Best Weekender Sailing Boat under 25 feet

S

Sirius35

New Member
Joined
17 Sep 2016
Messages
1
Visit site
Hi Newbie to site.

We are a family of three (our son is age 7) looking for a weekender under 25 feet. Going to Boat Show next weekend.

We have previously owned a Tradewind 35, J109 and a Starlight 35 and most recently a Botnia Targa 27. We all miss sailing and especially our Starlight 35.

Just want something to sail for weekends in Plymouth Sound, Tamar etc. Don't have time for a bigger boat.

Boat we are considering are:

Swallow Yachts - Baycruiser 23 and Bay Raider Expedition.

Cornish Crabber Adventure 19

Beneteau First 25.7

Any experience of any of these boats or other suggestions, especially from families would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
 
Are you ruling out older boats - there's an awful lot of smaller yachts than that selection, often available at really quite low prices these days for decent examples.

I've had an Achilles 24 for the past seven years, sailing around the Thames Estuary, and have been delighted with it and it would be ideal for your plans.

Others will make their own recommendations.
 
Welcome to the forums, predictably for regulars here I'd say Anderson 22; they basically come in 2 formats, the earlier ones had a larger keelcase so are better for racing or weekending, the later ones with a smaller keelcase and roomier interior make good cruisers, fast and seaworthy - if interested have a look at the ' Buyer's Guide ' in the website below.
 
Sirius35 said:
Hi Newbie to site.


Boat we are considering are:

Swallow Yachts - Baycruiser 23 and Bay Raider Expedition.

Cornish Crabber Adventure 19

Beneteau First 25.7

Any experience of any of these boats or other suggestions, especially from families would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum

Those three are very different styles of boats and surprised to see them on one short list!

What it does illustrate is the enormous variety of boats that you might consider, particularly if you venture into the used boat market.

There is no one "best" boat and you have to look at as many as you can and weigh up what suits your ambitions the best. As you see one suggestion already could not be more different from your initial 3 (and probably would not be on many short lists for a weekender!).

Unfortunately you won't see much choice at Southampton because new small boats now is a rather small and niche market. if you want a sail and forget type of boat then the small Jeanneau and Beneteau boats have a lot going for them.
 
Welcome! Your going to get a wide range of options on this one. You say that you don't have the time for a larger boat, so I guess that rules out a project p, older or wooden one.

Looking at your list I wondered how sea worthy you want your boat to be. I've not sailed any on the list but when I look at the Cornish crabbers and I've seen one swallow 26 I think) they struck me as very nice good weather craft. I'm not sure I'd want to be caught in a rising f6/7 in one. That could just be my prejudice and others may be alone in a moment to tell you how wrong I am.

I have sailed a first. I cannot remember if it was 25 or slightly larger. Compared to my old wooden, 25 foot long keeled plodder, it felt zippy and responsive. But in some ways a bit too responsive and I wonder how you will all feel in a lightweight day sailor compared to your Tradewind, bullet proof, take-you-anywhere in all conditions boat.
 
Red Fox 200E is ideal for those kinds of locations. Could also look at the 20 footers from Jeanneau and Beneteau. Jeanneau also do a 25 footer (2500) which might be worth a look. Are you looking for a trailer sailer to keep the mooring cost down?
 
Bit like asking which the best family saloon car is for you ! Everyone has their own idea......

Loads of choice out there.
I Love my Jag 25 for coastal hopping - fairly light in a blow though - but does make her quite fast - and I head for port before that swell picks up !

cheap to buy and run as well if you have a twin keel.........

Sleeps my 3 kids and wife just fine as a weekender. Very dry. Good layout. You can jog around inside if you are 5 feet 10........or under

I was going to upgrade this year to something about 32 feet - but hey - why do the extra cost when she still brings a smile to my face bouncing across torbay in an F5 !
 
buy an older boat and treat yourself to spending a couple of grand keeping a good boatyard in work ...

you could get a Trident 24 or similar re-engined if necessary and new rigging and electrics
if necessary and walk away with change from 7k ...
 
Cloona said:
buy an older boat and treat yourself to spending a couple of grand keeping a good boatyard in work ...

you could get a Trident 24 or similar re-engined if necessary and new rigging and electrics
if necessary and walk away with change from 7k ...
Click to expand...

Trident 24? Nice boat.

You'd also be pleased with my Jeanneau Eolia 25 which is in use and for sale. Re-engined with a new 1GM10 engine 2 seasons ago, new sails, stack pack and flexofold prop. amongst other things. Inbox me if you'd like to take a look... http://yachts.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=461074
 
Last edited:
An idea of budget would be useful.

You state that you used to have starlight which woukd today sell for mid £60k ish yet I note people are suggesting some sub £5k boats that may be somewhat less salubrious than you are used to.

If time is an issue ( and you say you don't have the time for a larger boat) then make sure you get something newish as the time on maintenance seems to increase with age.

We have 2 young children 8 and 10. Features to look out for are well protected cockpit, easy access on / off the boat, especially to a dinghy, a separate forecabin with a door that you can close to encourage them to go to bed and ideally large water tanks and hot water. Children will go into the water / get cold at any opportunity.

You may also want to consider a larger than expected battery bank as they will leave lights on and a way of charging whatever electronic devices they are permitted to have.

Sailing wise, look for something that will enable them to be involved. bear in mind though that you may end up single handing effectively. A decent autopilot will be invaluable in this respect. I might be tempted by something like a Cornish Crabber if not interested in speed at all and with a cutter rig they could handle the jib sheets or you could furl it when single handed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top