OK, Please don't laugh

[Madhatter23]

Brand new to the site, and that is just the beginning.
I have never been on a sailboat, and am now the owner of a 1977 C&C 24. Got it for a great price, and have been reading and yearning to sail for years now. I have been a powerboater for a lot of years. I am also moving from Connecticut to Georgia soon (I hope REAL soon) which presents another problem. I will need to modify a powerboat trailer that I own to handle the sailboat to get it down to Georgia, then I have to learn to sail. I will probably be bothering everybody on this site for all the help I can get in the near future, but it is not my fault, if the people in charge of this site are dumb enough to let me join. I suspect by this time next year, the rules will change, and there will be some kind of system in place to keep idiots like me off.
Hope I don't make too big a pest of myself.

[PaulinVictoria]

Have fun, the C&C24 is fun to sail

[Faster]

Welcome... the C&C 24 is a good start.

As for the trailer, try to get a look at storage cradles, esp adjustable ones, for some ideas on how to modify the old trailer. Be sure the trailer frame and axles etc are up to the loads of the (likely) heavier boat.

[macattackga]

GA coast or GA lake? Both have good sailing waters!

[BubbleheadMd]

Looks like a C&C 24 displaces 3200 lbs. I hope you have a truck and brakes that are up to the task.

A problem with modifying a powerboat trailer, is that the axles are usually in a different place than on sailboat trailers, so the support and weight distribution isn't optimal when putting a sailboat on it. The axles should be a little further forward for a sailboat.

You might investigate the cost of shipping, vs. buying or modifying a trailer, they might be comparable by the time you're finished.

In the end, if you still decide to modify the powerboat trailer, I'd look at some boats on hardstands, look at the placement of them along the hull and figure out how to weld supports along the trailer to cradle the boat as it would be on hardstands.

[Madhatter23]

Thanks for all the advise. I will be moving to southern Georgia, between Macon and savannah. (closer to Macon). I understand there is sailing on Lake Sinclair, or I will be 2 hours from Savannah. I will try Sinclair first, especially to learn. With a trailer, I can move it to Savannah later.

[coreywoodworking]

Check out Triad trailers. The website may give you clues about what to look for. I second the suggestion of having it shipped. A good quality trailer, even if you find it used, will cost at leat $1000 and then you have to store it too. And you'll need a tow vehicle set up for electric brakes....

I've had a number of 25-33' keelboats but that hasn't stopped me from glancing off a 6' diameter red Coast Guard bell, outside Boston Harbor (while making a sandwich, on autopilot, last year) or nearly crashing into another very big bell off the Maryland coast.

The former left a 20" red stripe on the hull, and I've left it there just to remind myself to be more careful.

You'll have problems. You'll also have great fun. Just keep sailing. And asking questions.

[rgscpat]

Welcome and hope you have fun with the boat! Be sure to seek out other sailors in your new home to be; it's always good to have a resource and people to chat about boat fix-ups and sailing.

[dergon]

Welcome and enjoy. Switched from power to sail three years ago and have never been happier!

[JKCatalina310]

Good luck. The C&C 24 is a great boat. We just traded up from one this fall.