What's your average time from trailer to water

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Bill

How about input on what is your average or range of times it has taken to get the boat rigged and into the water ready for sailing. My wife is getting a bit concerned because it can take me over an hour at times to get it off and running. Consequently shes figuring on 2 hours of down time for both ends, cutting the day short etc... (I'm ready for the comments; "dump the wife, and sail longer etc!")
 
K

Ken Koons

secured dry dock to sails up on the water -1hr

I keep my boat on the trailer and rigged with the main covered and it takes me about an hour.....Loading cooler and ice aboard, attaching trailer to truck, attaching outboard and hooking up gas tank, waiting for a "window" at the busy ramps, dumping the boat in and motoring to the end of the dock and tying up, finding somewhere to park the truck and then motoring out and getting the sails up. Hoping to get that time down as we just bought the boat!
 
T

T J Furstenau

My Experience

My wife might not appreciate hearing this, but when I go out with her and the kids, from the time we arrive at the lake to pulling away from the dock is about 60-75 minutes, depending on how patient the kids are. The part she won't appreciate is that I've gone out by myself and done the same procedure in as quick as 40 minutes, no corners cut. She likes to help, and I enjoy working with her, but she doesn't know the setup as well as I, and I spend time walking her through the process. In most aspects of life, she anticipates me pretty well, but it seems when stepping the mast, she just forgets that she could be getting the short side-stays and hooking them up while I set up the gin-pole. Or that she could be undoing hold down straps while I'm hoisting the mast. Fortunately, we got a slip this year and now we walk right on and go. It's about an hour from home, but 10 minutes from where I'm currently working. So a few nights a week, I'm actually "living aboard", or as close to that as you'd want to on a 26. If it helps, do what I did. Rationalize that with the time involved to set up and take down, we should go for the weekend instead of just the day. You get more sailing in that way! T J
 
D

Dave

Got tired of it......

I really got tired of it. It only took about 45 minutes with my wifes help to setup our 23.5. But we got slip 6 minutes from home so now we can be sailing within fifteen minutes of leaving the house. We get to the boat, I start the motor, wife puts the gear and food away and I cast of the lines. That is the best thing yet........... Dave s/v Simply Magic
 
M

Mark Kissel

Labor of love

Hi Bill, From the time I shut the ignition off, to the time I crank back up to drop the boat in, it takes 23 minutes with the wife's help. I can do it alone in slightly less than 30 minutes. These are not guesses, I actually timed it! We could probably set a record if we really tried. Mark Kissel Kittiwake 98H240
 
Sep 25, 1999
600
Hunter 23.5 Indian Lake
set up

Bill dont dump her right off, simply tell her if she cant get the time down you will be forced to replace her with some one who works faster, It used to take us an hour to set up and launch our h23 , then like so many others we got a slip , sure makes more time for sailing , good luck , Mike
 
B

Bruce Little

30 - 45 minutes

Have had our 23.5 (Cherokee Lullaby) for 5 seasons now. Longest trailer trip anywhere from 12 - 14 hours. If we set up after a long trip we go slow because we are tired and it might take us 45 minutes to set up. Typically it takes about 30 minutes and we have set it in slightly less time. My wife and I work well together during set up as we each have preassigned tasks. Sometimes I have a brain f--t and she directs me back onto task and sometimes it is the other way around. We keep the boat in a slip all year round and enjoy being able to go out just for a couple hours of sailing. Something we would NOT do if we had to set up each time. When we want to see different sailing waters or have a new adventure, we load her up and take off. If we are unloading at a marina where we intend to rent a slip, we put the boat in unrigged and then set it up at the slip. Does not seem to take any more or less time to do it under those circumstances. Have to very careful not to drop anything overboard, however. On dry land dropped items bounce. When rigging on the water, dropped items sink. Hope you have as much joy out of your Hunter as we have ours. Cheers! Bruce Little Savannah, GA S/V Cherokee Lullaby ( Hunter 23.5)
 
B

Brian

Check your shortcuts

For the 240 I've varied anywhere from 30 to 1 hour, but I bet I can beat that time, depending on who's with me and willing to help. With my wife in full gear, she can do the loading, tie downs and other misc stuff while I tend to the mast and boom. If anyone has figured out how to avoid backing the pole up to a lamp post or fence attach the windvane each time, I'd like to hear it - my biggest delay right now.... Sometimes, when the wind hasn't arrived, I'll launch w/ the pole down and motor to an anchor spot or sandy beach and finish the job there while the wife suns and kids swim. If its immediate sail time, I like to hit the water rigged. My favorite thing to do is leave the dock by sail if its not too busy. A few little things I did to speed things up: 1. change all your clevis pin cotter 'rings' to cotter 'pins' or change the clevis pin itself to a quick release pin if its safe (not good for the forestay pin). I've found that using rings are a major slowdown and frustration 2. put 'safety leashes' on your cotter pins and D shackle threaded pins. I use thin waxed string that came with a trott line kit I had to tie my pins to either its ring or something nearby so they won't get away from me while traveling or setting up - and they're always right there when you need them 3. make your tie downs lean yet robust. use bungees to strap the jib and shrouds to the mast. I like the black rubber ones for securing the mast to crutch and bow pulpit - they're sticky and bombproof. I like the ratcheting trailer tiedowns coz they're forgiving to the ever changing distance from cleat to trailer each time you launch. 4. mini SS or Alum 'carabiners' work well for clipping fenders and other things that need to moved about. Rig and label your fenders to work in the same spot every time so no adjusts are needed - clip and go 5. plan, organize and prepare as much a.p. before even leaving home. I try to limit the pit stops to food/drink/ice, gas and minnows (optional). The less work your wife knows you did to prep the better mood she'll be in. cheer,brian
 
R

Ray Bowles

Our H26 takes 50 min each way and that..

includes mast raising, provisioning and launching and we don't rush any of it. In response to the Windex, when the mast is in position to step just raise the butt end using the mast crutch as the falcrum point and your partner can install it very easily. Ray
 
D

Dave Oberholtzer

extras

When I first got my H26 I could set it up in about an hour but since I keep adding things (ie lazy jacks, bimini ect) I am up to two hours now so instead of trailering it each time I have found a marins that has access to a ramp with no overhead wires to contend with. That way I leave the boat all set up at the marina, on the trailer, and when it is time to launch it only takes about ten minutes. It is cheap and easy. No bottom painting, no worrying about it in storms ect. It has made the experience alot more enjoyable for me and my family. Incidently I live in PA too (southeastern) and I keep the boat on the Chesapeake at the Bohemia river. Dave Oberholtzer Hydrotherapy
 
D

David

Trailer sailer set up seems constant

(I am debating a 240 or 260 and surf this group a lot.) I have a 17 foot trailer sailer and it takes 35-50 minutes to go from pulling into the parking lot to floating the boat off the trailer. This seems pretty constant for trailerable boats with main and jib. I have helped rig a 23.5 and it seems pretty similar to my boat, just bigger. I single handle a lot and it takes about 45-50 minutes. With my wife along it drops to 35 or so. She can run jib lines, fasten forestay pin, etc. while I am doing other things. I too got a dry dock spot this year, and it is worth every penny. I can be on the water in 10 minutes, should cut this to about 5 when my wife finishes making a jib cover so I keep the jib up all the time. David Siren 17 (unnamed as yet)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.