Best trailerable boat, 2000lbs?

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Sep 30, 2010
3
none none Knoxville, TN
Hello All,

I have just gotten interested in sailing at age 63, semiretired. No experience. I live near Knoxville, TN and would be sailing on TVA lakes and maybe later on the Gulf and Eastern coasts. I am looking for a boat with the following criteria:

***about 2000lbs or less, to trailer with my 300D Mercedes
***able to overnight aboard for one or two
***retractable keel for gunkholing and running out of the channel on the lake
***able to singlehand sail
***speedy enough for fun
***relatively stable for inexperienced sailor who doesn't want to capsize
*** old boat OK, would like to stay at about $3K or less, with trailer & motor

If this list of criteria makes no sense, please tell me. I'm thinking some boat(s) from about 19 to 23 feet, built from 1975 to 1990 fit this list, but I don't have any idea which boats would be best. Eagerly await your answers.
 

Alan

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Jun 2, 2004
4,174
Hunter 35.5 LI, NY
my thought was a 26' trimaran till I got to the $3k. That just made it impossible.

You're going to have to change at least one of your criteria if you expect to find your dream.
 

caguy

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Sep 22, 2006
4,004
Catalina, Luger C-27, Adventure 30 Marina del Rey
Take a look at the Cat 25 if you can stretch your budget a bit. If not the Mac 25 is the way to go.
 

MrUnix

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Mar 24, 2010
626
Hunter 23 Gainesville, FL
Depends on what year/engine you have in your 300D, but my father in laws 300D struggles to pull a 16 foot motorboat that weighs in at around 1800 lbs. Based on your criteria, sounds like a Mac Venture 17 or similar would be a perfect fit.

Cheers,
Brad
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,759
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Catalina 22, meets all of your criteria (except I haven't checked the weight - we towed ours with a Ford six cylinder Brougham)
 

Sumner

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Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
Depends on what year/engine you have in your 300D, but my father in laws 300D struggles to pull a 16 foot motorboat that weighs in at around 1800 lbs. Based on your criteria, sounds like a Mac Venture 17 or similar would be a perfect fit.

Cheers,
Brad
I agree and feel that to tow a 20+ foot boat any distance with that car would be dangerous. Could the car pull it? Yes Might you never have an accident? Maybe.

I have an 84 Jeep Scrambler, longer and heavier than a regular jeep, and thought I could pull our 26 foot Mac that weighs 1800 empty by itself. Well add the trailer and the stuff you need to be on the water and it was a handful trying to safely drive any distance with the Jeep.

We bought a used '99 Suburban and put a second axle with disc brakes on the trailer and now it is a dream to pull.

I also agree that the Venture 17.....

http://oday.sailboatowners.com/components/com_mtree/attachment.php?link_id=7679&cf_id=24

...might be a good boat to start with.

Ruth and I started sailing last year after the age of 65. We love it, check our trips below if you get a chance. If you get a larger tow vehicle then you have a lot more choices. We paid under $4000 for the Suburban and it had 150,000 miles on it and they will easily go 250,000 on the original engine and trans. We use it mainly for towing the boat, but it does get 17 mpg on the highway without the boat. Of course it is more than your budget.

Good luck and if you haven't gone out with someone I might suggest you also do that before buying,

Sum

Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID

Our Mac Pages

Mac-Venture Links
 

r.oril

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Oct 29, 2008
586
MacGregor 26D and Catalina 30 26 - 30 Lancaster, CA
AT age 68, I sail a 1988 Mac 26D single handed. All lines lead to the rear, a furler for the jib and it's a pleasure to sail. Get a friend (wife/girl friend/buddy) to go with you and it's heaven. Cost will be in the $5,000 plus area. The tow vehicle, I use a 95 Chevy 3500 truck, 454 dually.
Bob
 
Nov 27, 2008
2
1988 Catalina 27 Lake Pleasant, AZ
You might check out older model West Wight Potters -- 19'. Newer Potters are way out of your price range. Very popular gunkers and great support web sites.
 
Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
I know Knoxville and the Merc is not going to pull a "liveable" sailboat through those hills. The close lakes probably not a problem. Douglas is it?

I owned a Catalina 22. An OK trailerable. But I much preferred my friend's Hunter 22. The interior was roomier, quite nice for a 22-footer. It had a cockpit setup that was better. And it was faster, he won a lot of races. Both boats can meet your price point. But at that price both will need a little work. See: http://hunter22.net/
 
Nov 9, 2008
1,338
Pearson-O'Day 290 Portland Maine
Royjohn,

Pick up a book like "The Complete Trailer Sailor" by Brian Gilbert. It is filled with information on trailer sailing, from loading the trailer to dropping anchor. In the back of this book, there are 50 or so small cruisers and day sailors from 16' to 27'. Gilbert gives specs, sketches, photos and pros and cons. I wish I had had this book when I bought my Lancer 25. AS it is though, we bought the perfect boat for us . . . by accident. No experience, not trailer, no truck.

A point of caution (ok, members that know me, roll your eyes) make sure the head is sufficient in size for you and private enough for you sensitivities. The head in our Lancer is tiny. I'm 5'-8, my wife 5'-9 but my boys 5'-11 and 6'-3. (gotta catch up with that mail man). Standing takes great aim in a Zen sort of way since shoulder up is out of the hatch into the sunshine, Panzer tank style. Sitting takes a docking maneuver reminiscent of the early Apollo program. Something to consider.

Other than that, welcome to the family!
 

Slade

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Nov 24, 2010
70
Starwind 223 "Respite" Redwing, Mn
Here you go...scroll down and see the Starwind 19. Good beginner boat. Meets all your criteria. I sailed one in the Keys (ocean side) many times for cruises of up to two weeks with diving gear. Very solid boat for all your lakes in the area...used to sail around there alot in the 70's.

http://strictlysailinc.com/usedboats.htm
 
Oct 15, 2009
220
catalina 320 Perry Lake
The Precisions on that site are also very nice boats but they are above your price point. It doesn't hurt to make offers though.







Here you go...scroll down and see the Starwind 19. Good beginner boat. Meets all your criteria. I sailed one in the Keys (ocean side) many times for cruises of up to two weeks with diving gear. Very solid boat for all your lakes in the area...used to sail around there alot in the 70's.

http://strictlysailinc.com/usedboats.htm
 

kenn

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Apr 18, 2009
1,271
CL Sandpiper 565 Toronto
Warning: Shameless plug...

You might check out older model West Wight Potters -- 19'. Newer Potters are way out of your price range. Very popular gunkers and great support web sites.
Similar to the Potter 19's (but better sailing in my biased opinion) is our Sandpiper 565. 18' 6" LOA, about 1600 to 1800 lb including the outboard and trailer. They were built from the late 70s to about 1989.

The Sandpiper's keel is lead-filled, and it's raised/lowered vertically by a strong internal bronze screw. As a consequence, the boat is responsive, and initially a bit tender, but very solid when driven at a modest heel. With the keel up, the draft is about 10", so it's great for gunkholing, beaching, and can be launched from any ramp.

The price for a used Sandpiper 565 ranges from about $6000 for a near perfect boat with newish sails and a late-model 4-stroke outboard, down to maybe $2000 for a boat that needs TLC and maybe new sails or engine. Ours was around the $3k mark after some hard bargaining, because it needed some refinishing and bulkhead repairs, but otherwise the sails were OK and the 2-stroke engine runs well. And it came with a full dodger :)

We've tarted ours up for micro-cruising. The boat has been very comfortable for two people, and you can easily carry enough food etc to be self-sufficient for 3 days. With a few marina stops for groceries, pump-out and the occasional shower, you could easily cruise for a week or more.

The boat's biggest downside is that the decent cabin space means a smaller cockpit. Four adults is about the limit. So if you mainly want to take 4+ people daysailing, this isn't the boat.

Though they are not being built anymore, the manufacturer (C&L Boatworks) continues to support them with sails, parts and repairs. There is a strong owners group, and an active forum. We've even made contact with the original designer!

Bonus marks - we have an annual Rendezvous every summer and lately about 11+ boats show up.

We still love our boat, in case that wasn't clear :)

Sorry for the long advertisement. We now resume our regularly-scheduled thread.
 

kenn

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Apr 18, 2009
1,271
CL Sandpiper 565 Toronto
A point of caution (ok, members that know me, roll your eyes) make sure the head is sufficient in size for you and private enough for you sensitivities. The head in our Lancer is tiny. I'm 5'-8, my wife 5'-9 but my boys 5'-11 and 6'-3. (gotta catch up with that mail man). Standing takes great aim in a Zen sort of way since shoulder up is out of the hatch into the sunshine, Panzer tank style. Sitting takes a docking maneuver reminiscent of the early Apollo program. Something to consider.
Hah! :D Here's my rant on the subject (and a picture of us just below.)

Yes, ours too, and I think you encounter that in any boat under 20'. Personally I detest having the head in the middle of the V-berth. Not very great for couples when one must heed the call in the wee hours.

I may relocate our head to one side, and closer to the companionway.
 

derfus

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Oct 26, 2009
72
Oday Oday 28, Mac-25 Presque Isle Marina, Erie, PA
Re: Sailboat to Trailer.

I just got into a bigger boat last summer and single hand it all the time. Got into sailing at 66 and have had three boats sense. The easiest was a MacGregor M-25, Light to tow, Sets up in 30 min. faster than some of the other boats, and very forgiving, will sail in 18" of water keel up. I really miss her when I want to drive up on a sand bar and park for a while.

Good Luck


Bob
 
Dec 11, 2010
486
MacGregor 26x Hayden AL
I bought an 18.5 Hunter on Craigslist. I traded an old golf cart I had lying around for it. 1600 pounds empty and towed like a dream from mobile AL to north of Birmingham. It needed a little work, cleaning mostly but I am going to repaint the bottom and have been re-bedding things. My wife and I can sleep a few days in a tent, so I think a weekend on this thing should be easy. I am looking forward to warmer weather, she is looking at me with a little concern. I have some pictures in the hunter smaller boat forum, along with some good advice I've been given. The thread title is "newbie". My previous boat was a V-17 and in my opinion it was too small for the wife and I. There was however a lot of info on the web about that boat. I have found very little for the hunter. Searchtempest.com is a great Craigslist app to look for boats in a radius of your house. Good luck.
 
Apr 8, 2010
1,942
Ericson Yachts Olson 34 28400 Portland OR
Lots of good choices out there I'm sure...
Too bad you are not shopping on the West coast or the Rockies, where you could find an all-up Ranger 20 right in your proposed price range. There were several transplanted to the right coast, but they are rarities that far from the factories in Kent Wa, and Salt Lake City. There should still be other good choices, like the Catalina 22.

Happy hunting,
LB
 
Jan 7, 2011
29
Hunter 30 Solomons, MD
My wife and I sailed a San Juan 21 for about ten years and really enjoyed it. We mostly day sailed on the Chesapeake Bay in all kinds of wind and weather, including winds of 20 knots, light wind, rain, night. We took a couple of long trips and "camped" overnight. We have since moved up to a Hunter 30, but still talk about the San Juan. If I downsize, I will consider the San Juan again. They are old now, but there are probably some available in good condition. It is a one design boat and there are several active sailing clubs, especially around New Bern, South Carolina.
The boat fits your 2000 pound requirement. The boat is about 1600 pounds with a 600 pound lead swing keel. With a trailer it is 2000.
It is best used as a day sailer. It has a large cockpit and a spartan cabin. No frills.
By adding a traveler, the boat sails well, but has some weather helm.
 

FREYJA

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Dec 15, 2010
3
Clark Boat Company San Juan 21 Swan Lake, Bigfork, MT
I sail a San Juan 21.

The Mark 1 has an 8` cockpit and I've created a cockpit berth while the kids sleep inside, though they have 4 berths and a porta potty.
The boat is self righting, and though I've tried, I just can't get it to turn over, it will lose rudder and round up into the wind 'taking care of me'.

they are inexpensive, popular, tow and launch easily (1500lbs), sail very well, quick, good in light air, lots of parts and a great group of sailors to refer to as many San Juan 21's are on the water today. A terrific beginner boat.

Check them out, they fit all your criteria very well.

Fair winds, go sailing!!
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
No Problem

The Catalina 22 or MacGregor 22 or Macgregor 25 (the older ones) are all good choices.

An Oday 23 is also a good choice.

3K is very doable. If you are patient and wait until September or October, eBay and Criag's list are full of boats to choose from.

I've bought and sold 5 boat over the past 10 years. Sell in the Spring, buy in the Fall.

:)
 
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