New Sailing Family - Go Ducks!

[cdavido]

Hell from the Pacific Northwest,

My wife and I are new to sailing since our ASA 101 certification course last summer. We have two teenagers and one is also certified in basic keelboat sailing. We are looking at buying our first boat to sail locally on a lake with an active sailing community.

I'm toying with the idea of trailer sailer vs a more substantial boat like a catalina 25. We will be keeping the boat in a slip to allow easy access during the summer.

I like the idea of a Santana 23 C as a starter boat. We loved learning on the J-24. We have friends who have done some cruising in the San Juan Islands and would like to work up to that in a few seasons. Any suggestions on the Cat 25 vs the more mobile trailer sailer?

[smackdaddy]

Welcome to SN dude. I like having my boat in the water (a C27) - but I can see the advantage of a trailer sailer.

[Faster]

Catalina 25s are available in trailerable versions, so look for one of those.. probably hard to find a similarly roomy boat in that type/size/price range.. Here in the PNW there's little need for a swing keel unless taking the boat home everyday is the preference. Certainly saves on moorage costs.

[cdavido]

Thanks for your input - we are leaning towards the Catalina 25 since we will be keeping it in a slip for the season. Seems like a better move if we are going to move into a bigger boat down the road. We are looking at a 1990 with a wing keel. We hope that will be a good move for a first boat out on the lake.

[jameswilson29]

Originally Posted by cdavido

Hell from the Pacific Northwest...We have two teenagers...[emphasis mine]

Freudian slip?