Frank Boettcher wrote:
Nothing is out of the question, however, still leaning toward a
Precision 23 or 21.

And I'm not trying to talk you out of that, just pointing
out other options. They're certainly among the best built
boats in that size/type category.

... Like the idea of encased lead ballast (however,
not the idea of towing it around).


Me too. The thought of buying a bigger tow vehicle & paying
for the gas to drive it around really made me think about
ways around the problem.


Spent a lot of time on the trailer sailor forums (lot of helpful
people there) asking questions and getting opinions and ideas.

Yep. I was a regular there for years, IMHO it's changed a
bit for the worse since it became a for-profit site. Still
one of the best laces to check in to find out about specific
boats.


... Came
to the conclusion that a P-23 or anything in its class is more of a
"launch, arrange for some temp dockage and leave it in an area that
you can come back to for a number of weeks at a time or the good part
of a season" Or launch, sail for a week or so then pull it but leave
it in the area, dry. It is not a drive to the lake, go through the
trouble of launching and retrieving for a couple of hours sailing.


Agreed... and this can be a nice way to use the boat,
particularly if you already have the locations. OTOH it
leaves you with more of the worst of both worlds... you
still have to do trailer maintenance, the boat is far from
home much of the time instead of in the driveway, it needs
anitfoulding & zincs etc etc.




I've also looked with interest at Seaward 26RK (interesting keel
config, but a might too heavy to be hauling around. Also somewhat
pricey)

IMHO the Seaward line is not as well built as they like to
pretend, and they employ the most mendacious salespeople I
have seen outside a used car lot. I tend to not like the
cutesy faux-Cape Cod styling melded to modern (sort-of)
hulls & rigs; they cut a lot of corners. Do yourself a favor
and spend an hour or so looking over (and/or sailing) a
Seaward and then the same on a comparable model Precision.



.... and several used Starwinds.


Bsically the same boat as the Precision line.

P-23 with a 231 (210 with spinaker) PHRF is a fair performer, for its
size, relatively speaking.

Relatively... my only aspersion on the Precisions is that
they look fast but are only slightly above average
performance... and that only when compared to the
mass-market boats. There are a lot of boats in the size
range that will sail rings around them, and not give up much
(if anything) in the way of comfort or structure. Might be
harder to find though.

Have you checked out a Beneteau 235 or 211? I happen to like
the flush-deck 21 footer and it's surprisingly roomy inside.


... It is also the most stable, and probably
the best built of those that I've researched. Walking on the cabin
trunk roof and foredeck had the same solid feel as my Columbia 8.7 and
far less deflection than my Columbia 24 challenger.


Right on- they are quite well built & solid.

Been on the back burner lately, been drawing up plans to double the
size of my wood shop. I'm afraid if I buy a boat now, I'll fall all
over it fitting it out and lose focus on the shop.

And what would be bad about that?

... And I need the
shop to support some part time work.

Oh

Is this the "semi" part of semi-retirement? I find it much
more lucrative to keep punching the clock for the same
people I worked for before, only less often for more money.
I got an offer to work on somebody's boat (a similar project
to one I completed on ours) and ended up agreeing with the
owner that he really couldn't afford me.

... But if the right deal came
along......


The "deal of a lifetime" comes around about once a week. I'm
keeping my eyes peeled!

DSK