Help Choosing the Best Trailerable Boat

[Kyhillbilly]

I live in Kentucky and plan to buy a smaller trailerable sailboat to sail at cave run lake in the summer months and travel to the coast in the winter months. In the construction business and the winters are very slow time for business. I have next to no experience sailing other than the ASA 101 keel boat class taken last summer. Plans are to join the sail club to get more hands on experience and hopefully more knowledge about the type of boat will best suite my needs. My family will be sailing with me some on a few of these adventures so safety and of the boat is top priority for me. As said, plans are to sail the lakes in the summer then head to the coast for winters for coastal cruising and trips to the Bahamas in a few years when I feel comfortable enough to make the trip. So So much information on trying to choose the best type of boat. I feel I need an inboard to get the power when needed in case of storm situation. Head with holding tank a must for personal reasons. Looking mostly at the 25 to 27 foot range older boats mid 70's to mid 80's. I am aware of the over width permits for towing a wider boat and have a F-250 diesel for towing the extra weight. Probably getting ahead of myself posting this thread on here before I have a chance to get out there and actually do it, but just so fired up about the idea of it. Just wondering what thoughts the real sailers might have for me. Sorry for the long post, trying to give you some background.

[Captainmeme]

Look at the Nor'sea 27.

You didn't say anything about a budget. Are you willing to spend $4k, $14k or $40k or $140K?

[DRFerron]

Originally Posted by Kyhillbilly

I feel I need an inboard to get the power when needed in case of storm situation. Head with holding tank a must for personal reasons. Looking mostly at the 25 to 27 foot range older boats mid 70's to mid 80's.

I don't know that I've ever heard of a trailerable boat with an inboard. Not that there aren't any.

I used to have a 1972 22-footer with a head that discharged overboard (no holding tank). If you're looking at 1970-ish boats, make sure you have someone glass up the hull where the waste is discharged or have a lock installed on the valve so you can't turn it to discharge. Illegal anymore to even have the ability to discharge waste overboard in inland US waters but it was allowed back in the 70s so you may find a boat you love but without the tank. Easy enough (usually) to install a tank and re-route the hoses (I've heard of many people doing it), however, since I chose to eliminate the head altogether and use a porta potty, I don't know how you get the waste out of the tank after that type of modification.

Good luck!

[Kyhillbilly]

The Nor'sea 27 is a awesome sailboat, and the price reflects it as such. My budget is around $10,000 or less. Plans are for this to be my learner boat to keep for 5 to 10 years then move on to something bigger if all goes well. Sailing the coast and the caribbean are my long term goals. Do not wish to invest a terrible lot on this first boat.
I am not looking for a pure trailerable boat as i only plan on moving it a few times a year. From what I have read so far an outboard causes the boat to be unstable while under sail and does not have enough power to really handle any type of bad weather. Outboards arm mainly just for getting in and out of the marina. This is what i have read on here but do not know for myself. Thanks to both of you for your responses. Boats I have in mind are the basic production boats, Hunter, Catalina, Tartan, Pearson, etc. Have watched several you tube videos on launching and retrieveing sailboats and feel it is doable for only several launches a season.

[Captainmeme]

Albin Vega, older boat. Inboard. Near your budget. We started with a Hunter 25 with a porta potty. Nothing says you couldn't install a head with a holding tank, budget about a thousand for that. One can find all kinds of pocket cruisers in your range , the trick will be to find one with a trailer in very good condition.

[CalebD]

I might catch some $hit for this but the MacGregor 26 S sailboat is a pretty good trailerable boat. This is not the motor sailor and can only take up to a 9.9 HP outboard and is water ballasted with a center board. Room for 6 down below for sleeping, but not a boat for crossing oceans on.
I own and adore my Tartan 27' (which you might find quite affordable as well) but it is not usually a boat that is trailered.
While the Nor'sea 27 is a wonderful boat I doubt you'd enjoy towing it around right now. The Nor'sea 27 is more the boat you'd want to take to Bermuda or farther.

[Kyhillbilly]

Thanks Captaininmeme, the Albin Vega is a boat that have not even heard of until now, just did a quick search and found a few to look at, like the fact that she has a 8' beam. Would be nice to stay away from the permitting if possible. The few I looked at had outboards but will do more research. Planning to just find the right boat and get a trailer for it, however if I could find one with a trailer already could save several thousand dollars.
CalebD, the Macgregor is a boat I really looked at at first but shied away from for main reasons water ballast and not being stable. Do some have centerboards as well? I want to sail lakes some but on the coast want to sail some bad weather to get more experience with all elements you will be exposed to while sailing.
Also wondering, about North Carolina in the winter months. How cold does it get? Can one still sail and be fairly comfortable? 40 degree temps not cold to me, but not sure about 40 degree on the water.

[Barquito]

Keep in mind trailerable boats in the lighter, shorter range of what you are looking at probably wouldn't be safe taking across the gulf stream. Look at the book 'Twenty Small Boats to Take You Anywhere', by John Vigor, and James Baldwin's site Atom Voyages | Voyaging Around the World on the Sailboat Atom about sailing a Pearson Triton (much like the Bristol 27). I have seen Bristol 25's launched from a trailer. Probably would need a lift for most with a 4' draft. Also keep looking around on this forum. There is a ton of information in this regard. Good luck, and have fun learning.

[Sublime]

Look at any of these and see if they match your criteria:

Pearson Triton 28

Albin Vega 27

Cal 20

Contessa 26

Westsail 32

Cape Dory 25D

Catalina 27

25' Folkboat

Alberg 30

Bristol 27

[OtterGreen]

Santana 2023! love my boat! we used to have a Cal21 and it was a nightmare. the keel cable would fail all the time due to the extreme angles of the cable either from flat spots and snapping, the cable slipping from the attachment which meant you needed to go under the boat and re rig, or binding on the drum.