the newbies

Joe · Jan 25, 2012

Catalina 22

Ed Schenck · Jan 25, 2012

If 22 swing is the right boat then also check out the Hunter 22. I owned a Catalina 22 and sailed on a friend's Hunter 22. I found the Hunter cockpit better for single-handing and it had a much nicer interior layout.

Kermit · Jan 25, 2012

One of our sailing club members spends weekends with his wife and 3 children on their Hunter 23.5. They seem to have no trouble trailering it. It's a swing keel boat and I'm pretty sure it has a water ballast. The advantage of the water ballast is you leave around 1,000 lbs. in the lake when you pull it out. Our H23 has a wing keel that weighs about a million lbs. and is not easy for us to load onto the trailer.

I highly recommend taking lessons. I found an ASA instructor who came to my lake and spent 2 days with me. He let me exempt the first day of classroom work since I already knew what port, starboard and overboard meant.

Good luck in your search!

JWH2050 · Jan 25, 2012

I live in NWA, I have a MacGregor 26X. It is big enought for two people for and extended trip, I have taken mine down the Arkansas river from Webbers Falls OK to Baton Rouge La. I did it with my brother in law and another friend. This boat uses a water ballist system that drafts about a 12". It makes a river trip like that much easier. The Arkansas River has many state parks along the way to spend the night and has showers. It also has many places to refuel. The Mississippi River not so much but it still is very do-able. If you want to contact me, you may e-mail me at jwh@uark.edu.

Dan Johnson · Jan 25, 2012

Take a look at the Seward line of trailerable boats while you're at it...

cb32863 · Jan 25, 2012

Knowing the size of your tow vehicle is very helpful. I tow my O' Day 25 with a centerboard with my 2006 Explorer. I have the tow package as well so its not too big of deal. Towed her home 700 miles. The O' Day is very roomy inside, the Catalina 25 also comes in a swing keel configuration. All depends I guess on how much trailering you are going to be doing and how much effort you want to put in to getting set up.

MrBill_FLL · Jan 25, 2012

budget? launch once a season or every time?

for living aboard for a month... I'd be looking at 25'+

macgregor 26 classics sail pretty good, but the X has the bigger cabin, and better for motoring in the rivers.

Ross · Jan 25, 2012

I have friends that lived full time on a 27 O'Day and often stay for a week or more a a macgregor 21. They are small people so small boats work for them. The size of the people have a real impact on the need for space. Nancy and I are under five and a half feet tall and have a combined weight of less than 300 pounds. We have luxury on an Islander 30. Some people feel crowded on a boat that size for several days.

soling42 · Jan 25, 2012

Is there a price range?? For a pure trailerable sailboat experience with roominess and portability, our Hunter H260 has been a true joy. We are adventurous but anything smaller would be a serious minimalist challenge. The simplest mast stepping system, swing keel, roominess, stowage, nice sail plan, top rate Edson wheel steering. It's a great boat that if found in good shape will cost between $18k(stock) and $28k (very well rigged with good trailer and ready to go).

Everything about the 260 http://kobernus.com/hunter260/index.html

Good luck in your adventure.

finding41 · Jan 25, 2012

When I was reaserching to get our sailboat I was looking for trailerability, ease of launch and retrieval and safety. I am at least 45 min away from any of 4 great lakes. I decided on the Mac 26D. It is big enough for the 3 of us for a weekend or a week. It is very quick and simple to launch and retrieve (No slip fees either! Its in my driveway) Its light enough to pull with my caravan because of the water ballast. And if I forget what side is supposed to be up it keeps floating. Im just getting back to the water after about a 15 year hiatus and the sailing aspect will be some what new.
Theres allot to choose form out there. I found all the different boat forums most helpful. Remember they/we might be a bit bias though.
Finding

LuzSD · Jan 25, 2012

Ross said:
I have friends that lived full time on a 27 O'Day and often stay for a week or more a a macgregor 21. They are small people so small boats work for them. The size of the people have a real impact on the need for space. Nancy and I are under five and a half feet tall and have a combined weight of less than 300 pounds. We have luxury on an Islander 30. Some people feel crowded on a boat that size for several days.

Isn't that the truth.... it all depends on the size of the people. We are so comfortable on our Cat.30 and have lots of room......4 adult kids can join and we're all still just fine....... but 2 of our larger friends could not get comfortable on an overnight and another very large friend kept remarking on how small it was when she just visited for a glass of wine!

We once had 10 people inside for drinks and stories at the dock on a rainy afternoon.... granted, I was sitting on the companionway steps with rain dripping down the back of my sweatshirt, but it was fairly comfortable and fun.......

When sailing, our cockpit seems really small with 6, especially if some are not sailors. so everything depends on the situation, the people and how long the trip...

Manureva · Jan 25, 2012

san juan 23 with cooking amenity

Joe Diver · Jan 25, 2012

I'm 6'3 and 250#.

I'm good for a day and overnight on my C25; another day and maybe one more night. By day 3 I'm ready to get off. I want a shower. Something covered I can stand up in. For me personally, my C25 is only tolerable for a couple days. It's a great weekender.

I could not do a C22 for a week+.

If I had to, I could stay on my C25 much longer....given a nice slip, marina amenities (shore power, wi fi, laundry, shower, etc)....it would be better than living in a tent or under a bridge.

For me, I would want a C30 at least if I were to spend a week+ afloat. But that won't meet your trailerable or shallow draft needs.

RichB · Jan 25, 2012

I like my Hunter 23 and have enjoyed 7 days in the keys w/ 2 adults and 2 kids. We berthed at Bahia Honda for 3nights so there was showers, food and drink. Kermit is overestimating the difficulty of loading the 23 on the trailer. I now have a permanent 30 gallons of water which really helps keep things orderly. There is lots of storage room on the 23 below the berths to have dual battery banks, electric goodies etc. BUT.... Everyone has to keep their gear stowed..... No exceptions for the captain.

Joe · Jan 25, 2012

It's impossible, you see, to get a consensus for your question's answer. Now you have guys recommending 30 footers... what?

There are many boats not mentioned that would suit your purpose(West Wight Potter 19 comes to mind)...but the Cat 22 is the most popular, easiest to find, easiest to re sell, most fairly priced, best factory supported and most widely owner supported. You have a question about your boat....there's thousands of owners to help solve your problem....not to mention a simple call to Catalina custiomer service for parts and advice.....

Stu Jackson · Jan 25, 2012

j&dzwahlen said:
1. easy to handle ( for a first timer) craft with decent trailering and big and comfortable enough to spend week long vacation trips on board.

2. Were wanting to spend a summer on one of our local lakes learning the ropes as it were then next summer take it down the arkansas river to the icw then to galveston tx.

3. From what I've researched a swing keel would be our best bet. There are some shallow spots between tulsa and Arkansas ( thats as far as I've gone in a motor boat) what would you suggest?

Let's go back to the original "criteria."

1. Catalina 22 meets those. Since we don't know how big you are physically, it's hard to answer how long you can spend on the boat comfortably. Weather would have a lot to do with it, too --- if it's warm you can swim and get off the boat more often than if it's cold and you're "stuck" on board. We once spent a three day weekend hunkered down behind an island in rain and high winds. Boat got real small real fast and we were newlyweds at the time!!!

We bought our 1981 C22 in 1983 from a nice family who had two teenagers, and the family was well proportioned - not fat just big nice folks. Guess why they sold the boat?

2. If you buy the boat and decide you want something bigger, Joe's point about resale value is well taken. However, it would also work for your planned trip.

3. Shoal draft with a swing keel is a good compromise, don't forget a kickup rudder, ours didn't have one with the swing keel, but we sailed San Francisco Bay which is deep.

We eventually got a C25. What you'll find in that size range is that when you move up those few feet the volume of the boat DOUBLES. We kept the C22 for a few years, trailering it up to a lake for the summers where it stayed in the water, bringing her home for the winters and sailing it off the trailer. PITA eventually. So we bought the C25 and kept her for 13 years, fixed keel, in a slip. Much easier to use regularly. The 25 had a pop top and enclosure for bad weather, so standing headroom really helped. We spent much more time aboard, rather than the daysailing we did on the C22 when here for the winters or the two or three days (one or two overnights) on the lake.

So, as far as size alone is concerned, you have two choices: go small and see if it "fits" you, sell and move up, or buy bigger now. The differences in learning to sail the two are negligible.

Whether you go Hunter, Catalina or Mac, these "size" guidelines should help you out. The rest is based on your taste and budget and availability of boats for sale near where you live.

Good luck, and welcome to this happy group.

LuzSD · Jan 25, 2012

Joe, don't think anyone is recommending a 30ft., just making the point that a question of enough room depends on lots of different factors...