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S2 7.9

17K views 46 replies 10 participants last post by  Rhys05 
#1 ·
Hey all-

I'm currently looking for a fairly easy to trailer "large" sailboat, and I have mostly settled on the S2 7.9 due to the fact that it sits on basically a large powerboat trailer (no fixed keel) so it sits fairly low and can be launched into very shallow water and it appears to be quite fast and fun. I do realize that it is a "race" boat and as such is fairly spartan below and may not have as easy of a motion in waves as something like a Catalina 25, but I think that it is (probably) worth the sacrifice. Does anyone have any first hand experience with how it handles and feels in 3-5 ft waves and 20-25 knot breeze? I need it to be stable enough to not scare my wife (or she won't go sailing with me on anything bigger than the local lakes and reservoirs...defeating much of the purpose of getting a larger boat), but I don't want a slow beast either... The shallow water launching is very important to me, which admittedly 80% of the reason I'm enthralled with this boat, especially since it is combined with very good sailing dynamics.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Brandon
 
#30 ·
Rhys - you ask good questions.
I have a Nissan 4-stroke 6 hp EXTRA long shaft on my 7.9. Weighs 65 pounds and does the job. I've motored almost all the way across Lake Erie with it - a good twenty five miles - at five knots boat speed, half throttle, no problem. That is in very light (or no) air. The 6 hp does not use much fuel. I only have a 2.5 gallon gas tank which is plenty.
If it's blowing, you won't be motoring. And you really need the EXTRA long shaft (25 inches, I think) for the few times that you are caught out in big wind and waves - a shorter shaft motor will cavitate like crazy as the prop pops up out of the waves. No outboard (including a 9 hp) is going to work very well directly into good-sized waves and wind.
 
#31 ·
ajoliver- Hey, I try! I prefer to ask intelligent questions, not ones I can have answered with a quick Google search anyway. Believe me, I know all about cavitating, that little 3 hp on our Renkin did it like crazy every time we went over a wave! Thanks for your thoughts, I really appreciate it. I must say that my ideal 7.9 would have the inboard Yanmar diesel, but I've heard enough about the BMW diesel at this point that I'm considering it more of a detriment than an advantage!
 
#32 ·
Question for those that have/had a 7.9 or know about them. On an inboard converted to outboard, does it matter which side of the rudder the outboard is mounted (port or starboard)? Also, am I correct to assume that the "original" outboards have better resale value than the ones converted from inboard?

Thanks!
 
#35 ·
Racers often push their boats to the limit, and with small boats under spinnaker, the limits can include sinking them. For example, a fairly common occurrence with racing J24s.

I do think the fact that risky sailing can sink the boat does not conflict with the well-stated advice regarding their desirability and usefulness for the OP. Remember he wants a trailerable boat, and pretty much anything trailerable, probably is sinkable. The 6.9 offers the OP the best of that class, but it is still a member of the class, unless you chase one of the keel versions, which becomes not trailerable.

Sailing like life is full of tradeoffs.
 
#37 ·
I'm not particularly concerned about that, as has been said: any boat can sink! We'll be sure to have the hatch boards in if we are running under spinnaker, have the board up, or are in rough seas. Anyone have any insight into my last question concerning the mounting location for an outboard?
 
#39 ·
Yeah, that's kind of the impression I've got too, most of the pictures of 7.9s (and other sailboats with outboards) have it on the port side, but the one I'm contemplating currently has it mounted on the starboard side. Do you (or anyone..) think that this is something I should be concerned about? Perhaps there is more weight on the starboard side due to the head and battery being on that side, and so the engine should ideally be on the port side to counterbalance it? Am I overthinking this?

Thanks!
 
#41 ·
Maybe others will chime in about which side the motor should be on. For me, it's on the wrong side half the time. Coming in and out of port, I guess it makes sense to have it on the port side if you are right handed so you can control the throttle and tiller at the same time with your right hand. I don't see why you couldn't learn it the other way around. Obviously left handed people adapt to much worse.
 
#42 ·
Cannot help on the inboard/outboard weight distribution issue - for info on that I would go to the class association web site.
And . . .
"should I be concerned about spiderweb cracking like this in the deck?"
Well, yes. My 7.9 had water intrusion in that whole area - from that turning block, to the genoa track, to the winch and down to the stanchion - on both sides of the boat. There are ways to check. Look from down inside the boat. Are there signs of water coming in? Press down pretty hard with your finger around the cracks from the top. Does it compress? If it does, you've got bad core. Use a moisture meter, and get a survey. Also check carefully around the mast step. Mine had water there too.
That being noted, it should not necessarily be a deal breaker. I did the repairs myself. If you hire it done, it will be expensive.
I'd also note that the boat was sailable with those defects. I kept sailing and waited for winter & indoor storage to do the work on it.
 
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