I have owned a Hunter 240 for three seasons now. I enjoy the boat, but don't use it as much as I would like (I know, nobody does). I had hoped that my wife would take at least some interest in sailing with me on a boat this size (that is to say, a drier boat then a small day sailer). However, this simply has not and will not happen. (Some medical difficulties come into the picture.) She is also not interested in paying slip fees. Therefore, most of my sailing is one day at the time -- travel for an hour to the ramp, spend an hour+ getting ready to launch, sail, spend an hour preparing to travel, and then another hour traveling home. The nice thing is I sail in the Neuse River off of Oriental -- simply a wonderful sailing ground. I have not sailed alone mainly because I'm not comfortable trying to get the boat back on the trailer by myself, and I don't want to depend on someone just happening to be available to help. I live within 2 miles of Bogue Sound (near Beaufort, Morehead City, Atlantic Beach, NC). The sound is shallow, except for the ICW, so I don't even try to sail the H240 there because of all the go-fast boats. I am considering moving down to a 17 to 19' day sailer; the thoughts being that 1) I can rig, derig, and trailer the boat by myself if I want to, 2) which would lead to hopfully more frequent sailing, including short trips of just a few hours, 3) even though the sound is shallow, sailing a boat of this size is not a problem, and I can avoid the go-fast boats that must stay in the channel, 4) cost and upkeep should be less costly/easier. Have any of you done this? Were you glad you did, or did you regret it? Thanks for your thoughts.
Your thoughts on moving down?!?!
- Thread starter Lee C - H31
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Not easy
It sounds as if you have convinced yourself of a smaller boat, maybe you can. I tried and soon sold and then owned a larger boat than I 1st had. Now a 30 foot. lots a luck....
It sounds as if you have convinced yourself of a smaller boat, maybe you can. I tried and soon sold and then owned a larger boat than I 1st had. Now a 30 foot. lots a luck....
Trailoring is ...
...out of the question if you need to spend all that time setting up and tearing down. What you need is a mooring where you can be sailing off the mooring in under 5 minutes. If draft is a problem and you want your wife to sail with you you're gonna need a bigger not smaller boat. I might think about a 30+ foot multi hull. Plenty of room, an enclosed head, and shallow draft. On Wed nites when I race, I leave work at 5:00, I'm on the boat in 15 minutes, and 5 minutes later I'm under way.
...out of the question if you need to spend all that time setting up and tearing down. What you need is a mooring where you can be sailing off the mooring in under 5 minutes. If draft is a problem and you want your wife to sail with you you're gonna need a bigger not smaller boat. I might think about a 30+ foot multi hull. Plenty of room, an enclosed head, and shallow draft. On Wed nites when I race, I leave work at 5:00, I'm on the boat in 15 minutes, and 5 minutes later I'm under way.
If you are going to downsize
I think you have it right. I would hate to go back to a boat that I have to crawl through. I am getting mature and don't like the aches and pains of crouching down. Are there any moorings that you could keep a daysailer on to eliminate some of the trailering and set-up? You can always go back up. r.w.landau
I think you have it right. I would hate to go back to a boat that I have to crawl through. I am getting mature and don't like the aches and pains of crouching down. Are there any moorings that you could keep a daysailer on to eliminate some of the trailering and set-up? You can always go back up. r.w.landau
get a slip
Lee, before I would trade down I think I would try getting a slip,try it for a season or two,your wife may enjoy boating more and you will in that your boat will become more usable with less work.Your wife may get more "value" out of boating if it is not such a issue of towing and all the set up work.She may also enjoy the "dock life" side of boating making new friends and other social/water activites even if she never goes out sailing.You should find that boating is more pleasant with out all the work to get ready and then the tear down to go home.If she is still dead set against a slip (this could be legal grounds for divorce-just kidding!) check if there is a marina in the area that will give you a seasonl ramp use and storage on land so that you can leave the boat set up and then you will only have to launch it when you arrive.The others have already mentioned geting a moring cheaper then the slip but most likely will not make boating more enjoyable to the wife.The other thougth here is if you down size you will still have the same problems of towing and set up just it will be a smaller boat,so what have you gained? After all if you don't boat you can spend just as much on greens fees or have you check out a cost of a new big screen tv lately?Try a slip first you can alway down size later.
Lee, before I would trade down I think I would try getting a slip,try it for a season or two,your wife may enjoy boating more and you will in that your boat will become more usable with less work.Your wife may get more "value" out of boating if it is not such a issue of towing and all the set up work.She may also enjoy the "dock life" side of boating making new friends and other social/water activites even if she never goes out sailing.You should find that boating is more pleasant with out all the work to get ready and then the tear down to go home.If she is still dead set against a slip (this could be legal grounds for divorce-just kidding!) check if there is a marina in the area that will give you a seasonl ramp use and storage on land so that you can leave the boat set up and then you will only have to launch it when you arrive.The others have already mentioned geting a moring cheaper then the slip but most likely will not make boating more enjoyable to the wife.The other thougth here is if you down size you will still have the same problems of towing and set up just it will be a smaller boat,so what have you gained? After all if you don't boat you can spend just as much on greens fees or have you check out a cost of a new big screen tv lately?Try a slip first you can alway down size later.
Dry Slip?
Is there a place available for you to store the boat with the mast up and just launch it from the trailer? After you do it a number of time you get pretty quick. I was down to half an hour before I put min in the water all the time. A big difference was made when I turned the boat around so it was downhill made a world of difference for that first few feet.
Is there a place available for you to store the boat with the mast up and just launch it from the trailer? After you do it a number of time you get pretty quick. I was down to half an hour before I put min in the water all the time. A big difference was made when I turned the boat around so it was downhill made a world of difference for that first few feet.
Choices
Lee - What it really boils down to is which of the solutions will put you on the water the greatest number of times at the most reasonable cost. This isn't as simple as it sounds, because if you decide not to go on a given day because it is just too much trouble to set up the boat, you have lost a day on the water that you would have had if the boat was slipped. On the other hand, Pete's in-between solution of leaving the boat set up at the marina, but on the trailer, might get you sailing that day too, at lower cost. Depending on what it costs in your area to slip a boat, that could be the solution that works for you. If you divide the number of times a year you sail from a slip into the yearly fee for that slip, and compare that to what it costs you in time to trailer and set up the boat, or to 'dry slip' it at the marina and just launch it for each sail, you can make an informed judgement, at least as far as dollar costs are involved. I know a guy who trailered his 21 footer to Lake Tahoe just about every week because slips/moorings were so expensive, but he had his routine down to 20 min. once he was in the parking lot - if it had taken an hour, he would not have sailed nearly as much. So if you have the right boat to trailer, you can get it in and out pretty quickly. Where I am, slips are about $50/mo and since I can sail 2 or 3 times a week when the weather is good, it is well worth the cost just to be able to step on the boat and go.
Lee - What it really boils down to is which of the solutions will put you on the water the greatest number of times at the most reasonable cost. This isn't as simple as it sounds, because if you decide not to go on a given day because it is just too much trouble to set up the boat, you have lost a day on the water that you would have had if the boat was slipped. On the other hand, Pete's in-between solution of leaving the boat set up at the marina, but on the trailer, might get you sailing that day too, at lower cost. Depending on what it costs in your area to slip a boat, that could be the solution that works for you. If you divide the number of times a year you sail from a slip into the yearly fee for that slip, and compare that to what it costs you in time to trailer and set up the boat, or to 'dry slip' it at the marina and just launch it for each sail, you can make an informed judgement, at least as far as dollar costs are involved. I know a guy who trailered his 21 footer to Lake Tahoe just about every week because slips/moorings were so expensive, but he had his routine down to 20 min. once he was in the parking lot - if it had taken an hour, he would not have sailed nearly as much. So if you have the right boat to trailer, you can get it in and out pretty quickly. Where I am, slips are about $50/mo and since I can sail 2 or 3 times a week when the weather is good, it is well worth the cost just to be able to step on the boat and go.
My two cents, having been there
I used to trailer a 16 ft daysailer and it took about a half hour to rig/derig, not counting the time waiting on other boaters. It was a fast fun boat, but not very comfortable or family-friendly. When I first got my H23, I kept it in a wet slip. It was great. I could maximize my time on the water, the dock life was fun, security was good and there was no feeling like knowing that even on the busiest holiday weekends I had a reserved spot waiting no matter what time I got back, However, the cost/use ratio was high, as was the cost of the annual haulout, powerwashing and new bottom paint. Scrubbing bird droppings off the deck before each trip also got old. I moved to a marina with a yard where I could keep the boat on the trailer with the mast up. It's about 200 yds to a public ramp and too far from the water for the birds to "drop" by. My VC17 bottom paint is now going into its third year and still going strong. With no ramp traffic, it takes about an hour from parking lot to sail away, and a bit longer when I get back. If I had to raise the mast every time it would take twice as long, but the H23 is not a trailer-friendly design. I'e been thinking about trading down to a large daysailer with a swing keel like a Flying Scot, Highlander or H216. They perform as well as the H23, they're roomy, fairly comfortable and certainly easier to trailer. However, like all open boats, they are harder to secure from the weather. I've also become really attached to that H23. My present thought is that I may start looking for an older Flying Scot, ComPac 16 or maybe a sailing tender like a Walker Bay 10 for those days when the weather is just too nice to stay on land, and keep the H23 for longer trips. Good luck to us both. Peter H23
I used to trailer a 16 ft daysailer and it took about a half hour to rig/derig, not counting the time waiting on other boaters. It was a fast fun boat, but not very comfortable or family-friendly. When I first got my H23, I kept it in a wet slip. It was great. I could maximize my time on the water, the dock life was fun, security was good and there was no feeling like knowing that even on the busiest holiday weekends I had a reserved spot waiting no matter what time I got back, However, the cost/use ratio was high, as was the cost of the annual haulout, powerwashing and new bottom paint. Scrubbing bird droppings off the deck before each trip also got old. I moved to a marina with a yard where I could keep the boat on the trailer with the mast up. It's about 200 yds to a public ramp and too far from the water for the birds to "drop" by. My VC17 bottom paint is now going into its third year and still going strong. With no ramp traffic, it takes about an hour from parking lot to sail away, and a bit longer when I get back. If I had to raise the mast every time it would take twice as long, but the H23 is not a trailer-friendly design. I'e been thinking about trading down to a large daysailer with a swing keel like a Flying Scot, Highlander or H216. They perform as well as the H23, they're roomy, fairly comfortable and certainly easier to trailer. However, like all open boats, they are harder to secure from the weather. I've also become really attached to that H23. My present thought is that I may start looking for an older Flying Scot, ComPac 16 or maybe a sailing tender like a Walker Bay 10 for those days when the weather is just too nice to stay on land, and keep the H23 for longer trips. Good luck to us both. Peter H23
Check out SAIL magazine's April edition
By the sounds of your question it appears that your main interest is in being able to sail as much as possible when you want and be able to do it singlehandedly. This month's SAIL magazine has an article about "11 daysailors to die for" that has a wide range of choices in budgets and sailing styles. In answer to your desire to quick set up and easy trailering I would like to call your to the Melonseed skiff. This little daysailor is awesomely beautiful, takes about 5 minutes to rig, and is an incredable sailor. Each boat is hand crafted at Crawford boat building. If you go to www.melonseed.com you can get more information with great shots of the boat. There is also a fairly active group of "melonheads" throughout the country that have rendezvous events from time to time if you are interested. Roger Crawford is wonderful and is very active with the owner's get togethers. I strongly suggest a look at these wonderful boats, they are classicly beautiful, will sail just about anywhere there is water, are extremely easy to trailer, set up in 5 minutes, and can stand up to some pretty "invigorating conditions". They are certainly worth a look if only to enjoy the beauty and craftsmanship that go into these little boats. Just be aware that they do stir alot of attention both on the ramp and in the water!
By the sounds of your question it appears that your main interest is in being able to sail as much as possible when you want and be able to do it singlehandedly. This month's SAIL magazine has an article about "11 daysailors to die for" that has a wide range of choices in budgets and sailing styles. In answer to your desire to quick set up and easy trailering I would like to call your to the Melonseed skiff. This little daysailor is awesomely beautiful, takes about 5 minutes to rig, and is an incredable sailor. Each boat is hand crafted at Crawford boat building. If you go to www.melonseed.com you can get more information with great shots of the boat. There is also a fairly active group of "melonheads" throughout the country that have rendezvous events from time to time if you are interested. Roger Crawford is wonderful and is very active with the owner's get togethers. I strongly suggest a look at these wonderful boats, they are classicly beautiful, will sail just about anywhere there is water, are extremely easy to trailer, set up in 5 minutes, and can stand up to some pretty "invigorating conditions". They are certainly worth a look if only to enjoy the beauty and craftsmanship that go into these little boats. Just be aware that they do stir alot of attention both on the ramp and in the water!
You are near the bottom of size range
for year round sailing. If that is important to you. A catboat might be perfect for you!!! Can't get much easier to rig. Tom
for year round sailing. If that is important to you. A catboat might be perfect for you!!! Can't get much easier to rig. Tom
Have you thought about "time sharing"
a boat locally. I have heard there are some companies that are selling shares. That way you could pay ~1/4 the costs and still have it in a slip, but get the boat only 1 week and weekend a month. Here are some examples http://www.yachtmonster.com/search/index.cfm/fuseaction/first10Sites/Parent/11.htm
a boat locally. I have heard there are some companies that are selling shares. That way you could pay ~1/4 the costs and still have it in a slip, but get the boat only 1 week and weekend a month. Here are some examples http://www.yachtmonster.com/search/index.cfm/fuseaction/first10Sites/Parent/11.htm
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