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Suggestions for a lake sailboat

7K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  Tadw 
#1 ·
Hi All-

We recently moved to a small town in Massachusetts which has a great pond/lake (approx. 1 mile diameter) and we are looking to buy a used, tailerable sail boat to get the family out on and to teach the kids sailing (kids are 7 & 9 years old).

I've been looking at a Hunter 170 on yachtworld, but I am rather ignorant with boats in this size range and could use some suggestions. Here are some of my primary criteria:

-Ideally <$5,000
-Trailerable and launchable from a boat ramp that seems to be fairly flat and shallow (towing weight isn't an issue as I have a full sized 1/2 ton truck)
-Easy enough to rig, launch and recover that it doesn't prevent us from using it
-Reasonably good shape and low maintenance (I've built boats in the past and owned a 40+ year old fiberglass boat that was constant work which I don't have time or appetite for currently)
-Safe and reasonably stable to keep the family comfortable and confident but still work in light pond winds
-Good teaching/learning platform for the kids (not looking to turn them into racers, but would like them to learn and enjoy to sail/cruise)
-possible to swim off it
-Comfortable for 2 adults + 2 growing kids + maybe a friend

As I said, the Hunter 170 looked interesting and I've found a few in the northeast, but wonder what other suggestions are out there.

Thanks!!
 
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#3 ·
Yeah, Idunno... there is no answer to that. No boat will really do a good job at all that. First off - I have never sailed the Hunter 17, but the 17 is small - you mention putting 5 people on board - and with no ballast will have the stability of a rowboat. ......a 22 can have 5 times the weight and 500 lbs of ballast....but is pretty hard to rig.

Rather than look for the wunderboat that no one has yet found, why don't you consider keeping a larger boat in the water? 22 foot is a good size.

What lake is it? what types of boats are sailing there already?
 
#4 ·
I recommend that you look for a Boston Whaler Harpoon 5.2
Boston Whaler Harpoon Sailboats
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-review-purchase-forum/104637-boston-whaler-harpoon-5-2-a.html

Experience with Harpoon 5.2 - Moderated Discussion Areas

I used a Harpoon for pretty much the same purpose when my kids were young. With its wide beam the boat is very stable and comfortably would carry several adults and 5-6 kids. You will have to look around to find a good one, but for $4-50000 you can buy the best and end up with twice the boat. Should the day come when cruising sailboats are too much work, I plan to buy another Harpoon...
 
#5 · (Edited)
Look for a Capri 16.5 keel, Capri 16 keel, Capri 18, Precision 185 keel, precision 165. 5 people on a boat those sizes is gonna be tight. Note the "keel" versions of the Capri 16.5 and Precision 185 (harder to find)... I think the Lido 14 has a keel model too... Capri 14.2 also has a keel model... again most are hard to find in keel versions...

Also all of the above are "keel" models, so will be relatively challenging to launch (height above the trailer). Most will have tongue extensions though to help. All of the above boats have 3 point rigs, so should be about the same amount of work to get the stick up. Expect about 1 hour to rig and launch, and same to derig.

Keep in mind depth of water matters with a fixed keel.

Now, the Hunter 170 is a great boat, but its a ceterboarder meaning no righting assistance, so the boat can and will tip (and capsize), and cockpit will fill with water under the right circumstances (its a bigger centerboard boat, so it'll take some effort to right the boat - weight on the centerboard). If you are not already a sailor its a fun way to learn... but not so fun to prevent children from being scared of sailing (hence why I recommended the keel boats). The 170 is a relatively stable ceterboarder with a decent amount of speed, and its very easy to trailer and rig. Also the boats are pretty cheap on the used market... but there is a reason why, they hull design is prone to cracking (around the mast entry) and its a difficult repair. If the boat does not have cracks all around the mast hole, then its probably OK. Centerboarders are also sometimes challenging to get back into from the water (usually the only way to do it is over the transom). Most do not have provisions for a swim/boarding ladder as well... so you have to flop on deck like a seal.

So your requirements of easy to travel, easy to rig, cheap, easy to launch, are met, but the stable, swim off of, easy to learn to sail (forgiving) are not met with that boat.

My recommendations meet the easy to rig, easy to sail, cost, forgiving, easy to swim off of, stable, but the easy to launch (need a deep ramp) is not.

Hope you understand that all your criteria are likely not met perfectly and compromise must be made, and I'd err on the side of "stable/forgiving." Just my worthless $0.02

Note this is a Capri 14.2 Keel model.

This is a Capri 14.2 centerboard model.


See the difference in launching... its a huge difference in stability as well.

If the Harpoon is a good enough boat, the Hunter 170 is as well.
 
#6 ·
A boat that would easily meet all of your requirements and be fun to sail for years to come for the kids would be a beach cat.

Hobie has some designs specifically for the kind of sailing you're talking about, like the Hobie Get Away. Easy to launch, easy to rig, stable, shallow draft (no centre boards), great for swimming off, the kids can do summersaults, back flips, cannon balls or jacknives off the tramp, easy to reboard, relatively fast, easy to maintain.
 
#7 ·
I'm in a community sailing club that has several Catalina Capri 16.5 boats, and they might fit what you're looking for. We teach on them, they're very easy to learn. They have a wide beam, so they're quite stable and hard to capsize (although we keep masthead floats on them just in case). We sail with four adults all the time, so two adults and three kids would be no problem. With the centerboard up they draw almost nothing, so you can launch them on a very shallow ramp. They're beachable. And you can beat the heck out of them. Like I said, we have several in a club, so there are lots of different people sailing them, lots of newbies, and they stand up to a lot of abuse.

CAPRI 16.5
 
#11 ·
Here's a counterpoint to Shnool and arcb. I'm not suggesting that I disagree with them, just giving a different perspective.

As a kid, sailing with adults bored me nearly to death. IF it weren't for lots of good snacks, the kind that weren't allowed at home, I would not have willingly stepped on a sailboat.

That all changed when I was about 11 and strong enough to swim a mile, which was what I needed to do to have permission to solo sail a Sunfish. Now that was a hoot. And I don't remember ever taking a Sunfish out without capsizing; that was part of the fun! They are easy to right.

When I was in my 20's, strong and fearless, I got a Hobie 16. A capsized that boat often, too, but it was not so easy to right, even for a 180 pound adult. That boat actually made me a bit timid. I never sailed a Getaway.

Of course Sunfish are too small for a family to sail together. But you could buy a 2 Sunfish and have most of your $5K left in the bank. Plus Sunfish are FAR easier to rig than any of the boats mentioned so far. If you are buying for your kids: Sunfish. If you are buying for adults, get a bigger boat and find a bigger lake. As with all boat design considerations, everything is a compromise.
 
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