up, many of us would be hesitant to buy that next boat until the first one was sold. Perhaps someone at the Y club your are learning at would be willing to advise you on a boat. Most of us involved in these sailing classes love to help new sailors. Some trailer sailors keep their boat at a marina with a ramp, fully rigged and ready to launch, so you don't have to step the mast each time you go out. Some marinas will even launch the boat for you so it is in the water when you get there. Regarding the Magregor 26: Know that opinions on this boat's construction and performance vary widely.

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Catalina 25

The Catalina 25 with a fin keel is a great boat. When at anchor or at the dock, you raise the pop-top. Its a good sailing boat. You should be able to find one in fairly good shape for about $5K. Catalina are also very easy to sell when you are ready to up-grade.Also note that most of the value in an older boat is in the motor. You could probably buy a Catalina 25 for about $3K without a motor. Then go and buy a new O/B. That is the preferred method. You are probably on Lake P. so I wouldnt get a trailerable. If you want to get the most usage from your boat, leave it in the water. That way, you can spontaneously go sailing. When we bought my first sailboat, a 25 MacGregor we kept it in Gulfport. Many times, I would call GF at work and tell her to pick up a Pizza for dinner and meet me on the boat. The intention was to just relax at the marina. In almost every case, we ended up sailing the boat that night. Since she had to get up early in the morning for work, she would usually sleep on the way back to the marina. We slept on the boat and she got up early in the morning and went home to shower and change and go to work. The Catalina makes a great little coastal cruiser. Tony B

 

[48dodge]

A good read

Lots of information about trailerables 26' and under. Sailing Big on a Small Sailboat by Jerry Cardwell

 

[Rich (P303)]

You can buy

a VERY NICE 28' for 25k. Spend 15k on the boat and another 5K for some goodies you WILL NEED... 3K on the trailer... 2k for seasons expenses... now you are broke. Better save 3K for next year!

 

[MoonSailer]

Where will you sail???

Sailing area a big part of the equation. There is a lot of shallow water around the gulf coast. If you are staying in Pontchartrain(sp) it is different than if you are going out to the Chandeleur Islands. Mobile bay can get very rough. How will you sail?? Day sail in protected water then anchor out??? Big cockpit important or seaworthy??? Someone mentioned a Macgregor 26...I owned a 1988 model and would not sail it onm Mobile Bay when the wind is blowing. If you can find a slip I would recommend that you get a heavier boat and forget the trailer. I would try to get something with as little draft as possible. My boat has 4.5' of draft and less would be better. But I would try to get a fixed keel without a wing. There is a lot of thin water on the gulf coast. Less draft also mean that you will have an easier time going into places like Dauphin Island and be able to anchor closer to shore so that a dinghy won't be needed to do a beach walk in warm weather. I looked hard at a Pacific Seacraft 25. They are now getting old but are very rugged heavy boats . Kinda slow but forgiving for a new sailer. One of the few boats with 3.5' draft that you can take from New Orleans straight across the gulf to key west and gunkhole in Santa Roasa sound.

 

[John24107]

Catalina 250

You won't find a better boat in that price range that meets your requirements than the Catalina 250. The Water Ballast version is better for trailerability but, I'd prefer the wing keel -- particularly if you're interested in headroom below. Oh, yeah, that just coincidentally happens to be what I sail but....I'd look real hard at a Catalina 25. They're a little older but, you can find one for $10k or less. The reason I'd suggest this as a first boat is that it's likely that you'll want to go larger rather soon. A C25 (or even a C22) would give you enough real boat feel for not too much investment.Moonsailer's right about draft and the other stuff he mentioned but, you won't find many boats in this class with shoal draft keels that aren't wings.I have a neighbor down the pier from me with a Pacific Seacraft but, he rarely takes it out of the slip in less than 15 knots of wind cuz it's just too darned heavy to get moving otherwise. He did once sail comfortably past me while I had reefed my main and jib and was bouncing like a cork in a choppy channel one day.

 

[larry w]

If you really want to become a good sailor

I would recommend something even smaller - a Lido 14 or so. This size, with no engine that you DAYSAIL, will put you in better contact with the wind and water, forces you to really think about things, to plan ahead because you have no engine, then, when you move up to a Catalina 22, you'll be a much better, more confident skipper. My $0.02

 

[sailaway78]

Smaller boat

I agree that a smaller day sailor will be easier to learn on. If you don't want to go do this, and want a larger boat, check out my S2, on the classifieds.

 

[MoonSailer]

Trailerable Boats

Having owned several trailerable boats I must warn you that they can be a pain. As they get larger they get very hard to rig and get on and off the trailer. My last a 1988 Mac 26 was kept in a slip. If you are going to trailer every time you sail think small!!!! What happens is that it is such a pain to get into the water you soon stop using it regularly. The Mac 26 was probably the best trailerable of it's size for ease of launch but it was still a pain. The ramp's slope is important. Too shallow you have to back the tow in the water and wade a lot. Too steep it is hard to haul out and the rear tends to keep the boat floating off the trailer so it is hard to get seated. Living in New Orleans you may want to go to the North Shore to a Marina or maybe the MS coast. If you are going to trailer every time you sail just go for a daysailer. I had a Chyrsler 18' Buccaneer that was a blast to sail. It would plane easily in 15kts . A cat is another thought. But if you get a Catalina 250 and have to trailer it every time you sail you will not be happy and will sell it or put it into a slip.  John is right that the PS25 is slow in light winds. OTOH when a lesser boat is afraid to go out you can go sailing. Also if you get caught out in weather you will not be so afraid. My brother had one in the Pacific and talked about sailing with waves higher than the mast!!!! That's your decision to make. Safe secure seaworthy and slow or something more lively . I now have a Pearson 323 and some days it is a handfull. It is relatively slow but I am sailing secure when some lesser boats are having their masts in the water. As a beginner you may decide that slow and secure is the way to go. But if you are interested in racing fast is good. Those Catalina 25 Capri's look very fast as do the J boats. Bottom line think realistically about how you will use the boat. Then look around locally for the best deal. With a $25,000 budget and under 28' you have a lot of options!!!! The main reason I recommended the PS 25 is your budget and my own thoughts about fishing out at the Chandeleur islands.

 

[Capt. Kermie]

Age and Maintenance Variables

You did not reveal anything indicating your age which has a significant impact on decisions. When I was younger I thought nothing of donning a wet suit and heading out onto the cold surf (north of 49 degrees) on a 15' Venture Catamarran and having a great time, but that was back when I was in my early twenties and ate nails for breakfast. It was January with freezing temperatures but still sunny/windy so away we went for a cold wet ride.Would I do that today....not a chance, I'm almost 55 years old and have no desire to tolerate the elements at this stage of the game. Five years ago my wife and I bought our first boat, a brand new MacGregor 26M. After 5 seasons sailing we have spent considerably more on it to make it more versatile and enjoyable. This is our retirement toy so we don't hold back too much on expenditures as it must be near completely outfitted before retiring fully. It is easily handled by one of us or both of us, easily maintained and cared for, relatively inexpensive compared to larger boats and best of all I keep it in my driveway to work on through the winter.We mostly daysail but take several extended (5 nights max) excursions during the warmer summer. I am 6' tall and quite large but can manage to move around without too much difficulty, (my wife @ 5'5" has no problems) and would not like to be constantly stooped in a boat with less standing room. Yes, when you get older you tolerate less. Certainly a big Hunter would be more comfortable but the short sailing season here does not justify putting all my financial eggs into one basket and the MacGregor fits the venue here (PNW) surprisingly well. Even though it is easily trailered and rigged for sailing we still slip for 4-6 months depending on when spring arrives just because we are at an age where convenience is a priority. It is not that big a deal to rig and launch but you do have to watch the tides and can sometimes be held prisoner by them, (main reason for seasonal moorage). It is large enough for extended weekend cruising yet small enough to be easily handled until I am old and feeble. There is much to choose from in your range and budget including a used Mac completely outfitted by a PO. just be sure you choose something that more closely matches your age and stage in life.

 

[Capt. Kermie]

Ultimate Goal

One more thing;I forgot to address your main concern, 'quality time together', it better be a boat she likes or quality time will be spent alone.I have a confession to make, my first impression of the MacGregor was that "it isn't a real sailboat" but my wife really took a shine to it and declared "I really like that boat" soooo I had to make an attitude adjustment, even though I had a real sailboat in mind I knew that if I did not get a boat my wife liked I would not be getting one at all, so I learned to warm up to it. It took us three years to get financially prepared to finally purchase the Mac but by then they came out with the all new 26M in 2003 and we got one. Today I am very fortunate to have considered my wifes preferences as she considers it her boat too and fully participates in sailing it and outfitting the interior to a womans requirements. Keep in mind we are nearing retirement age so this boat matches our needs and finacial abilities very closely.A second thing, this is a beginner to intermediate boat IMHO so you have something to start out on and grow into, it will be a few years before you feel the need to go bigger and the Mac is an easy sell.