txmxrider wrote:
I appreciate any thoughts the group may have on this subject, pro and con.

Years ago, when we had a trailerable MacGregor 25 (swing keel), we tried
every method imaginable to raise & lower the mast. As someone else
related, we too took a long time at first, but by the end of the first
season, it took the two of us about 20 minutes from the time we arrived
at the ramp to my parking the vehicle/trailer and the boat ready to go
(Kathryn would be finishing up the final details as I parked the car and
walked back to the boat). That's assuming there was no wait at the ramp
(a few places we went there was a considerable wait).

By the way, we finally figured out that the mast was light enough that
after connecting the mast base to the tabernacle, I could just grab the
mast and lift it into place with Kathryn standing by to unsnag any
shrouds that caught on something and to connect the forestay once I got
the thing vertical. Once we figured this out, the act of actually
stepping or unstepping the mast went very quickly.

--
Dan Best - (559) 970-9858, Fresno, CA 93704
B-2/75 1977-1979
Tayana 37 #192, "Tricia Jean" http://triciajean192.home.comcast.net

wrote
Because if I have a spare hour, I can go sailing for an hour.
That's the hour that you spend rigging and retrieving.

If you're in a hurry, what're you doing in a sailboat?

Hi Everett

I just started sailing this year, a 19 foot O'Day.

My intension was , like you, to trailer it to the ramp as needed.
My wife prefered that we get a slip, at least for this year. I have
not regretted that decision.

The boat is in the water and ready to go. I sail more often (3 to 4
time a week). The Weather is the only reason I have not gone more
often. Learning to sail as I go along, I can plan my sailing during my
work-day and then go out and execute the manouvers later that evening.
I invite friends & family to join us at a moments notice, we all have
a blast.

We will trailer the sailboat during our vacation at the end of July ,
so that we can experience a different body of water(Charleston L
Ontario is next on our list). Currently we have a slip on the Ottawa
River in Ontario (Nepean Sailing Club), we plan on moving the boat to
different sections of the river to explore over the next few years.

Make sure that you have a proper vehicle to tow the boat, I discovered
too late that my station wagon was not up to the task of pulling a
1400 lbs boat. We travel by Motor Home so pulling our sailboat should
be a breeze when on vacation but impractible otherwise.

Setting the mast up with a helper should be easy on a boat under 22
feet. Beyond that you will need some kind of mechanical help to raise
the mast. (lots of systems but best to keep it simple) Look for a
design that will be easy to step the mast.

I find that the size of our boat is ideal for us. As a day-sailer it
has a large cockpit that is comfortable with 6 adults aboard, the
small cabin is suitable for two people for one or two nights max. A
porta-potty for urgency is a must. No stove although we plan on buying
a combination stove and grill for our overnight trips. The sail plan
is simple so that I can single hand, the self furling genoa is must,
the CDI we have is troubler free and easy to use. A good 4 stroke 4 HP
motor is more than enough to push us around when the wind dies.

KISS and you will sail more often and the wife will be more willing to
participate, as mine is. She finds it sooo relaxing after a hard days
work, regardless of the wind condition. A two hour sail before bed-
time works wonders for the spirit.

BTW my neighbour has a smaller 16' open sailboat that he uses rarely
because he has to trail it. He misses opportunities because the
weather is iffy, I just go hang out at the marina & more often then
not I'm out sailing while he is sitting at home wishing he had got off
his butt. His sailing education suffers as well. When he does go out,
he struggles with his boat and motor because he hasn't enough
experience to set-it up properly or quickly. His wife now refuses to
go with him, his guests are frustrated with him because of all the
time he wastes. The best days for sailing also means that the ramp is
busy with fumbling not experienced sailors all trying to get there
boat in the water at the same time and all having a bad time to boot.

Good luck and go sailing!

Sensei Marc

On Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:22:09 -0500, "txmxrider"
wrote:

Hello,

Please forgive me for asking a newbie question. I'm considering getting a
smallish (19'-23'), swing keel, water ballast, sailboat for family
recreation on local lakes. I don't know much about sailing but I've been a
power boat owner for 30 years. Big difference, I know, but bear with me. For
budget reasons I prefer not to have to rent a slip and would like to keep my
boat at home and trailer to the lake on weekends. In all of my years of
boating I have never seen anyone trailer a sailboat to the lake, raise the
mast, and launch. Every sailboat I have ever seen either came from a slip or
at the very least, was sitting on a trailer stored at the marina with the
mast up and presumably launched right there in that manner. I see photos and
ads for 'mast raising' systems but I have to assume that it's too much
trouble to trailer a sailboat on weekends or more people would be doing it.
Obviously it would be more involved than launching say a bass boat, but
really, how much trouble is it? Is the idea totally impractical? Are some
models easier than others to launch?

Although I'm not a lazy guy, far from it actually, I'm still very concerned
that a boat with a poor work-to-fun ratio will sit in the driveway and not
get used that much.

I appreciate any thoughts the group may have on this subject, pro and con.


Go on this site and lurk around the various brand forums, do searches,
ask questions. folks are very helpful and you'll get much information
on launch and retrieve issues, ingenious mast raising systems, the
pros and cons of trailer sailing, info on tow vehicles real capacity,
group rendevous, etc.

http://www.trailersailor.com/

Frank

On Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:02:28 -0400, "Ernest Scribbler"
wrote:

wrote
Because if I have a spare hour, I can go sailing for an hour.
That's the hour that you spend rigging and retrieving.

If you're in a hurry, what're you doing in a sailboat?

Racing at speeds of 25 or more. Over 100 on ice.

Casady

On Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:53:56 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

.... In all of my years of
boating I have never seen anyone trailer a sailboat to the lake, raise the
mast, and launch. Every sailboat I have ever seen either came from a slip
or
at the very least, was sitting on a trailer stored at the marina with the
mast up

Yeah, so? That doesn't mean it can't be done, just that the guys in
your neighborhood don't. Maybe they don't know how, or maybe there are
other reasons (more below).

They held a regatta at Spirit Lake, Iowa, and a dozen 38 foot boats
showed up. Class A scows. Those boats will exceed 25 MPH. Minimum
weight is 1850 pounds. Since the entire lake is less than twenty feet
deep, those guys did mast groundings. With crews of four, there is a
lot of muscle available for putting the masts up. [The boats daysail
eight nicely.]

Casady

Just a consideration: Be certain the boat launches you use are steep
enough to support launching a sailboat of any kind. I say this because
most of the launches we have here in northern NH are too shallow unless
you're willing to get wet. I am definitely not trying to discourage
you, just suggesting that you check; otherwise a centerboard affair may
work much better.
--

Larry
rapp at lmr dot com

On Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:05:08 -0400, Larry wrote:

Just a consideration: Be certain the boat launches you use are steep
enough to support launching a sailboat of any kind. I say this because
most of the launches we have here in northern NH are too shallow unless
you're willing to get wet. I am definitely not trying to discourage
you, just suggesting that you check; otherwise a centerboard affair may
work much better.

Only wimps use a ramp. Real men drag the boat down the sand until it
floats. Then there was the marine railway for the jetboat. Sometime in
the sixties we got a dock and hoists for the jetboat and the M-16
scow, but the two sunfish,the canoe, the laser, and the [5 hp]
duckboat were kept on the sand. Ramps were once a year, to and from
winter storage. The neighbors dragged their ski boat over the beach.

Casady

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Just a consideration: Be certain the boat launches you use are steep
enough to support launching a sailboat of any kind. I say this because
most of the launches we have here in northern NH are too shallow unless
you're willing to get wet. I am definitely not trying to discourage you,
just suggesting that you check; otherwise a centerboard affair may work
much better.
--

Larry
rapp at lmr dot com

The way they designed the launch ramps here, even centerboard boats can be a
problem.

Don White wrote:
"Larry" wrote in message
...
Just a consideration: Be certain the boat launches you use are steep
enough to support launching a sailboat of any kind. I say this because
most of the launches we have here in northern NH are too shallow unless
you're willing to get wet. I am definitely not trying to discourage you,
just suggesting that you check; otherwise a centerboard affair may work
much better.
--

Larry
rapp at lmr dot com

The way they designed the launch ramps here, even centerboard boats can be a
problem.

Yeah, here too. There are these concrete bars which I guess are
supposed to improve traction, but I'd be afraid of damage to the hull on
anything with appreciable draft.
--

Larry
rapp at lmr dot com