Looking for the largest trailerable sailboat

[HillbillyWanderer]

I read this entire thread with great interest as I myself have been looking for the past year for the largest trailerable sailboat. During my search I have found that there are many opinions as to what is a trailerable boat. Issues for some people are non-issues for others. The main issues I have found to be considered are:
1. Weight - Not issue for you as you have a truck big enough to handle it.
2. Stepping the mast - for all research i have found anything above a 27' range you
need a crane to handle it. Needed everytime you trailer it. Xtra cost.
3. Launching it. Not sure how big issue this is. For me I would not want something I
had to pay a marina to launch for me everytime I wanted to move it. Even if only
3 or 4 times a year.
4. Overwidth permits. This is a big one. I have checked with my state and to get a
overwidth permit just to trave in my state is $150.00 per move or little over $300.00
for yearly permit. Not much but if you have to get a permit like that for each state
you travel in, adds up quick.
So from my research the largest trailerable sailboat that one would want if the plan on moving more than a couple times a year would be a boat that you can step the mast by yourself or help with a few people. Without the use of a crane. A boat that does not require overwidth permits, which can run into some money if you choose to travel over several states. And lastly an boat that can be launched for a ramp. Would love to hear from you or others what they think.

 

[HillbillyWanderer]

Forgot to add, I ended up buying a cat 22 for now but have been looking seriously at a 27' cat for my next boat. Would love to have a C-30 but the Mast stepping issue and the overwidth permit had me thinking twice. The weight, not a issue. Like you have a truck plenty big enough to handle it.

 

[Shoaldrafter]

study specs

Forgot to add, I ended up buying a cat 22 for now but have been looking seriously at a 27' cat for my next boat. Would love to have a C-30 but the Mast stepping issue and the overwidth permit had me thinking twice. The weight, not a issue. Like you have a truck plenty big enough to handle it.

- - - - -- - -// -- -- - -

Look at the width of 27' cat. 8' 10' exceeds non permit width restrictions. which ='s 8' 6" ...

O' Day 26 equals 8' width with cabin stepped mast...

There may be a Nimble that gets your numbers...

Ed K

 

[HillbillyWanderer]

Based on info from yacht world some cat 27 are 8'6" wide while others are almost 10 foot wide, not sure if this is owner error or not. Thinking about it I am pretty sure they are different widths. Remember walking the docks and looking at cat's some 27 where obviously wider than others. Called the Virgina DMV today to check on overwidth permits turns out only $100.00 for a annual overwidth permit of less than 12 feet. Less than 80,000lbs which is not a issue. If one can address the mast issue, bam baby your in business. I have plenty of time to figure this one out though. Will visit as many boat owners as I can over the next couple years, hopefully some of them are willing to show me their boats so I can see for myself the difference between a cat 27 and a cat 30. Looking at the boats and talking to different people is half the fun. Traveled many docks and looked at many houseboats before I bought my 50' On Lake Lanier GA.

 

[Jackdaw]

Based on info from yacht world some cat 27 are 8'6" wide while others are almost 10 foot wide, not sure if this is owner error or not. Thinking about it I am pretty sure they are different widths. Remember walking the docks and looking at cat's some 27 where obviously wider than others. Called the Virgina DMV today to check on overwidth permits turns out only $100.00 for a annual overwidth permit of less than 12 feet. Less than 80,000lbs which is not a issue. If one can address the mast issue, bam baby your in business. I have plenty of time to figure this one out though. Will visit as many boat owners as I can over the next couple years, hopefully some of them are willing to show me their boats so I can see for myself the difference between a cat 27 and a cat 30. Looking at the boats and talking to different people is half the fun. Traveled many docks and looked at many houseboats before I bought my 50' On Lake Lanier GA.

You are looking at two different models I think...

The original Catalina 27 is for sure beam of 8' 8"

The newer Catalina 270 has a beam of 9' 10"

 

[Squidd]

In Wisconsin an overwide is $30 one way... step mast at Marina $80...leave it on trailer at marina $80/mo...season launch pass $30...

So for $560 I get a full season (4 mo) of sailing and can store my boat at home in the winter for maintenance.. If I call ahead they will launch the boat for me and have it waiting at the dock for $50... same to pull and park it if I come in late and have to run...

26' long, 9'6" beam and 6400#...I wouldn't call it a "trailer Sailer" more of a "transportable boat"...

 

[caguy]

You are looking at two different models I think...

The original Catalina 27 is for sure beam of 8' 8"

The newer Catalina 270 has a beam of 9' 10"

You're right the older model is 8-8. I towed all over hill and dale from Pa to Ca last year with out a (pardon the pun) hitch. The trailer is narrower and the gunnels are so high they don't interfere with anything on the road.

 

[Joe Snuffy]

You're right the older model is 8-8. I towed all over hill and dale from Pa to Ca last year with out a (pardon the pun) hitch. The trailer is narrower and the gunnels are so high they don't interfere with anything on the road.

Would you mind sharing the make/model of your trailer? I have an 84 Catalina 27 with a wing keel, and I need to buy a trailer for it. You trailer looks like it would work great. Your Catalina appears to also have a wing keel.

Cheers!

 

[HillbillyWanderer]

Caguy, thanks for your reply and your info. Really helps me in making my decision for my next boat. What about raising the mast, have noticed a hinge on several cat 27 for what I assume would be to add in stepping the mast. The cat 27 is the front runner for my next boat however, I am really wanting the cat 30 bigger bigger boat for my bigger family. The mast is the main issue I have with it. I think it is attached to the top of the boat same as cat27 just longer and heavier. If that is case thinking with modifications to the trailer and some winches to add in raising the mast will be doable. I personally would rather spend xtra hour with set up and be comfortable with my 3 or 4 day plus of sailing than to be more cramped during that time. Question is is there that big of a difference in space between the cat 27 and cat 30? Hoping to visit a few this summer. Plans are to leave the boat in the lake during the summer hauling out for winter and hauling to the coast hopefully 3 to 4 times a year. Guess not what you call a true trailer sailer but portable as Squid pointed out. Good point by the way.

 

[caguy]

The mast on mine hinges to the front. It uses the boom as a gin pole. I had to get extra long mainsheets to use the 4:1 purchase. I don't like resting it on the pulpit, the po did and it bent the pulpit slightly. The balance point is about 6 ft forward of the pulpit. I lashed a ladder to the front of my truck bed and braced with a pvc pipe at the bottom rung. I put a roller on the top of the extension ladder for the mast to roll on. I put it there so that it would not interfere with the steaming light when rolling it out. It supported it well. I attached baby stays to the rear side stays with a cable clamp to steady the lateral movement. I attached the orther end to a bridal attached to the rear chain plate and a stanchion base. The pivot point of the bridal is made up of a ss 1/8th" wing about 1" in diameter. It is lined up on both sides with pivot bolt of the mast base. This keeps the baby stays the same length as the mast raises. The only thing I did not anticipate was the need for baby stays atached to the boom, as the boom wanted to pull sideways as tension was applied. I tied a line from the boom through the fairlead and took a couple of wraps on the winch and finally cleated off to the sheet cleats. I was able to adjust periodically as the mast was raised.
The mast went up with out any problems. I did this by myself and was too busy and nervous to take pictures. I am much more comfortable now and will take pictures for you the next time. I will need to lower the mast this month to put foam in it to quiet the antenna wire.

 

[HillbillyWanderer]

Would love to see some pics. Surfed all over the web found plenty of video using a gin pole for smaller boats but the 27 length range have only found A frame type setups which are doable.

 

[Sumner]

... Question is is there that big of a difference in space between the cat 27 and cat 30? Hoping to visit a few this summer...

I've been on both and to me there is a huge difference in the room below. Have you looked at them online? I'm not saying one would be better for you than the other, but the 30 has a lot, lot more room below and it should as I believe it is over 2 feet wider. I don't see how you could trailer the 30 in any practical way and the same with setup. Also the 30 is like 10,000+ lbs.

We considered the 30 when we were looking for a larger boat along with the Cat 34. I have somewhat of a comparison on our site here at the bottom of the page...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html

I think we would of also been very happy with a 30 for extended cruises. I haven't seen another 30 foot boat that I like the layout below as much as the 30. Great design down below and really uses the space very efficiently.

Frank what would be your impression of taking the 27 on trips and putting her in the water for 3-4 days and then taking out as he is considering? How long would set-up and take-down take?,

Sum

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[rgranger]

...the 30 has a lot, lot more room below and it should as I believe it is over 2 feet wider....[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/macgregor-links-1.html[/FONT]

Over the years, I've owned a lot of different boats. The first pocket cruiser I owned was a Mac. V21. My second was a Coronado 23. At first, I was shocked at how much bigger the 23 was below and then I got to thinking about it... the coronado was a foot wider (times the entire length of the boat) equals 23 cubic feet more room below...

Okay that is not quite right because it is only a foot wider at the point of maximum beam... but I also did not take into account the extra free board (times the entire length of the boat) so... the bottom line is the volume of a boat increases fast compared to the length.

So if we use this crude estimate for your Cal 30 you get about 90 more cubic feet of space below in the 30 compared to the 27.

 

[doehunter]

I'm not sure if this applies, but I have been told that as objects get bigger dimensionally, their volume increases by the cube.
So, a 1 ft cube would be 1x1x1=1 cu ft.
A 2 ft cube would be 2x2x2=8 cu ft. Of coarse sailboats aren't cubes but it is 3 dimensions involved that have to be multiplied to get the inside volume.
Possibly in similarly designed boats, volume goes up linearly with displacement?
Jim

 

[caguy]

Frank what would be your impression of taking the 27 on trips and putting her in the water for 3-4 days and then taking out as he is considering? How long would set-up and take-down take?

Four days at a time would probably be the minimum limit. That is why I pay $150/mo. so I don't have to do that. If I were going to San Diego for a week I would consider braking it down.
I'm not sure that even crazy me would want to tow and setup a Cat 30 as a regular diet. The C-27 is plenty roomy for long weekend cruises.

 

[Sail123]

Gary, no problems on the tow. I got this one in Memphis

We are neighbors, Branched Oak, Lincoln.

I will tow a boat to your lake this summer, either the CM 30 or a Mac 25. I will look you up for a cup of coffee!

 

[thelocoman]

We are neighbors, Branched Oak, Lincoln.

I will tow a boat to your lake this summer, either the CM 30 or a Mac 25. I will look you up for a cup of coffee!

Sounds good. I have dock space with power that you can use if you like. Or you can use a mooring ball that is available. Pm me when you are planing a trip.

 

[Sail123]

Sounds good. I have dock space with power that you can use if you like. Or you can use a mooring ball that is available. Pm me when you are planing a trip.

Sounds great! It was almost 60 degrees today. Very unusual winter.

 

[caguy]

I would recommend that you look at the C-25 for good space and ease of towing.

 

[Jackdaw]

Caguy, thanks for your reply and your info. Really helps me in making my decision for my next boat. What about raising the mast, have noticed a hinge on several cat 27 for what I assume would be to add in stepping the mast. The cat 27 is the front runner for my next boat however, I am really wanting the cat 30 bigger bigger boat for my bigger family. The mast is the main issue I have with it. I think it is attached to the top of the boat same as cat27 just longer and heavier. If that is case thinking with modifications to the trailer and some winches to add in raising the mast will be doable. I personally would rather spend xtra hour with set up and be comfortable with my 3 or 4 day plus of sailing than to be more cramped during that time. Question is is there that big of a difference in space between the cat 27 and cat 30? Hoping to visit a few this summer. Plans are to leave the boat in the lake during the summer hauling out for winter and hauling to the coast hopefully 3 to 4 times a year. Guess not what you call a true trailer sailer but portable as Squid pointed out. Good point by the way.

I guy I know sails a Cat27 on a lake without a mast crane. I pointed him to this site which is full of great Cat27 mods, including this mast step tabernacle. He built one and it works great.

http://www.blumhorst.com/catalina27/mast-step-install.htm