Novice Question

[keaveny]

I am not sure that you aren't more interested in the having than in the doing. Have you spent some time at the lake talking with the folks that do sail boats there and asked what they have and what they like and dislike about their boats? There is a long list of boats in the 14 foot to 16 foot group that will meet your need and the cost can be whatever you are willing to spend.
There are boats with little cuddy cabins in the 15 foot size (West Wight Potter), there are completely open boats, boats that are used in summer camps to teach kids sailing.
I think that it is time for you to put down the books and get some sand on your shoes and see what is being used and bought and sold in your neck of the woods or on your end of the pond.

Hey, Ross. Thank you. Your advice makes a huge amount of sense. It is always hard in email or forums to demonstate intent. Actually, my natural tendency is to say, "hell with the books, let's go get a boat and we will figure it out."

The good angel (my wife), in my other ear, says, " of course we can have fun in a sunfish, but is there something we can enjoy on the small lake and take to a big lake later? Take your time and research it." In other words, I am ready to sail...last week!

I have a very old friend who's sailed for years in big boats, and an aunt who has sailed for years in small boats. He says take your time, get lessons, get a big boat, you won't regret it. Of course, he has a membership at the most exclusive (and expensive) yacht club in Cleveland. My aunt says, go get a little boat, figure out how to do it, and then move up. It is easy.

This post indicates I am taking my aunt's advice and, as you say, "get some sand in my shoes." I have been thinking about sailing for about five years or so.

I hope that helps with the way I am leaning. Shoot, Ross, I have nine kids. I can't afford to "have." I want to "do." But I still want to make a good decision on the first purchase.

Anyhow, thanks for the continued advice. I am always amazed at those who've already figured it out and are so willing to give advice to those of us who haven't.

 

[keaveny]

A sunfish, or any other board boat is too small for 4. 2 is the max. The Rhodes 19 was a good suggestion for a smaller daysailer that will be comfortable for 4.

The ODay widget is 14 ft and has room for 4. Chrysler made the Rebel (?). A Flying Scot would also fit the bill. These are all CBers, but good daysailers. A Lightning is another good boat that might fill your needs. Most of these boats will not put you in the water unless you really get careless and all of them will allow you to learn to sail the right way.

Thanks, Higgs for all the suggestions. Sorry if this is an ignorant question (though it is): How do you feel about a 19' boat in a 90 acre lake?

That is probably where I will do most of my sailing initially until I feel comfortable; plust it is five minutes from my house.

I guess I am asking, as my novice self, what boat is too big for a lake that size? I would like to learn there without difficulty and then move on to more interesting waters.

By the way, count on me to get careless. I will be swimming some.

Thanks.

 

[Ross]

if the lake were rectangular it could be a half mile long and about a quarter mile wide. That is about 2600 feet by 1300 feet. It is probably longer and more narrow. at 5 knots you could cross it in about 6 minutes and run the length in about 15 minutes give or take a little.

 

[keaveny]

if the lake were rectangular it could be a half mile long and about a quarter mile wide. That is about 2600 feet by 1300 feet. It is probably longer and more narrow. at 5 knots you could cross it in about 6 minutes and run the length in about 15 minutes give or take a little.

Thanks, Ross. Seems like plenty of practice area to me, but I don't know much.

Here is a link to the map of the lake I am talking about.
http://www.clemetparks.com/visit/index.asp?ispopup=yes&action=rmaps&reservations_id=1011

 

[Ross]

With the dogleg shape and reasonable width and length it will be a good place to learn to sail. I suggest that for the first season you either sail with someone that knows how or sail alone or with a very cool head that thinks well in a busy situation. Remember tha any fool can sail down wind so when you start, sail more or less up wind, that way you can always get back. Take oars with you and don't go farther than you want to row back.

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

Do you have Craig's List Classifieds in your area? This is an excellent place to find a GREAT deal on a small boat. Try to make sure the boat is complete. Try to buy a major known brand (this makes missing parts or sails easier to find). In your area it is important to really inspect the hull- look to make sure it has not been left with water in it and allowed to freeze, causing lots of hairline cracks and major weakness. GREASE THE TRAILER HUB BEARINGS. Have fun!

 

[keaveny]

Good stuff guys. Thanks. Even though I have been wanting to do this for some time, I am trying not to be impulsive. Lance, I have been using craiglist quite a bit. I saw an O'Day Daysailer I am looking at currently. That is also where I found the Luger Seabreeze.

 

[higgs]

A 19 footer on your lake is plenty. Any well designed centerboarder will fill you needs very nicely. I listed only a few available. Don't overthink this.

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

Daysailer-excellent choice. Sturdy, good performance for a simple boat. Large following across the nation. Most parts available either on this site or Dand R Marine. (support this site when you can!) Larger main sail, smaller easy to handle jib sail. Can take 4 people if they are not huge. I have a 17 Daysailer. They bring a tad of a premium price but are very easy to sell if you want to move up. Try to make sure the boat has a smooth working center board with no major issues. There is a guy in this forum that goes by Sunbird that really knows the Daysailers- look him up if you have any really specific questions- but get sailing! Good luck.

 

[Dan Johnson]

I am surprised...

that no one has mentioned the Flying Scott. This would be a great small boat for lake sailing, quite stable with four aboard, easily trailered by small cars, and still in production with active fleets nationwide.

 

[BobM]

Nine kids? You need to start a baseball team and skip the sailing LOL. I am going to go radical and suggest a 16 foot Hobie Cat. Plenty of room on the trampoline for the kids, fast, shallow draft for a lake but big enough for the ocean.

Barring that, there are a bunch of boats in that size range. I'd pick up a Boston Whaler Harpoon 5.2 in a heartbeat if I found a good one. Beamy with plenty of room for four and it will plane too. http://www.ruach.net/Harpoon.shtml I also third the Flying Scott.

 

[keaveny]

Thanks, again, all for the great suggestions. Someone wrote not to overthink this and just get going, so I am looking for the first thing in decent shape that will just get me in the water. I passed on the Daysailer because it would require new sails and rigging. I found a Sail MFG Copperhead 195 in apparently excellent condition with trailer for $600.

It made a lot of sense to me when one forum member said to buy something fairly common to ensure the availability of parts, etc. Given there are so many boats in the category I desire, is this one of those boats.

Thoughts? Thanks again, I would be going completely blind without you folks.

 

[WeeZerNeek6052]

I'm not one to often suggest looking at web sites for advice, but you might have a look at this site: http://www.sailingbreezes.com/Sailing_Breezes_Current/nbss/FAQ-General.htm

I personally learned on a small keel boat in the Pacific Ocean, and really appreciate not getting dunked while taking lessons. After some confidence, I proceeded to rent several like sized boats in other areas. I even tried out several sailing dinghies, and yes, I did dump then over on occasion (while wearing PFD of course). Current boat is a 30' keel boat with diesel auxiliary engine.

 

[Marcia]

"Do you all have opinions on the best database of boat listings? "

Try your local CraigsList and newspaper classified ads. I bought my boat through CL. If you are looking for a sort of spec sheet for boats I think I would look at some of the small, trailerable sailboats and search Google for info on those models.

 

[jepomer]

Think about it in another way: Choose a small boat for the local lake. Our first boat was a Hobby Cat 14, very easy to launch and sail. Needs only inches of water to float. When the wind dies, it paddles (and sculls) easily. The Hobby 16 holds more and is bulkier, but fun!

Since we were well into our 50s and our bodies needed to sit rather than recline, we sold the Hobby Cat and bought an O'Day 19. Moving up from small lakes to larger ones and now the Atlantic (really just Boston and Portsmouth Bays) we purchased a Capri 22 with a wing keel. We use the O'Day to launch in the shallower launching areas, the Capri for deeper launch ramps. There are times I wish I kept the Hobby Cat for those quick sails - except the admiral insists on a port-a-privy.

Just another way to view things. My admiral keeps looking at even larger boats. May not be a real problem except she believes the sailboat should always be pretty much level.

Craig's List and EBay are two good sources to check and get a feel for prices. I bought all of my boats through EBay - look for the charity auctions.

Small lakes are fun. Getting wet while "pushing your skills" is great on those hot days (don't forget your PFDs - former Coastie, it's drilled into me). Most of all, enjoy the family time...

 

[srvideo]

small boat to learn on

I see you are in Cleveland. I do not know the area. Provided you know the basics about sailing an 17 ft oday daysailer II is a forgiving and relatively easy boat to sail. YOu can fit 4 on the boat although it is easier to manage with 2. YOu can easily triler this boat and has a small "cabin" not one to sleep in but one to store your picnic and things.
So my recommendation is a oday dailsailer II and the price can be modist Angela

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

All good suggestions so far. Oday makes(made?) a 17-footer centerboarder. I had a SailStar knock off of this model - nearly all cockpit with a small cuddy cabin - bought it for 500, cleaned it up, sailed it for a decade and sold it for 800. Beamy(hard to tip) and easy to sail, 4 adults fit in the cockpit-one day we put 4 adults and 3 teenagers on the boat with two huge coolers in the cabin, rarely needed a dock as it could be boarded from either side that was closest to shore when beached. I could rig it singlehanded for the water in about 15 minutes(it actually took much longer to try to cover the large cockpit to prevent filling with water when I kept it at the lake).

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

I see srivideo beat me to the "enter" button...

 

[keaveny]

Thanks again for all the advice. I ended up finding a MFG Bandit 15' in pristine condition, with new trailer and cover for $900. Plenty of room, stable but fun.

It seems to have a lot of really great features for a 15' boat. Hoping to take it out on Lake Erie with a friend-sailor next week.

Anyhow, it has a furler and it was put together and worked when I rigged up the boat and let out the jib. Somehow, the spool isn't working when I want to pull the sheet back in. Sorry if the terminology doesn't make sense (I posted elsewhere I need a sailing-to-English dictionary just to understand the rigging instructions).

Any good resources for figuring out how the furler works and how I might solve the problem?

Thanks