Which 25'''' Sailboat for SF
I'm seriously interested in buying an approx. 25' sailboat for sailing primarily on the San Francisco bay as well as long weekends on Clear Lake, about 3 hours from here. Planned usage is my wife & I and 2 kids, but I suspect I will be doing some single-handing as well. So far, I've looked at new water ballast trailerable sailboats only, including the Macgregor 26M, Catalina 250 and Hunter 260, but haven't actually sailed any of these boats.
What am I looking for? (1) I think I'm stuck on new boats to minimize the amount of repair work required for the first several years - I'm not terribly mechanically minded, so most repairs of any complexity will require me taking it in to be fixed. (2) I plan to keep it in the water at a marina, but am thinking of buying a trailerable so we can visit the lake a couple of times a year. (3) While I prefer the interior and the more solid feel of the Catalina, the Macgregor is appealing due to its larger motor - it seems to me it is easier to dock in typical SF winds with the larger motor and controls at the wheel; it also is lighter and easier to trailer/launch. (4) The wife requires an enclosed head.
I would really appreciate getting your general recommendations and specifically, which boats in this size are better for single-handing (if any).
I'm seriously interested in buying an approx. 25' sailboat for sailing primarily on the San Francisco bay as well as long weekends on Clear Lake, about 3 hours from here. Planned usage is my wife & I and 2 kids, but I suspect I will be doing some single-handing as well. So far, I've looked at new water ballast trailerable sailboats only, including the Macgregor 26M, Catalina 250 and Hunter 260, but haven't actually sailed any of these boats.
What am I looking for? (1) I think I'm stuck on new boats to minimize the amount of repair work required for the first several years - I'm not terribly mechanically minded, so most repairs of any complexity will require me taking it in to be fixed. (2) I plan to keep it in the water at a marina, but am thinking of buying a trailerable so we can visit the lake a couple of times a year. (3) While I prefer the interior and the more solid feel of the Catalina, the Macgregor is appealing due to its larger motor - it seems to me it is easier to dock in typical SF winds with the larger motor and controls at the wheel; it also is lighter and easier to trailer/launch. (4) The wife requires an enclosed head.
I would really appreciate getting your general recommendations and specifically, which boats in this size are better for single-handing (if any).