Looking for the perfect boat

[cdepret]

I am looking for a fast 20-22 ft range sailboat. Ideally I would like to find a boat with capability of sleeping overnight (nothing fancy), retractable keel, less than 2000 lbs and fast enough to be competitive on local lake races in South Carolina and within a $5000 budget. A Us 21 seems to fit this description but I understand that it is not that fast and they are very difficult to find. Any suggestion would be great. Thanks and happy new year!

[Faster]

The San Juan 21 is a strong, popular one design class.. Have you looked into those? Santana 20 is another, along with the Ranger 22/23..

[overbored]

San Juan is a good choice with retractable keel Santana 20 and Ranger 22/23 are not retractable keel
$ 5000 and fast with sleeping room are going be difficult

[MarkCK]

Santana 20s are nice boats, I have been sailing one for several years. They are hard to lauch due to the keel. Also they aren't easy to rig and unrig quickly. I also owned a San Juan 21. Its a good light air boat and fun to sail although it is a little tender.

A Catalina 22 would fit your requirements. They are about the perfect do everything boat, although they don't really excel anything. Although it is more of a cruiser than a racer.

[bobmcgov]

US21 certainly is fast, compared to other boats of that size and vintage. It rates PHRF 201, 50 sec/mile faster than the SJ21 (252) and seventy faster than the Catalina 22 (270). It's a very quick little boat, with a clever interior layout.

SJ21 is popular in the Carolinas, since SJ had a second plant in NC. There's a fairly active fleet in the Lake Norman area.

San Juan 21 Fleet - Lake Norman Yacht Club

Blackbeard Sailing Club


The class will hold its 2013 NAs on Lake Murray, SC. You can buy one for under $2k in sailable shape; race ready for a bit over $3k. Under 2000# on the trailer, real easy to launch. Not sure how the boat got its reputation for tenderness (but I'm a dinghy sailor moving up, so it sure feels stiff to me.) Goes nicely in light air; can be managed in heavy air under reefed main only.



Doesn't care for chop, tho. Not the boat I'd choose for Pamlico or the Atlantic. Cabin is tiny on the Mk1; slightly less cramped on the flush deck versions. We've lived on our Mk1 for twelve days, so it's a matter of what you consider 'accomodations.'

[night0wl]

First thing I thought of was a San Juan 21. Great little boats that go like stink if you rig them right.

[bnaylor]

I sail a Catalina 22 - as stated in an earlier reply, they are a great all-around boat, can be purchased very reasonably, but do not excel in any one area. We are lake cruisers and our C-22 is a great fit for our family. There is a very C-22 racing fleet in my area, too.

As we were docking this weekend, we saw a really nice looking Santana 2030 - beautiful! The owner is a racer and he has the "R" model for that purpose. These are water ballast 23-footers - really nice. I have no idea about price or availability; but, definitely worth your while to research them a bit more.

[Alex W]

It might be harder to find for under $5k, but I've raced on Capri 22s and they are a lot of fun. They have a larger cockpit than the Catalina 22 and are a lot faster. PHRF is 210.

My only complaint on the Capri 22 is that the boom is quite low and has a sharp edge along the bottom that really hurts when it wacks you.

I don't know how common they are for one design. I've raced them at a sailing school which has a small fleet of them.

You might also look into the Ranger 23 or other small Gary Mull boats. He designed a lot of the boats already mentioned in this thread and seems like the most prolific designer of small racing keelboats.

[jackdale]

We have a large fleet of SJ 21s in Calgary. They are fun to race. I have not overnighted on one though.

[RichH]

If you want FAST .... Id suggest an Ultimate 20 (PHRF @ 145 or Portsmouth Yardstick rating @ 79.9), quite quick and with a large cuddy cabin. U20 Class Association. Used prices will be $15K+

More in your $5K budget range: Another with a small cuddy cabin would be the Holder 20. ( .... at about Portsmouth 84-85 rating, or PHRF 175). http://www.holder20.com

Comparing the U20, the San Juan 21 would be at about 260 PHRF or 95 Portsmouth ... (a pig! if you're looking for 'fast'). The only problem with a 'fast' boat such as the U20 is you will dominate most PHRF/Portmouth fleets and won't be 'progressing' with your sailing skills as fast as with a 'mid fleet' rated boat. Being well in front of any mixed fleet all the time gets boring real fast.

FWIW - racing Portsmouth Yardstick handicap is VASTLY superior to the stodgy and political PHRF and you might want to consider to locate fleets that race under the Portsmouth Yardstick rules. The reason is with PHRF and for FAST boats of near 20ft. LOA, many times you're beaten by the PHRF 'numbers' before you even leave the dock. Portsmouth ratings corrects for varying wind strengths, etc. Portsmouth Yardstick Index