Looking to buy my first daysailer and found a 1981 Vagabond 17 that seems nice.
Looking for recommendations from owners or previous owners.
Thanks
Looking for recommendations from owners or previous owners.
Thanks
Vagabond 17
- Thread starter Texsinbad
- Start date
1981 Vagabond 17 that seems nice. Looking for recommendations from owners or previous owners.
Thanks[/quote]
Hello, I just saw your post today. I hope these thoughts are worthwhile.
(1) A Vagabond 17 was our second trailerable sailboat and the first to have a cabin. At the time my wife and I had 2 children, 10 and 11 I think. We used that boat like a camper! Hauled it to Elk Neck State Park on the upper Chesapeake and stayed aboard on a campsite. Anchored off the shore a few nights, and sailed from Middle River to Annapolis once. The children slept in the V berth and my wife and I each had one side of the quarter berths. Tight fit, but doable.
(2) Initially, I thought we had a wonderful boat. Another family had one like it in the Club we had joined on Blue Marsh Lake in PA.
(3) The rainbow colored sails might have sent the wrong message if they were used in this day and age!
(4) I did not like how high it sat on the trailer because we needed a short ladder to get aboard to step or lower the mast. We could do that easily enough by adding a length of line to the forestay so my wife could pull on that as I pushed the mast to vertical. She could then hold the line while I went forward to pin the forestay.
(5) I did not like the nearly vertical transom of the boat. I always saw swirls of water aft of the hull indicating drag. Even with that small criticism I think the boat sailed better than our skill was capable of handling.
(6) Easy to load and unload. Easy to haul......we used a 4 cylinder, stick shift Chevy Citation
Respectfully, 31seahorse
Thanks[/quote]
Hello, I just saw your post today. I hope these thoughts are worthwhile.
(1) A Vagabond 17 was our second trailerable sailboat and the first to have a cabin. At the time my wife and I had 2 children, 10 and 11 I think. We used that boat like a camper! Hauled it to Elk Neck State Park on the upper Chesapeake and stayed aboard on a campsite. Anchored off the shore a few nights, and sailed from Middle River to Annapolis once. The children slept in the V berth and my wife and I each had one side of the quarter berths. Tight fit, but doable.
(2) Initially, I thought we had a wonderful boat. Another family had one like it in the Club we had joined on Blue Marsh Lake in PA.
(3) The rainbow colored sails might have sent the wrong message if they were used in this day and age!
(4) I did not like how high it sat on the trailer because we needed a short ladder to get aboard to step or lower the mast. We could do that easily enough by adding a length of line to the forestay so my wife could pull on that as I pushed the mast to vertical. She could then hold the line while I went forward to pin the forestay.
(5) I did not like the nearly vertical transom of the boat. I always saw swirls of water aft of the hull indicating drag. Even with that small criticism I think the boat sailed better than our skill was capable of handling.
(6) Easy to load and unload. Easy to haul......we used a 4 cylinder, stick shift Chevy Citation
Respectfully, 31seahorse
Thanks very much for the information. I will be going on a test sail within the week.
I am sure there are better boats, but with the limitation of pulling something with my Focus, I think that it will be fine.
I am not looking for a fast boat. Just something to go out on the water for the day or weekend.
I am sure there are better boats, but with the limitation of pulling something with my Focus, I think that it will be fine.
I am not looking for a fast boat. Just something to go out on the water for the day or weekend.