[Boxerz123]

Hi everyone,

I'm shopping around for my 1st sailboat. My primary cruising grounds will be in lake ontario but would like to be able to trailer up to the north channel if I decide to change cruising grounds.

I've pretty much fallen in love with the Alberg 30. Judging by previous posts, its a good boat but a bit on the smaller side inside.
I'm somewhat conflicted about the cockpit. I've sailed mostly on boats with a wheel and kind of like the protection it brings. You can grab something if heel excessively whereas an A30 would be open. But the A30 is a proven heavy weather boat so maybe my concern is unfounded.

I also considered C&c 30, cs 30 as well but these are more expensive than the alberg. essentially i wanted something that relatively simple (for single handing), can accommodate 2-3 people cruising and be able to take on heavy weather if we get stuck out there and need to weather out a storm.

IF there's any other boats you can think of feel free to let me know.

Thanks in advance and happy sailing.

 

[Boxerz123]

Thank you for quick replied. All good points.
I sail a c&c 29 Mk ii through my club and while its a great boat, I'd be hesitant cutting across lake Ontario. To me it doesn't feel as rugged as I'd like my boat to be.
I read that the CC30 is a stiffer boat and maybe a better choice than 29. And Catalinas - thought the proverbial best bang for the buck- I feel is also not boat you'd want to get stuck in heavy weather. A friend owns one and though its a great boat for most cases, he doesnt' like being in it when it blows north of 20.

My view of the Alberg (apart from Aesthetics) is that it has circumnavigated many times and it seems like a simpler, more rugged boat than the ones mentioned above. I'm going to play it smart and try and sail as many different boats as possible before committing to buying one myself.

 

[Boxerz123]

I did week-long sailing course on a CS 30. there were 4 of us on the boat and it was pretty comfortable and was great for cruising/living. Wasn't a bad sailor either from what I remember. Problem is they start from $30k upwards. My budget is around $15k-20k plus another $5 for upgrades. CS would put me way over. Love the 36T.

 

[Boxerz123]

for sure will be checking forecast for any crossing. I found the cc29 to be a lighter "feeling boat" and it can easily get over powered if not reefed when wind picks up. But it just doesn't give me the feeling of ruggedness so I woudn't want it to be pounding for hours.
yes you can always plan around weather but I'd like to know that if I need to get somewhere the boat can get me there regardless of weather. of course not talking about going out in gale force but don't want to be a fair weather sailor.

 

[Boxerz123]

I always find the responses to boat types very amusing on sailnet. I almost feel like everytime an OP considers a boat, there are many who say "there are better boats for the job than the one the OP is considering". I think even if one of the "better boats for the job" was originally considered, some would still say there are better boats for the job.

having said that, I'm still open to other models of boat with these considerations in mind in no particular order:
1) needs to be able to handle heavy seas
2) relatively comfortable for cruising for a couple
3) easy to setup for single handing
4) under $25k
5) around 27 - 30 ft

I'll take out the need for trailer-bility as I think it'll limit the size to 26 feet which I find to be too much on the cozy side

 

[Boxerz123]

I considered the cs27. Nice boat...a previous member here had one and told me he was happy with it for the most part except the smallish cockpit. Its a bit roomier with the tiller but once you have a wheel you lose a lot of space. I haven't sailed one so don't have first hand experience. I also think the headroom is under 6 feet? I'm 6 feet myself so having standing headroom is important.

the c&c on yachworld seem decent. not as pretty as the alber. i guess part of the attraction to the alberg is just the looks. all other boats look like cookie cutter designs where they all look the same. I really like the classic looking boats which is why I'm so hung up on the albergs. I know the bristols look similar.

 

[Boxerz123]

Thanks all for the recommendations. Alberg 30 is getting the least amount of love but I get it. Tartan 33 may be too much of a boat for me as a 1st time buyer. Ideally I want to keep it in the 30 foot max range to keep the maintenance and docking cost down. And Grampian looks like a good low price boat in that length although I must admit I'm not in love with its looks.

I've come to conclude that my intended use is 70% day sailing and 30 percent weekend or week-long trips. So with that in mind, I think best to have a boat I can hop on and cast off. I'm of the mindset of simple is better...at least until I'm able to leave for weeks at a time.

So the short list of boats is now:

C&C 30 MKi
C&C 29 MKii
Alberg 30
Tanzer 26
Tartan 30
I'd like to add cape dories to the mix but not too many on sale on lake ontario.

I'm not in a huge rush to buy as I have access to club boats so will stay patience until I'm 100% sure what boat I want and wait for one in good condition to come up.