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4K views 17 replies 13 participants last post by  sailingfool 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys, I think I've finally done enough research to post my own thread about my specific needs. I started out with dreams of living aboard and sailing down the east coast, but realistically, that will not be an option for at least a couple years. I figure I'll finish school and once I get a real job I will be able to afford a much more seaworthy boat that I will be able to enjoy living on a lot more.

Some background: I am about to turn 21, no debt, no family (of my own), no real obligations at all except my summer job 4-5 days a week. I have 3 summers experience taking sailing lessons on a 420 dinghy when I was younger, so I have a good understanding of sailing basics, but I have no experience on a larger boat. I am currently living with my parents for the summer (rent free) in Scituate, MA.

Moorings here have an unreasonable waitlist, and slip fees are prohibitively expensive, so consequently I am looking at trailer sailers. I would like a boat that can easily be rigged and sailed solo, but capable of sleeping two adults comfortably. I am looking to sail around Scituate, the Boston harbor islands, and possibly make extended weekend trips to the cape and islands or Maine. I have access to an F-150 with 5.4 V8 so towing capacity should not be an issue.

My max budget is ~$5000 but ideally I would love to find something closer to $2-3000. This budget is for everything including trailer and anything necessary to make it ready to sail. This will primarily be used as a daysailer or over nighter, so cabin comfort is less of a priority than sailing ability, speed, and MOST importantly, FUN FACTOR. I'm sure that there are tons of boats that fit these requirements, but I'm hoping maybe you guys can point me towards some boats I either hadn't considered or thought wouldn't suit my needs.

Here are some of the boats I have been looking at:

Catalina 22 - always reccommended, but does not interest me as much as some others, not really sure why, seems more like a slow family cruiser

Potter 19 - this boat seems almost ideal, but at the upper end of my price range

Rhodes 19 - also not really in my price range, not as comfortable looking as the potter but faster? and more fun?

Potter 15 - less appealing than the 19 for obvious reasons, but more affordable

various O'Days - for some reason I'm not attracted to these boats, but you guys could easily convince me otherwise

MacGregor 26 - on here because it appears to be the largest trailerable boat

MacGregor 23 & 24 - probably more realistic in my price range

Let me know what you guys think, I'm definitely still in the early stages of this purchase, so I'm not really set on anything. Let me know if I left out any important information that would be helpful. Also, last but not least, where are some good places to look for boats other than craigslist, yachtworld, sailboatlistings, etc...
 
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#5 ·
That being said; grab anything you can afford, who cares; you'll grow out of it in 3-4 years and have something else.
Seconded!

I picked up my Starwind 22 "project boat" for $900 with the trailer and it was ready to sail (just not pretty). Another $800 bough a good outboard and left me with plenty to spend on it. I wanted a project boat so I could learn how to make repairs before I buy a boat that is too nice to mess up. There are sometimes REALLY good deals if you aren't set on specific model and are willing to look.
 
#3 ·
Welcome to SaiNet.

It sounds like you are off to a good start.

I started out with a Venture 2-22 (later MacGregor). For the Mac 26 on your list you don't mention if it's the true sailboat or the hybrid. It will make a difference as the hybrid won't sail as well.

Others will have more useful advice, I'm sure, but I would say to pay attention to your gut about boats that don't "speak" to you. This is a decent-sized committment and purchase and if you don't like the boat from the beginning, you'll probably be less likely to drag it to the slip, deal with rigging it and sail it. Not to mention the continued, never-ending maintenance and work a sailboat requires.

I always suggest joining a local sailing club so that you can get experience on different boats before taking the plunge. Especially if, when you are ready to sell up or get out, you more than likely won't get back the money you put into it.

Good luck!
 
#4 ·
I would suggest that you join a local sailing club before you buy a boat. You can gain experience, and possibly get a line on an older boat that you like within your budget.

I suggest that you check out pelagicsailingclub.org, and attend a meeting.
 
#6 ·
I would suggest that you join a local sailing club before you buy a boat. You can gain experience, and possibly get a line on an older boat that you like within your budget.

I suggest that you check out pelagicsailingclub.org, and attend a meeting.
It's too bad, I just missed their may meeting which was yesterday. Are there any other clubs in the Boston area or south of Boston that you would reccommend?
 
#7 ·
I would suggest two different paths. Either a light weight day sailor like a Potter 15 or 19 or the club. The reasoning being the bigger and more seaworthy of a boat you get the less of a trailer sailor it becomes and more of a trailer boat. As a boat gets heavier it becomes harder to launch. I could launch my Chrysler 22 solo but it would take hours. Unless you can prop up the mast and drop in the boat in less than a half hour you will be sailing less than you should. So if you are going to get a trailerable boat make sure it is easy to set up and launch.

Alternatively I think joining a club is a better alternative. My club is cost $200 to join and $30/mos that applies towards a rental. If you have a couple friends who like to sail you can get them to pitch in $20 and go out for an afternoon. Its hard to ask them to contribute when its your boat. As you get better and are ready to step up, round up some more friends and get a bigger boat for the day. You can also do a lot of free sailing by racing. Just show up on the dock for Wednesday night beer can racing, if its windy and you are carrying at least 12 cans of beer your sure to find a ride.
 
#9 ·
I would echo the comment about joining a sailing club and experience sailing on different types of boats. If you are looking for a day sailor, a nice boat to start off with is a Flying Scot, 19 feet with a big cockpit and pretty easy to sail. It's also pretty "beamy" so it will be stable even in strong puffs. Main, jib and spinnaker. You could probable pick one up used in good shape for $2,500 to $3,500. I started out on one and kept it for 8 years. Even sailed it on Lake Erie.
 
#10 ·
#11 ·
I really like the idea of a sailing club, but unless there are some that are more affordable and/or closer I just don't see that working out. Taking the above Boston Sailing Center for example...I would have to commute 1hr+ each way then pay either $1100 to use boats that aren't even close to the style I'm looking at, or pay $2770 + $850 for a prerequisite sailing course at which point I'm already over budget and the boats still aren't really the ones I'd be looking at buying.

I really like the idea of being able to drive 5 minutes to the boat ramp and be sailing in well under an hour. Not to mention I would own the boat and not have to renew membership fees when I want to sail next summer.
 
#16 ·
#12 ·
Just to an idea about what boats are out there in your price range just plug in your requirements into search site like yachtworld or boats.com. Don't search for any particular make. You can limit the search by state or region also. You might see something you never gave any thought to.
 
#14 ·
Barquito:1035044 said:
How about the Precision 23 or S-2 7.9.
There is about a zero percent chance he is going to find a 7.9 in his price range, and like someone said above, the 7.9 is more of a boat you can trailer than a true trailerable boat, I know I sure wouldn't want to rig ours every time we wanted to sail. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE ours, but I don't think that that is what he is looking for right now! That said, we are putting ours on the trailer next week and taking it to a much larger lake for a four day cruise..
 
#15 ·
Capri 18 is probably trailer-sailable, but borderline stiff enough for larger waters.
Capri 22 is also trailer-sailable (I've done it solo), setup time is about 1 hour... It'd be a lot of work, but the wing keel model is launchable at a decent ramp without drowning the truck, default newer config is an extendable tongue, the tilting trailer on the older models doesn't really help launch it.

These are big for trailerables... and the 22 is a decent performer PHRF 210 without spin. 204 with spin. the Capri 18 is a slug, but smaller, and easier to solo launch.

The S2 7.9 is a great boat, but day sailing it from trailer would be a struggle. I wouldn't recommend my Capri 25, or a J/22 or 24 for the same reasons.

Other considerations... Hunter 23... Precision 21... (Precision 18, but might be too light for larger waters).

Compac 19 or 23... the 19 is doable as a trailer day sail, the 23 probably a lot harder, both are not real sporty.

If you hit the lottery, the Left Coast Dart is an option (I'm trying Jim Lee, hey someone will take you up on it - and I can live vicariously)...
 
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