Cat 22 vs P19

[New sailor]

Hey mates...Im looking for a first boat.Im looking for shallow draft trailerable sloop from 22-26.
Im reading a lot about the P19's and there are several Cat 22 at home marina also a few San Juan 23.
The Macs water ballast/centerboard is attactive.(and I like the best).I think..lol
Question is which ones best for inland/coastal sailing w shallow draft and easy trailerabile?
I hpe you guys give me your best....thanks in advance..mark<><

 

[porsche]

which one hmmm

My first sailboat was an Islander23 with swing keel. It was sure easy to trailer and sailed OK but that swing thing got to be a pain for me and didn't point as well either. My next is a catalina 22 with wing keel, sails GREAT launches and retreaves OK as well and has plenty of room inside and out. I had looked at some 25-26 ft water ballest boats and thought they would make a great trailer sailor, but I sailed on one of them and was not at all impressed, I think the center board did not let it point very well and the boat heeled alot for the little wind we had. The center of gravity was very high due to the water ballest therefor did not help much till the boat was way over. Try to get a ride on some that you are interested in before you buy it helped me. Alan

 

[Bilbo]

C22

If I may suggest,
Every different type of boat has it's + and - features.

The C22 swing keel in one respect is a good choice because they are numerous and the initial investment is really reasonable as well as the possibility of finding parts is easier if necessary. The amount of information available on the internet is vast. It may not be the fastest but then again there will always be another boat that's faster. It may not have the shallowest draft but others with shallower draft may have other problems like that water ballast is higher up towards the C/L and less effective. The draft of the C22 is 2' when up and 5' when down. I like the idea of a swing keel better than a dagger board in the shallows because the swing keel will ground out and swing up. You can winch it up more then and motor off the shoal. With a dagger board-type keel, I think that you'd need to monitor the depth more and grounding can cause some damage.

The West Wight Potter P19 is lighter and more trailerable with a smaller tow vehicle. Goes into 1' of water. Being a semi-displacemnt hull, it may plane easier than the C22 but the speed may be more limited with lighter air. Because of the hull shape on the P19, I would try to be a bit more cautious in gusts and heeling angle than the C22. The Cabin of the Potter has more head room of the C22 pop top is down but the C22 probably ahs a bit more interior acerage.

The MacGregor makes a motor sailor type boat. One has the option of really getting around a lot faster with a 60 HP outboard AND you can use it to tow a boat babe on water skis. ..if that's what you want.