Small, easy soloing daysailing sailboat choice?

A

apell

.
Aug 28, 2018
33
O'Day 12 Kingston
Hello.
I am sure this question has been posed a million times: but....
I am looking at two small, easy to sail single-handed sailboats to sail on the Hudson, just south of Albany, NY. The Hudson is a tidal river, can have a combined current of 6+ knots when the tide's going out, and the winds can be iffy.
The two boats I'm looking at are both Sparkman and Stephens: the Blue Jay and the Mercury sloop (15 footer). Are they basically the same boat?
I am not a very experienced sailor at all, so these seem manageable. This will be my first (and last boat.) I want to be able to trailer it home, not park or moor it anywhere.
I don't have friends who have any interest in sailing. So, I don't need a big cockpit to fit all my friends into, cause it ain't happening. And I won't be cruising or camping in it. Just day sailing. I've looked at the O'Day Daysailer. I like it, but not for me. A Mariner is nice, too...but it's too big for me. I don't want a Laser or Zuma or Sunfish.
Oh, and I have zero interest in racing or having a thrilling sail. I'd love to have a Cape Cod Typhoon, but impossible to trailer and it means dockage or mooring fees, or belonging to a yacht club, to the tune of 2k/annum.
Ideas? Silly, "hear-we-go-again," question?
It will just be me, the boat, the water, and the wind. Oh, one more thing...THe Hudson can have some big ships heading up to Albany and back to NYC, so I'd need a little auxiliary something aboard to get out of the way i case the wind dies...which it does..and often. ...
THanks.
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,151
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Both are nice daysailors.
I enjoyed my Montgomery 15... A great solo day sailor. Even enough space to take a nap.
Easily trailerable. Did it for 18 years all over the Pacific NW. I could camp out and did occasionally, but most of the sailing was to pop the boat off the trailer, sail for several hours and then bring her home.
Advantage over the other two boats, she was a dry boat to sail. Decent height boat coamings that allowed me to sit inside the boat not on the side deck.
1688318522704.jpeg


Check out the various boats in Small Craft Advisor Magazine - Online Store
 
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jssailem

jssailem

.
Oct 22, 2014
21,151
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Another West Coast boat that would work on the waters you describe is a Scamp.

SCAMP Sailboat - Small Craft Advisor

Our own youthful dreams often featured small boats in starring roles. Aboard these simple, stalwart little vessels we'd venture across nebulous bodies of water in search of distant wild shorelines or uncharted islands. We'd land, hike into the interior, and make camp.
smallcraftadvisor.com smallcraftadvisor.com
 
A

apell

.
Aug 28, 2018
33
O'Day 12 Kingston
jssailem said:
Both are nice daysailors.
I enjoyed my Montgomery 15... A great solo day sailor. Even enough space to take a nap.
Easily trailerable. Did it for 18 years all over the Pacific NW. I could camp out and did occasionally, but most of the sailing was to pop the boat off the trailer, sail for several hours and then bring her home.
Advantage over the other two boats, she was a dry boat to sail. Decent height boat coamings that allowed me to sit inside the boat not on the side deck.
View attachment 217451

Check out the various boats in Small Craft Advisor Magazine - Online Store
Click to expand
Sweet looking boat. RIght. One thing I would rather not have to do is hike by body out to keep it flat. A few years ago, I took my just-purchased (at the time) Vanguard 420 up to Lake Champlain. I had no idea it was a trapezing race boat. My buddy and I on took her out, the breeze picked up a bit, and we were flying. But...too much for me.
So...hmm....thanks...
 
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jssailem

jssailem

.
Oct 22, 2014
21,151
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I really enjoyed her. Sold her to a guy (80 years young) so I could buy my next boat.
He sailed that boat for several years on Lake Coeur d'Alene, ID.
One time I saw a Montgomery at the start of a race challenged bay a 36ft C&C at the line. The C&C boom swung over and hooked the starboard shroud. The Montgomery was hauled around and dragged before they could get free. When they popped up the owner sailed her back to the marina where the mast and standing rigging was repaired. She was out on the water a week later. Tough little boats.
 
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RussC

RussC

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Sep 11, 2015
1,580
Merit 22- Oregon lakes
I enjoyed a Victoria 18 I owned for a couple years. of the dozen or so sailboats I've owned it was the quickest and easiest to setup and breakdown, which can get really old when daysailing. very light mast goes up with one hand etc. an excellent fun/cost factor.
 
shemandr

shemandr

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Jan 1, 2006
7,087
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
The OP's inquiry is almost the description of the Rhodes 19 (With keel).
sailboatdata.com

RHODES 19 - sailboatdata

The RHODES 19 has it’s origins with HURRICANE class (1945) which was a molded plywood centerboarder with an open cockpit built by Allied Aviation Corp. Another builder, Palmer Scott, purchased a number of unfinished HURRICANE hulls, added a foredeck with cuddy cabin, and a fixed keel. This boat...
sailboatdata.com sailboatdata.com
This is a trailerable boat. I used to live in Albany and there are many more opportunities to sail other than the Hudson River for a boat like this. The key is the trailer. There are numerous lakes some large some small. Lake George, Ontario, Champlain are all with in distance. Not to mention many more. Plenty to enjoy!
I would prefer the keel version over the centerboard although the centerboard is viable too.
 
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Sailfanatic

Sailfanatic

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Jul 19, 2013
384
Pearson 31-2 Boston
shemandr said:
The OP's inquiry is almost the description of the Rhodes 19 (With keel).
sailboatdata.com

RHODES 19 - sailboatdata

The RHODES 19 has it’s origins with HURRICANE class (1945) which was a molded plywood centerboarder with an open cockpit built by Allied Aviation Corp. Another builder, Palmer Scott, purchased a number of unfinished HURRICANE hulls, added a foredeck with cuddy cabin, and a fixed keel. This boat...
sailboatdata.com sailboatdata.com
This is a trailerable boat. I used to live in Albany and there are many more opportunities to sail other than the Hudson River for a boat like this. The key is the trailer. There are numerous lakes some large some small. Lake George, Ontario, Champlain are all with in distance. Not to mention many more. Plenty to enjoy!
I would prefer the keel version over the centerboard although the centerboard is viable too.
Click to expand
The R19 is a nice trailerable boat, as long you you have a lift to launch and retrieve the boat. Launching right off the trailer is pretty difficult...maybe not impossible...but not commonly done.
The OP might look for a Harpoon 5.2, which can in fact be sailed right off/on a trailer.
www.sailrite.com

Boston Whaler Harpoon 5.2 Sail Data

DetailsThe Boston Whaler Harpoon 5.2 is a 17 foot daysailer with a big enough cockpit and ample storage space to also be a day cruiser. The harpoon 5.2 has a self bailing cockpit that works whether the boat is moving or not, no fill ups when on a mooring. The foam sandwich construction makes the...
www.sailrite.com www.sailrite.com
 
S

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,070
Currently Boatless Okinawa
Have you seen or sailed a Catalina Capri 16.5? It may be too little boat, weight wise, but I loved teaching in them. They are pretty much uncapsizable. Two downsides: if you are singlehanded, the jib halyard seems a long way from the tiller; and I don't know what the options are for mounting a small outboard. Our club's copies did not have any outboards.

ETA: I don't know how easy it is to launch and recover from a trailer. Half of our fleet was on trailers, but we hoisted the boats into the water with a crane. Therefore, this post may not be much help. Which is a shame, it's a cool keel boat, for those that just don't care for Sunfish, Snark, etc. size.
 
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Joe

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,008
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Take a look at the Lido 14. Very popular boat, easy to sail. Plenty of room to take a nap, carry a cooler, and some tunes... but strictly a daysailer..
A small auxilary motor will fit nicely on the transom. I is NOT tippy. It is heavy enough to handle choppy conditions, but easy to launch off the trailer. Ours had a winch on the trailer's mast prop(like the one in the pic below) that made retrieval a snap for one person.
Keep all the rigging and gear in the cockpit under the boat cover. ready to go sailing at the instant you get the craving to go sailing.
Many of the sailing schools.... whether it be clubs, colleges or community organizations use Lido's... so it's easy to find used boats, parts and most importantly... help and advice. Oh, and the company that designed and built them is still in business.
Here's an example: I love these boats so much, Here's another example
 
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S

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,070
Currently Boatless Okinawa
Just had another thought: What about a Buccaneer 18? My dad had one for about 15 years, and I sailed in it once or twice. Don't remember much except a) it was trailered, and b) my dad could step and unstep the mast by himself. it is not a keelboat. It was built by various companies, my Dad's was a Chrysler.
 
rgranger

rgranger

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Jan 19, 2010
12,394
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
With a six plus tidal currents you’re going to want a boat large enough to have a small outboard on it …otherwise you can get stuck going to wrong way when you need to get home before dark. And even with an outboard, you gonna wanna pay attention to the timing of the tide swings
 
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jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,151
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I enjoyed the Lido 14 in my youth. It was not too tippy as @Joe shares... I have tipped them over many times learning and racing. If your quick and agile, you can step over the side onto the centerboard and they will come right back up... Again quick and agile you can step into the cockpit and not get wet beyond your knees. That said they are a fun boat. Excellent boat for instruction. Inexpensive to buy and maintain (unless you are on the racing circuit then that is a horse of a different color). Sailed the Lido in the Chesapeake and San Diego bay. I think a Lido would handle the waters of the Hudson just fine. A small motor maybe 2hp or one of the new electrics would serve well.
 
PaulK

PaulK

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Dec 1, 2009
1,241
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
The Mercury and Blue Jay are NOT the same boat. You do NOT want a Blue Jay to sail singlehanded. It was designed as a trainer for junior sailors so they could learn how to sail, race, and use spinnakers. (Getting them ready for another S&S boat, the Lightning.) It is good for two (or three) kids, whose combined weight might come to 200 pounds. The jib sheets, spinnaker sheets, main sheet and tiller call for having at least four hands available to deal with them. Putting even a lightweight motor on the transom will hobble its sailing performance, and an adult doesn't really fit with the boat. Sitting on the floorboards will not be comfortable, and sitting on the side decks will raise the boat's center of gravity, making it top-heavy. Stepping and unstepping the mast is not particularly tricky, but it isn't as easy as some newer designs might be. As others have suggested, there are other boats out there that would be better suited to what you need.
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,151
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
While the focus of responding ideas has been light weight plastic boats there are a few wooden designs that might be interesting.
Here are a couple of images.
1688477055618.jpeg


1688477192696.jpeg
 
patbratton

patbratton

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Jun 12, 2021
285
Hunter 240 Aqualand Marina, Lake Lanier
I learned to sail at YMCA Camp Lakewood, Potosi, Missouri. I started on a small pram and moved up to an X-Boat. I enjoyed it so much I built n 18 ft. Sloop designed by William Cox named Rebel. It was similar to a Lighting. There is a true joy in a small boat when you are by yourself. I sailed on the Mississippi North of Portage De Sioux. I like a boat with a hard chine. I now have a Hunter 240 and I am still not comfortable with a house in the middle of my boat. I almost bought a Thistle but I knew that the family would prefer a cabin boat. I looked at a West Wright Potter 15 and 19 but they seemed a little boxy. If I were in your situation I think that I might try a Beetle Cat 14. Boats are like planes, cars, and motorcycles, none are perfect.
sailboatdata.com

BEETLE 14 - sailboatdata

sailboatdata.com sailboatdata.com
 
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S

SFS

.
Aug 18, 2015
2,070
Currently Boatless Okinawa
jssailem said:
While the focus of responding ideas has been light weight plastic boats there are a few wooden designs that might be interesting.
Here are a couple of images....
Click to expand
@jssailem
John, that is a BEAUTIFUL boat. I'm completely ignorant as to what it is. Can you help a guy out? Is the logo on the sail for the sailmaker or the boat?
 
PaulK

PaulK

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Dec 1, 2009
1,241
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
Looks like a Hereshoff 12 1/2; Doughdish. It would be a good candidate for handling some of the conditions you'd run into on the Hudson, but might be a bit under canvassed for typical summer doldrums. (That's why Hudson River Sloops like the Clearwater have such big sails.) Cape Cod Shipbuilding will sell you a new one for about $50k. Another boat perhaps worth looking into might be the Buccaneer. 18' long, heavy enough to be comfortable in but light enough and with enough sail area to be able to perform.
 
jssailem

jssailem

.
Oct 22, 2014
21,151
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I thought it just looked like a daysailer I would be interested in if I was looking. Found it on a Small boats site. I'll try and look at my history for you.
 
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