trailerable liveaboard

[jte1343]

hi, i am looking for a sailboat to liveaboard while going to school. it needs to be trailerable, shallower draft, have a head and shower, and a decent sized galley. it would be great to find a quality built boat that won't break my bank in the process. i've looked into seaward 25's, norsea 27, catalina 27...any other ideas as to what other boats would fit my needs? thanks in advance! joel

[sailingdog]

Let's see... you want a boat that is:

Trailerable
shallow draft
have a head
have a shower
have a decent size galley
fairly decent quality
and won't break your bank...

It would help if you said what your bank/budget was...

Generally, liveaboards have to be slight roomier boats than weekend boats or daysailers. However, most trailerable boats are either weekend boats or daysailers. Also, most boats that have a shower, are generally larger than a trailerable boat will be.

A decent size galley on a trailerable boat is a contradiction.

Given your criteria...you're going to have to prioritize them and decide what you really need. A decent, reasonably priced liveaboard would be something like an Alberg 30. This is large enough that it is a liveable boat. Anything smaller than 25' is going to be more like camping on the water. An Alberg 30 is not really a trailerable boat...and it doesn't have a shower generally...and the galley is fairly small.

A Norsea 27 or Seaward 25 would probably be a pretty tight fit, and last I checked, neither had a decent size galley or a shower. The Catalina 27 is a lot roomier in many ways, but IIRC, doesn't have a shower or a decent size galley, and I don't believe it is a trailerable boat. I believe the only "trailerable" Catalinas are the 22 and 25/250.

Some of the characteristics you are looking for are somewhat difficult to get in a single boat. Trailerable and shallower draft work fine together, since most trailerable boats are shallower draft by their nature. Many trailerable boats will fail both the decent size galley or shower tests. A decent size galley or a quality boat will tend to be more expensive.

One boat that is trailerable, has a shallower draft, a head and galley, and could be fitted with a shower is a MacGregor 26. However, they're somewhat less than stellar in terms of sailing performance... and the quality is only mediocre at best.

There are several multihulls that might fit your requirements, especially the shallower draft and trailerable, but they're probably more expensive than what you can afford.

It might also help if you said what waters you're planning on sailing this boat in. If you're not going to be sailing it, get a power boat... they're often a lot bigger in terms of the room they can provide, given the same LOA.

[jte1343]

my highest budget would be around $30,000. it would be great if i could find something in the 15 to 20 range, though. i've found seawards to have showers. same with the other two. nothing fancy is needed, just a handheld. as far as the galley, an oven would be my idea of a decent sized galley. sorry about the confusion. i can always outfit the boat to fit my needs. i would mainly be on smaller lakes. i hate to admit but i have been looking at houseboats, and for some reason i feel like i would favor the cramped conditions on a 27 foot sailboat. the size/trailerability is an issue, that is my biggest problem. i am just trying to get other ideas as to what other boats may be similar to those i listed before i start looking into barges. i would rather live on a sailboat anyday. i just can't justify spending $1000 on lift fees. thanks for the reply! joel

[sailingdog]

If you do get a boat with a shower, make sure that the shower has its own sump, rather than draining into the bilge, which will lead to problems and seriously nasty smelling bilge in short order.

The Catalina 25 might be a good choice, a bit smaller than the 27 footers you've been looking at, but trailerable, and definitely in your price range.

[tommyt]

jte,

Kind of a contradiction ....most any decent size houseboat is rather heavy for trailer. What vehicle are you planning to pull whatever boat you end up with? Where are you planning the liveaboard? Marina or on the trailer? Better check on the liveaboard marinas for prices, facilities, and seasonality. If you are in a marina with facilities you will most likely never use the shower in a boat. It is much like taking a shower sitting on a stool in a closet and then drying out the closet after you are done. I have a 34 and just can't bring myself to use that shower. I swim or use marina facilites, but I don't live aboard except on trips.

Lots of difference between camping in Florida or S. Texas than planning on camping in upstate NY or Michigan. Trust me, whatever trailerable boat you will living on WILL BE camping.

[sailortjk1]

Each individual is different.
I know for me persoanlly, I could not live on a 25' trailerable boat.
You as a young student might be able to make it work.
My wife and I have been thinking about this for the past couple of months. We too envision ourselves living aboard a boat in the not so distant future. For us and our needs and what we think we would be comfortable with, we are looking in the 45' range. But hey thats just us.

Like Dog has said, trailerable boats don't usually have all of the anemities which you are looking for. In fact a lot of them don't even have standing head room. You might only have a cooler and a small sink for your galley. But, You can always add a camping type Coleman stove to cook on.

Along with the Catalina's already mentioned, Hunter also makes a range of trailerables which you might want to look into.
Good luck with the search and the dream.

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by sailortjk1

Like Dog has said, trailerable boats don't usually have all of the anemities which you are looking for. In fact a lot of them don't even have standing head room. You might only have a cooler and a small sink for your galley. But, You can always add a camping type Coleman stove to cook on.

Along with the Catalina's already mentioned, Hunter also makes a range of trailerables which you might want to look into.
Good luck with the search and the dream.

There are some very nice (read expensive) trailerable multihulls that probably meet all of his criteria except for price.... and some require a really beefy tow vehicle. One of the biggest "trailerables" I've had the pleasure of sailing on was a Corsair 36' trimaran... However, trailering it is a rather difficult prospect for most people, since the boat alone weighs almost three tons...

[jte1343]

there are already houseboats available on the lake within my price range. however the marinas do not have a lift. as long as i am able to launch and retrieve it bymyself. a 30 foot cat could be possible. yes it is wide, and hauling it down the road would take a few permits, but with it's shallow draft i can launch and pull it up on a fabricated trailer. a 30 foot monohull with a deep fin keel would be quite difficult, and the marina is not very deep (6 foot max). as far as accomodations, i'm used to a 23 foot monohull, so i can improvise pretty well. thanks again.

[sailingdog]

If you're not opposed to multihulls, I can see what might fit your criteria...

Here are some that might fit the bill for you. LINK

The ones I would recommend you look at are the Dragonfly 800 trimarans, since they're fairly easily trailerable and will have most of the amenities you're looking for. The Corsair F24s aren't generally as well-equipped IMHO, being more of a racing setup.

The Iroquois and the Catalac 8m catamarans are great boats too, but I don't really consider them as trailerable, since both are 13.5' wide or so. They'd probably be much better boats to liveaboard, as they'll have far more room than the trimarans would...

Generally, trimarans are smaller than monohulls of same LOA in terms of living space and storage. Catamarans are generally more space than either monohulls or trimarans of the same LOA.

[jte1343]

i have actually just started looking at the catalac and iroquois. they are wide but at least i could pull it out on a tweaked flatbed. i am going ot look into the dragonfly. and yes, majority of the corsairs are out of the price range and may not have quite as much room that i have been looking into. thanks for the reply!