mitch, i'm certainly no expert, but i've got a little time to kill right now, so let me take a stab at this since we've just been through a similar situation fairly recently.
let's see. look's like you're where we were just a year or two back, though you're looking for just a little more pocket cruiser than we were, since your lakes/bays are much larger than ours and we were limited (by driveway space) to less than 20':
your needs:
20-23' - <5,000# - easy, one person set-up - works on shallow ramps (swing keel) - sleeps at least 2 'comfortably' - has a head.
sounds like what most of want in a trailerable sailboat, size perhaps being the single-most limiting factor (if not cost). my advice, for whatever it's worth is to start by going to sailingtexas.com and look in the 'search' area for ALL the boats on the site, even if they've been sold. there are other sites, but this one is numero uno for the initial look-see (again, imho), for pix and data galore on just about every boat available that would fit your needs, and they're not just Texas boats. with that done - and you'll be taking notes on stickies so you can look at them whilst shopping for your new pocket cruiser, right? - you can be taking all of our advice (and leads!) and probably find what you want and/or truly need pretty quickly.
example: i had the same criteria for my search, but i actually had given up on finding one out here in the desert (until i literally tripped over the trailer tongue one night). what we eventually bought was hiding out behind an rv dealership. it was a trade-in that nobody wanted, so naturally it became ours. logic be damned. you know how it is. BUT, i've learned much since then, and a lot of that was on this site.
what we got was a 1988 hunter 18.5 wing keel (fixed, about 2' draft), in fairly good shape, with great sails and spectacular rigging and upgrades. if i had to duplicate it from scratch, even sourcing some used parts, it'd cost me about $10k right now - it's worth at least $4-5k right now, as it sits. we paid literally nothing for it, just got it in the motorhome deal. with all the wheeling and dealing, both the dealer and i feel it added about $1k to the price of our motorhome, and i've bought half a dozen rv's so i know that market very, very well, so the $1k is just about right. so deals are aplenty, and we were in a booming oil economy at the time down here, so your finds should be near-unbelievable up your way. we usually do not get deals in west texas on anything, unless we're in a severe recession. we are just whipping posts to the retailers of the world here.
with your specs in mind, the hunter is a nice little boat (as is ours), if maybe not the fastest or absolute 'best' available. many were sold so parts are out there, but i'm not 'brand-centric' so others 'might' be more available on the general market that 'might' suit your needs better than just taking the first hunter that comes along, though the little hunters (again, imho) are very fine trailer sailors.
first thing: how much do you really want to invest in your project? okay, cut that maybe in half, since you'll be needing the rest for all kinds of things post-purchase. try to think of ALL the expenses of getting your first year of sailing in your new or new/old boat under your belt. after all, if you buy it and then don't have anything left to sail with (fuel, food, lodging, taxes, licenses, pfd's, outboard tlc, sail fixes, possible swing keel work, lighting, slip fees, storage (God forbid), bumps and bruises, new magma grill, etc.) then you're just going to have a garage queen, and woe be to you whomever it puts out - like the missus. we don't call them 'admirals' for nuthin'! pay attention to that last statement very, very carefully. just lookin' out for ya'.
if you're new to sailing, get some nice folks to take you out. down here in Texas, we'll happily drive a couple hundred miles (one-way) just to take somebody out on our boats, and then we'll (also) happily cruise on over to somebody else we know (or don't, we're not shy down here) and see if they'll take you out as well. kansas, colorado, arizona, new mexico, oklahoma, arkansas and louisiana are exactly the same way, and i'm guessing where there's real water, like where you live, the folks are just as friendly. dunno.
one thing i've picked up from your original post is that you would seem to be more a 'cruiser' (like us) than a 'racer,' though i'm sure you'd be up for a regatta now and then with the right boat, or one that over time you felt comfortable enough with to take around the buoys. here's some hopefully, helpful pointers.
- look for a boat with lots of company (many sold), like the catalina 22 or equivalent
- look for a pop-top, especially if you're taller than my 5'8" as they're handy, some hunters and the cat 22 and 25, lagunas, some macgregors, o'days, rhodes 22, etc. have them. very nice to have. claustrophobia ain't my favorite thing on a boat.
- make sure the weight is WELL within your tow vehicle's ability to pull it out of a STEEP ramp after a hot, tiring afternoon or weekend of sailing. not all ramps are shallow. though you may be in a miracle area with no droughts. Texas (nor any southwestern state) does NOT fall into that category. we have major shifts in water levels going on all the time.
- make sure the thing's set up for single handing in the cockpit and suitable for you and your physical needs. check the coaming by sitting in it, make sure the rake of the seat back suits you.
- sails and rigging in good visible shape, interior not nasty, bilge (and KEEL BOLTS) not rotted or rusted out. electrics done well, all rope not thready, wire not splayed, turnbuckles nice and shiny, or at least decent.
- you can (and should) buy a new porta-potty. the teak doesn't have to be great looking, just in good shape. it does turn gray with use and exposure, you know. walk on the topdecks, just like you would when sailing (but do use proper shoes!) checking for soft spots. look down the sides for any peeling, cracking, warping, repairs, etc. check the keel area for weirdness. check the trailer. try to move each wheel from side to side (on top of each wheel - pushing, pulling) checking for bearing wear. does the trailor have bearing buddies? is the outboard in one piece or in boxes. etc.
- now, all of that's mainly just visual checking and mostly also cosmetic, including condition of boat paint and trailer paint. they're maintenance things you can do over time (much time, unfortunately or fortunately, however you look at it), but the real devil's in the details that might be better left to a real, live boat surveyor. if the boat's pretty darned clean everywhere, and there aren't any 'stories' from the owner, you might be fine with, say, a $2,000 boat you'd take a chance with. (a good trailer or a great set of sails is just about worth the risk there.) your hunter or maybe a decent cat 22 or whatever. but if you're looking at a $7-10k boat, like a nice rhodes 22 (which has ONE FINE camping set-up, plus a neat mast, cabin layout, etc.) or something similar, you might want to have it checked if you're spending a bunch of dinero, amigo.
all this stuff is obvious, and many, many other folks here can offer deeper, more applicable insights, and i'm sure they will. but having just gone through this sort of purchase, i thought i'd add a couple cents of common sense into the mix.
now, specifically looking at your hunter 22, take a look on this site, under 'boat info' and then 'sailboat info' then 'hunter 20 owner reviews' and finally 'arthur hicks' for a great review of your exact boat. there are many other reviews of your boat there as well. they're telling, so read every single review. they show the good, bad and ugly. just the way you'd want a real salesman to help you out. your GOOD NEWS is that it looks like you have a very lightweight, easily trailered (and launched AND retrieved), camp-able, reasonable, POP-TOP boat already located. does it measure up to others in its class? dunno. the condition of it, against the asking price (which should probably be lower) might get you a very nice purchase.
if you do get it and don't like it, you could always trade me for a great hunter 18.5. even meet you half-way. HA!
yes, this is a longggg post, but it's a question that gets asked just about every day somewhere online, so i figured i'd take a stab at it since i had some time, and i wasn't trying to hog the space or tick anybody off, and as i said, i'd just sort of been through just about exactly the same thing not too long ago.
jack b
in midland, tx usa
