What is the largest trailerable sailboat?
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
Trailorable boats
Hi:
I currently own a Mac26C. I sold my Cherubini Hunter33 because it was too much work for me (I'm 76) to clean and refurbish the bottom paint, step and unstep the mast for the winter at my club (on Lake Ontario, in Toronto) etc. I still wanted a boat that would sail well and tow behind my 1.8 l, 4 cyl. car. Any boat is a compromise, but the water ballast really works well!
I have never bought a new boat so my recommendations are for GOOD use boats. You might want to refer to the magazine, Good Old Boats.
Look at the Hunter 25, the Capital Yachts Neptune 24 (I owned one and had a custom built trailer with 48 rollers and a power winch, sorry I sold it, the current owner bought it 20 years ago and loves it, won't sell it back to me.) Also the San Juan 25, and finally, the C&C 30 ft. trailerable, if you can find one. My $.02 anyway.
Hi:
I currently own a Mac26C. I sold my Cherubini Hunter33 because it was too much work for me (I'm 76) to clean and refurbish the bottom paint, step and unstep the mast for the winter at my club (on Lake Ontario, in Toronto) etc. I still wanted a boat that would sail well and tow behind my 1.8 l, 4 cyl. car. Any boat is a compromise, but the water ballast really works well!
I have never bought a new boat so my recommendations are for GOOD use boats. You might want to refer to the magazine, Good Old Boats.
Look at the Hunter 25, the Capital Yachts Neptune 24 (I owned one and had a custom built trailer with 48 rollers and a power winch, sorry I sold it, the current owner bought it 20 years ago and loves it, won't sell it back to me.) Also the San Juan 25, and finally, the C&C 30 ft. trailerable, if you can find one. My $.02 anyway.
Try a tri- a Corsair 28 or 31 would really expand your cruising ground, they are designed to be portable, and sail better than almost anything else on a trailer. Many already have a custom trailer. Or, if you are little more determined...
Attachments
I have a Hake Yachts Seaward 32RK with a trailer. The boat has a Vertically retracting keel, is setup so one person can rig/unrig and tow it. The manufacturer is in Stuart FL--check them out. My trailer is in Florida while I and the boat are in the Caribbean!
Indeed. Not for everyone for sure. I guess it depends on you much and how far you actually trailer. Anyway I know guys who haul around 13 feet wide 14 feet tall First 36.7s to regattas all the time, and have no problem pulling the permits. Some time and cash.
On the other hand, limiting the beam to 8.5 once you get to say 26 feet of LOA starts to effect the design in negative ways, and for sure effects the potential volume inside the boat. For a 34 footer, my money says the designer made the right choice with that beam.
ON THE OTHER HAND...
Now my buddy Bob Perry would be sad if I didn't give a shout-out to a production boat he signed to be shipped anywhere in the world via a container. This means less than forty feet LOA, and less than 8 feet of beam.
Bob does his magic, and ta-da, the Far Harbor 39. 39LOA x 8 foot beam. Ocean ready boat. Trailerable too, without permits. At 14k lbs big pickups can pull it.
http://www.containeryachts.com/
Now my buddy Bob Perry would be sad if I didn't give a shout-out to a production boat he signed to be shipped anywhere in the world via a container. This means less than forty feet LOA, and less than 8 feet of beam.
Bob does his magic, and ta-da, the Far Harbor 39. 39LOA x 8 foot beam. Ocean ready boat. Trailerable too, without permits. At 14k lbs big pickups can pull it.
http://www.containeryachts.com/
This is a great subject for me. I have been looking for the largest semi-trailerable sailboat for a few years now. Not ready to pull the trigger yet but still looking for as much info as I can find. The OP said if I am not mistaken he wants to trailer up and down the coast. Anything over 8'6" requires permits on the interstate. Once you get off the interstate it is 8' in some states others 8'6". If you was going to trailer in one or two states you could buy a year permit with little cost. Price varies from state to state. However, if you start crossing several states the price starts getting expensive really quick. Just my opinion but the Catalina 27 seems to be the best fit for me and what I am looking for. Yes it is 3" over width but seriously doubt you will be getting a ticket but then again its possible. I have read several threads where people have towed them long distance with no permits and no problems. With over 6000 produced you will have no problem finding one. They are tough boats not bluewater but they have circled the globe more than once. Price point, toughness, and availability, best bang for your buck. Almost forgot you need at least 3/4 ton diesel for towing. In my opinion.
That beam width cuts both ways. That's why we think our 8 feet, at 27 feet LOA, is the “sweet spot” Street legal without a permit in all 50 states. And fits in a shipping container.
Good friends (E&E Zacko - http://www.enezacko.com ) sailed as far west as New Caledonia where there were MANY boats piling up not wanting to cross the Red Sea, and almost all the storage areas filled with boats in the same position. The cost to ship for most of the boats (Dockwise and the like) was as much as the worth of the boats! The Zackos slipped there boat (a sister ship to ours) in a flat top shipping container They had it shipped to [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Le Havre, France.[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif] And for about only $3K!!! Try that with a 30+ footer.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]But I don't think that is what we are talking about here. Bigger is not always better. I think build quality is the biggie. For us, we know our craft is capable of handling way more than us. We do do open water, so that is more important than seating 8 in the cockpit.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]If we were not cruising full time for about 50% of the year, we might choose to downsize to something like the [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Montgomery 17, or something small and easy. I tried to get Jill to let me get one for our “summer home”. But she thinks one boat at a time is good.....
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[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Greg[/FONT]
I hear what you are saying about length. Pick what works. But what you cannot get around is LWL = boatspeed. Something like that Far Harbor 39s average boatspeed while passagemaking will be 50% higher than a 27 footer, that saves days on passages and is much safer.
I agree faster (Far LWL 38 - Calculated speed 8.26 Knots, Nor'Sea LWL 25 - Calculated speed 6.70 Knots).
I do not agree safer.
Greg
Greg,I agree faster (Far LWL 38 - Calculated speed 8.26 Knots, Nor'Sea LWL 25 - Calculated speed 6.70 Knots).
I do not agree safer.
Greg
Your boat is a tough critter for sure, no Question. When I say safer I don't mean in all ways, but safer for two reason that I mentioned, that are a direct function of length.
Stability - A measure of a boat resistance to capsize. By far the largest factor is LENGTH. The Stability Index will be much higher/better.
Speed. That 39 will spend most of the time at 7 knots. Your 27 at 4. That is a HUGE difference. During a 48 hour span on a passage, the bigger boat will be over 140 miles farther along, and that equals the ability to get away from weather.
Of course none of that matters if you're coastal cruising, and most of these boats will be!
Clay
Until Mike gets back to us with where they envision sailing our posts are more about what we might like to have vs. what would work best for them.
Just an opinion, but where, inland lakes and coastal vs. just coastal is big in picking out a boat that will fit their needs. Some of these boats being suggested just aren't a very good idea if I want to sail Lake Mead and then pack up and sail Lake Taho and then maybe up to Flathead Lake or over to lakes in the east and throw in a trip down in the keys, etc..
Sumner
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Just an opinion, but where, inland lakes and coastal vs. just coastal is big in picking out a boat that will fit their needs. Some of these boats being suggested just aren't a very good idea if I want to sail Lake Mead and then pack up and sail Lake Taho and then maybe up to Flathead Lake or over to lakes in the east and throw in a trip down in the keys, etc..
Sumner
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Our MacGregor 26-S Pages
Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida
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No doubt. I think I said that a page ago. Who knows if he'll show again. In the mean time, we're just killing time talking about boats. I'm a fan. I learn from everything I read. No one is forcing you to read it.
I agree that these threads are more than just for the original poster. This thread is packed with good information for anybody looking for a larger trailer sailer. The idea of shipping a boat over seas by container is something I had thought about but thought it might be another hair brained idea, glad to see it has been done before.
Yea I know and I'm guilty of it also. It wasn't the discussion, just trying to maybe get Mike back on here with what they are trying to achieve,
Sumner
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================
Our Endeavour 37
Our MacGregor 26-S Pages
Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida
Mac-Venture Links[/FONT]
I sure agree that "none of that matters if you're coastal cruising, and most of these boats will be!"
I always thought the resistance to capsize was tied more to keel weight/depth in relation to beam and sail area carried.
When I go to the US Sailing site (http://www.sailingcourse.com/keelboat/cal__capsize.htm) I see that the Far is 1.26 and 1.56 for the Nor'Sea - UNLOADED. So they both look good.
I also see a LOT of talk very often about outrunning weather. In close to shore this is a subject that should be considered. But once "out there" it's more of deal with what ya got, and PLANNING is more important. From my old days in the sky, often we could not outrun the storm in an aircraft.
So talking about outrunning it in ANY sailing craft is sort of just talk. At least in my mind. Jill and I have been caught in a couple of storms , but it was more my planning than anything to do with speed.Looks like a lot of good info posted in the thread. I hope the OP got what he needed and is happy with any decision he makes.
Greg