Hello all, looking to get a new boat and would like any opinions on these two that I am currently looking at. I would be sailing with a crew of four, overnighting in protected waters and bays. Any experience with either boats would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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We sail a 23.5 and love it.
We sailed a Sandpiper 565 for 3 seasons, which we acquired very inexpensively, testing to see if the kids would enjoy sailing. The Sandpiper is an 18.5' drop keel sailboat designed to sail the English Channel. Not a racehorse, but safe, stable & a great first boat. However, with anything longer than an overnighter, there just wasn't enough room down below between clothing & provisions. Thus, we honed in on the 23.5, which is old enough to be acquired with thrift, but large enough for our needs. The interior room is great for its size, it sails well, and the berths are large enough for 2 adults, a teen & preteen. There is plenty of storage for us, and last season we stretched our seas legs and went on many more extended cruises.
At some point, "2-foot-itis" may seize us -- especially when my daughter "requires" an enclosed head! -- but we have truly enjoyed sailing Grasshopper the last 2 seasons.
We had also looked at the 23, but the 23.5's interior space and light, airy cabin was a big attraction for the admiral. We considered the 240, but the additional premium for these younger boats was not attractive. We found an original owner of our eventual 23.5 who had made nice upgrades over the years. We even kept her name.
That said, Com-Pac makes a great boat too. I'm not familiar with that particular model, but we looked at that line a bit prior to focusing in on the 23.5.
All boats have their pluses & minuses, there are trade-offs. The most important advice is get the most boat you can for the money you have. Don't think you'll buy a beater and fix it up. The extra dough to fix it is better spent buying a boat in better shape and to spend the fix-up time actually out on the water!
Good luck & hopefully we'll see you here in the e-fleet regularly.
We sailed a Sandpiper 565 for 3 seasons, which we acquired very inexpensively, testing to see if the kids would enjoy sailing. The Sandpiper is an 18.5' drop keel sailboat designed to sail the English Channel. Not a racehorse, but safe, stable & a great first boat. However, with anything longer than an overnighter, there just wasn't enough room down below between clothing & provisions. Thus, we honed in on the 23.5, which is old enough to be acquired with thrift, but large enough for our needs. The interior room is great for its size, it sails well, and the berths are large enough for 2 adults, a teen & preteen. There is plenty of storage for us, and last season we stretched our seas legs and went on many more extended cruises.
At some point, "2-foot-itis" may seize us -- especially when my daughter "requires" an enclosed head! -- but we have truly enjoyed sailing Grasshopper the last 2 seasons.
We had also looked at the 23, but the 23.5's interior space and light, airy cabin was a big attraction for the admiral. We considered the 240, but the additional premium for these younger boats was not attractive. We found an original owner of our eventual 23.5 who had made nice upgrades over the years. We even kept her name.
That said, Com-Pac makes a great boat too. I'm not familiar with that particular model, but we looked at that line a bit prior to focusing in on the 23.5.
All boats have their pluses & minuses, there are trade-offs. The most important advice is get the most boat you can for the money you have. Don't think you'll buy a beater and fix it up. The extra dough to fix it is better spent buying a boat in better shape and to spend the fix-up time actually out on the water!
Good luck & hopefully we'll see you here in the e-fleet regularly.
Looking at the Com-Pac a bit closer after browsing about the web, it seems like a wonderful pocket cruiser, but I think it's roughly the same cabin space as our Sandpiper. I don't know what the difference is in condition or pricing for the specific boats you are looking at, but I think you would find the 23.5 to offer much more room & comfort than the Com-Pac during those overnighters or weekenders.
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