Old love... or new?

[Backyard sailors]

Love of My Life

Correction reply #39 a Tempest is the sister ship of the O'Day "Outlaw". She is an O'Day Tempest not a Hunter as the site seems to have denoted her. 23'2 overall with a 1200 pound lead keel.

 

[LarryB]

Smooth as Silk

I recently sold my First 285 which served as my training wheels and my first love. In August we purchased a First 32S5 and I never expected a boat to sail so easy. A few weeks ago we arrived home after a 400 mile river trip. Club members marvel at her lines as me marvel her ease and power thru the water smooth, fast and smooth as silk.

 

[arctic john]

Love her bosom

Built my 29 footer Ohlson 12 years ago.She´s as much a woman as my wife.Likes new clothes ( sails)Loves cosmeticsSometimes nothing goes rightMoves like a girlMore or less rubens in her formsHere in Finland the story goes about old menburning their boats when the time comes

 

[Bruce Bates]

5,short,short years

My Allez is the best boat I have ever owned and my only regret is that I live in New Hampshire and have to haul her in October( the saddist month of the year)

 

[Dana R. Smith]

Sailing in Colorado?

Eric,Forgive me but where does one sail a boat in Colorado?I've been there a few times, pretty but don't recall a body of water a 28 ft boat could sail.Just curious----Dana

 

[THE PHANTOM]

My Choice

My Choice,I've own "THE PHANTOM ", SINCE 1993... She is the right size for the inland lake that I am on and closeness to where I live and where I am slipped... I can handle her by myself... She is sailing friendly... It fits me and is what I need to satisfy my inner being and self... I would rather spend my time sailing then taking care of teak, cleaning heads, winterizing any more then I absolute have to and etc., etc....

 

[Marlin15349]

Thirty two years

I enjoyed reading the boat histories people sent in.I bought my MacGregor Venture 15' Catamaran 32 years ago. She was a wild & difficult craft to learn to sail with. Most people sold them in frustration. With experience & high winds she will easly out run other catamarans. Even as an old fart, I love to bring it to the edge in a strong wind. I have a power boat but still love the pull of the wind and the challenge of sailing. I hope to continue sailing her for many more years.Marlin

 

[Steve Hunter]

Just a Quick Fling

I've had her for two years. On balance it has been a pleasure but would gladly trade up to a center cock pit. Now in my mid fifties, I like ease of handling and better visibility. I have had my eye on a Hunter 42 Passage...can't aford a new one but actually prefer the older models 90'-94'. The newer ones seem a bit more plastic to me and I don't like the rubber toe rails. Of course if I won the lottery I would run down to the Hinckley dealer in a flash! I view owning a high production boat like most cars...not very unique and most models don't stay in production long enough to get the bugs out.

 

[Tricia and Richard Rogers]

Problem Solved with a Gift

I still own my first car and it's about to celebrate its 50 th. birthday. That just illustrates how I get attached to things. Now that my wife and I are both retired, she brought me finally to the understanding that if we were going to take longer cruises, it would have to be in a more accommodating boat. One of the obsticles was how to turn loose of the first boat, which we sailed for 14 years. My wife's creative solution was to keep it in the family by giving it to my son.Last fall we bought a used Catalina 320 and this spring put the other boat on the hard to do a long overdue bottom job and make a number of improvements before putting it on a truck. As summer approached, my worst nightmare was that I would enter hurricane season with not one but two boats to worry about. Finding a transporter was an adventure but ended well.

 

[Susan]

4 Weeks! First Sailboat/First boat

I just bought my boat, which my husband hasnamed Dream Lady!We had her in the water for 2 weeks, herMaiden sail! I'm learning to sail. I amon-line every chance I get to read aboutothers adventures. Thank You!I can't wait until we take her out again.There is much to be learned aboard ship.We will probably head out again late Marchor early April, a trip South should findsome better weather than we have here inOhio. Stay tuned............I have a great story to get posted on ourWeb site about our first adventure!

 

[susan]

:0 Our boat is a MacGregor 26M

I welcome conversation from seasoned MacGregor owners as well as Newbies to sailing!

 

[John23891]

Catalina Capri 18 Pocket Cruiser

I have sailed off and on for 40 years, but always on just 12-14 foot daysailers (Telstar 12, Snark Wildflower, Sur Nomad 14). I started to sail the Great Salt Lake last year and saw a Capri 18 I just fell in love with in a slip at the GSL marina. Less than a year later, I found a 1998 model for only $5K in California. My insurance company told me it is worth considerably more. And it looks like new to me. However I had to spend lots of money on a brand new trailer which wiped out the savings from the good boat price. I taught myself how to weld so I could make a super-long tongue extension for the trailer. The trailer manufacturer said it couldn't be done because of the wing keel shape, but I found a way quickly and got the job done.Initially I had many problems with my unnamed C18 : hard to raise mast when sailing alone, hard to trailer when alone due to the deep keel. I have figured out solutions for every challenge. Top challenge was having to anchor the boat twice each trip when trailering. Solution was to use only lakes with marinas or long docks and tie up and "anchor" to a nearby marina slip or edge of a dock and then just walk the dock from the boat to the car/trailer to remove them from the ramp. I do need to also use a small inflatable boat because the sailboat has to be so far from the ramp edge in order to float. I found a simple solution on the internet for raising the mast when I'm alone, but won't know till this weekend whether it will work for me. The boat is a joy to sail, a joy to look at, so stable in high wind and sails much faster in low wind than my old daysailers did. And is easy to clean due to its small size. I can do overnight trips now because of the cabin and when I sit in the cockpit and l look around me I feel like I finally own a real sailboat! I often get compliments about my shapely little C18 pocket cruiser.I have thought of trading for a boat with water ballast and retractable centerboard and not thus not have to bother with the inflatable boat, but I will not try that except after a full sailing season with my C18 which I haven't had yet. It's so easy to jump right in and sail away from a rented slip, but then sailing in just one lake can be boring as well as expensive.If you like trailering your boat, check out trailersailor.com on your computer.

 

[Joe]

love at first site

well i consider my self a new sailor. All i can say is I got the first taste at sailing and the rest is history. Now iam a sailing junky.LOL I still own my first boat/I have my 74 catalina 22.I would love to go to the C25 but my 22 is so musch easier to haul around and take care of. I chose to stay with the 22 and do less work and sail more.Dont get me wrong i can use a little more space but my 22 name WHISPER will be my first LOVE peace Joe Pauley NY

 

[Jan]

Oday 23

Last July my husband found this boat. It was on the ground laying on it's side full of garbage. He asked what they wanted for it, and they said "if you can figure out how to get it out of here, you can have it".Not even a challenge for my husband!We got it home, cleaned it up, ordered new sails, and painted the bottom. Just enough to get it in the water.We love it!!Made alot of mistakes though, since we've been learning as we go. But we're joining a sailclub next year that has adult lessons.I would like to keep this one for acouple of years, then get something with a few more creature comforts.

 

[Jim Oursler]

A boat for all seasons.. doesn't exist

I have had many loves. It seems that the perfect boat is very situational. A fleet is much more desirable.. for cruising, racing, weather, style... Let me see if I can remember the chronology over the past 8 years...Peason 26 small below decks, roomy cockpit, nice one design class, tiller with outboard or inboard.Catalina 30 roomy above and below decks, but slow. Older models have tiller with awkward engine controls. Newer have wheel. Beneteau First 235 stylish, teller, trailerable with winged keel, but cramped interior. Can't recall traveler position. Outboard is awkward, to say the least. S2 7.9 Good boat for the north, trailerable, but small below deck and that traveler in middle of companionway can be a pain. The 600 pound retractable keel has undersized lift system, and not the easiest mast to raise. Outboard or inboard versions were made. Mostly Tiller. J22 great training and racing boat. overall fun for all ages. Below decks good only for storage. Great to race.. did I say that before? Traveler mid cockpit is a bummer. Excellent light air or heavy air. Outboard a bit awkward. Tiller only. Hunter 34 reliable, stable in heavy seas, roomy, and fun to race. Wheel and autopilot make it great for cruising. Have had the 34 for 4 years. Every boat has its features. If you are like me and seeking a one boat does all... go for the Hunters... or a larger J-boat with interior

 

[mike C16582]

Capt. Dave, was that you

Capt. Dave Hoyt, I saw your post and the pic of your boat. Were you sailing down the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie NY at the end of October?? Isaw your boat from my Club (there's not too many all yellow boats) Long trip. EnjoyMike C.

 

[fitz7525]

My first love

My H466 is my first boat. I am just finishing up my first season with her. The boat is perfect for my current situation and we are very happy together.In five years I hope to make the Decision and go cruising. By then I may feel differently about the perfect boat.

 

[Pat]

Mountain sailors

Check out www.rmsail.org, the website of the Sailing Association of Intermountain Lakes and contact those folks for current lake conditions. Dillon, very high altitude, is popular in summer; Granby up toward Wyoming is pretty big; Cherry Creek within the Denver Metro area is smaller. Our family lives and sails mostly in New Mexico, which has a few lakes that also support larger boats. Elephant Butte Lake (see Rio Grande Sailing Club web site at www.rgsc.org), formerly New Mexico's largest (before recent droughts), has 35-footers, though J24s, MacGregors, and Catalina 25s and 22s are more common. Navajo Lake on the Colorado-NM border also has some good-sized boats.

 

[Ken Proper]

The First and Second to Last

The Flying Crane is my first – my trainer. I have had her since last spring and love her deeply. Even though she is only an 18-footer, I have already spent several nights on the Potomac and plan to spend more this winter.I plan to retire in five years, then upgrade to the Catalina Morgan 440 and cruise where ever the wind takes me. I fell in love with the Morgan at the Annapolis Boat Show.

 

[Art]

Xanadu (Capri 16)

My Capri 16 is my second sailboat. Its a little small in the cabin, but the cabin very much used and makes the boat complete. It sails easy with one person. With my 3hp yamaha "iron wind" I pulled a 21 Bayliner (power boat) off of Lake Erie last spring. I read up where a capri 18 owner need to use an inflatable boat after launching. I have not had that problem at all on Lake Erie (I need 3.5 feet) or the mighty Maumee River both of which are know to be shallow. But thats another story. Anyway I love the boat after only one year. Art in NW Ohio