larger shallow draft boat

[sigmatero]

Other than just a little Lasar racing I'm a newbie to sailboats. I just purchased the property I grew up on and it has a pretty deep creek flowing out to a lake. There's a bridge at the mouth of the creek that has about a 15' clear area underneath.

I need a fairly small and affordable boat that be kept in the creek and that will get under the bridge and out to the lake. It should sleep four adults for a couple nights (can be tight). It should also be able to legally hold two adults and eight kids.

My idea is to lower the mast (like you would for trailering) and raise the daggerboard to motor down the creek and get under the bridge and then when out at the lake set the boat up for sailing. The creek isn't deep enough for having a big keel.

So what kind of used boats should I be looking for that meet my requirements?

Thanks for helping out a newbie wanna-be big boat sailor

[souljour2000]

I would look at something around 16 or 17 feet like a West Wight potter,a Marshall sanderling 17 or compaq 16. These go for alot cheaper than when they were new 20 or 25 years ago but were well-built little boats overall and will have a swing keel usually or a daggerboard. Anything over 18 feet is usually going to have a mast that is harder to raise and lower by yourself.These boats have a small cuddy cabin to crawl into when it rains or to store some gear and even sleep in .Good luck and have fun.

[Faster]

It should also be able to legally hold two adults and eight kids.

Is that a typo? Any 17 foot boat is going to be hard pressed to handle 10 bodies and actually be sailed at the same time. Anything truly able to safely handle 10 bodies while sailing is not likely to be easily de rigged for that bridge clearance..

In the same vein as SJ200's suggestions, the Siren 17 is another popular daysailer.. but 8 kids????? I dunno..

[sigmatero]

Thanks for the replies.

I really need something that will sleep four adults but also legally have the ability to carry ten people. I just googled and it sounds like most boats over 20' or so should carry ten people legally (LxB/15).

I'm not too worried about a long boat since I won't be trailering it much (just to pull it out in the winter).

But I need something that will go in shallow water and is easy to rig.

In the big picture, this boat will be a step towards my wife and I learning how to sail around the world (hopefully repeatedly) after retirement.

[Minnewaska]

Do all 10 people need to be in the cockpit while you are underway, or will you stuff some down below? You're going to need a huge boat to fit 10 above.

[JimsCAL]

"Legally" and comfortably are two different things. Any more than 4-6 in the cockpit of a boat that size is not going to be fun. Yes you can put people below or on deck, but safety will become an issue trying to watch 8 kids while handling the boat in any kind of weather.

[scottyt]

i hate to say it you need to look at a few catermans. as there are a lot of cats designed for trailer use that will hold lots of people ( at a lose of sailing traits ), that are also very low draft.

one is the stiletto 27. should be easy to rig as its designed to be a trailer boat. sleep 4 but will sleep 2 is better maybe more if they are very friendly. but it will hold lots of people. do a google search for pics to see what they are, before you discount them.

another option but higher cost would be a catalac 8. its a 27 foot cat that can be setup to rig very easily.

your big problem is the bridge, and the number of people. I would not want to entertain more than 4 plus my wife and i on our 27 foot very spacious boat ( old hunter ), esp for more that a few hours

[sigmatero]

Yaa, I was wondering about a catamaran. A neighbor and his son built a huge fiberglass one to sail around the world with and it was quite impressive. I liked it because it was naturally deep and I'm really tall and would like a stand-up cabin for a boat that I would live on.

But back to the lake boat... what "sailing traits" do you lose with a catamaran?

[scottyt]

Originally Posted by sigmatero

Yaa, I was wondering about a catamaran. A neighbor and his son built a huge fiberglass one to sail around the world with and it was quite impressive. I liked it because it was naturally deep and I'm really tall and would like a stand-up cabin for a boat that I would live on.

But back to the lake boat... what "sailing traits" do you lose with a catamaran?

well for what your are looking you wont find a boat that fits your needs that you can stand up in. sorry to burst the bubble you will need to make amends with some requirements.... either number of people, height inside, bridge requirements. you will not find what you want if it has to fit all of your requirements.

as for sailing loses, not much except tacking becomes tricky, esp in a light boat. they are normally faster, and some can point as high, but not all. what you lose in cats is when they get over weight with people or stuff, they lose speed quickly. ie they cant go as fast when loaded with 1000 pounds more. the traits i was talking about where specific to cats, ie speed.

edit you really need to look at the stilleto 27. as it fits almost all of what you want except the stand up part. but sense its an open boat with just space in the hulls you could stand up on it but not in it.

[Minnewaska]

Originally Posted by sigmatero

.....But back to the lake boat... what "sailing traits" do you lose with a catamaran?

All of them.....