When I think of an ultimate trailerable boat, I think of one that is under the limit that does not require a permit to go down the road, one that has a mast that can be stepped by the owner and a boat that can be launched and retrieved off the trailer without the help of a marina. The Paceship 26 is over 8.5' long, so requires a permit (legally - and if you don't have one and get stopped, it can get expensive - but they are not hard to get). It does not have a hinged mast step (but you are looking into alterations, but the mast, even if spliced and hinged on the deck, is a big mast to step regularly without the help of a lot of friends, an apparatus to step it (slow) and with the shoal keel and centerboard, one should be able to launch and retrieve the PY26 pretty easily. So, if one wants to trailer each time they use the boat, one that launches, rigs and retrieves quickly and easily, is the boat that will get used the most. Bayfield is a wonderful place to sail. Just returned from there last night. If you put it in the water permanently there, or on a transcient basis, you will use the boat because it is easy to start the engine and cast off and go sailing without dealing with launching and retrieving or stepping the mast each time. There are more expensive marinas and cheaper marinas up there. I know some people who have kept their boat at Port Superior Marina (just a few miles south of Bayfield - and considered one of the more expensive ones around) on a transcient basis all year around and the stored elsewhere (where it is cheaper) and actually pay less than renting a slip out for the whole summer the usual way (not as a transcient). Someone mentioned Ashland and there is also Washburn. They are cheaper (especially Ashland), but Ashland is at the bottom of Chequamegon Bay, which is a long ways from the Apostle Islands which is where everyone wants to sail. Washburn is half way down the Bay, but still a long ways away from the islands and so those marinas have more powerboats in them than sailboats. The most reasonable place to get a boat launched by crane is at the Black Hawk Marina (Kenny Dobson is the owner). He has reasonable slips too, but has been full. He is in the process of expanding his marina, but it is unclear when more slips will be available. The Apostle Islands Marina, right in downtown Bayfield has a lot of slips available for the size of boat like the Paceship 26, so that is a good place to ask for your size boat. I don't think you will find it unreasonable price wize. Since you have a trailer you can store it at home and save their winter storage costs, if you prefer. It is a good place to sail out of and it is close to the islands. If you want more detailed info about Bayfield, then send me a reply and I will be happy to share what I know, which is a ton.
Now I went and did it...
- Thread starter Squidd
- Start date
- Status
Trailerable boat
Squidd-
Some other things to think about. I have a 'trailerable' Hunter 23. I trailer it twice a year. To the marina in the spring and to storage in the fall.
Squidd-
Some other things to think about. I have a 'trailerable' Hunter 23. I trailer it twice a year. To the marina in the spring and to storage in the fall.
- How well does it trailer? Will you be comfortable pulling it to where you want to use it? Many people arrange storage near where they infrequently use a boat and put it in the water for a vacation or extended stay.
- How long will it take you to rig your boat? Step the mast, mount the boom, rig the sails? Do you have family or friends that can help? Can you rig it yourself?
- Can you step the mast without a gin pole? My Hunter 23 is best done with a gin pole. If you need to have other step the mast, what is the cost? It used to be $60 in our area but our club includes free gin pole and boat launch hoists use.
- If you are looking at slips or moorings, consider the travel time to the sailing area from the slip or mooring. the commercial marinas in our area are less expensive than a sailing club but farther from the sailing area and have a lot of motor boat chop to navigate through. I can always find a friendly face to help launch my boat or step my mast so long as I am willing to help in return.
- At 26 feet, I would keep trailering to a minimum. If you are going to angle the boat on the trailer, make sure that the trailer will properly distribute the weight. Most boats sit on trailers that do not over stress any particular part of the boat while the boat is in transit and subject to bouncing on the highway.
trailer or not
I have a 22' Oday that has a trailer. However, I do not trailer the boat anyplace but home for the winter and back to the boat yard in the spring. I picked the place I keep my boat during the season because of the easy access to so many places. This keeps me happy and not trailering it all around. I keep it in a small harbor on Raritan Bay in New Jersey. Easy access to New York City, Statue of Liberty, the large bay area itself, the shores of Long Island, the East River to New England, and of course, the ocean. I don't even have to pass under a bridge for many of these destinations. Well Okay, the Verrazzano Bridge for New York. It is pleasant to just sit on the boat on her mooring. Plus I have a million dollar view and a shore home. Trailer sailing is nice, but I find it less stressful sitting on a mooring all season.
I have a 22' Oday that has a trailer. However, I do not trailer the boat anyplace but home for the winter and back to the boat yard in the spring. I picked the place I keep my boat during the season because of the easy access to so many places. This keeps me happy and not trailering it all around. I keep it in a small harbor on Raritan Bay in New Jersey. Easy access to New York City, Statue of Liberty, the large bay area itself, the shores of Long Island, the East River to New England, and of course, the ocean. I don't even have to pass under a bridge for many of these destinations. Well Okay, the Verrazzano Bridge for New York. It is pleasant to just sit on the boat on her mooring. Plus I have a million dollar view and a shore home. Trailer sailing is nice, but I find it less stressful sitting on a mooring all season.
If your thibnking about keeping it around the Apostles then Washburn Harbor is the a good place to be - much cheaper than right in Bayfield and great view - My Clipper 26 was dry sailed off the trailler there for years and I trailered it back and forth to home in spring and fall for storage. Ashland Marina is a next choice - cheap, good view, can dry sail off trailer and it's a nice little run up to Madeline island. Keeping on the trailer there seasonally in their yard is very reasonable (Washburn or Ashland). Keep the mast up and ready to go. Then decide if you just want to leave it there year round or bring it home for the winters. Bayfield is a tourist trap with inflated prices. Sail there but don't stay there.
One other thing everyone seems to have forgot - give your insurance agant a call and find out the premium on just the boat versus trailer and boat for highway use - might just help you make your decision right there.
Iv'e had 3 26' trailerables in my life and moved down to a
Hunter 23 which is truly trailerable, the 26 footers are more spring/fall trailerable.
Reagrds, Mike
One other thing everyone seems to have forgot - give your insurance agant a call and find out the premium on just the boat versus trailer and boat for highway use - might just help you make your decision right there.
Iv'e had 3 26' trailerables in my life and moved down to a
Hunter 23 which is truly trailerable, the 26 footers are more spring/fall trailerable.
Reagrds, Mike
I appreciate the responces keep 'em coming...
I know the PY26 is on the "big" end of trailerable, I was looking more into the creature comforts of the ship on water than how it does on the Hwy... But still haveing the option of moveing it under my own power.
I'm liking the 6'1 headroom, the enclosed head and extra room and stability this boat provides...I live on a small lake and have a small cat sailboat now, so I can do "daysailing/afternoon sailing" anytime I want, I'm looking at this as more of a "wet camper" to be used several times a year as opposed to "every weekend" so the slight inconvienience of being "large" is outweighed by the usefullness of a boat this size...
@Barnacle Bill I will PM you about more info on the area as that looks like it may be my new home port...
The "dry slip" option is a new thought to me, but I'm liking it compared to hauling from home (leave mast up) and I assume less expencive than a perment slip...
Although I do see myself tied to the dock watching the lights over the harbor, etc. etc from time to time so will be looking into transient slip rental... or one night docking fees as well... (what would I ask for when I contact boat yard...?)
I know the PY26 is on the "big" end of trailerable, I was looking more into the creature comforts of the ship on water than how it does on the Hwy... But still haveing the option of moveing it under my own power.
I'm liking the 6'1 headroom, the enclosed head and extra room and stability this boat provides...I live on a small lake and have a small cat sailboat now, so I can do "daysailing/afternoon sailing" anytime I want, I'm looking at this as more of a "wet camper" to be used several times a year as opposed to "every weekend" so the slight inconvienience of being "large" is outweighed by the usefullness of a boat this size...
@Barnacle Bill I will PM you about more info on the area as that looks like it may be my new home port...
The "dry slip" option is a new thought to me, but I'm liking it compared to hauling from home (leave mast up) and I assume less expencive than a perment slip...
Although I do see myself tied to the dock watching the lights over the harbor, etc. etc from time to time so will be looking into transient slip rental... or one night docking fees as well... (what would I ask for when I contact boat yard...?)
Whats the proper docking protocol when visiting a harbor...?
I mean if I "dry slip" in say Ashland...then launch and sail up to say Bayfield...can I rent a dock space for the night..? and then day sail to the islands and maybe stop at Madeline Island for the night on the way back...? and then sail back to Ashland and pull 'er back out next day.
Is that a reasonable plan...?
I'm thinking I may need to call ahead and reserve a spot during high season, but has anyone ever pulled into a city Harbor and be turned away cause they are full or your not a member...?
I mean if I "dry slip" in say Ashland...then launch and sail up to say Bayfield...can I rent a dock space for the night..? and then day sail to the islands and maybe stop at Madeline Island for the night on the way back...? and then sail back to Ashland and pull 'er back out next day.
Is that a reasonable plan...?
I'm thinking I may need to call ahead and reserve a spot during high season, but has anyone ever pulled into a city Harbor and be turned away cause they are full or your not a member...?
Some Pro's and Con's
Hi, I have a Cape Dory 25 sloop. It weighs around 4,000# plus extra gear and trailer which totals around 6,000#. I use an old '94 Chey 3/4 ton 350 to haul it.
The Pro side is 1. I can bring it home when I want to keep it there for some time to work on it or I know I'm not going to be using it. Saves on slip fees. She was slipped 5 years in San Diego recently. 2. You can, if you want, trailer it to some new location entirely. I've just hauled mine down to San Carlos, Sonora,Mexico. Been here about a week and should be off tomorrow for an extended cruise of the Sea of Cortez....ending up, eventually, in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. 3. Bought a Temperary Import Permit (TIP) for the boat which also included the trailer for $50 USD at Ensenada, Baja, last year. Good for ten years. Allows you to keep your boat in MX and also send out and bring in parts for it without paying duties.
CONS 1. I was getting about 9.5 mpg hauling her here. Once in Mexico, at least the gas dropped down to a little over $3.00 USD a gallon. 2. I don't know about your boat but mine takes at least three to raise the mast with a pole rig I have. I use the trailer winch to raise and lower it. 3. After that another day or so until she's ready to go. (seizing the turnbuckles, checking everything out, etc.
Boats that are heavy on trailers aren't really trailerables, more like moving a beached whale.
But the best part is this. My little Cape Dory 25 has been (on the water) to Alaska, Canada, Washington, Oregon and Baja California. It would be quite difficult to do that with regular trailersailors like the adorable West Wight Potters or the roomy MacGregor's. Some of these have been on extraordinary voyages, true, but give me my Cape Dory anytime before I'd attempt a long voyage. Rough seas are not fun in a small sailboat but at least yours and mine can handle them a lot better than lighter weight small center boards (Potter) or water ballasted (MacGregors.) Don't get me wrong. I love those boats, too. But for my type of sailing, a full keeled, 1 1/2" thick hull, sturdy, encapsulated ballasted sloop is just right for me. All Pros and Cons considered..
As it turned out, several years after I bought her and did her from top to bottom, my sailing adventures have changed now. I'm 70 years old and would much rather have a little Potter or a Macgregor 26M now. Problem is: unless you want to give it away, you can't even begin to get near the value of a used boat in any marketplace. Definitely, a buyers market. Remember, BOAT stands for Bring Out Another Thousand!! And the best two days of my life, an old friend once told me, was the day I bought my boat...and the day I sold her.
Hope this helps.....I guess it all boils down to what you want out of a sailboat and why and where. We're all wired differently which makes it fun!
In the parking lot this morning at the marina, I counted 6 cars from Canada, one from Ohio, Virginia, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Texas, California and 8 from Arizona. In talking with these folks, they all dry store their boats at the huge yard here (400 sailboats there now) for the summer when it's too hot. Most are coming down now for the sailing season.
sloopy
Cape Dory 25
presently in San Carlos, Mexico
"There are a lot of old sailors and there are a lot of foolish sailors. But seldom do you ever see an old, foolish sailor." unknown author........
Hi, I have a Cape Dory 25 sloop. It weighs around 4,000# plus extra gear and trailer which totals around 6,000#. I use an old '94 Chey 3/4 ton 350 to haul it.
The Pro side is 1. I can bring it home when I want to keep it there for some time to work on it or I know I'm not going to be using it. Saves on slip fees. She was slipped 5 years in San Diego recently. 2. You can, if you want, trailer it to some new location entirely. I've just hauled mine down to San Carlos, Sonora,Mexico. Been here about a week and should be off tomorrow for an extended cruise of the Sea of Cortez....ending up, eventually, in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. 3. Bought a Temperary Import Permit (TIP) for the boat which also included the trailer for $50 USD at Ensenada, Baja, last year. Good for ten years. Allows you to keep your boat in MX and also send out and bring in parts for it without paying duties.
CONS 1. I was getting about 9.5 mpg hauling her here. Once in Mexico, at least the gas dropped down to a little over $3.00 USD a gallon. 2. I don't know about your boat but mine takes at least three to raise the mast with a pole rig I have. I use the trailer winch to raise and lower it. 3. After that another day or so until she's ready to go. (seizing the turnbuckles, checking everything out, etc.
Boats that are heavy on trailers aren't really trailerables, more like moving a beached whale.
But the best part is this. My little Cape Dory 25 has been (on the water) to Alaska, Canada, Washington, Oregon and Baja California. It would be quite difficult to do that with regular trailersailors like the adorable West Wight Potters or the roomy MacGregor's. Some of these have been on extraordinary voyages, true, but give me my Cape Dory anytime before I'd attempt a long voyage. Rough seas are not fun in a small sailboat but at least yours and mine can handle them a lot better than lighter weight small center boards (Potter) or water ballasted (MacGregors.) Don't get me wrong. I love those boats, too. But for my type of sailing, a full keeled, 1 1/2" thick hull, sturdy, encapsulated ballasted sloop is just right for me. All Pros and Cons considered..
As it turned out, several years after I bought her and did her from top to bottom, my sailing adventures have changed now. I'm 70 years old and would much rather have a little Potter or a Macgregor 26M now. Problem is: unless you want to give it away, you can't even begin to get near the value of a used boat in any marketplace. Definitely, a buyers market. Remember, BOAT stands for Bring Out Another Thousand!! And the best two days of my life, an old friend once told me, was the day I bought my boat...and the day I sold her.
Hope this helps.....I guess it all boils down to what you want out of a sailboat and why and where. We're all wired differently which makes it fun!
In the parking lot this morning at the marina, I counted 6 cars from Canada, one from Ohio, Virginia, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Texas, California and 8 from Arizona. In talking with these folks, they all dry store their boats at the huge yard here (400 sailboats there now) for the summer when it's too hot. Most are coming down now for the sailing season.
sloopy
Cape Dory 25
presently in San Carlos, Mexico
"There are a lot of old sailors and there are a lot of foolish sailors. But seldom do you ever see an old, foolish sailor." unknown author........
If you are sailing the great lakes why would you want to trailer it anywhere but to and from the marina once a year? I had a 22 foot Catalina that I trailered around one season. After I got to Lake Erie, that was the last time it travled to a new body of water on wheels. My current boat is a Hake 32 docked in New Jersey--a trailer sailer specifically set up to trailer and to raise and lower the deck stepped mast but it too gets two trips a year-one in the spring and one in the fall. There is just too much good sailing to do from where I am docked to mess with all that non-productive work!
The bigger the boat, the greater is the hassle-factor from trailering. Keeping it in a dry slip with the mast up is usually a lot less expensive and it does reduce the hassle-factor of getting the mast up and down.
I do quite a bit of harbor hopping and except for a few peak times (e.g., Fish Days in Port Washington, 3rd of July in Milwaukee), you can almost always find a transient slip for a few days but they are not cheap. Usually in the neighborhood of $50-$60 a night in this neck of the woods for a 26 foot boat. You may consider looking for a mooring to rent for the year and then you can keep it in the water. The more protected the better if you have to be away for extended periods.
Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25
I do quite a bit of harbor hopping and except for a few peak times (e.g., Fish Days in Port Washington, 3rd of July in Milwaukee), you can almost always find a transient slip for a few days but they are not cheap. Usually in the neighborhood of $50-$60 a night in this neck of the woods for a 26 foot boat. You may consider looking for a mooring to rent for the year and then you can keep it in the water. The more protected the better if you have to be away for extended periods.
Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25
Squidd. I trailer sail and have for 12 years and currently leave my boat on the trailer fully rigged. I launch and retreive every time I sail. It costs $200 a year vs. $1500 for 4 months. It takes 15 minutes each way.
You are more than prepared to trail your boat so I won't go there.
To convert a mast from keel stepped to deck stepped is a fairly straight forward process. If the boats mast is one of the very heavy masts (200lbs. or more) then to ginpole raise the mast becomes very diffucult and VERY dangerous. Because of this problem those boats were best left keel stepped and the mast is installed with a boom truck or similiar hoist.
To raise a deck stepped mast from its trailered resting position (usually atop the boat on a transom crutch, a center support and the bow rail) requires moving the mast rearward on the boat top until it rests on the mast plate and can have the rear plate pin installed. The middle of the mast then rests on the transom crutch. The mast is then raised by means of a ginpole. The very heavy masts negated this process. Picking up and carrying the mast is just too much weight for 2 to 3 men.
You might be able to sail the boat off the trailer like we do after the mast is in. You need an area to park the boat and trailer fully rigged. Many marinas have areas like this and you will see other boat owners doing just this.
Hope this helps.
Ray
You are more than prepared to trail your boat so I won't go there.
To convert a mast from keel stepped to deck stepped is a fairly straight forward process. If the boats mast is one of the very heavy masts (200lbs. or more) then to ginpole raise the mast becomes very diffucult and VERY dangerous. Because of this problem those boats were best left keel stepped and the mast is installed with a boom truck or similiar hoist.
To raise a deck stepped mast from its trailered resting position (usually atop the boat on a transom crutch, a center support and the bow rail) requires moving the mast rearward on the boat top until it rests on the mast plate and can have the rear plate pin installed. The middle of the mast then rests on the transom crutch. The mast is then raised by means of a ginpole. The very heavy masts negated this process. Picking up and carrying the mast is just too much weight for 2 to 3 men.
You might be able to sail the boat off the trailer like we do after the mast is in. You need an area to park the boat and trailer fully rigged. Many marinas have areas like this and you will see other boat owners doing just this.
Hope this helps.
Ray
I'm picking up the boat this weekend and it's still in the water, so I'll get first hand experiance in haulout and demasting (going to have the marina do it for me)
That should help in deciding if I get a dry slip or can hinge it and go down the road...
But this idea of a dry slip and leaving it rigged is becomeing more and more attractive...
That should help in deciding if I get a dry slip or can hinge it and go down the road...
But this idea of a dry slip and leaving it rigged is becomeing more and more attractive...
The trailers I've seen that cant the boat to one side or the other have the boat in a gimballed or hinged cradle. I suspect hydraulics are involved. You'd want to be really careful with where you support the hull, too, so you don't overstress it.
Costs
Squidd I keep my boat on the trailer at the Pioneer Marina in Oshkosh and dry sail off the trailer - it stays in a locked up yard when I'm gone and that costs $400 per season - April 15th to Nov 1st. If I grab a transient slip at the Pioneer it's a buck a foot, If I do an overnighter to Menasha or Fondulac marinas they charge about the same. Ashland Marina and Washburn have nearly identical prices for doing similar. Both have a travellift with a crane for stepping masts. I've been in a slip in the past and that is around $2000/season plus I worry more about the boat whenever a storm goes thrue and I have to drive over to check on it - I'm about 2 hours away.
I like bringing the boat home off season so I can work on it.
If I drop the mast and trailer it up to The Apostles for a long weekend I put in at Ashland and sail up to the marina on Madeline Island - it's very nice but pricey. If you have a dingy or even a inflatable raft you can anchor nearby for free. Madeline island is a lot of fun in the summer -good bars with music - too bad their season is so short - that's why I'm down in Oshkosh now.
I have a buddy from your neck of the woods (Minoqua) that has his boat in a marina in Suamico which is between Green Bay and Menomonee so he gets to sail over to Sturgeon Bay and the north end of Lake Michigan - and that is really good sailing around there too, and not so cold as up in around Bayfield. The Escanaba and the bay is heaven and they have a nice Marina there too straight east of you.
So anyway you really have some options where your at in either direction. The possibilities for a trailerable sailboat are endless - I don't think us cheeseheads realize just how lucky we are for access to good open water.
Squidd I keep my boat on the trailer at the Pioneer Marina in Oshkosh and dry sail off the trailer - it stays in a locked up yard when I'm gone and that costs $400 per season - April 15th to Nov 1st. If I grab a transient slip at the Pioneer it's a buck a foot, If I do an overnighter to Menasha or Fondulac marinas they charge about the same. Ashland Marina and Washburn have nearly identical prices for doing similar. Both have a travellift with a crane for stepping masts. I've been in a slip in the past and that is around $2000/season plus I worry more about the boat whenever a storm goes thrue and I have to drive over to check on it - I'm about 2 hours away.
I like bringing the boat home off season so I can work on it.
If I drop the mast and trailer it up to The Apostles for a long weekend I put in at Ashland and sail up to the marina on Madeline Island - it's very nice but pricey. If you have a dingy or even a inflatable raft you can anchor nearby for free. Madeline island is a lot of fun in the summer -good bars with music - too bad their season is so short - that's why I'm down in Oshkosh now.
I have a buddy from your neck of the woods (Minoqua) that has his boat in a marina in Suamico which is between Green Bay and Menomonee so he gets to sail over to Sturgeon Bay and the north end of Lake Michigan - and that is really good sailing around there too, and not so cold as up in around Bayfield. The Escanaba and the bay is heaven and they have a nice Marina there too straight east of you.
So anyway you really have some options where your at in either direction. The possibilities for a trailerable sailboat are endless - I don't think us cheeseheads realize just how lucky we are for access to good open water.
Cool thanks for the tips.. That's why I went "trailerable" (even if I'm on the big side) so I didn't get locked into one bay when there are so many around...
Not that I'm going to do as much "bay hopping" as I could with a smaller boat, but it's nice to have options that are near..
Not that I'm going to do as much "bay hopping" as I could with a smaller boat, but it's nice to have options that are near..
I don't know how far you live from the water but I live 55 miles away. At one point I owned a Coronado 25' and kept it at the marina. A real PITA to work on a boat that far from home. So I downsized to a trailer sailor. I like having my boat in the driveway so I can put in an hour or so of repairs and modifications at my leisure instead of making an entire day of it... only to get to the marina and realize I left a critical tool at home. For me, that has become what defines me as a trailer sailor. I guess if I lived near a marina I'd want a bigger boat but... Just something to add to the calculation.
I agree on the convienience angle, and I know I'm posting this in the trailor sailor section, but as I was researching I just didn't find the room in the 20'-24' boats that I was looking for and found in the slightly larger 26'er...
But I also didn't want to be "bay locked" with a 30'+ boat that was 11' wide and weighed 14,000#
At least this one I can trailer home for storage and as needed for repair although not as convienient as a "true" trailer sailer...
I hope you'll forgive me...
But I also didn't want to be "bay locked" with a 30'+ boat that was 11' wide and weighed 14,000#
At least this one I can trailer home for storage and as needed for repair although not as convienient as a "true" trailer sailer...
I hope you'll forgive me...
No apologies needed. If I had the equipment and know how to make a suitable trailer, I'd still have my Coronado 25'. Seems to me that you are thinking through the long-term fun/convenience/cost questions that will define how you use your boat.
Good luck,
While setting up your trailer this winter find a fitting marina to slip your boat for the first month or so of your first season. I found that I sail more often and enjoy it more when I can just drive my car to the boat and hop in. Even though towing via PU isn't too much longer, stepping and unstepping at each outing even though I sail a smaller trailerable is still a bit of a hassle. So where's the gain you may ask? Well gas mileage and not waiting in line or being pushed. When out too late(or too cold) on a sail just tie up, the car awaits. There were a few times that first year that my work put me closer to the boat than home. One time seemed like a free 3 day wk end on the boss. It is hard to talk to the other sailors at the ramp(there and gone) at the marina its almost automatic as you walk by their boat, besides you can't beat local knowledge. I know that the desire to get the most out of my money brought me back to the boat for a short sail when at the slip. Doing a launch from the trailer has held me back from going for the same short trip from time to time.
By next season you will have decided how best to step your mast. For now get a digital camera and get lots of pix, before and during, as they deliver and unstep because something about that will not be so obvious later. Make the beginning of your ownership more about how best to sail and have fun rather than how to get the hardware into the water.
By next season you will have decided how best to step your mast. For now get a digital camera and get lots of pix, before and during, as they deliver and unstep because something about that will not be so obvious later. Make the beginning of your ownership more about how best to sail and have fun rather than how to get the hardware into the water.
I would not personall trailer a 26 weighing over 6000 lbs
I built a tandem trailer with brakes for a 24-foot S2 that weighs 3450 pounds and frankly even that is a lot of boat sitting on a tandem trailer. I would not want to be onloading and offloading even a swing keel with a boat that weighs in double that at 6000+ pounds. If you ever had the slightest issue slipping off the trailer you would have a huge problem finding anyone in a marina that could help it would take a pretty hefty crane to set her back on the trailer. Plus looking at the trailer beware of trailer ratings, they are often fairly agressive and don't consider how the trailer will work out over the long haul with the boats dead weight sitting on it for years at a time. Because you are considering sailing her off the trailer, presumably you would want to do that often. Just seems like a lot of boat weight wise for dry sailing. You could always try it a few times and see how long it takes you to put her in and park setup and go. I guess I am getting too old for that much work.
Regards
S2 7.3 owner
Austin Texas
I built a tandem trailer with brakes for a 24-foot S2 that weighs 3450 pounds and frankly even that is a lot of boat sitting on a tandem trailer. I would not want to be onloading and offloading even a swing keel with a boat that weighs in double that at 6000+ pounds. If you ever had the slightest issue slipping off the trailer you would have a huge problem finding anyone in a marina that could help it would take a pretty hefty crane to set her back on the trailer. Plus looking at the trailer beware of trailer ratings, they are often fairly agressive and don't consider how the trailer will work out over the long haul with the boats dead weight sitting on it for years at a time. Because you are considering sailing her off the trailer, presumably you would want to do that often. Just seems like a lot of boat weight wise for dry sailing. You could always try it a few times and see how long it takes you to put her in and park setup and go. I guess I am getting too old for that much work.
Regards
S2 7.3 owner
Austin Texas
I pull a 10,000# skidsteer on a 2,000# tandem trailer on a farily regular basis for my business...(12,000gvwr)
That's the flatbed I'm taking cross country to pick up my boat...
I figure a bare bones bunk trailer will weigh half that and suddenly 6,500# is a piece of cake..
It's all relative I guess...
But I have officially taken my boat out of the "Trailer Sailer" catagory (see apology above...) and will be looking at "dry slips" or parking on the hard on my trailer , mast up, and just launching when I choose to go out.
Yes I loose a little of the "daysailing quicky" but I live too far to justify the drive if it's not for the weekend...
I still have my small cat for the local lake fix...
That's the flatbed I'm taking cross country to pick up my boat...
I figure a bare bones bunk trailer will weigh half that and suddenly 6,500# is a piece of cake..
It's all relative I guess...
But I have officially taken my boat out of the "Trailer Sailer" catagory (see apology above...) and will be looking at "dry slips" or parking on the hard on my trailer , mast up, and just launching when I choose to go out.
Yes I loose a little of the "daysailing quicky" but I live too far to justify the drive if it's not for the weekend...
I still have my small cat for the local lake fix...
- Status