Now I went and did it...

MrUnix · Oct 9, 2011

From info gathered on the net, it looks like that boat eventually morphed into the Tanzer 27, so you could probably look at them for ideas on the mast.. the T27 is deck stepped. Should give you an idea of what you will need to do to convert it and what kind of bracing you need down below. As for towing.. good luck! That is a pretty heavy hunk of boat to be towing around and a largish pull vehicle will be required, not to mention a nice deep ramp!

Cheers,
Brad

kloudie1 · Oct 9, 2011

That is a fine boat, Squidd.. I remember sailing on one when they were brand new.. Well built .. You sound like ya have it well in hand.. A proper tow vehicle and a way to make a useful trailer. Best to ya.
Edit;
The 9.5 foot beam may be a problem with trailering ??

kloudie1 · Oct 9, 2011

Figured you were aware of that.. At about 32 degrees angle of heel, it becomes 8 ft wide.. I have seen some pretty big stuff trailered while "heeled" on a custom trailer. but if the sinage and daylight hours is all, probably not worth messing with. Again.. nice boat..

Rick D · Oct 9, 2011

Just A Thought

A trailer would be great to expand your cruising horizons, and from your description of your vehicle & skill, not a huge task. You will be using it off the trailer for longer cruising, so it doesn't need to be as easy on/off as someone who is using one for daysailing.

I also assume you have a ready and reasonable place to store the trailer, so one thing you may consider is a seasonal or month to month rental of a slip or mooring so you can use her for daysails and overnighters. That way you can have the best of both worlds.

Easy for me to spend your time & money. Enjoy! Sounds like a good boat.

John Nantz · Oct 9, 2011

Bottom Paint Toxicity

One thing to check into is bottom paint. If the boat is only in the water for a short while one can dry sail her without bottom paint. But, if one goes longer then bottom growth starts to take hold.

On the other hand, if bottom paint is used, and what I'm more familiar with is Petit Trinidad, then what the paint really likes is to stay in the water. If it is out for a few days the paint starts loosing it's toxicity.

Maybe there are some other routes one could take with regard to paint that don't have that problem. I haven't kept up with the new formulations so there might be one that doesn't have that issue.

Using California as an example, Washington state is banning copper based paints in a few years so perhaps the Greats Lakes states will be doing the same thing, if they haven't already.

Something to think about.

P.S. If you're only going to sail her a few times a year, what about using a travel lift for launching and retrieval? It'd cost a bit more but save getting the trailer rusty.

Merlin Clark · Oct 9, 2011

You might want to ping on the O'day guys, there is a 23' pop top model where the entire cabin top raises and this one has a keel stepped mast. IIRC, either O'day or an aftermarket firm has come up with a tarbernacle that is located above the level of the popped up top and this might work for you and your boat.
Nice boat, congrats!

Joe · Oct 9, 2011

To me the only issue is the keel stepped mast. All the other issues seem to be something you can adapt to with your welding skills. Stepping the mast will require a crane to lift it 6 or 7 feet. I'm not sure if the classic, home built, A frame system will provide that much travel. What this means is that you'll have to find a crane, ez lift, or a bridge to get the mast up.

Converting to a deck stepped mast could require considerable modification to the cabin top.... I'd recommend MrUnix' advice regarding the Tanzer 27 to get an idea what you'll need. But if you did that, and installed a hinged tabernacle, rigging up an EZ mast stepping system will give you more use options.

You can have a lot of fun with the boat right now by simply finding a launch area or yacht club with a crane. Leave it in the water for a few months, then haul it home for the winter.

cb32863 · Oct 9, 2011

Moving from slip to slip is probably going to be an issue. I am not sure if the folks up there in Bayfield are OK with that sort of "Contract". When I was poking around for that sort of thing I know that there aren't a lot of places to keep your sailboat on Mile Lacs or Leach lakes in MN either. No clue on the two Red lakes in MN. Also, from what I have heard, Bayfield is not cheap either. I heard in the range of $180 - $200 a foot for the season plus storage, FWIW hearsay of course...... Have you called Pike's Bay or any of the others up there on availability? There could be a waiting list as that area is very popular. "Princess of the Lakes" on here keeps a Hunter up there in Bayfield, she would be a great resource for information.

Merlin Clark · Oct 9, 2011

If you'll look at the pic below of a "Nimble Kodiak" it has something like what I think the O'day guys are doing. The upright that is supporting the stepped mast just forward of the house is the lower mast and tabernacle. I think this style comes from Northern Europe and people sailing canals the don't have draw bridges.
Esentially, you cut your existing mast above deck level and install a hinge mechanism. This alleviates any requirement for structural changes below deck or in the deck as the mast is still supported at the keel.
Good luck and let me know how it goes, however you tackle this. I like to hear about innovative boat fixes. I'm funny that way.

Just saw your post with the compac hinge, very cool!

SycloneDriver · Oct 9, 2011

I trailered my San Juan 7.7m home from KY to OK. It's 9.5ft wide. I looked into all the different requirements of all the states that I would have to drive through, and I decided just to drive it home. No escorts, no flags, no "Wide Load" sign. I felt the sign would just put a target on my back. I stayed off the interstates too. The boat/trailer was 9.5ft wide and 12.5ft tall. It was quite intimidating and first.

The biggest issue I had was some stupid kid parked is car in front of me at a gas station, he forced me to stop with the trailer still in the hiway. I had to back up, when I finally got in to the station I couldn't get to a diesel pump. Then some other folks blocked me in, so I just had to sit there and wait to leave, never getting any fuel. I had one narrow bridge where a small car went by me, the toe rail may have passed over the top of the car, it was tight.

There were two gentlemen that helped me when I picked up the boat. They have boats wider that 9.5ft, and they stated that they trailer them often and have never had any problem. Seems odd to me that they would trailer such a large boat very often. They said that they trailered them so they could race them in other locations. I saw one of the boats on it's trailer and it was large, it had a retracting keel. These guys seemed to have some money.

Sorry for all the rambeling.

Al1653 · Oct 10, 2011

I've had a Catalina 25 with trailer for 24 years. The trailer has saved me thousands in storage fees since I am able to launch and retreave and the local ramp and I can store the boat in my yard. While it is not big deal to pull the boat a few miles to the ramp setting up the boat is a chore I do not relish. It takes at least three hours and sometimes four to set the boat up. You would lose a half day of hard earned vacation just setting up your boat, and thats if you don't run into any glitches, which there usually is.

You might also check the road restrictions on load width. In most states you need a permit to haul a trailer load wider than 8 feet.

I would look for a marina that offers dry storage which allows you to store your boat on the trailer with the mast raised. This is a much cheaper option than a slip and much less hassel.

Al1653 · Oct 10, 2011

Have you checked into the marina in Ashland WI? It's only a few miles from Bayfield, much less crowded and I'll bet much less expensive.

Now I went and did it...

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