Thoughts on our sailboat 'short list'

[katie_gaut]

Hello all and thanks for any thoughts you may have for us.

My husband and I are planning on buying a boat that will allow us to sail in many Montana lakes as well as an occasional month long excursion to the Bellingham / San Juan area for liveaboards and cruising (probably 1 mnth a year for 2 yrs). Our ultimate plan is to hone our sailing skills for a few years with this boat, then move up to something bigger for a longer 6 month - 1 year ocean trip (location to be determined) in 2-3 years.

For this immediate boat to sail in MT and occasionally the San Juans, we forsee needing the following characteristics:
* Trailerable and light enough to be pulled by a 4 cylinder 2009 Tacoma (max towing weight 3500 lbs, but we'd rather be around 2,000-3,000 lbs)
* Comfortable berths for 2 with the ability to have 2 additional guests sleeping aboard occasionally, with a cockpit tent an option
* Stove, preferably 2 burner
* Porta-potti,
* More concerned with stability vs speed
* Would prefer swing or retractable keel/centerboard/daggerboard vs water ballast
* Well constructed for both lake sailing and near coastal (San Juans)
* Relatively inexpensive (<$4000 with trailer/motor). We are handy and capable of working on cosmetics as long as the boat is sound
* Having a setup that can be fairly easily single-handled would be preferred.

I have a sailing background, but my husband is a beginner. Are there any other major considerations anyone think we need to consider? (I'm sure there are tons.)

We've narrowed the list from ~150 towable boats in our towing range to the following 7. Any thoughts on pros and cons of each would be appreciated!

1) ODay 20
2) Santana 21
3) Sirius 21
4) Catalina 22
5) Balboa 20
6) South Coast 22
7) ComPac 19

[olgriz]

Howdy, fellow Montanans! Have you checked out the San Juan 24, Santana 22 and the Ranger 23? None have a retractable keel but they're great boats.

The Santana 22 and Ranger 23 have been particularly seaworthy boats here on SF bay. A member of my club races a Ranger 23 and he does very well but it's also a very comfortable boat for its size.

IMHO, I believe that if they can handle SF bay on a summer day, they can take whatever the San Juans can throw at them in the summer.

[sailingdog]

I would recommend you get Steve Henkel's book The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, which covers 360 boats under 28' LOA. Some of the boats you're looking at are probably more than you can tow safely with the vehicle you have, since the area you're in is fairly mountainous.

The factory specifications for a boat's weight are usually for the dry weight without equipment and often very optimistic. For instance, my boat is supposed to weigh 3600 lbs. according to the manufacturer's specifications, but in reality is probably closer to 5000 lbs. with all the gear and equipment I have aboard. it. The boat itself, at least according to the truck scales, is probably close to 4200 lbs., by itself.

[MarkCK]

Originally Posted by olgriz

Howdy, fellow Montanans! Have you checked out the San Juan 24, Santana 22 and the Ranger 23? None have a retractable keel but they're great boats.

The Santana 22 and Ranger 23 have been particularly seaworthy boats here on SF bay. A member of my club races a Ranger 23 and he does very well but it's also a very comfortable boat for its size.

IMHO, I believe that if they can handle SF bay on a summer day, they can take whatever the San Juans can throw at them in the summer.

If you want to trailer I would stick to the swing keel. Its takes me a couple of hours to rig my Santana 20 every spring and a couple of hours to derig it and put it on the trailer every fall. I got to the point where I could be up and going with my San Juan 21 in about a half hour.

You mentioned that you occasionally you wanted to sleep four on a 20 foot boat. It can be done but it will be a very tight fit.

[katie_gaut]

I'm now anxiously awaiting it in the mail. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Barquito]

I don't know about all these boats. However, the C22 would be way too heavy for your tow vehicle over mountains. Could sell the Tacoma and get something else (Jeep Grand Cherokee pulls 5000 lbs, etc).

O/W stick to a swing keel for ease of trailering and launch/recovery.

Swing keels can be another maintainance item, and the keel cable can catch weeds.

[LandLocked66c]

I'd say you will need to upgrade your tow vehicle. Remember that you also need to be able to stop said boat... I have a 95 Toyota 4Runner with a V6 and I wouldn't tow my 23' Oday out of state. A high output V6 or V8 will make your trips much more comfortable and safe!

[JohnRPollard]

Katie,

Thinking about your minimal towing capacity, reminded me of a little micro-cruiser that I like a lot. It's called "Pocketship", by Chesapeake Light Craft. You'd have to buy the kit and build it yourself, though.

Anyway, here are a couple videos to whet your appetite:

PocketShip 1

And in this one, not only does yours truly get some of the credit for videography, but my kids make a cameo appearance as well:

Pocketship 2

Even if Pocketship isn't exactly what you're looking for, it does give you some idea of what is available in lighter, trailerable designs that you don't often hear about in the mainstream.

[EJO]

Hey go for the gusto and get a new towing vehicle and then look at a Hake yachts Seaward model any size you want up to 32' all trailer able and you don't have to get another boat in a couple of years as this one will do what you want now and what you want in the future as it will have all the creature comforts you want and more. I think they are the best sailboats on the market that you can trailer, besides maybe some European models

[hriehl1]

I'll try to answer the original question. When one has $4K to buy a boat, I'm guessing another $5K is not lying around for a new (to you) tow vehicle.

The Balboa 20, designed by Lyle Hess, and its (roomier raised deck) hullmates the RK-20 and Ensenada 20 have a reputation for being quite seaworthy within the 20-foot segment. Not fast, but stout. They're also available in your price range and their tow-weight is in the lower or mid-range within your list.

I mention this because all listed boats should be fine on MT lakes, but when you factor in the San Juans, your seaworthiness requirement gets somewhat elevated.

But then again, I'm sure many routinely sail the San Juans in all these boats... you just gotta watch your weather closely and know when to just stay put.

One final unsolicited comment... 4 overnight in any of these boats just won't be fun for long.