Recommendations for a daysailor

[kawest]

I am getting back into sailing after a long hiatus. I raced dingys and then keelboats up until my mid 20s. Over the past couple of years have started sailing again as crew on friends keel boats in the 35-40 ft range but I don’t have a predictable schedule which limits my opportunities. It is time to get my own boat.

I plan to sail mostly in Halifax Harbor but in good weather would like to be able to venture out of the harbor and into some of the nearby bays but that means bigger water. I am not planning to race.

After reading the advice being dispensed on sailnet I am leaning towards a mid 20s daysailor as a good first boat. It is important that it is low maintenance and easy to get underway as my time is limited. I am really tall so small cruisers have less appeal.

Other critical issues in the decision making are enough performance to keep my boys (11 and 13) sailing with dad but the seaworthiness to go out of the harbor. My wife wants to be able to serve drinks to friends. This complicates things because in Canadian waters I think you need to have a marine head not a porta potti as well as a sink and fixed stove element to be legal for serving drinks. So the cuddy has to have a bit of room.

I keep coming back to the Colgate as a possibility. I like the Sonar but the cuddy is probably too small. Are there others that I should be considering? I’d like to assemble a list so I can start identify some to look at in person.

[Faster]

An idea of your budget would help.. for example the Alerion 28 would be perfect, but at north of $60K might not be what you're able to look at.

Are you sure about your Canadian regs? What you describe is not a concern on the West Coast. If it is we've got a lot of lawbreakers out here.

Viking 22 (a good great lakes/east coast boat) may fit your bill on the smaller end of the scale. Good cockpit but the cuddy may not meet your needs.
A Viking 28 is another... if you're not looking for a cruiser, then the lack of headroom is not an issue - good cockpit again, really decent sailing boat, pretty, we owned one for 10 years and loved it. Both of these are venerable C&C designs.

Viking 22 - Used Sailboat Market in Canada

Viking 28 - Used Sailboat Market in Canada

btw these pages are a bit old and the suggested prices are likely quite a bit higher than today's market.

[kawest]

Thanks for the suggestions. I really like the old C&C designed boats. Most of my keelboat sailing has been done on them. I'll look around for some of them.

The Alerions are really nice boats. I saw one at the Annapolis Boat show and that is really what focused me on this size of boat. I think they are a bit too pricey for my first boat. I am probably more looking at the mid 40s new and much less used.

As for the liquor regulations in most other provinces your boat has to qualify as a residence which means that you need permanent sleeping accommodations and permanent cooking and sanitary facilities ie a marine head not a porta potti. In BC you can serve drinks afloat, in Ontario you have to be along side. I have been told you need a head here but can't find anything official.

[MarkCK]

Is the sailing performance the primary thing you are looking for. Or is the spacious cabin also very high on the list. Finding one or the other shouldn't be too hard. Finding both will harder to do. Especially in a mid 20's size boat. Even the 28 foot Alerions don't have much in the way of accommodations in the cabin.

A J22 would fit the bill pretty nicely if you don't need many ammenities.

[kawest]

I think you have hit upon the dilemma. I don't really need accommodations because I am going to use it for daysailing but a head is a must.

The J22 is a great boat but probably too small. Probably would go bigger rather than smaller.

[MarkCK]

If 28-30 is in the realm of possibilities J boats made several in that price range. I think that they all had heads and a couple of them were more cruiser friendly than others. I would stay away from the J24 though. Its pretty dated and not really set up for the day sailing crowd.

A Harbor 25 might also fit the bill.

[Faster]

At the top of your budget there are a few J28s, but they will have an emphasis on accommodation rather than cockpit.

No J-80s or J-27s popped up on YW but one of those might be closer to what you're after. J-92s are on the pricey side.( The '80' and '92' are a metric measurement - ie 8 (26ft) and 9.2 (30ft) meters)

J-80 International Class: The Ultimate 26 ft One-Design Sailboat/ Sportboat for Sailors Who Love To Go Sailing. Try J/80 Sailing Gear, T-Shirts, Hats, Jackets.

J/27 Class Website

These might be a bit of a handful for starters.....

Not sure a Harbor 25 is much less expensive than an Aileron.

[kawest]

Those are good suggestions. I will have a look at the J28.

[WDS123]

The Harbor 25 is significantly less the A28, and has some better features - a fully enclosed head for example.

[bobmcgov]

Might want to start by looking into boats built in Canada & the East Coast. Sabre, Shark 24, Tanzer, Hughes/Northstar, Sirius. These are all very nice boats, built for the conditions you are likely to sail in, with a community of other owners near to hand, and quite affordable.

Here's a Sirius 28 in Scarborough, ON: Quick boat, fully equipped, $20k asking.



IIRC, you are allowed Port-Pottis in Canada, but they need to be plumbed for pumpout. Maybe a Canuck can verify this. Canada is pretty serious about waste handling in their waters.