Looking for suggestions for our next boat

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Ross S

.
Oct 20, 2011
120
Precision 21 Great Sacandaga Lake
Hello!

We're looking to step up to a larger boat and are looking for suggestions as to what boats to consider.

A little background: We currently own a Precision 21. It's a great boat and we spend a lot of time on it but now we're ready to step up to something larger and a bit more comfortable.

How and where we sail: We sail on a fresh water lake in upstate NY that tends to be a bit shallow. The lake tends to have lightish winds with most of our sailing days being somewhere in the range of 5-15 mph. We'll occasionally find ourself in some stronger stuff. We try to spend most summer weekends on the boat which means arriving on Friday evening or Saturday morning and returning home on Sunday evening. My wife and I sleep in the boat during most weekends.

What we want: A shoal keel cruiser (monohull) in the 26 to 30 foot range that will perform reasonably well in the lightish winds that are most common on the lake (even if it means reefing early for stronger wind). I'm nearly 6 feet tall and I'd like to have standing or near standing headroom in the cabin. We'd like to comfortably sleep 2 adults with room for 2 more. We'd like a cockpit that can comfortably accomodate 4 to 6 adults. We'd like an enclosed head and also a small but functional galley. Useable side decks are a must for us. We'd like an inboard diesel motor but would consider an oatboard gas motor if the boat met our other requirements. We'd like to the boat to be comfortable for some extended stays (~ 1 week) as opposed to the one or two nights that we do now. As much as I'd love a new boat it's simply not in the financial cards. So I'd be looking for something used.

Boats were considering: We love our Precision 21 so the boat that's at the top of our list is a Precision 27 or 28. Sadly for us they didn't build a lot of these and the people that have them tend to hold onto them so I think we'll be forced to look at other boats as well unless we're willing to wait a long time for the right one to come along. We've also been on and liked a Catalina 27 and a Sabre 28.

I'm looking to compile a list of boats that might be suitable so I can start searching and be ready to pounce if the right deal comes along. I know that asking for opinions about boats is like asking people their favorite ice cream flavor...everyone has a different one. I'm just looking to get ideas about boats that I might not have known about or otherwise considered. We'll probably start seriously looking next year. But if the right deal presented itself sooner...well, anything is possible!

Thanks!
 
Aug 27, 2011
408
Catalina 27 Titusville, FL
We upgraded from the Catalina 22 to a Standard rig, fin keel (4 foot draft) M-18 powered, wheel steered Catalina 27.

We absolutely love it. The wheel takes some space, but in my opinion no more than a tiller swinging through the cockpit.
Haven't put fuel in it in 6 months.
I am 6'3" and have plenty of room.
Great galley, great head, great cockpit, everything about it is perfect for us. Goes well in light air, goes great in heavy air.

I would look for a M-18 powered danforth keel (LOL) (wing keel) 3'6" draft, tall rig. You will love it.

There were a bunch of Catalina 27's for sale in the Finger lakes, not sure about them now.

My vote would be the Catalina 27. Don't think you could go wrong.
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,884
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
Look at the Hunter 31, shoal draft.. not too different in price.. somewhat quicker and has a Yanmar 2 GMF, a very reliable engine. Lots of head room..
 
Jan 22, 2008
551
NorSea 27 Az., Doing the To-Do list
You might consider a Nor'Sea 27. Works great on a lake, on a trailer, or around the world!

Greg
 

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
Since you said up to 30 feet I'd also take a hard look at a Catalina 30. Tons of them out there and they have a lot of room below, more than I thought possible on a 30 footer due to the way things are laid out and where the engine is. We seriously considered one and I'm sure we would of been happy with it. There are a few things you have to look out for, but a web search will quickly tell you what,

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links
 
Jan 22, 2008
296
Islander Freeport, 41 Ketch Longmont, CO
Ok - I'll throw 2 boats into the mix - Cataline 28 and Hunter 28 My buddy sails teh Caaline and I have teh Hunter, borh have wing keels with about 3'11 draft are extremely roomy (28' x 10.5') which means lots or room, Wheel and dieesle driven.

I'd take either of these over most anythng out there.

Good luck and Fair winds
 
May 23, 2004
3,319
I'm in the market as were . Colonial Beach
The Catalina 30 is an amazing boat. She has a ton of room for a 30 foot boat and drafts 3'10". I have a tall rig/bow sprit rig and she sails extremely well in light winds.

They are also very popular and run the range as far as price. Mine is currently up for sale and she is in the middle of the price brackets out there for what is available.

Other good boats are the Hunter 260 or Catalina 250. I don't believe that they have standing room but they can still be put on a trailer and moved.

26 is the magic number. Once you get above that in a monohaul it is a bear to move them around or trailer them.

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...rency=USD&access=Public&listing_id=16664&url=

Island Packet 26: http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...rrency=USD&access=Public&listing_id=6944&url=

Oday 26: http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...rrency=USD&access=Public&listing_id=1617&url=

Catalina 25: http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...rency=USD&access=Public&listing_id=56149&url=

Compac 25: http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...rency=USD&access=Public&listing_id=16544&url=

Seaward 25: http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...rency=USD&access=Public&listing_id=77186&url=

There are tons of good boats out there. You need to figure out the type of sailing you want to do and the budget you want to spend on the boat.
 
Oct 10, 2009
982
Catalina 27 Lake Monroe
I've noticed that newer Catalinas and Hunters seem like cathedrals on the inside compared to older ones. A friend has a Hunter 26 water ballast and it seems huge inside. Another has a Catalina 250 wing keel that seems similarly roomy for its size. I think if I were going up in size I would look seriously for something with a step through or sugar scoop stern, like a Catalina 270.
 

reworb

.
Apr 22, 2011
234
Beneteau 311 Ft Myers Beach
Got to agree with a Catalina 30, biggest 30 footer there is. I owned a Catalina 28 for many years, my wife and I loved that boat also lots of room for it's size. I thought the 28 was a little confining for more than about 5 days, I think the same would be be true for a Catalina 27
 

Ross S

.
Oct 20, 2011
120
Precision 21 Great Sacandaga Lake
Lots of love for Catalina's which isn't surprising. They have the advantage of still being is business which is nice. Friends of ours have a Catalina 30 and its a great boat...huge for a 30 footer. I was thinking, at least in the case of Catalina, that the 27 might suit our needs and we could save money compared to buying a 30. But I will add it to this list.

Thanks for the suggestions....keep them coming!
 
Oct 15, 2009
220
catalina 320 Perry Lake
If you stretch just a little more, I'd suggest a Catalina 320. Great boats for all occasions and with the wing keel they draw about 4.5'.





Hello!

We're looking to step up to a larger boat and are looking for suggestions as to what boats to consider.

A little background: We currently own a Precision 21. It's a great boat and we spend a lot of time on it but now we're ready to step up to something larger and a bit more comfortable.

How and where we sail: We sail on a fresh water lake in upstate NY that tends to be a bit shallow. The lake tends to have lightish winds with most of our sailing days being somewhere in the range of 5-15 mph. We'll occasionally find ourself in some stronger stuff. We try to spend most summer weekends on the boat which means arriving on Friday evening or Saturday morning and returning home on Sunday evening. My wife and I sleep in the boat during most weekends.

What we want: A shoal keel cruiser (monohull) in the 26 to 30 foot range that will perform reasonably well in the lightish winds that are most common on the lake (even if it means reefing early for stronger wind). I'm nearly 6 feet tall and I'd like to have standing or near standing headroom in the cabin. We'd like to comfortably sleep 2 adults with room for 2 more. We'd like a cockpit that can comfortably accomodate 4 to 6 adults. We'd like an enclosed head and also a small but functional galley. Useable side decks are a must for us. We'd like an inboard diesel motor but would consider an oatboard gas motor if the boat met our other requirements. We'd like to the boat to be comfortable for some extended stays (~ 1 week) as opposed to the one or two nights that we do now. As much as I'd love a new boat it's simply not in the financial cards. So I'd be looking for something used.

Boats were considering: We love our Precision 21 so the boat that's at the top of our list is a Precision 27 or 28. Sadly for us they didn't build a lot of these and the people that have them tend to hold onto them so I think we'll be forced to look at other boats as well unless we're willing to wait a long time for the right one to come along. We've also been on and liked a Catalina 27 and a Sabre 28.

I'm looking to compile a list of boats that might be suitable so I can start searching and be ready to pounce if the right deal comes along. I know that asking for opinions about boats is like asking people their favorite ice cream flavor...everyone has a different one. I'm just looking to get ideas about boats that I might not have known about or otherwise considered. We'll probably start seriously looking next year. But if the right deal presented itself sooner...well, anything is possible!

Thanks!
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
As a former Hunter owner, I'd point out that the B&R rig features a smallish 100 or 110 jib which makes it easy to tack. No arm aching grinding necessary. Mine was also a decent light air boat with real sailing (Engine off) in 7kts. or more. Most masthead rigs will need a 150 or 160 (My Ranger had a 170) jib for light air. Just saying……..
 
Oct 25, 2011
576
Island Packet IP31 Lake St. Louis, Montreal
Aslo consider the Paceship 26 (PY26) Its' one of the biggest 26' boats out there. It has a 9'6 beam 6'1" headroom and draws 4'6" (Keel version) and about 3' for the centerboard version. the PY is built very solidly, sails very well, is affordable and feels like a much bigger boat than the average 26'er. I owned a keel version for 12+ years and we used it for weekend over nighting and our annual 3 week vacation (family of 4).

Check out http://www.paceship.org/model_boat.asp?model_ID=20

If you have any questions, don't hesitate. Squidd would be a good source of info as well.

Cheers

Matt
 

Clark

.
Jun 30, 2004
886
Hunter 280 Lake Guntersville, AL
What Price?

Sorry if I've missed it but it appears as though you left off one critical piece of information . . .
Budget
I think a mid-90's 27' - 30' shoal keel would be ideal. Looks like the best choices have been mentioned.

Fair Winds!
 
Jun 8, 2004
853
Pearson 26W Marblehead
My 2 cents

Asking someone what boat to buy is a little like asking someone what their favorite color is.
Instead of being like everyone else and suggesting different boats of which there are a number of choices, Im going to suggest what not to buy. First don`t buy a boat that is too big for a small lake. 2. Do not buy a deep draft boat 3. Try to find a boat that can be moved
on a trailer with a pickup. These comments are both sensible and economical and should get you moving in the right direction.
 

Sumner

.
Jan 31, 2009
5,254
Macgregor & Endeavour 26S and 37 Utah's Canyon Country
You might consider a Nor'Sea 27. Works great on a lake, on a trailer, or around the world!

Greg
Unless you want to sail almost forever on that lake I'll withdraw my suggestion for the Catalina 30 and switch to something you could take elsewhere like or similar to the Nor'Sea above.

It is going to be hard to find a boat over 26 feet that trailers and sails well. The Nor'Sea is one. Now if you are confident that you want to do your sailing on that single lake then back to the other suggestions. The Catalina 27 could be moved on a trailer also with an adequate tow vehicle, but most of the rest over 27 feet will require you hiring someone to move the boat.

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links
 
Aug 27, 2011
408
Catalina 27 Titusville, FL
I carefully picked the Catalina 27 for a bunch of reasons.

Mast height. I wanted to have the Banana River open to me. The Cat 30 is too tall for the bridges.

Parts availability and cost. It seems the Cat 30 has an exponential increase in costs associated with it.

Trailer-ability, with an 8'6" beam, and overall weight under 8000 pounds, a newer 1/2 ton or an average 3/4 ton can tow on a tandem axle trailer all day long. No over width permits required.

Purchase price. I bought a decent example, with wheel steer, 1984 model, M-18 Universal diesel with only 825 hours on it. Had some ugly spots and maintenance issues and needs a bottom job, for only 6500 bucks.

That is a lot of boat for the money.

I would do it all again in a second.
 
Jul 13, 2010
1,097
Precision 23 Perry Hall,Baltimore County
When I was shopping I saw 2 O`day 26`s. I think one was inboard, one outboard. Both came with trailers. seem to be guite often on listings with trailers.
 
Feb 16, 2011
227
Macgregor 26X Michigan City, IN
I'd look at a Macgregor 26D (used) or if you have kids, a Macgregor 26M or a new Tatoo 26. They all have water ballast and trailer very well behind anything that will tow 5,000 lbs. :D

Asking someone what boat to buy is a little like asking someone what their favorite color is.
Instead of being like everyone else and suggesting different boats of which there are a number of choices, Im going to suggest what not to buy. First don`t buy a boat that is too big for a small lake. 2. Do not buy a deep draft boat 3. Try to find a boat that can be moved
on a trailer with a pickup. These comments are both sensible and economical and should get you moving in the right direction.
 
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