Launching a Hunter 23

[lee5267]

I am currently considering buying a hunter 23 with a trailer and have the option of keeping the boat on the trailer rigged and ready to go in dry storage ($70.00), or keeping the boat in a slip for double the amount of slip fee per month ($140.00). Since all I will have to do is connect the trailer to my vehicle and back it in until the boat slips off and then park I am wondering how much trouble it is to get this boat on and off the trailer. Keep in mind that I will not have to rig anything since the dry storage area gives me the ability to keep the mast up and to keep the boat completely rigged and launched just 100 feet away so I am only interested in the effort to get the boat on and off the trailer.

Is it worth it to keep the boat on the hard and launch it each time or should I just go with keeping the boat in the water. I have plenty of experience loading and unloading boats since I have been doing it the last 20 yrs but not all of the experience is sailboats.

Until now I have been sailing a Com-pac 16 which I trailer and completely rig and take down each time I go out.

Thanks for the help,

Lee

 

[cephius (Dave)]

On a steep ramp with good water depth my H260 slips off and on the trailer very easily. I can only guess the 23 would offer no problems. I'll let those owners answer.

 

[Mac Bentley]

We've found the h23 is very difficult to get all the way on the trailer, so that the front of the keel is sitting on a steel cross-member. We took our trailer to a trailer shop and had a cross-member welded farther back so the front of the keel can reach it. Only cost about a hundred bucks or less. The trailer doesn't track very well on the highway if the boat is not all the way forward, but that would be no problem if you're not leaving the premises. Otherwise, the h23 is not difficult to launch or retrieve.

 

[MrUnix]

Depends on the ramp.. don't make any decisions until you have actually launched and retrieved the boat yourself. May be easy, may be a PITA, but you won't know until you actually try. And don't rule out your third option; keeping it in your driveway for free! As for the boat, buy it and have fun.. hopefully you are getting one of the rare ones with the centerboard.. they are the bestist :dance:

Cheers,
Brad

 

[Fly_H23]

My only pain launching our H23 was the wing keel gets hooked on the rear bunks sometimes while launching. Might need to install a "fence" to prevent it. I'll post photos soon of my fix.

 

[lee5267]

Thanks for the replies so far. The only reason that I do not want to keep the boat at home is because it will not fit in the garage and the HOA wont allow for it to be in the driveway. Not to mention one of the main reasons for getting the new boat is to not have to spend considerable time setting the boat up and taking it down each time I use it. Sounds as though this is a very doable thing and really wont cost me much extra time compared to getting it all un-tied from the slip and out of the marina by myself. Not to mention the ability to have it on a trailer to escape hurricanes, do maintenance, and avoid the nasty and expensive bottom jobs that come with keeping it in saltwater.

The only down side seems to be not having the option of just sitting in the marina enjoying the boat in the slip.