Now I went and did it...

MSN-Travelers · Oct 12, 2011

Mast-up storage a great choice when starting out ...

Hi … I’m a little late to the thread. We used to have a 26’ deck stepped trailerable for four seasons on Lake Michigan. It was nice to save the cost of winter storage by keeping the boat in the back yard. However, the concept of hauling the boat to a different lake on the spur of the moment, stepping the mast, sail the day, reverse the process and heading home got real old real quick.

We found we would get in more actual sailing if we kept the boat in mast-up dry sail storage. We used McKinley Marina in Milwaukee. Saved a ton on gas and only had to move the boat a hundred yards to the ramp. If took longer to load the cooler `n snacks than it did to launch `n recover.

We tried putting the boat on a mooring ball for a season and hated it. It was such a PITA to move passengers and/or stuff to the boat that we didn’t use it very much.

Ultimately we moved the boat to a slip and have never looked back. We, as a family, sailed every weekend while I, the retired guy, went solo another couple days during the week. There is nothing like getting out of the car, walking out to the boat and sailing away 10-15 minutes later.

A two-part epoxy barrier coat is required for any boat left in the water for extended period to prevent blisters. An anti-fouling coating is optional if you plan on pulling the boat every 3-5 weeks to clean off the crud. I used Pettit Vivid for “bottom paint” when we started leaving the boat in for a season at a time. It is a multi-season hard finish designed for trailerable boats. It maintains its effectiveness when pulled from the water and doesn’t sluff off when the boat hits the bunks. It isn’t cheap but it works!

Good luck, you have some beautiful waters to sail in.

Merlin Clark · Oct 19, 2011

All right! Looks good Squidd!

mark_swart · Oct 31, 2011

I think you'll enjoy it more if you leave the mast stepped and don't try to trailer it. I had a Luger 16 that I trailer sailed, and even that was a hassle to take off and go sail on during the weeknights.
I guess mostly it depends on how far you are from the boat. The beauty of smaller boats is that they can go on smaller bodies of water and generally stay closer to where you live, giving you more opportunities to use the boat!
Congrats on your find!
-Mark

page.crow · Nov 3, 2011

I just bought-in too. <grinning> Mine is an 86 Hunter H23 out of Chicago. I trailered it for the first time from Chicago to Kansas City. Nine hours @ 70 mph. Bearing grease (yeah! bearing buddies), wired new brake lights and tires replaced before we rolled.

The boat sits on short stilts and the keel. Scared the heck out of me at first. I felt like the boat was gonna fall off it's stilts, but it didn't. Next time, I will run more than a single line across the cockpit. <geez...>

LongJohnSilver · Nov 15, 2011

I have owned a 26 ft South Coast that normally gets used in freshwater lakes in TN. I have trailered it to the Gulf Coast where I use it in Bays and Coastal waters around Pensacola. It weighs about 3800 lbs with outboard, gear, and provisions for a week. In TN I leave it rigged at the marina ($100.00/mo) and in FL I park it on the trailer at the marina and leave it rigged. In the water and under way in less than 15 minutes. I pull it locally with a Suburban (1/2 T-4 WD) and on the Interstate with a Diesel Dually. Like every other boat I have owned, it is a trade-off (Series of trade-offs). It works well for my purposes, and is a relative inexpensive way of sailing two different kinds of waters. I don't see much info on the South Coast. I wonder how many are still sailing.

Jackdaw · Nov 22, 2011

Squidd,

Good luck with the PY26. Nice looking boat. It will be fine in the Apostles. We keep our bigger boat there (at Pikes).

Port Superior and Apostle Island Yacht Club both have cranes you can use for the mast. Pikes uses PS's crane. Any of them can launch your boat, or you can dip your trailer. That will same you some $$$. Figure $150 for the crane for the mast. Most of the marinas for not sell out for the season, so most have slips that they rent by the day or week. You'd have to call and be flexible. I figure that for most of the time that you are there, you will want to be anchored out in the islands; that's the whole reason for being there anyway. There are dozens of great anchorages with good sand bottoms. Also if the wind is right, you can anchor off of the town of La Pointe on Madeleine Island. Bring a dinghy to row in and have a great night on the town. You can get crazy drunk for $20 and Tom's Burned Down Cafe.

You also might want to see if someone that owns a mooring buoy (they are all private) off La Pointe wants to rent it for a few weeks. That might be ideal.

Aeckard is right, Ashland might be cheaper, but it is a day's sail to Bayfield. I'd get as far North as you can.

Check out the comments I made here, most holds true for you too....
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=133284

jbrosecity · Nov 26, 2011

I read through this entire thread with interest. I think people have different concepts of trailersailing... Having something you can keep in dry storage and easily launch when you want to sail is one thing. Keeping the mast stepped is a major variant on that theme. I have done both. But real trailersailing, in my book, is the freedom to sail many different locales on an ongoing basis. Of course we all enjoy sailing larger boats, but as others have rightly stated, the hassle factor increases exponentially with the size of the boat.

For me the quintessential trailer sailor is the Catalina 22. We have a 2007 MKII; 4300 pounds with its tandem axle trailer, outboard and basic gear. It sits nice and low on the trailer with its wing keel but also eliminates all the hassle and maintenance worries of swing keels and the like. And it sails like a dream... a real sailor's boat. A roller furling 150 genoa gives enjoyable sailing in a nice wide range of wind conditions.

My wife and I have the whole process of rigging and derigging to travel down to a science... about one hour start to finish. Catalina has eliminated all wood topside in favor of starboard and stainless steel. This maximizes time on the water and minimizes the work and maintenance. We've sailed a dozen or more lakes and have only scratched the surface. I plan to hit another 40+ in the next few years. Any lake gets boring after a while. Nothing like a new locale to renew the enthusiasm for sailing. I just posted a new thread asking about "guide to lake sailing" - anybody who has any info on that, it would be much appreciated.
Joe
http://www.TheAnneMarie.com/
http://www.TheAnneMarie.com/windseeker

Sail123 · Dec 5, 2011

The 9'6" beam would be nice on a lake, but a bother and / or expence to trailer. I just purchased a 30' with a 8' beam. Longer is easier to deal with then wider when trailering.

Sail123 · Dec 5, 2011

Squidd said:
That's a nice looking boat.. what kind of headroom do you get with only 8' beam...?

Not to hijack the thread, but 6' in the center of the cabin. I am 6'7".

I have a Mac 25 now and on my knees, I still need to bend over. This will be a lot better.

I spend 90% of my time on deck, and the layout has the mast not reaching out over the cockpit. Something I very much wanted. My Mac 25 the boom hits you unless you are sitting down, then it just clears your head.

The AMF Alcort Paceship PY26 looks like a great boat, I am sure you will have a great time with her.

Post pics!

CPseudonym · Dec 17, 2011

Some nice boats and interesting posts in this thread. As a welder I relate pretty well with you on your ideas. As a complete newbie to not only the forum but sailing in general I find it a bit odd the difficulty in rigging these boats for trailer sailing.

The engineering seems to be available in other areas of construction rigging for easier raising and lowering? Like all areas of boating either power or sail, compromises and cost seem to be the factors we all look at as diversely as intended usage.

Thank you for this thread, I seem to have a lot of thinking to do in the area of purchasing a new mast for my new to me boat. I seem to recall seeing some years back an article in an old magazine outlining a mast system that raised and lowered much easier. I'm sure it either bombed or was hopelessly expensive/unreliable as I do not see any references to such a system here as an option.

jbrosecity · Dec 17, 2011

Hmmmm... re: raising and lowering the mast, I think Catalina has it down to a science on their 22. I also have an O'Day 23 and I need the marina hoist to rise and lower it. That is why we travel with the Catalina. It's a 2007, one of the newer ones around, so I am not sure when they came out with their gin pole setup, but it makes raising and lowering a breeze.

First step is to release the two forward mast shrouds. We have stainless quick releases on to make it easy so there are no turnbuckles to adjust when either lowering or rasiing the mast. There's a hinged mast step, so next we just pull the locking pin on that, ease the tension on the adjustable back stay, insert the gin pole in the hole at the base of the mast, take the main or jib halyard and clip it to the top ring on the end of the gin pole and then clip the special purpose block and tackle which is stowed in the anchor compartment to the bottom ring of the gin pole. Then with the block and tackle cleated, my wife usually stands on the ground in front of the boat, pulls the pin on the forestay while I hold the mast, and then she eases out line on the block and tackle, and I guide the mast down the middle to the waiting raised stainless mast crutch which attaches to the rudder brackets on the transom.

It can also be performed by one person standing on the boat, but it is faster and much easier to do it as a team. The whole process takes maybe 10 minutes. We have the entire process, from arrival at the boat ramp to backing her down the ramp ready to hoist the sails, to about one hour without rushing at all.

Jackdaw · Dec 17, 2011

You really have to be careful when looking at mast raising experiences and comparing them. Boat and rig size make a huge difference as you step up from the low to mid twenties. I could raise the mast on my old Catalina 22 alone. The Beneteau 235 required a a-frame and a team. The first 260 requires a deck or shore mounted crane. The PY26 will likely also. Just a few extra feet of mast length on a slightly thicker spar and you can go from easy to unmanageable.

Now I went and did it...

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