Centerboard boats under 25ft

[PuckVanD]

Hi everyone,
I'm looking at buying a small pocket cruiser for sailing in Prince William Sound up here in Alaska. Swing keel or centerboard is a must for the shallow coves, but also need something that can deal with nasty weather fairly well. I grew up racing Lazers and small boats, and would like a relatively fast vessel. I've been looking at the O'Day Mariner as an option, but really open to any suggestions. Budget is under $10000 but preferably closer to $7500 so I have money to do outfitting.

 

[sail sfbay]

You might be interested in this article: 18 Small Sailboats for the Weekender

Some listings under $10,000 that might meet your needs: Sailboat Listings sailboats for sale by owner.

Some options under your budget to consider:

Catalina 22 swing keel: 2006 Catalina 22, Stamford Connecticut - boats.com
O'Day 23 folding centerboard: 1979 O'Day 23 sailboat for sale in New York
O'day 25 with swing centerboard: 1981 O'Day 25 sailboat for sale in Florida

 

[rgranger]

The montgomery's are tough little bastards....they come in several sizes...

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat?filter%5Bname%5D=Montgomery&paginate=25&units=imperial&sort=name

They are a Lyle Hess designs and known for being very safe and sturdy boat.

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/montgomery-23

I normally pitch the Rhodes 22 when someone asks this question as it has a very nice cabin layout but since you will be sailing in some rather harsh places... I think the Montgomery is the direction I would go. I also really love the Lyle Hess Nor'Sea 27 and have personally talked to a guy who sailed one of those through a hurricane....but those are all out of your budget range.

 

[Benny17441]

Look at the Precision 23. It uses a ballasted fixed short keel, swing center board combo. Great stability with short draft.

 

[PuckVanD]

I hadn't previously considered the Precision, could be a good option. I was also reading up on the S2 6.7, anyone have thoughts between shoal keel/centerboard and lifting keel?