Pros and cons of trailering...

kclaybrook · #1 (**permalink**) 07-11-2006

I am considering buying a Ranger 22 in a couple of weeks. The marina that is "home port" to the sailing club I joined (Percy Priest Yacht Club, Nashville TN) has a waiting list of 3.5 years for a slip. The commodore of the yacht club says that trailering is a BIG hassle. I was wondering what the thoughts were on the pros and cons of trailering. Would it be better to wait (and share the club boat with about 10-15 other people) or find out ALL about owning a boat by trailering from the beginning?

sailingdog · #2 (**permalink**) 07-12-2006

It depends. Trailering a properly designed trailer sailer is not all that much of a pain. Doing it with a boat that is designed to be moved on a trailer once in a while, is a different story. A good trailer sailer will have an easy to use, reliable and simple mast raising system, which a trailerable boat will not.

If you have a boat on a trailer, and it takes you two hours to rig it every time you put it in the water, I doubt you'll be sailing it much. If you have a proper trailer sailer, and it takes you twenty minutes to rig it each time you drop it in the water...then you'll probably be sailing it a lot more.

The better trailer sailers tend to have a trailer design that allows them to be easily launched from a variety of launch ramps. The sort of trailerable sailboats generally need a fairly deep and steep ramp to be launched, and will have problems on some other types of ramps.

I don't know enough about the Ranger 22 that you are interested in. Does it have a swing keel or a fixed one? Etc..

Then there is the whole issue of a proper tow vehicle for a trailered boat. Do you have one that would work? Is it worth it to you to have one that will work, especially given that the gas prices are heading north of $3.00 per gallon and likely to stay there for some time.

edtolman · #3 (**permalink**) 07-12-2006

Thanks for that answer...useful info, I think.

toastchee · #4 (**permalink**) 07-12-2006

Wow! Small world.

I also sail out of Hamilton Creek on Percy Priest! I am a trailor sailer and have a 13' keelboat and a 14' dingy. Rusty and Russell are great guys.

If you get your routine down, I don't think trailering is that big of a deal. I wouldn't call it 'fun' every time, but worth it. Make sure your vehicle can tow that weight and you have a helper to raise the mast.

I can come crew with you if you like, I am there darn near every weekend. That would be fun. Private message me if you are interested.

Trailering offers an advantage of storing your boat out of the water. You can keep an eye on your bottom and it will stay cleaner. You can also do what I do and put in on Friday, tie it up on the dock Fri/Sat, and pull it out Sunday. Transient fees are $7/night plus you get power.

Also take a look at Elm Hill Marina and Nashville Shores. Last I checked, there were slips available under $150/mo. Those may not be as quiet or nice and HC, but I would put a boat there.

Best,
Dan

kclaybrook · #5 (**permalink**) 07-13-2006

Thanks guys. I had already started looking at a newer vehicle, my wife is embarassed by my $800 Jeep Cherokee POS. I was going to try and stick with a Jeep Cherokee but move up to an V6 instead of the salvaged 4 cylinder currently trying to carry just me and my dog.

toastachee - small world indeed. Thank you for the Elm Hill thought. I had thought about it, but had heard it was 2x the cost of HC. Not true. They have an immediate slip for $130/month. That may be the way I go. Thanks. You should come out on Wednesday nights to HC. PPYC has club races every Wed night weather permitting. They don't leave anyone on the docks. They are really a great bunch.

Valdare · #6 (**permalink**) 07-18-2006

Does the YC allow you to leave the boat there and on a trailer? I had a S2 &.9, 6,lbs of great trailerable sailboat but I wouldn't want to do it every weekend. It went in and out of the water very easily. For a number of years I left it where I could keep it rigged and just put it in when I wanted to sail. Was pretty cheep. I now have a 38 Morgan 384 and there are times I wished I was trailerable again.

Good Luck,

John

Valdare · #7 (**permalink**) 07-18-2006

that sure did not come out right. Shouldl be a 7.9 S2 6,000lbs of fun

kclaybrook · #8 (**permalink**) 07-18-2006

The YC does not actually have their own place. They use the city's sailboat marina. Probably 3/4 of the boats there are YC members. So I couldn't leave the boat rigged at the marina. They do have dry storage, but the waiting list is 2 years. This marina is sailboats only, so it's nice and quiet, everyone on the lake with a sailboat is trying to get in.