Largest Trailable Yacht

[Grith]

Hi All New to this forum but was drawn here when searching for hints on large trailable yachts. An old post by a small cruising yacht owner was seeking advice regarding the largest comfortable trailable cruising yacht as he was wishing to downsize to something that could be moved around by road.
The post was too old (2014/5) to bother posting a reply there but I decided I would throw in some thoughts and reopen the discussion.
Several posts back then talked about needing to be small enough to be handle by one person if it was to be trailable precluding many of the features available he was seeking from his previous experience.
I have searched long and hard with a similar list of wants to his and have settled on an Imexus 28 with large diesel inboard and leg.
My yacht with an extensive cruising fitout is well under 7500 pounds on trailer and legally towable by my VW 4x4 here in Australia. It is 8 foot 2 inches wide with a slight rub rail mod and 8 foot 3.5 inches from factory meaning no special width towing regulations here in Australia.
Mast raising is a factory fitted one person affair with all raising equipment remaining in situ for both trailering and cruising. This allows easy powerline and bridge navigation. My slight 15 yo daughter can sheet winch up the mast but it takes a bit more strength to roll the mast back on a rear mounted roller to pin it into the mast base plate. I have fitted a tiller in addition to the small wheel as I prefer tiller steering under sail.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Welcome to the forums Grith,
You have joined an awesome group of dedicated and knowledgable sailors.

Great post and good thoughts. I was just reviewing the Hake Seaward designs as larger trailersailers. There are also a couple of good Youtube videos on trailersailing in Australia.

Good to have you aboard.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Rick D]

Welcome! That sounds like an excellent boat. One that can travel much faster and farther to new destinations with your VW 4X4 than most other cruising boats

 

[fritz3000g]

I read through that other thread as well. The thing I'm still uncertain about is whether to sail in potentially rough seas (e.g. great lakes, bahamas, etc...) you really have to go for a shoal keel? In other words, is a swing keel inherently unsafe in rough seas due to "keel slap"?

I've seen 40' boats with swing keels marketed as blue water. I suppose the question is, what's the difference between these large boat swing keels and smaller boat swing keels?

I prefer a swing keel to a shoal if possible because it's more seakindly. I've been looking at a Balboa and a Chrysler, both 26 ft. Currently have a MacGregor 25 which is too tender and unseakindly for the water I'd like to sail.

 

[Jackdaw]

hey Grith,
First welcome to SBO. Second, what is it that you want to discuss? Your boat would be described by Americans as a slightly bigger Macgregor 26X, a sail/motorboat hybrid. An excellent choice for those who want that, but clearly not every sailors cup of tea.

If you want to discuss your boat, you'll get a re-hash of a thousand 26X discussions, with fans on both sides. By their nature they are rather polarizing, which is not a bad thing in its self.

If the discussion is the 'largest' trailerable, there is no simple answer. the discussion quickly turns to :
what is the biggest boat you can manage
how much do you have to spend
where do you sail
your tow capacity
slip or trail sail

Everyone has their own answer. My First 260 is 'trailerable', lifting keel and IB diesel. Sits low on her trailer and can be ramp launched. The mast can be managed with a deck-mounted assist, but that is not for the weak of heart. So to me thats biggest. I do it twice a year, to and from the club. That's enough!

 

[Will Gilmore]

you really have to go for a shoal keel? In other words, is a swing keel inherently unsafe in rough seas due to "keel slap"?

No.
There are perfectly adequate bluewater centerboarders. It's not just a matter of doing the research and picking a reputable brand, but also in making sure the systems are in good repair, appropriate modifications are made, provisions are thoughtfully stored and distributed so as not to shift or defeat the vessel's inherent balance and the sailor is well prepared and confident. There are lots of small cb trailersailers that cross the Gulfstream and sail the North Sea, for example. There's a great YouTube video of a family who sailed from Scotland to Norway in a 20' trailersailer.

It takes more than a good boat, but it does take a good boat too.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[jviss]

Here's a pretty large yacht on a trailer:

 

[Will Gilmore]

Here's a pretty large yacht on a trailer:

While she IS a large yacht on a trailer, I suspect she actually takes a locamotive to pull her. That alone would limit where you can launch her.
Thankfully, sea level is all down hill from most places.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[fritz3000g]

what is it that you want to discuss?

I'd like to discuss a thread from earlier in this topic, which is "can you ever really trust a swing keel in heavy seas."
I read strong opinions on both sides, and as a trailer sailor who expects to periodically encounter rough seas I want to be prepared. Your boat is similar to the boats I'm looking at, though its draft is deeper than I'd like.

I'm finding the Chrysler 26 particularly appealing because it's got a swing keel (i.e. more seakindly than a shoal keel) as well as additional bottom-of-boat ballast. Of course, if the keel snapped off it could still hole the boat.

There are perfectly adequate bluewater centerboarders.

Do you include "swing keeled" boats in your comment, since true centerboarders usually have a separate source of ballast.

It takes more than a good boat, but it does take a good boat too.

My sailing skills are currently moderate but growing quickly. Spent plenty of time in 4' waves in my Mac 25, but not more than that. Had a lot of fun in the 50-hour HOOK race on Lake Michigan this year (different boat), but we only saw 2' waves.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Do you include "swing keeled" boats in your comment, since true centerboarders usually have a separate source of ballast.

Of course. It really comes down to righting moment, however that is achieved. If this is a serious endeavor to sail a lot of open bluewater, look at Seawards and I'd also checkout the Com-Pac line. They are very seaworthy and trailerable.
In all open honesty, my personal experiences are extremely limited. I grew up with boats and the boat design culture, I feel very comfortable with my own knowledge, but I don't have any real credibility here. There are others on here who's experiences and opinions carry a lot more weight. They just aren't as quick to express them as I am.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[jviss]

"can you ever really trust a swing keel in heavy seas."
I read strong opinions on both sides, and as a trailer sailor who expects to periodically encounter rough seas I want to be prepared.

Yes, you can. A friend of mine had a Little Harbor 52, which has a swing keel (centerboard). It won the Newport to Bermuda race in its first year.

 

[Davidasailor26]

I'm finding the Chrysler 26 particularly appealing because it's got a swing keel (i.e. more seakindly than a shoal keel)

I don't think a shoal keel really takes away from seaworthiness. A shoal keel needs to be heavier to achieve the same righting moment, but the net seaworthiness should be the same as a long keel model. There are certainly performance impacts of having that extra weight and shorter foil, but I don't think seaworthiness should be compromised.

 

[Jackdaw]

I read through that other thread as well. The thing I'm still uncertain about is whether to sail in potentially rough seas (e.g. great lakes, bahamas, etc...) you really have to go for a shoal keel? In other words, is a swing keel inherently unsafe in rough seas due to "keel slap"?

I've seen 40' boats with swing keels marketed as blue water. I suppose the question is, what's the difference between these large boat swing keels and smaller boat swing keels?

I prefer a swing keel to a shoal if possible because it's more seakindly. I've been looking at a Balboa and a Chrysler, both 26 ft. Currently have a MacGregor 25 which is too tender and unseakindly for the water I'd like to sail.

This is really question of engineering, design, and construction. It is not as straightforward as your comment suggests. The typical boats with swing keels that are mentioned here on SBO were 'designed' 40+ years ago and constructed using simple techniques to secure and manage the lifting. Often with lines attached to trailer winches. This lack of sophistication combined with 40+ year of questionable maintenance makes these boats less reliable.

Modern lifting (AKA swing) keel boats built by progressing builder are a totally different deal. Here is a US$2M Conq-Finot FC53, with a hydraulically lifting keel that weights 3 tons. It's an engineering marvel, and designed to sail around the world. There are currently a dozen or so builders using this design; Beneteau, Structures/Pogo, FC, CMB, etc.

Detail of the keel structure. Depending on the build, the keel slap is eliminated but the use of delrin 'pucks' that friction-fit between the keel and the box when retracted. The FC53 uses a different technique, the manufacturing tolerances are so high that the keel fits into the box with a tolerance so tight that bottom paint cannot be used on the potion that goes into the box!

 

[Daveinet]

I think the biggest concern I would is the the board is pinned down into place, and the pin is strong enough to hold the swing keel down even if the boat turns turtle. Even if some ballast is in the bottom of the boat, if the keel has any weight, you don't want it swinging up and crushing keel box.

As far as the biggest trailerable sailboat is probably something like a Mega 30, or a Hobie 33. While length is the same, the boat is smaller, would be an F-33.

 

[jssailem]

Dave. Aren’t those big keels hydraulic driven. I would think they use some sort of lock on the system to fix the keel in the desired position.

 

[Daveinet]

The Mega 30 is a threaded rod. I don't know about the Hobie. Some large swing keels do not have any locking mechanism, some do, just depends on the boat.

 

[fritz3000g]

I don't think a shoal keel really takes away from seaworthiness.

My comment was related to seakindliness not seaworthiness. Seakindliness is the extent to which the boat bounces and pounds in the waves. Heavier, longer boats with deeper keels tend to be more seakindly. A seaworthy boat can often be very unseakindly.

I think the biggest concern I would is the the board is pinned down into place, and the pin is strong enough to hold the swing keel down even if the boat turns turtle. Even if some ballast is in the bottom of the boat, if the keel has any weight, you don't want it swinging up and crushing keel box.

That makes sense. I could look and see whether the keel shape matches the shape of the hull. If the keel fell back (when turtle) and hit the hull with all the surface area striking at once it shouldn't break. That's a lot of surface area.

In general it seems like I could mitigate both of these issues (keel slap and turtle keel drop) cranking in the keel and heaving to when I see the waves crest 12'.

In addition, they are both issues I could mitigate by:
Keel slap: adding fiberglass to the trunk if necessary so it fits snugly and doesn't shift to the sides (i.e. slap) when down.
Turtle keel drop: checking the location and strength of the keel lock and reinforcing if necessary