I am looking to buy good used trailerable sailboat and would love some advice as to how hard is it to put the main sail up and the rigging. I can keep the boat at my marina but feels are getting high and would appreicate any insight. Thinking of a 22 foot Hunter of Cat.
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When considering a trailerable.
Brad: When you consider a trailerable boat you need to consider what you are going to tow it with. If you do not have a vehicle to tow a boat with you need to factor this into the equation. Most sailors with a trailer sailor do not use there boats as often either. The next thing to consider is how long do you think you are going to be happy with a smaller boat. There is nothing wrong with learning on a larger boat. They are only slightly more difficult to learn on but can handle rougher conditions without scaring the holy S--T out of everyone aboard. I know I would not ever consider a trailer sailor because of the hassle of setting it up and worse yet, taking it apart after 8 or 10 hours of fun in the sun. Then you need to drive it home (I'm worn out just thinking about it). You need to figure that two hours of each end of your sailing adventure is setup and take down.
Brad: When you consider a trailerable boat you need to consider what you are going to tow it with. If you do not have a vehicle to tow a boat with you need to factor this into the equation. Most sailors with a trailer sailor do not use there boats as often either. The next thing to consider is how long do you think you are going to be happy with a smaller boat. There is nothing wrong with learning on a larger boat. They are only slightly more difficult to learn on but can handle rougher conditions without scaring the holy S--T out of everyone aboard. I know I would not ever consider a trailer sailor because of the hassle of setting it up and worse yet, taking it apart after 8 or 10 hours of fun in the sun. Then you need to drive it home (I'm worn out just thinking about it). You need to figure that two hours of each end of your sailing adventure is setup and take down.
R
Ray Bowles
Brad, We have a different opinion from Steve's.
Steve raises good questions and we also thought about those before buying our boat. 2 years ago we decided to take up the sport of sailing. We are retired and therefore have the time to devote to serious sailing. We take 6 or more trips of 7 to 14 days a year. We also day sail as often as possible. We chose a Hunter 26 as our first boat. It is the largest reasonably towable sailboat in the Hunter line. Catalina and others have 22 to 26 foot trailerable boats and they are quite a lot cheaper to purchase. They are nice boats for the market section they were targeted for. That lower price is reflected by the difference in boat sizes (mainly beam), equipment, creature comfort and sailing performance. The Hunter is best in all these areas. We sailed all the others and studied their interiors, standard equipment, ease to rig (raise mast)and performance before buying our boat. The Hunter simply was the best and she's very fast. After the first 1/2 year we were comfortable sailing the larger boat and are VERY HAPPY we did not buy a smaller beginner boat. We also did not go to any sailing lessons or schools which will bring you up to speed much faster than learning on your own. The boat is also probably the heavest of the 26' towable boats with a boat and trailer weight of 5,000 lbs. We tow with a 94 ford 1/2 ton pick-up without any problems. Our very first tow was 1100 miles just to bring the boat home. The horror stories you hear about raising the mast are mostly caused by persons not knowing the proper procedures or not having the factory supplied equipment to perform this job. It requires 1 hour to raise our mast, hang all the sails, load the coolers and launch. Add 1/2 hour if I do it by myself. We have a slip at the local marina and keep "Speedy" there most of the summer so we don't have to rig her every time we sail. Hunter does have the nicest mast raising system I have seen and we looked at all of them. Many others leave their boats rigged with the mast up and sails mounted on the trailer. They simply hook up the trailer, launch and sail in less time than most others require to haul there gear down the dock to their boat. Buy the biggest you can afford and tow. Learning will happen very fast and then you won't be stuck with a boat that is too small for your needs or excitement. Not all of us can afford to have larger boats and year around marina slips. Hell, most of us can't get on the waiting list for many of the marina. Towable sailboats are the answer to that problem and also allow the luxurary of visiting many inland freshwater lakes. If we can help you more just respond back or catch us by E-mail through this site. Ray & Maria Bowles S/V Speedy PS. Because we loved sailing so much the last 2 years we are now in the process of selling our home and present boat so we can take the next 10 years to sail a much larger boat anywhere in the world we want to. We plan to relocate to Florida later this summer and buy our newer used boat and start our trip this winter.
Steve raises good questions and we also thought about those before buying our boat. 2 years ago we decided to take up the sport of sailing. We are retired and therefore have the time to devote to serious sailing. We take 6 or more trips of 7 to 14 days a year. We also day sail as often as possible. We chose a Hunter 26 as our first boat. It is the largest reasonably towable sailboat in the Hunter line. Catalina and others have 22 to 26 foot trailerable boats and they are quite a lot cheaper to purchase. They are nice boats for the market section they were targeted for. That lower price is reflected by the difference in boat sizes (mainly beam), equipment, creature comfort and sailing performance. The Hunter is best in all these areas. We sailed all the others and studied their interiors, standard equipment, ease to rig (raise mast)and performance before buying our boat. The Hunter simply was the best and she's very fast. After the first 1/2 year we were comfortable sailing the larger boat and are VERY HAPPY we did not buy a smaller beginner boat. We also did not go to any sailing lessons or schools which will bring you up to speed much faster than learning on your own. The boat is also probably the heavest of the 26' towable boats with a boat and trailer weight of 5,000 lbs. We tow with a 94 ford 1/2 ton pick-up without any problems. Our very first tow was 1100 miles just to bring the boat home. The horror stories you hear about raising the mast are mostly caused by persons not knowing the proper procedures or not having the factory supplied equipment to perform this job. It requires 1 hour to raise our mast, hang all the sails, load the coolers and launch. Add 1/2 hour if I do it by myself. We have a slip at the local marina and keep "Speedy" there most of the summer so we don't have to rig her every time we sail. Hunter does have the nicest mast raising system I have seen and we looked at all of them. Many others leave their boats rigged with the mast up and sails mounted on the trailer. They simply hook up the trailer, launch and sail in less time than most others require to haul there gear down the dock to their boat. Buy the biggest you can afford and tow. Learning will happen very fast and then you won't be stuck with a boat that is too small for your needs or excitement. Not all of us can afford to have larger boats and year around marina slips. Hell, most of us can't get on the waiting list for many of the marina. Towable sailboats are the answer to that problem and also allow the luxurary of visiting many inland freshwater lakes. If we can help you more just respond back or catch us by E-mail through this site. Ray & Maria Bowles S/V Speedy PS. Because we loved sailing so much the last 2 years we are now in the process of selling our home and present boat so we can take the next 10 years to sail a much larger boat anywhere in the world we want to. We plan to relocate to Florida later this summer and buy our newer used boat and start our trip this winter.
D
Dave
22 foot trailerable works fine for us
Both Steve and Ray make some good points. I have an O'Day 222 and find that it fits our needs very well. We keep the boat on a mooring on a small inland lake much of the summer but also put it on Lake Michigan several times a year. Setup and breakdown is in the neighborhood of 1-1.5 hours and it can be done single-handedly if necessary. Ray is right about the ease of mast-stepping the Hunter's. A good friend of mine has a Hunter 235 and it is a breeze to get the mast up. I suggest you think about several factors. How much time are you going to spend on the boat at a time? Is this primarily for day-sailing, long weekends, vacations? The most time I spend on our 22 footer is 4-5 days. While sailing, it's plenty of room for 2-4 adults. However, for overnighting, 2 adults and 2 kids is about the limit, and even then, it's a bit cramped. For extended periods, standing room in the cabin would be nice. Can your tow-vehicle handle the size boat you are interested in? The used boat market is quite soft so you will be able to get a 22-26 foot at a reasonable price. However, if you have to buy another vehicle to pull it, the cost goes up substantially. Can you keep the boat in the water, or at least rigged on a trailer at the marina most of the time? The lower the hassle-factor in setting up, the more likely it is that you will go sailing. If I had to step the mast each time I went sailing, I wouldn't go nearly as often. Also, think about how much work needs to be done on the boat that you buy. I tend to agree with those who suggest you buy a boat ready to sail, rather than a project boat. I much prefer sailing the boat to working on the boat. One other thing you may want to think about. Boats with a small fixed keel and a centerboard will give you access to more areas, and will be easier to launch than a boat with a fixed keel (3-4 feet). There are some areas in Door County (on Lake Michigan) that are not accessible to fixed keel boats, given the current lake levels. Those are my thoughts. For us, the 22 foot boat works fine. Two-foot-itus has not yet set in (had the boat 3 years) but if it does, I think I can easily sell my boat and upgrade without too much difficulty. There are lots of boats out there since the used market is quite soft. Good luck and happy sailing. Best regards, Dave
Both Steve and Ray make some good points. I have an O'Day 222 and find that it fits our needs very well. We keep the boat on a mooring on a small inland lake much of the summer but also put it on Lake Michigan several times a year. Setup and breakdown is in the neighborhood of 1-1.5 hours and it can be done single-handedly if necessary. Ray is right about the ease of mast-stepping the Hunter's. A good friend of mine has a Hunter 235 and it is a breeze to get the mast up. I suggest you think about several factors. How much time are you going to spend on the boat at a time? Is this primarily for day-sailing, long weekends, vacations? The most time I spend on our 22 footer is 4-5 days. While sailing, it's plenty of room for 2-4 adults. However, for overnighting, 2 adults and 2 kids is about the limit, and even then, it's a bit cramped. For extended periods, standing room in the cabin would be nice. Can your tow-vehicle handle the size boat you are interested in? The used boat market is quite soft so you will be able to get a 22-26 foot at a reasonable price. However, if you have to buy another vehicle to pull it, the cost goes up substantially. Can you keep the boat in the water, or at least rigged on a trailer at the marina most of the time? The lower the hassle-factor in setting up, the more likely it is that you will go sailing. If I had to step the mast each time I went sailing, I wouldn't go nearly as often. Also, think about how much work needs to be done on the boat that you buy. I tend to agree with those who suggest you buy a boat ready to sail, rather than a project boat. I much prefer sailing the boat to working on the boat. One other thing you may want to think about. Boats with a small fixed keel and a centerboard will give you access to more areas, and will be easier to launch than a boat with a fixed keel (3-4 feet). There are some areas in Door County (on Lake Michigan) that are not accessible to fixed keel boats, given the current lake levels. Those are my thoughts. For us, the 22 foot boat works fine. Two-foot-itus has not yet set in (had the boat 3 years) but if it does, I think I can easily sell my boat and upgrade without too much difficulty. There are lots of boats out there since the used market is quite soft. Good luck and happy sailing. Best regards, Dave
K
Ken Cobb
My take
I am a strong believer in keeping your trailerable boat at the marina in their dry storage lot if you can't keep it in a slip. I had a Daysailer one time that was stored in my garage, and it was just too much work to handle the mast up and down, and to rig it for a half-hour drive each way, each time we used the boat. If you have to raise and take down the mast each time you sail, you will wait to sail only on "perfect" days in which the wind seems likely to be good all day. Then at the end of the year you will note that you had the boat out only a half dozen times or so. If you are a novice sailer, I also recommend just starting out with a boat that can be towed by one of your current cars. In my case, that was a Daysailer, to stay under the 1000 lb. towing capacity on my car. It was very fun to sail, held four people comfortably, and it kept my financial powder dry for an upgrade later. Once you have learned to sail, and have a better idea of what you want from sailing, then you will be in position to buy a second boat knowledgably. That would be the time to get a different tow vehicle if you need it, or perhaps you will then decide to forego towables and just get a boat that will be in the water full time.
I am a strong believer in keeping your trailerable boat at the marina in their dry storage lot if you can't keep it in a slip. I had a Daysailer one time that was stored in my garage, and it was just too much work to handle the mast up and down, and to rig it for a half-hour drive each way, each time we used the boat. If you have to raise and take down the mast each time you sail, you will wait to sail only on "perfect" days in which the wind seems likely to be good all day. Then at the end of the year you will note that you had the boat out only a half dozen times or so. If you are a novice sailer, I also recommend just starting out with a boat that can be towed by one of your current cars. In my case, that was a Daysailer, to stay under the 1000 lb. towing capacity on my car. It was very fun to sail, held four people comfortably, and it kept my financial powder dry for an upgrade later. Once you have learned to sail, and have a better idea of what you want from sailing, then you will be in position to buy a second boat knowledgably. That would be the time to get a different tow vehicle if you need it, or perhaps you will then decide to forego towables and just get a boat that will be in the water full time.
D
Darrel Richards
H23
Brad, All the stuff these guys are saying is right. Its a hassle to have to rig the mast and all that stuff. You live in Florida, so weather is not an issue. I have a 1988 Hunter 23 that is in great shape. No trailer, but new sails, new OB motor. I moved up to a larger boat, so this H23 is available. I loved the boat, loved the looks, loved to sail it. Did many overnights down in the keys and so on. Wife wanted enclosed head and shower so we opted for a larger boat after owning the H23 since 1994. Send me an e-mail at srichards1@aol.com if you'd like more info.
Brad, All the stuff these guys are saying is right. Its a hassle to have to rig the mast and all that stuff. You live in Florida, so weather is not an issue. I have a 1988 Hunter 23 that is in great shape. No trailer, but new sails, new OB motor. I moved up to a larger boat, so this H23 is available. I loved the boat, loved the looks, loved to sail it. Did many overnights down in the keys and so on. Wife wanted enclosed head and shower so we opted for a larger boat after owning the H23 since 1994. Send me an e-mail at srichards1@aol.com if you'd like more info.
J
Jake
Consider a smaller trailerable
Ask yourself: Will I mostly daysail or do alot of overnighters/weekend/extended cruising? Will I keep mostly to harbors, Lakes or other protected/semi-protected waters or will I want to go off-shore (even coastal)? How many people wil I typically sail with? A family of 5 or just me and a friend? How big of a tow vehicle am I willing to own? Find out what the towing weight of any boat you are thinking about (boat, trailer, motor, supplies). Some can be towed behind a normal sized car, others will require a maxi-pickup or SUV that will cost alot and drink alot of gas. There is a sort of "Peter Principle" in boating: Some people will buy ever larger and more complex boats looking for a bit more storage, capacity, ability to sail offshore or just because they think they should and then find that they sail less often, spend more time on maintenence, cannot singlehand the boat, spend more mony on upkeep etc. Generally enjoy the sport less rather than more. That's not always the case, some people move up from day sailors through large trailerables and on to ocean going craft and love every minute of it. Rule of thumb: Cost of ownership will increase linearly with displacement, not length. I sail a midget sized cabin boat (Compac 16) and would love to have more cabin space, greater ability to go coastal and handle seas. But I want to retain the 30 minute set up, take down, the ability to tow behind a normal car, the small space it takes up in the driveway, the short time it takes to wash, the really cheap outboard needed to push it, the smaller, chaeper sails etc. This boat is really too small for most people unless they mainly want to day sail in protected water, but remember that everything about boating is a compromise.
Ask yourself: Will I mostly daysail or do alot of overnighters/weekend/extended cruising? Will I keep mostly to harbors, Lakes or other protected/semi-protected waters or will I want to go off-shore (even coastal)? How many people wil I typically sail with? A family of 5 or just me and a friend? How big of a tow vehicle am I willing to own? Find out what the towing weight of any boat you are thinking about (boat, trailer, motor, supplies). Some can be towed behind a normal sized car, others will require a maxi-pickup or SUV that will cost alot and drink alot of gas. There is a sort of "Peter Principle" in boating: Some people will buy ever larger and more complex boats looking for a bit more storage, capacity, ability to sail offshore or just because they think they should and then find that they sail less often, spend more time on maintenence, cannot singlehand the boat, spend more mony on upkeep etc. Generally enjoy the sport less rather than more. That's not always the case, some people move up from day sailors through large trailerables and on to ocean going craft and love every minute of it. Rule of thumb: Cost of ownership will increase linearly with displacement, not length. I sail a midget sized cabin boat (Compac 16) and would love to have more cabin space, greater ability to go coastal and handle seas. But I want to retain the 30 minute set up, take down, the ability to tow behind a normal car, the small space it takes up in the driveway, the short time it takes to wash, the really cheap outboard needed to push it, the smaller, chaeper sails etc. This boat is really too small for most people unless they mainly want to day sail in protected water, but remember that everything about boating is a compromise.
M
Maz White
Hunter 260 liveaboard
Hi Ray We are a young 50ish couple who are looking at buying a boat and heading off for a year. We are thinking of doing the inland lakes and bay of the east coast of Australia and are thinking of a large trailer sailer. We are thinking of a Hunter 26 or 260. Do you think we would be able to liveaboard (no kids) for a year or would it be too small. Appreciate a reply. Thanks Maz
Hi Ray We are a young 50ish couple who are looking at buying a boat and heading off for a year. We are thinking of doing the inland lakes and bay of the east coast of Australia and are thinking of a large trailer sailer. We are thinking of a Hunter 26 or 260. Do you think we would be able to liveaboard (no kids) for a year or would it be too small. Appreciate a reply. Thanks Maz
B
brett
pros and cons
I bought a used 20 foot trailer sailor 3 years ago and have been very happy. We learned to sail on it and never really scared ouselves silly. Biggest advantages, being able to tinker with it at home not at boatyard, affordable storage, going to many different sailing venues (from landlocked PA we have been to lake champlain, coastal carolina and chesapeake many times). Disadvantages; setup and take down is difficult at times and not all ramps are sailboat friendly, doesn't pay to go sailing just for the afternoon. This season we have left the boat on its trailer at the marina with mast already stepped. We have a new baby and found this is a good compromise considering value vs. time vs. effort. With a second child in the not too distant future and two dogs that like to sail also we are currently shopping for a larger trailer sailor, probably the hunter 240 due to the ease of rigging and the mast raising system. Of note, make sure your vehicle can handle the tow load, it makes a big difference. I use a durango and with the v-8 power I have no problems with hills and highways.
I bought a used 20 foot trailer sailor 3 years ago and have been very happy. We learned to sail on it and never really scared ouselves silly. Biggest advantages, being able to tinker with it at home not at boatyard, affordable storage, going to many different sailing venues (from landlocked PA we have been to lake champlain, coastal carolina and chesapeake many times). Disadvantages; setup and take down is difficult at times and not all ramps are sailboat friendly, doesn't pay to go sailing just for the afternoon. This season we have left the boat on its trailer at the marina with mast already stepped. We have a new baby and found this is a good compromise considering value vs. time vs. effort. With a second child in the not too distant future and two dogs that like to sail also we are currently shopping for a larger trailer sailor, probably the hunter 240 due to the ease of rigging and the mast raising system. Of note, make sure your vehicle can handle the tow load, it makes a big difference. I use a durango and with the v-8 power I have no problems with hills and highways.
K
Ken Cobb
Living on a 260
I think the question is analogous to camping. Some couples could live in a tent for a year, while others would need a motor home with a full bath. The 260 isn't designed as a true live-aboard, particularly in its lack of a shower and its modest kitchen. I see it as a weekend boat. But if one adopted the attitude that it was to be kind of "camping" situation, it shouldn't be too bad for a sustained period.
I think the question is analogous to camping. Some couples could live in a tent for a year, while others would need a motor home with a full bath. The 260 isn't designed as a true live-aboard, particularly in its lack of a shower and its modest kitchen. I see it as a weekend boat. But if one adopted the attitude that it was to be kind of "camping" situation, it shouldn't be too bad for a sustained period.
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