Suburban Trailer

[Chad]

Would like to know how large of a sailboat I could realistically trailer in my driveway, and have a minimum of two adults to launch. I live in a suburb of Dallas, and I have checked on the local marina fees, which seem a bit expensive. Any info would be great, Thanks.

 

[Dick]

How big is your driveway?

I've got a Hunter 26 that I launch myself. The extra help and time comes in on putting up the mast. Check your area marinas and see if any of them have mast-up storage on land. In our neck of the woods a slip would be $1000 while storage in the lot is $200. Advantage to storing on trailer is little worry about storms, no growth on hull, and no blisters.

 

[Ken Cobb]

Been there, done that

The question is not the size of your driveway, but the size of your available free time. Driveway storage commits you to raise and lower the mast for every sail, and to stow the boat and trailer for highway travel. On most boats the time you will spend doing that will be at least 75 to 90 minutes per outing.Contrast that to the two other alternatives:In a dry storage lot at your lake, the mast can be left up and the mainsail can remain on the boom. You can launch and recover the boat without ever having to put up and take down the rigging, saving those 90 minutes or so.In a marina slip, you get all of those advantages, plus the additional one of eliminating the launching and recovery time. A slip also allows you a chance to socialize with other boaters, to stay on the boat overnight, and so on.You get what you pay for in these choices.

 

[Ray Bowles]

Chad, Buy a Hunter 26 or 260 and it will fill the

driveway better than any other sailboat.We raise our mast, hang the sails, mount the OB and load the collers and gear in 1 hour. That also includes launching.We do have a slip we keep her in for the season that eliminates the raising drill but we haul her north into British Columbia once a year and the H26 is the best, and largest towable sailboat made.RayS/V Speedy

 

[Mike G]

Ray, check again!

Ray, check again. Your last statement "H26, the largest towable sailboat made" is incorrect. I own a Catalina 27 on a trailer, and know of a Catalina 30 and a Mirage 30 that are on trailers. All three are frequently on the highways visiting new sailing grounds. Each of these boats are self sufficient, in that they can be rigged and launched by the owners (usually within an hour). It all depends on what you want and what you will do to get it.

 

[Stacie & Donald Boyd "Darkside of the Moon"]

Size of driveway

Hi we also left our boat (H26) in the drive or in our case the pasture after we moved here from Midland, Tx. We now have our boat at Richland Chambers Resevoir, just outside of Fairfield. Approx. 90 miles SE of Dallas. It is called Southport Marina . There are only two. This one is brand new and has an excellent price for a year. Once you raise and lower you mast and launch a few times in the Texas heat and humidity you will really wish you had your boat on the water. You will also use it a lot more. We waited 4 years for this marina to be built (It is really in a well protected area for this lake and even has a breakwater). Good luck.