Camping cruising dinghy

[Swg]

Any experience? Family of 4 seeking small scale adventures in trailerable and easy to launch/ recover boat with a bent towards tradition. Probably not with centre board to maximise room. What should we buy?

 

[sarabande]

what's the tow vehicle please ? If you have a LR or similar, you can tow boat + trailer up to 3500kg. Smaller cars mean smaller boats.


And is it trail and launch every time, or will you want to trail, launch sail, and recover a couple of weeks later ? Stay on board or day sail

Have you looked at small Crabber types ? Drascombe longboat ?

 

[VicS]

Any experience? Family of 4 seeking small scale adventures in trailerable and easy to launch/ recover boat with a bent towards tradition. Probably not with centre board to maximise room. What should we buy?

Fixed keels = difficult to launch and recover

Lifting keels = easy to launch and recover.

Id suggest a Westerly Jouster with a swing keel

Seajet will suggest an Anderson 22. sails well but not got the accommodation for a family

For a bilge keeler you wont beat the accommodation of a Sea Wych in 19ft

 

[Capt Popeye]

Type of Day boat would, I suggest, be influenced by the water you intend to sail upon!

Is it well upriver, (prob non tidal), or down river (probably tidal), and where do you intend to tie up or beach to 'over night' ?

Do you prefer to 'motor' or 'sail' the boat? Boats like the Drascome, i'd say do both well. Some 18ft boats have a very small cuddy forward, where you can store / keep the 'camping' gear during a sail etc!

Anyways, its really a enjoyable pastime and adventure, good boat/camping

 

[Neil]

Character Boats Whammel! I've thought of doing dinghy camping in mine but never got round to it. The long solid keel is great for running up a gravel/sand/mud shore to sleep under a boom tent or pitch a tent onshore.

 

[prv]

Id suggest a Westerly Jouster with a swing keel

Seajet will suggest an Anderson 22.

For a bilge keeler you wont beat the accommodation of a Sea Wych

Surely the OP said "cruising dinghy"?

Pete

 

[ianat182]

The Drascombe Dabber would tick any boxes for space, safety and traditional looks, but are quite expensive even secondhand,and £10K new; They are rigged as a yawl and with the tan sails, loose- footed main (no boom) and gunter rigged. An outboard of 2.5 hp is sufficient but 3.5/4 hp would be better, though heavier usually.
They sail particularly well, with lots of room and a heavy metal centreboard with a tackle usually ,so pretty stable and no slouch.
With a very good Class association they arrange rallies for all the models of the marque which are well attended and good for picking up ideas for camping and improvements if needed.
Resale value is good and they are strongly built.
There is another company that also manufactures a 'Drascombe' based on the original design and may be cheaper.
Coincidentally I was looking at a beautiful example being displayed at the Alresford Show today (also the Dabber original) - nice bronze fittings are standard I'm told!
They aren't lightweights by any means but easily towable by a normal car/trailer, weight I don't recall.


ianat182

 

[VicS]

Surely the OP said "cruising dinghy"?

Pete

I assumed when they said cruising they meant they would want to live on the boat

Jouster just the job.
I know someone who has one and with a decent trailer towed it to Scotland for a holiday as well as to France.

 

[Swg]

Don't want to restrict the sailing waters (conditions excepted) hence a towable craft. Couple of nights aboard from time to time. Happy to hear further thoughts and thanks for those expressed. Tideway? Wayfarer? Postboat ...

 

[Seajet]

No I wouldn't, though the Anderson 22 has a decent interior, I spent 3 weeks around the Channel Islands with self, my fiancee and a chum, room was not a problem and we were all still talking at the end !

However I never recommend the Anderson 22 as a 'trailer sailer'.

The boat is too big, heavy and complex to rig.

If repositioning for a summer cruise away from one's normal area, maybe but I'd rather sail there.

I think trailer - sailing only appeals to novices until they try it !

Even a small dinghy is a pain to trailer-sail, with bigger boats it gets worse.

This subject comes up so often...

Imagine you fancy a - or plan on a weekend - sail, it's a sunny day.

Trail the boat to a decent slipway ( these are surprisingly rare ).

Everyone else has had the same idea.

If tide allows, wait and get launched.

Find somewhere safe to leave the boat.

Find somewhere safe to leave car and trailer.

Go back to boat.

Rig boat.

Get back in time for the tide.

De-rig boat.

Leave boat somewhere safe.

Go and get car and trailer.

Wait for the slip or employ a machine gun to get the slip clear.

Recover boat.

Tow home.

Collapse.

Also putting any lift keeler on a trailer for the winter is a big mistake, as it means one cannot get at the keel plate for maintenance; which is why I recommend and give the plans for high trestles for winter storage.

So VicS, in case the message hasn't got through, I don't recommend anything bigger than a Topper for this sort of operation, certainly not an Anderson 22; get a cheap half tide mooring, on mud not sand !

Swg,

try googling the Dinghy Cruising Association, I think they should be able to help.

Have Fun !

VicS, not much interior ?! ;

As for " not enough interior "...There's a 6'4" quarter berth on the port side, seen here covered in junk during a refit !

The starboard bunk is 6'7",
I don't recall the dimensions of the forepeak double but can say it fits 2 people who are 5'9" quite happily and am told it fits significantly taller people being friendly !

 

[Lakesailor]

http://www.willowbayboats.co.uk/ Look at the Ha'penny. Big enough for 4, very light.

 

[Swg]

Looks very pretty. As for the cabin, the boat is mostly a day boat. I mostly want an open design for roominess. The occasional overnight we can rough it. Having trailed a Shrimper a bit I'm aware of the hassles and this is partly what us driving me to consider a smaller boat. Thanks again.M

 

[Redfox226]

Try a Wayfarer!

 

[Lakesailor]

A couple of pics of a Ha'penny on Windermere. I was talking to them as we sailed along. The father said they'd had it for (I think) about 4 years and loved it.

A wooden boat with none of the problems associated with them.

 

[Seajet]

Jeez H C,

they're even leaving fenders out on dayboats now and sail trim seems a lost art - Pass me my revolver Carruthers !

 

[Lakesailor]

But they are having fun.

 

[Zagato]

Re Drascombes - the only really practical ones for a family of four in comfort is a Cruiser or Drifter. The Coasters cockpit/cabin is VERY limited for 4 people. The Drifter is still only 22', set up and easy for single handed sailing but has the biggest cabin, with cooker, toilet good storage etc and a very big cockpit. 2' draft with bilge keels, just as easy to launch recover as a lifting keel with the right trailer and a 1.8cc car. The Drascombe Association site can advise on cockpit tents and the rallies they hold are great fun for young families and to learn the waters around the country.

If you or anyone would like to know more about the Drascombe range I am happy to advise and can point you in the direction of a nice Drifter!

Or how about a Cape Cutter http://www.capecutter19.com/index.htm

 

[EuanMcKenzie]

what you want is a hawk 20 - its designed for the job

but not very traditional or cheap

Westerly Nimrod perhaps? old rather than traditional. one for sale on ebay at present but I daren't paste in the link for fear of getting told off for advertising by the thought police


No connection by the way just spotted it browsing

Drascombes are nice but overpriced IMHO. You could buy a proper yacht for what they cost

 

[Nina Lucia]

Camping and sailing

This what we did this summer!

 

[E39mad]

Look up Swallow Boats based in Wales. Traditional looks with modern lightweight design. My fav dayboats.