best boat for lake

KenD · #1 06-07-2005

First of all let''s talk used, Occassional Racing,but nothing serious,about twentyseven feet give or take, shallow draft, or swing keel. Weekend capable for two, comfortable, and easy to singlehand. Not all of us can go for three month sabaticals, and besides,I can''t write well enought to make a living.what do you say gulls and bouys, Tell us your ideal lake boat.

SoC · #2 06-07-2005

Ken
In the size range you mentioned an older C&C Encounter 26 could be a nice choice. It is a huge boat for 26'', with a 10'' beam, 4'' draft.
They are very stable due to 6300lbs. displacement. With a furler and lazy jacks it is a breeze to single hand.
The boat has the largest, most comfortable interior of any boat it''s size. Standing head room, nice private head, funtional galley, it''s great for a couple for weekends. Inboard diesel is a little small at 8hp, but it is very reliable and has great access. With wheel steering and a good size cockpit sailing is most comfortable. My wife said selling ours 9 years ago is the biggest mistake we ever made.
Note, there is a difference between a C&C 26 and an Encounter 26. I believe the Encounter was only built in 1977 and 1978.
I am assuming your talking a large lake where you will be docking or mooring the boat, as this would be a beast to tow.
Check the sale web sites as I saw a couple listed last week.

KenD · #3 06-08-2005

SoC
Yes The Lake is large,about 600 acres. I will look at the encounter 26 , sounnds like a good choice.It would be a bit older than I previously had thought about. Any other suggestions from the lake sailors out there?

PaulBl · #4 06-08-2005

600 acres is about a square mile. I should think a 26 ft boat would be a might too big. At ten times the area you might consider a bigger boat. I would think a 22 ft might be better. Still big enough for 4, but a bit comfortable to single hand.

A 22 ft keel boat will give the type of ride you expect in a bigger boat but a lot better than say a Sunfish. If you get a boat with a real keel to it you can do real sailing in a small area.

jemsea · #5 06-08-2005

Last weekend we finally got our Cal 22 in the water for the first time this year. Admittedly it was our first time launching and recovering from the trailer but we spent more time getting in and out of the water than we spent sailing.

Majec draws 3.5 feet and needs almost 6 feet to get on/off the trailer. Even with a 20 foot tow strap between the truck and the trailer I had to recruit 5 hefty power boaters to stand on the stern to get her back on the trailer. (At this point my hats off to all power boaters!)

We enjoyed the feel of the keel boat while sailing. The Cal 22''s performance in light to medium airs was great. The GPS hit 5.6 at times when the wind piped up. We had cramps from the similes on our faces during the sail.
We also learned a little humility on the boat ramp so choose well when looking at lake sailing. Check the steepness of the ramps, how easy/hard it is for two people to raise and lower the mast.

The lake we went to is at 8,000 feet, it took an hour for the frost to melt before we could risk being deck and pulling up the anchor.

Two of us fifty somethings did stay warm and comfortable and had a wonderful time on a 22 foot boat.

We are resting up at work to try it again.

A Colorado lake sailing perspective,

John

Silmaril · #6 06-09-2005

There is a great little sloop which is ideal for lakes. The late 70''s Santana 23. It has both a daggerboard and daggerboard rudder so you can bring it right up to the shore. A 7/8''s rig, and is really fast. It sleeps 4 in a pinch, and will run circles around most (not all) boats in it''s size range.

Here is a link to their yahoo website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/santana23/?yguid=92927974

KenD · #7 06-09-2005

To all
I misspoke the lake is 540 square miles,so it is pretty big. I read with attention when folks trailer their boat and launch from ramps. Believe me you are not alone when it comes to oop''s moves. Was in the back of my mind when I wrote about shallow draft or swing keels. I''ve seen powerboaters with more troiuble than you had ,like forgetting to put the plug in before launching.Thanks all for info it will help make more informed choices.

Jeff_H · #8 06-10-2005

Some of this depends on the actual conditions at the lake where you will be sailing. More and more I am seeing facilities installing 5 ton lifts that allow the launching of small keel boats. If that is the case there are a whole range of really wonderful small keel boats that should sail well on a lake. These might include boats like the Laser 28 (a personal favorite of mine), Kirby 25, J-24''s, Wavelength 24''s, Capri 25, etc which are comparatively light and easy to sail in a wide range of conditions.

If you are stuck ramp launching then I I would like the second the suggestion of the Santana 235. Either the S-2 7.9 or the smaller S-2 that was made as a nice little daggerboard boat (I am drawing a blank on its model number). Beneteau made the drop keeled Beneteau First Class 8, and a nice little drop keeled version of their First 23.

There are a lot of good boats out there that should work for you. Lakes tend to have a lot of light and shift conditions punctuated by high wind squalls and no where to run for cover. Lighter weight boats allow you to get by in a wider range of conditions and the better designed lighter weight boats will actually be easier to handle in a blow than many older heavier boats.

Jeff

DirtManly · #9 07-10-2005

Hello Ken,
It would help if we had a better idea of what you were looking for with regard to year and expected budget. Considering room for two, reasonably fast, and shallow draft, there are several that come to mind. Morgan 28, Seafarer/Sailmaster 26, Seaward 26RK.
I sail on an inland lake with about 900 miles of shore line. Wind are often light and flukey. I find my old Morgan works pretty good on our lake.
Very Best Of Luck
Dirt

foxglove · #10 07-12-2005

I don''t know how Jeff and the others feel about the Macgregor 26 (not the 26X)but I have owned one for 13 years and have only recently decided to sell it having moved into a larger boat.

It''s water ballasted which makes it light to tow and launch. If you have problems reloading it, drag it as high on the trailer as possible, pull forward, drain some ballast, relaunch and float it onto the trailer.

It has a light swing centerboard that needs no winch to operate and kicks up easily if you hit something on the bottom.

I installed a tiller-pilot on mine and singlehanded it in all of the Great Lakes, the Keys, the Chesapeake and the coast of Maine as well as numerous smaller lakes.

Despite some strong puffs, I''ve never been knocked down in it. A strong weather helm spins it into the wind.

You can find them for under $10K.