New forum member with an introduction and some questions

Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
A nice boat. I don't like the wing keel/ tall rig combination. It's a deep lake. Hang some lead on the bottom.
But rgranger should start a cottage business finding boats for people and guiding them through the process. Lord knows he's done it enough!
 
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Jan 7, 2011
4,726
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
I had a Hunter 280 as my first boat. She had wheel steering and a Diesel engine (yanmar 2GM20F). Roller furler and a traditional main sail. Private, enclosed head, decent rear berth. Galley was not much to write home about (2 burner alcohol stove- no oven, icebox - no refrigeration). V berth pretty much unusable, except for kids or storage.

But she sailed pretty well (I had the 5-foot deep keel), and she was really maintenance free (except for oil changes and other normal things all boats need). No teak to care for, new enough (mine was a 1998) to not have too many problems. She also had a great cockpit...room for 6 or 8 people, swim platform, and walk-thru transom.
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Good luck with your search!

Greg
 

NINEv2

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Jul 21, 2020
88
Catalina 250 Black Hills
Nice looking boats, all of em. I've started an excel sheet with boats vs criteria (yeah, I'm a dork). Just from this thread I've added 4 more including that catalina.
 
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Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
But rgranger should start a cottage business finding boats for people and guiding them through the process. Lord knows he's done it enough!
Thnx (I think)...my wife said the same thing. I had a 4 acre field behind our house in the past and she said I should fill it with the boats I find and start a refurb biz. Truth be told, if I thought I could actually make a living at it, I would have gone for it. I hate seeing an old boat neglected.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Nice looking boats, all of em. I've started an excel sheet with boats vs criteria (yeah, I'm a dork). Just from this thread I've added 4 more including that catalina.
spreadsheets are a must. I call them a "decision matrix". Put points on each of the categories and then add up the points for each boat. It helps you feel okay with the final decision. I do this with more than just boats.
 

NINEv2

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Jul 21, 2020
88
Catalina 250 Black Hills
LOL. I used to make fun of an old boss for using rubrics when evaluating new employees. He was a Colorado Mines grad. Some of them are, um, socially unique.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
LOL. I used to make fun of an old boss for using rubrics when evaluating new employees. He was a Colorado Mines grad. Some of them are, um, socially unique.
:biggrin:I’m a chemist.... socially unique are my peeps :thumbup:
 
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Oct 22, 2014
20,992
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Spreadsheets, a "decision matrix", rubrics are those the tools you used to find your significant other?

A boat has feelings. Why do we refer to a boat as our mistress, she’s in the marina, why is she always doing that?

I am thankful to my English Professor, at the Mines, for discussing the nature humans. Helped me understand the interests I had in geochemistry and the social attitude to life. Then I faced up to the realization that geochemist live on the ice pack while working in Alaska. Bartenders and milk men don’t.

Consider how the perfect boat on paper adds a skip to you step as you walk down the dock to board her. If the ‘Je ne sais quoi’ is missing keep looking.
 

dLj

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Mar 23, 2017
3,373
Belliure 41 Sailing back to the Chesapeake
Consider how the perfect boat on paper adds a skip to you step as you walk down the dock to board her. If the ‘Je ne sais quoi’ is missing keep looking.
I do all the spreadsheets and then... I look for the 'je ne sais quoi'...

The boats gotta have that or the rest doesn't stack up...

dj
 
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NINEv2

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Jul 21, 2020
88
Catalina 250 Black Hills
Spreadsheets, a "decision matrix", rubrics are those the tools you used to find your significant other?

A boat has feelings. Why do we refer to a boat as our mistress, she’s in the marina, why is she always doing that?

I am thankful to my English Professor, at the Mines, for discussing the nature humans. Helped me understand the interests I had in geochemistry and the social attitude to life. Then I faced up to the realization that geochemist live on the ice pack while working in Alaska. Bartenders and milk men don’t.

Consider how the perfect boat on paper adds a skip to you step as you walk down the dock to board her. If the ‘Je ne sais quoi’ is missing keep looking.
Met mine on a Battlestar Galactica fan bb actually!

As a practicing geologist and in defense of my craft I do want to clarify that I've worked with ONE socially well adjusted geo from mines But I've also heard the horror stories about the stress. A fine school producing some very keen minds.
 
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Dec 27, 2012
587
Precision Precision 28 St Augustine
May want to search for a O’day 272. They made them with different options. One of the versions has outboard and wheel steering.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
How do you spot an extroverted engineer? (Or chemist or geologist etc.)?

he will stare at your shoes when he talks to you instead of his own:biggrin:
 
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NINEv2

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Jul 21, 2020
88
Catalina 250 Black Hills
His do you spot an extroverted engineer? (Or chemist or geologist etc.)?

he will stare at your shoes when he talks to instead of his own:biggrin:
How do you know an engineer thinks they're right? They're breathing.
 

NINEv2

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Jul 21, 2020
88
Catalina 250 Black Hills
And thanks again for everyone's opinions. So far the realistic candidates are:
Hunters 26, 260, 280, and the M26X or M. The cats look like great boats too, but the models in our budget are just too small. TBH, just from the features list the M26's seems to tick the most boxes, and if we decide we're more the power boat crowd (can't see it, but one never knows) then we can still motor around the lake. And all the chop busting that goes along with it :-D

Of course I'm sure this all goes out the window once we start seeing these things in person!
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
And thanks again for everyone's opinions. So far the realistic candidates are:
Hunters 26, 260, 280, and the M26X or M. The cats look like great boats too, but the models in our budget are just too small. TBH, just from the features list the M26's seems to tick the most boxes, and if we decide we're more the power boat crowd (can't see it, but one never knows) then we can still motor around the lake. And all the chop busting that goes along with it :-D

Of course I'm sure this all goes out the window once we start seeing these things in person!
I've sailed in a friends 26s and there was a time I was looking at them myself. They are a lot of boat for the money. You can usually find one well kept under $6K. Just so you know the 26s and 26d are almost the same boat. If I remember it right the 26d (dagger board) came first and then the 26s (swing keel) was designed to get the dagger board trunk out of the galley and make more room in the cabin. Other than that they are the same boat and often you will see them lumped together as the 26c (c= classic = pre power sailer). I've read (but cant confirm) that the 26d is a little faster because the open slot of the swing keel produces drag. They are a good sized boat for a trailerable sailboat and I'd say a great starter boat. You can do mods without lowering the resell value appreciably and over time you will really figure out how you like to sail and what features/gear is important to you. A guy on here (@Sumner ) modified the heck out of one and turned it into a real ghunk holler. Look up his profile and you will see several write ups about the mods he did. I borrowed heavily from his ideas on some of my boats. I used to have the baby sister (Mac 22-2) that had a similar hull design. On more than one occasion I ran down a Catalina 27 in my little mac. She was a basic (but comfortable) boat that I was no afraid to cut holes into and add stuff. I also sailed it all up and down the North Carolina coast. She was a decent camping boat. The 26c has the double berth under the cockpit, an enclosed head, a workable galley and a convertible dinette that can sleep four more.

The Mac 25 is similar boat but has an 800 pound steel swing keel. Better (stiffer) sailing boat but harder to tow without a hefty tow vehicle.



If you go with one of the cheaper boats like the Mac 26c or Mac 25 try not to look at how clean and pretty it is but instead look at the quality of the sails, trailer and outboard motor. My attitude is that a 30 year old mac is free and I'm buying the sails, trailer and O.B. The cleaning thing takes an afternoon with a pressure washer and the pretty thing is a weekend with some quality paint. But if you have to start replacing the trailer ($4,000) and sails ($2,500) and a new O.B. ($4,000) then you might as well have purchased the pretty boat and saved yourself the PITA. Which is also a valid plan.
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
If You buy a 26c, be very careful if thinking about s cut polish. A major downside is pretty thin gelcoat. You can sand through it really fast. (Dont ask me how I know this :) )
 
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