I dont wanna make any mistakes!!! I need a trailerable, affordable sailboat for lake sailing mainly. May have an occassional trip to the coast--Have sailed Odays b4 and thought it was gr8, but now what?? Macs reputation varies as does HUnter--Cats are aboundant, but are they what I need??? I want to spend a few nights on the boat w/ my Son, so do I need a larger boat? I want a used boat to begin with, so I can determine the allure---Any hints?? TY CHUCK
What boat to sail
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Catalina 22 or 25/250, great boats with plenty of parts available. Check their sites: C22: http://www.catalina22.org/ C25/250: http://www.catalina25-250.org/forum/
Catalina 22 or 25/250, great boats with plenty of parts available. Check their sites: C22: http://www.catalina22.org/ C25/250: http://www.catalina25-250.org/forum/
Little chance of being disappointed
If you will be only occasionally overnighting and want to really trailer the boat (keep it in your driveway and launch it every time you use it), then there are a couple of obvious choices: the Catalina 22 and the Oday 22. I wouldn't go with the Oday 23 (much heavier and more difficult to pull) or the Catalina 25 (even heavier). The biggest differences between the Oday and Catalina: the Oday is a swing centerboard, meaning the ballast is contained within a stub keel and the centerboard is relatively light and easy to raise or lower. On the Catalina, the ballast is a swing keel, which means the centerboard itself contains the ballast and requires a crank system to raise and lower. I prefer the Oday system. Note that some old models of the Oday 22 did not have a centerboard, only the stub keel. I would avoid these as they do not sail as well as the centerboard models. On the Oday, the "head" is separated from the cabin by a bulkhead with a door; on the Catalina, the portapotti is under the v-berth and practically in the main cabin. You can rig a privacy curtain, but if there is one thing I have learned that is important to women on board, its head privacy. Just you and your son? Maybe not an issue at all. The Catalina 22 was available as a pop-top. This provides standing headroom in the main cabin. A big plus. I don't think the Oday 22 was ever offered with this option. One other difference is that Catalina is still in business and they still support all of the old boats. I don't think this is a huge advantage, but some like the fact that OEM parts are available. Also, the Catalina 22 is the most popular production sailboat ever and tends to hold its value. You can probably find either boat with a trailer for around than $5000. Either way, you will have a great boat and won't be disappointed.
If you will be only occasionally overnighting and want to really trailer the boat (keep it in your driveway and launch it every time you use it), then there are a couple of obvious choices: the Catalina 22 and the Oday 22. I wouldn't go with the Oday 23 (much heavier and more difficult to pull) or the Catalina 25 (even heavier). The biggest differences between the Oday and Catalina: the Oday is a swing centerboard, meaning the ballast is contained within a stub keel and the centerboard is relatively light and easy to raise or lower. On the Catalina, the ballast is a swing keel, which means the centerboard itself contains the ballast and requires a crank system to raise and lower. I prefer the Oday system. Note that some old models of the Oday 22 did not have a centerboard, only the stub keel. I would avoid these as they do not sail as well as the centerboard models. On the Oday, the "head" is separated from the cabin by a bulkhead with a door; on the Catalina, the portapotti is under the v-berth and practically in the main cabin. You can rig a privacy curtain, but if there is one thing I have learned that is important to women on board, its head privacy. Just you and your son? Maybe not an issue at all. The Catalina 22 was available as a pop-top. This provides standing headroom in the main cabin. A big plus. I don't think the Oday 22 was ever offered with this option. One other difference is that Catalina is still in business and they still support all of the old boats. I don't think this is a huge advantage, but some like the fact that OEM parts are available. Also, the Catalina 22 is the most popular production sailboat ever and tends to hold its value. You can probably find either boat with a trailer for around than $5000. Either way, you will have a great boat and won't be disappointed.
I am not a Hunter owner
I think Hunters get bad rapped becasue many of us do not care for their looks. Seaward makes trailerable boats that look to me, to be much better made than the Oday/Hunter/Cats, which are not bad boats. My guess is that you pay for the Seawards.
I think Hunters get bad rapped becasue many of us do not care for their looks. Seaward makes trailerable boats that look to me, to be much better made than the Oday/Hunter/Cats, which are not bad boats. My guess is that you pay for the Seawards.
Hi Ty The boats suggested here would all work for you. I own a Catalina 27, and love it, but it is not easily trailered. On the other hand a Catalina 22 or 25 can be trailered and they would make an excellent day-sailer or overnight boat. Have you ever heard of a boat called a Luger? These were kit boats sold by a builder in Chicago. The boat kits were heavily built, and designed for the Great Lakes in general. The problems with some of these boats is that since they were kits the finishing may not be what you want. On the other hand the Luger 28 and 30 both have an 8 foot beam and were designed for a trailer. The builder shut down in 1997 or so, but you can find these boats online. Because they were a kit boat they are less expensive than a production boat. Take a look at www.lugerboats.com (see the link).
old mac 26
we had a helsen 22 which is simularto the cat 22. The swing keel makes a great bottom finder!!We then bought a 1988 Macgregor 26.It was easy to tow and launch. It was also very much faster than the helsen or a catalina 22. The private head and large aft berth are great. In warmweather we slept up in the bow which was comfortable with the hatch open tocatch a breeze. Don't buy too much boat to trailer as loading and unloading can be a real pain with 40 bass boats waiting to launch. Cold water is also a factor as you will usually have to wade to get the boat properly seated on it's trailer. I really dislike the new mac 26 and wouldn't even consider buying one. But we owned our old 1988 for 8 years and had a lot of fun on it. tom
we had a helsen 22 which is simularto the cat 22. The swing keel makes a great bottom finder!!We then bought a 1988 Macgregor 26.It was easy to tow and launch. It was also very much faster than the helsen or a catalina 22. The private head and large aft berth are great. In warmweather we slept up in the bow which was comfortable with the hatch open tocatch a breeze. Don't buy too much boat to trailer as loading and unloading can be a real pain with 40 bass boats waiting to launch. Cold water is also a factor as you will usually have to wade to get the boat properly seated on it's trailer. I really dislike the new mac 26 and wouldn't even consider buying one. But we owned our old 1988 for 8 years and had a lot of fun on it. tom
TY
The Cat 25 w swing keel is certainly in competition--The Mac 26D seems to be trailerable and a combo boat--but I havent seen one in person yet---Going to Atlanta mid January to look over there-- TYVM Chuck
The Cat 25 w swing keel is certainly in competition--The Mac 26D seems to be trailerable and a combo boat--but I havent seen one in person yet---Going to Atlanta mid January to look over there-- TYVM Chuck
Here's my experience, with OPINION...
I and 1st Matie are middle aged, and we wanted safety, ease of set up, comfort, and accomodations for overnighting. We enjoyed our Mac 26-S, but wanted a little more cabin space and moved up to the Mac 26-X. We've found these boats to be all that theyre said to be, and very trailerable because of the water ballast system. This boat is the Best for the Buck. It sails well, and incidentally...we left the Mast & Sails home over the New Years Day and overnighted on a very nice Mac 26-X Cabin Cruizer. You'll find this boat very versatile. It floats when flooded which is a great safety feature. Swing keel & rudders for shallows and beaching is a well designed feature. Check these boats out, you'll like a Mac 26-S, or the bigger engine and cabin space of the Mac 26-X. I havent met a disappointed MacGregor owner yet, and we have about 10 Mac Owners in our Marina.
I and 1st Matie are middle aged, and we wanted safety, ease of set up, comfort, and accomodations for overnighting. We enjoyed our Mac 26-S, but wanted a little more cabin space and moved up to the Mac 26-X. We've found these boats to be all that theyre said to be, and very trailerable because of the water ballast system. This boat is the Best for the Buck. It sails well, and incidentally...we left the Mast & Sails home over the New Years Day and overnighted on a very nice Mac 26-X Cabin Cruizer. You'll find this boat very versatile. It floats when flooded which is a great safety feature. Swing keel & rudders for shallows and beaching is a well designed feature. Check these boats out, you'll like a Mac 26-S, or the bigger engine and cabin space of the Mac 26-X. I havent met a disappointed MacGregor owner yet, and we have about 10 Mac Owners in our Marina.
gr8 stuff
Gr8 poste tyvm--I do like both 22s for all the above reasons--dont know which one has the better finish and sails best but willing to find out!!! Tya'll vm---Chuck
Gr8 poste tyvm--I do like both 22s for all the above reasons--dont know which one has the better finish and sails best but willing to find out!!! Tya'll vm---Chuck
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