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must have boat!

7K views 31 replies 17 participants last post by  windship 
#1 ·
I have become obsessed. I began sailing this summer on a junker Sunfish and got hooked. I''m about to complete a sailing course and I''m looking for a boat with a bit more room for next season. There are 4 sailors (1 experienced) in the family and a couple of potential passengers. I''m looking for a (used) boat that...

Could be handled by one person but could comfortably accommodate 4 (or more) on day sails.
Could be moored. This boat will not be trailered - It would live on mooring and be brought out for the winter.
It should be reasonably fast/fun.
Would be sailed in bays/protected waters (Gardiners Bay, Long Island, NY)
Price Range - 3k-6k. More is possible but this is sort of a test for the family so I''d like to keep the cost down.

I would really appreciate any suggestions/advice people might have on specific boats that would be suitable for consideration.

Thanks - peter
 
#27 ·
Oops. I was responding to the dink who said the Ensign goes to weather "like a haystack." Whatever that means, it got my hackles up. I''ve sailed on Ensigns and the last thing I would say about them is they are a not weatherly. New to the list, and making friends already no doubt, but it takes a silly comment to get my goat. . .
 
#28 ·
Welcome to the Sailnet Message Board. I am sure that we are all glad that you like your boat.

While the Ensign sailed well for its day, and is pretty weatherly for a boat of its size and era, relative to even 20 year old designs like the Sonar or J-22, in a relative sense "the dink who said the Ensign goes to weather ''like a haystack''" is more or less right. These newer boats point higher, make less leeway, and make significantly more speed through the water in all windspeeds than the Ensign. I won''t even try to compare the Ensign to more current technology.

Racing older design boats like the Ensign has its own aesthetic and rewards its own skill set. These older designs really race pretty closely and that makes for good racing. Racing these older designs can be very rewarding preciusely because they do not have the kinds of breakaway speeds that newer boats tend to be capable of. For what it is worth, it does not matter whether, viewed objectively, the Ensign is as weatherly as newer designs. What matters is that they are fun to race. With all due respect, I suggest that you are ill served to ''get your hackles up'' when someone in essense points out the abilities of a 43 year old design like the Ensign relative to more modern boats. It seems to me that the real point here is that after all these years, this is still a class that continues to be raced by a loyal following.

Respectfully,
Jeff
 
#29 ·
This is even later, but I''m wondering if you''ve thought about financing your boat.

We bought a ''88 Catalina 27 last fall. Since we have two kids in college, cash flow was our biggest concern. Financing was easy and the payments small. A boat can also qualify as a second home at tax time. Since the C27 is so well-known, we weren''t concerned about selling it again if we changed our minds. After a year, I have to say that we''ve spent more than expected on new/replacement gear, so make sure you keep some $$$ around for that. We spent less on dock fees, as we found a friend of the family willing to let us use their dock. (There are an amazing amount of docks out there that are boatless, poor things).

As for boat choice, we started out looking at the C25''s, because they are trailerable (no dock fees), but there wasn''t a berth that the Captain could squeeze into. The 27 turned out to be "just right" and also extremely forgiving for a couple of novices, and a great size for spending a weekend or a week on the Bay.

Carrie
 
#30 ·
I sailed a Cal 25-II since I was 16 years old. I am now 44. I love the little boat.

Standing head room in a 25 footer, seaworthy,
large safe cockpit, large double v berth,
fixed keel with 4-1/2 foot draft and lots of ballast.

The boat was a good all around boat. We sailed in various conditions over the past 28 years, she took everything Lake Michigan had to offer. Not the best in light air. She is heavy.

I recentley moved to a larger boat but have not sold my Cal. I can''t seem to part with her. She is on the hard in Chicago. If your interested, let me know.

Best of luck to you.

Sailor Tim
 
#31 ·
I crewed on a Cal 25 in a one-design race last summer and really liked the boat. It''s still a very competitive one design class on the Chesapeake, and its fun and easy to sail. I have a bigger boat too, but if I were you, Tim, I''d keep her, and use her for beer can racing. I sold my 25'' boat when I moved up, and am now regretting it.
 
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