First sailboat advice: Sunfish or Victoria 18

Justin_NSA · Oct 25, 2016

You've already ruled out the sunfish if you want to take more than one other person along. I know nothing about the boat, but the Victoria looks like a good starter boat. Are they ballasted?
Take some lessons and start with good habits. Enjoy!!

Gunni · Oct 25, 2016

Victoria 18. Small enough to give you the responsiveness you want to learn with, properly ballasted to keep it sane. With that long shoal keel she may be a little slow in light winds but all the same, a real sailboat.

Justin_NSA · Oct 25, 2016

Had to look it up. That's one long keel. Where will you sail?
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=28

Jackdaw · Oct 25, 2016

I've sailed a Vic18 many times and they are a hoot. Motor mounts fiddly but that seems taken care of. And a boat you can grow into and sail for years. So that's my choice, but make sure you factor in how you are going to keep it when NOT sailing into the equation. Launching can be a pain if done every time.

Rick Webb · Oct 25, 2016

Not the Sunfish, you'll out grow it quickly and it's sailing season is shorter as you would not sail it when the water is too cold to swim in as you'll likely get wet each time you'll sail.

RussC · Oct 25, 2016

The Vic 18 is a wonderful boat. one person set-up from arrival to splash in 20 minutes. very easy to single hand sail. plenty of room to store extra sail, cooler, and whatever else you may want to pack along in the cabin. 1250 lb for an easy tow with an average tow vehicle, yet has 550 lb of ballast in the full keel for unmatched stability. I read recently that the point of vanishing stability is something like 125*! the hull is somewhat rounded so initial stability may seem tender, but once you hit 15-20* heel it firms up nicely and sails like a much larger boat. The draft is only 24" so it launches just about anywhere with ease and comes on a trailer with extended tung. I only have to back my truck about 6" further into the water with the Vic than I do our Mac 25. a non issue.
Ya... we like ours

. We still prefer our Mac 25 for it's comfort and the ability to do multi day trips, but for day sailing from a trailer the Vic just can't be beat IMHO.

31seahorse · Oct 25, 2016

Welcome Adam,
Personally, getting wet when I sail is not my first choice, so a board boat would not be for me. If you live on a warm water body of water the Sunfish might be a fun summer plaything. I have always liked the look of the Victoria 18, but have not sailed one. If Jackdaw says they are a "hoot" to sail I would accept his opinion. Look for owner reviews and Good Old Boat reviews on the boats you are considering. Can your vehicle haul 3/4 ton or a bit more when you have the boat, trailer, gear, and motor included? That Victoria 18 looks like all the V 18s I have ever seen. It looks well kept from the picture, and then you will learn boat maintenance too!

RussC · Oct 25, 2016

Jackdaw said:
Launching can be a pain if done every time.

Huuuuu? Just as easy as any centerboard/daggerboard dinghy. 20 minutes max at the ramp for us, and I set up alone 99% of the time.

rgranger · Oct 25, 2016

The trailer on that V18 is almost worth the asking price. Are the sails in good shape? If not that will be about another $800. And is the troller seen in the first pic included? If not look at a Tohatsu 2.5 or 3.5. That would also be about another $800.

Nice find and welcome to asylum.

31seahorse · Oct 25, 2016

I noticed some interesting and useful additions to the trailer of the V 18. The tall 1 1/2 inch plastic tubes sticking up from the trailer are useful when backing the empty trailer. Sometimes the empty trailer is difficult to see when it is directly behind the vehicle. If you have "drowned" the trailer they are also useful to center the boat onto the submerged trailer. (You should not really need to put the trailer in that deep.) The white plastic tubing going horizontally along the keel is there to center the keel (and therefore the boat) onto the trailer. Very helpful when loading the boat. Best Wishes!

MrBill_FLL · Oct 25, 2016

The Vic 18 will require more time to setup launch and break down. maybe 30 min to 1 hour. (each way)
also consider how long you have to tow to launch each time you take it out. (I had a 45 min drive to get to the ramp. then 45 min to setup and launch)

I like the Vic18 for your area, but you might want a slip. the sunfish is the most popular boat to use and learn in the world. it would not be the worst boat to own, but you will out grow it. -but that's a good price and you'll probably get your money out of it.
The Vic18 is priced right, but you'll probably have trouble selling it.

personally, I'd recommend the sunfish for 1 year, then go to something in the 21-25' range.

edit: does the Vic18 have an engine? pretty sure, you'll need one..

RussC · Oct 25, 2016

There's a fairly active public Facebook page for the Vic at "Victoria Eighteen".
When in doubt, ask someone who actually owns one.

Note the trucks rear tire is ~6" in the water. this is launching, as I "bump" the boat off the trailer, but when preparing to take out the truck rear tire is right at the water line so it sits solid on the bunks when winched up tight.

Because the keel begins back a ways from the bow one can still easily beach it most places also.

MrBill_FLL · Oct 25, 2016

RussC said:
Huuuuu? Just as easy as any centerboard/daggerboard dinghy. 20 minutes max at the ramp for us, and I set up alone 99% of the time.

I'm impressed you raise the mast, put sails on, fenders out, and launch that quick.
-my mac26 took me 45min, to prep to launch. ymmv

Roland5048 · Oct 25, 2016

I have to agree with everything that has been said. The V-18 hands down. The best way to learn to sail is in a smaller, responsive tiller boat. The V-18 seems to meet all your needs. And with the cuddy, you can duck out of foul weather for awhile. I say, Go for it!

SailormanDan · Oct 25, 2016

For the Vic. I had a Sunfish type boat for a short time and quickly realized how small it was, easily dumped, etc., and stepped up to a C-22 the next year.
Have fun and welcome to the forum!

shemandr · Oct 25, 2016

Victoria 18 based on it's a real boat, as Gunni said. Much more useful in more conditions. Large cockpit suitable for company. Main/jib rig will allow learning of interaction of each with the other i.e. learning to sail. Cuddy cabin will stow some gear you won't have to haul on and off at every use. And if Jackdaw says it's fun to sail jump on it with both feet.

rgranger · Oct 25, 2016

MrBill_FLL said:
I'm impressed you raise the mast, put sails on, fenders out, and launch that quick.
-my mac26 took me 45min, to prep to launch. ymmv

@MrBill_FLL
I could pull up to the launch in my Mac 22 and be in the water, sails bent and motor at idle in 20 min.... but I also had two daughters who grew up sailing for help.

I think the trick is to map out the sequence of events carefully so that each time you do it, you get a little more efficient.

RussC · Oct 25, 2016

MrBill_FLL said:
I'm impressed you raise the mast, put sails on, fenders out, and launch that quick.
-my mac26 took me 45min, to prep to launch. ymmv

My Mac 25 takes me 1 hr+ at the ramp, so you'd beat me on that one. that's one reason why we bought the Vic 18. Sets up quick as a dinghy, but sails like the real boat that it is

.
PS: my Vic 18 headsails are hanked, so I suspect a Vic with a furler would take a bit longer than mine also.

Jackdaw · Oct 25, 2016

RussC said:
I read recently that the point of vanishing stability is something like 125*!

Ohh i doubt that. If you get anywhere close to 90, that huge bathtub of a cockpit will fill up and you're in real trouble. The few sinkings I know of happened like that. He's my buddy Glen getting about as close as he finds comfortable, maybe 45. Like I said, fun boat.