BoatBanter.com - Trailer Cruising in a Daysailer?

cavelamb wrote:
What I was thinking of, in fact, was an O'Day 17.
But they seem to be somewhat scarce in these parts (san anton).
And, truth be told, I'm not as young and spry as I once was(!?#^%).

How about this one?
http://www.boats.com/listing/boat_de...tyid=101746131

Seek and ye shall find. These are fun little boats, not
really much of a cabin though. A modern take on the same
type is the Precision 165
http://www.backyardboats.com/Sales/d...cision_165.asp

During my net wanderings I came across a cute 18 foot sloop - Capri 18.

Nice boats, but if you are always going to sail from the
trailer and ramp-launch, this wouldn't be my first choice in
this size/price range.

I think I've lost my mind or something, because I'm driving over tomorrow
to take a look.

No more so than any of the rest of us. Besides, how do youo
know for *sure* that a mind is a terrible thing to waste,
unless you've tried it?

wrote:
Ah yes, a very neat well made little sailboat, the Capri 18. We nearly
bought one at the Sailboat Shop in Austin, TX - I don't know if they have
any in stock now or not. We decided it was a bit small for weekenders.

Yes, that's one of the points against it. Very small inside
(of course it is only 18 feet). It's also nowhere near as
fast as it looks. Personally I'd rather have a boat that
looks OK and is fast as he## (performance usually makes it
more fun to sail) than one that looks fast but gets passed
by most other boats it's size.

... We
nearly bought a Hunter 19 which had a surprising amount of cabin for its
size but a test sail was disappointing. We ended up with a Catalina 22
and have been delighted with it for 9 years.

Odd you should say that. We did buy a Hunter 19, the water
ballast one. We found that we could outsail Catalina 22s
most of the time, and it was far more practical to trailer.
But that was then, this is now, and we have a "big boat"
sitting in a slip.

... Actually we've only used the
C22 for overnighting a few times - we bareboat charter at least 30' for
that. We'd probably have been almost as happy with the Capri 18.

The littler boat is noticably tippier and the cockpit isn't
as roomy... goes with the territory. A boat's size is really
it's cubic not it's length, so just a small change in LOA
results in a big change in the boat's perceived room &
stability & usually speed too.

Taking a quick look around the wwweb, I see a couple of
listings you might want to check out in Texas. Of course a
few Catalina 22s, if you can go that big you should also
look at a Beneteau 235 of which there are a few listed in
Dallas & Rockwall (sorry, I don't know Texas geography).
Lots of Ventures & MacGregors... at least take a look at the
ubiquitous Venture 21 which is sort of the 'peanut butter
sandwich' of trailerables. They sail surprisingly well and
are very affordable. Not very roomy though. There's also a
West Wight Potter 19 listed in Houston, surprisingly roomy &
stable for it's size. Probably easy to find a Com-Pac 16
nearby, too.

If you want a hotrod, look no further.
http://www.sailingtexas.com/sholder20d.html

This same web site lists a Paceship 23 (a little heavier
than a Catalina 22 IIRC) another great boat, and a Mirage
5.5 which is a small racing-style boat with some cabin & fun
to sail.

I'd recommend the Hunter 19 if there was one to be found in
your area. We had a blast with ours. (series of pics)
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...35692614ncOIjH

There are a LOT of trailerable sailboats made. Literally
thousands of different types; it would be possible to
consult a databse and pick the boat that would be the
perfect mix of performance & comfort for your taste, but if
there's not one for sale near you, it's a waste of effort.
Get out there & do some legwork, that's really the best way
to find a good boat.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King