"Jere Lull" wrote in message
...
In article .com,
"tt" wrote:
Is there a trailerable( I never want to be at the mercy of a marina
again) sailboat that is suited to long distance cruising and extended
periods of living? By the way I am retired and not a rich man.
Depends on what you mean by "suited". And what you mean by
"trailerable", I supposed. Our Tanzer 28 (below) is, IMO, perfectly
suited, and she can be *moved* by trailer --a couple of of our sister
boats are moved twice a year-- but the required tow vehicle would pay
for a few years' marina fees.
When you're looking, I would look for two things: Standing headroom and
a permanent berth suitable to your needs. Not being able to stand up to
put your pants on gets old fast, but that pretty much requires a boat
over 26' or it gets too boxy for proper sailing. Most any boat will have
a sleeping dinette or something, but making it up and putting it down
each day gets old even faster.
If you want to self-launch, you pretty much limit yourself to a
centerboard boat.
Just thought: you might look into the trailerable trawlers like the
Nimble series. Only 8'6" wide and relatively light, but great for
getting out and about for pretty fair distances.
--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's NEW Pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/
There are always the McGregor Water Ballast boats, which have plenty of room
for their size and are quite trailerable -- though I wouldn't recommend one
to an enemy. I consider their ballast to be inefficient and too high,
creating a negative righting moment upon capsizing. This would probably not
be an issue in protected sailing conditions, though, so it may well be
suitable for purposes of inland, near-shore, and ICW sailing.
Flicka's are trailerable, with a decent-sized tow vehicle (F250 or so I
think would do it), and are proper sea going pocket cruisers. There are also
the Pearson Ariels and Tritons, though I think the Triton is pushing it as a
"trailerable" boat. I have seen them on trailers, though, in Southern
California. Then there are West Wight Potters -- the 19 could suit these
purposes, though I wouldn't want to live on one with another person for more
than a day or two.
Karin