[mikehoyt]

Just polling for thoughts on an idea that keeps recurring.

Trailerables vs marina launch/haul/store fees.

The market seems such that a lot of people want to buy new - even if the new boat is not great - just because it is new. A lot of money is spent to buy a new MacGregor 26 which is our most infamous trailerable but is reputed to be less than ideal as a sailing or power vessel... yet it sells.

The 25 - 26 foot boats that actually have a cabin with accomodations and are trailerable seem to have many compromises. In the old Chrysler 26 it was an undersized rig. With the MacGregor it is undersized rig, pointing & general sailing and performance issues both with the older and newer models. Both have good sized cabins but are less than ideal with sailing characteristics. I have a friend who had a CS22 with the swing keel/centerboard. He said it was SLOW and pointed poorly.

With all this my opinion had been that if you want to have a boat that can be trailered or trailer launched you basically have to make compromises that make for an ugly boat or poor performer. Even the C&C Mega 30 that was supposed to be all things to all people has many issues and is documented on C&C photoalbum.

Then last year I raced against an S2 7.9. Our boat is a 1979 Hinterhoeller Niagara 26 with fin keel. The S2 pointed as well, was a bit faster, had nice lines and a sturdy rig - it also handled the 20 knots and chop in coastal conditions as well as the Niagara. When I looked into this boat later I learned it had a weighted daggerboard, 1'1" draft with board up and a great highway trailer. Finally a sailboat that did not sacrifice sailing ability to be trailerable! Then I looked for and found pictures and a website dedicated to the class. Nice sailing boats but a cabin with all walls and ceilings carpeted and I found its compromise. The cabin is not as nice as the Niagara but is OK. Not likely as nice as the Mac or even the Chrysler either. Active racing class though because the boat sails well and those for sale with trailers had nice looking trailers. This was a sailboat. however no longer manufactured.

So in looking at all these models I started to wonder why must a trailer launchable boat be such a compromise so often? Many people buying 25 foot boats hate paying launch fees and winter storage. Many people love the idea of having the boat in their driveway to do Spring maintenance rather than driving to a boat yard and always forgetting some tool. Many people love to pay the price for a new boat and many people buy Macs even though others tell them they are a compromise boat that does several things but excels at none of them.

So my question is WHY NOT??? The S2 was a great starting concept. Why not make a boat that sails well, can handle the chop and coastal conditions, has a nice cabin and can be launched by two people with a 4x4 pickup or SUV? If the boat was not a big compromise I am sure that lot of people would love to have it.

Thoughts?

Mike

PS. Cottage is 300 feet from a govt wharf with a spar capable crane and a boat launch ramp. Marina where I curently keep boat is 30 km away by road and 3 hrs by water.