Advice please

[mickyc]

Hi,

Brand newbie here!

I'm looking to buy a trailable yacht (26ft ish) with 4 berths if possible

Has anyone any recommendations or equally important models to avoid

Thanks

Oh the cash bit !

I'm hoping to spend about 15k (negotiable with her who must be obeyed !!)

 

[BrendanS]

Day sailing, weekends, extended trips? Occasional racing, area you intend to use in. Any information you can provide will help narrow down the advice you are given.

 

[mickyc]

Oh right (ooops!!)

We are looking for weekends mainly, with possibly our main 2 weeks summer as well. (me wife + 2 pre teens)

We are caravanners (no laughing pls!) at the moment so are used to living a bit cramped on our weekends away.

Not interested in racing just yet

hoping to sail on east coast mainly (we're based in Notts)

We havn't sailed at all before so would need tuition and obviously an easily handled boat

Thanks for your help

 

[ShipsWoofy]

This boat now on brokerage (Legend 23.5) was moored next to me last year. I cannot comment on her sailing ability, but for some reason I just liked her design. She is a trailer sailor but sits as well on a mooring. Has a nifty cockpit hatch arrangement to give standing headroom in the saloon when at anchor etc.

It just seemed to fit your description, I saw them launch it once and the family seemed to cope very well.

I have no connection, I only really spoke to the guy once as I then moved moorings. just an idea.....


Click for brokerage listing

 

[FullCircle]

I had an Evolution 25 (not a 26, that's a racer) with a LK for many years. It struggles with the old BMW diesel, but I suspect that they all went skywards years ago. New engined boat is desirable Good fast boat, plenty of room, separate heads/shower area. Huge forecabin. Nicknamed by my mates as the Caravan (we slept 11 on it one night). Just about towable, but wouldn't advise it regularly. Can bore you more if you wish,
just PM me
Hunter Delta is small and has an intrusive LK
Dehler 25 nice to look at
Jaguar 25 has a swinging centreboard
all at 10-12k

Feeling, Jouet 760, and Jeanneau Fantasia -16-18k

 

[Sybarite]

My advice is - don't.

Charter first and you will then form your own opinion as to what suits. I had a pre-conceived notion of what I wanted but then changed after chartering 5 or 6 times.

John

 

[mainmarine]

Hi
I started with a Leisure 17 just like sailing a big dinghy, as the 2 kids got bigger moved up to a Newbridge Navigator 19ft, junk rigged, easy to sail, no heeling, then a Seal 22 this also sailed well, now Cornish Crabber 24 too big to trail and sail.
Try the trailer sailer association they have loads of advice available:

http://homepages.rya-online.net/trail-sail/starting.html

Malc
Mainmarine

 

[snowleopard]

if you want a boat you can trail down to the sea, go for a sail then bring it back again, it must be a lift-keeler. a mate down the road bought a 17ft bilge keeler for that type of sailing- by the time it floats off the trailer the water is over the floor of his land rover! if the boat isn't too heavy you can get round that problem with a winch but a 26 footer is a hell of a big boat to be manhandling like that.

perhaps a better idea is to go to the area you want to sail and see what the locals have. they will have sorted the problems and settled on suitable designs. most boats up to 25 ft can be craned onto a trailer to bring home for the winter though most over 22ft will be too much to tow with a car so you'll need a 4WD.

the east coast can be pretty unforgiving unless you're prepared to go as far south as suffolk & essex.

 

[mainmarine]

Just had another thought, At Carsington Water and Rutland Water they sail trailer sailers, try a visit to see what they sail, ask around at the clubs there, someone may take you out for a taster sail.
Malc
Mainmarine

 

[Lakesailor]

To tow, your boat/trailer combo must weigh less than the manufacturer's stated maximum towing weight (in essence;- it seems that the maximum Gross Trailer Weight plated on the draw bar must be within the capability of the towing vehicle).
So for a boat like mine, which I only tow a mile home once a year, the boat weighs 880Kg, the trailer weighs 330Kg, so the total is within the Gross Trailer Weight marked the drawbar of 1500Kg.
My car (a Rav 4) has a Maximum Towing Weight of 1500Kg so I'm OK. But of course with outboard, fuel tank, etc etc I'm probably close to the maximum towing weight. That's only an 18 foot bilge keeler.
The bilge keel option is not terrific for trailer/sailors. I need nearly 4feet of water to float the boat off, so if using the car you need a strop or extension drawbar to keep your car dry. Lift keel (without a stub) would be better.
Towing Law

 

[BlueMan]

Try this one, it used to be mine before before I traded it in for a new yacht .....

Link to Legend 240 for sale

The listing says try and offer.......they have had it for 4 months now so will be keen to sell! I get nothing out of it other than a dealer that is even more happy to support my new yacht!

The legend 240 was the follow on to the 23.5 that Woofy mentioned. Main advantage for trailering is that you dump the water ballast (500Kg) which gets it down to around 1000Kg (plus the trailer etc) for trailering.

It is not a great boat for heavy weather but for coastal pottering up to about F5 it is great and very cheap to run.

Good luck, and shout if you want to know more.

 

[cliff]

Have you considered the West coast on a mooring with a fin keel boat?

Is the hassle of trailering the boat at the weekend really worth it? Remember you most likely will have to pay for launch and recovery.
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[whisper]

Plus the fact that on the E.Coast half of the water area disappears twice every 24hrs /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[manimbored]

Oh cool, i'm a regular now! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

The Magergor 26 looks good (on the website at least)

Macgregor 26 Home Page

I sail a Jag 21 lifting keel, with my dad. We have a caravan, and up until july 04 had absolutly no sailing knowledge whatsowever. On holiday in france we hired a yacht, pureley because we needed a licence to hire an equlilvent size motorboat. Corny as it sounds, but after that day, we knew we wanted a yacht.

Dad bought the Jag 21 in august, and we kept it in a small marina costing about 400 per year. There is a Caravan site at the marina, so we take the caravan down and sail during the day, and sleep in the caravan.

Instead of lifting it out just leave it in, a short boat will not break the bank in marina fees or get a mooring, even cheaper. Its so much easier, if you do trailer it you will have to drop the mast which is a pain, we broke the mast base on the first attempt, and the mast slammed into the boat beside us. Luckilly it was a rib with a cage so it didn't do any damage.

We were lucky to get somone in the marina to show us the basics. Get the owner of the boat your buying to give you an intoductory lesson as part of the price. I don't know much about the east coast so i cant recomment any easy waters to start off in.

2 pre teens should be excited enough about a boat, the wife might not be as excitable, (my mother isn't, she always gets rain or no wind when she's sailing)

Sailing is simple enough, to learn, although it was a while before we reailised thet it is not really dangerous to have the gunwhale in the water!

 

[mickyc]

Wow !!

Thanks to everyone for all the advice, some really good links there and I'll be pm ing those of you who have been kind enough to offer.

We're off to look at some boats this weekend, hopefully we'll have a better idea when we've actually "sat on" some boats.

The chartering suggestion is a good idea I think once we've located a "favourate choice" we'll have a look for the possibility of a weekend trial.

Once again thanks a lot for your time

 

[mainmarine]

Don't forget Nationwide boat sales at Chesterfield, they usually have a suprising number of sailing cruisers
Malc
Mainmarine

 

[StugeronSteve]

Dehler (Dehlya) 25. Still have very fond memories of mine. Fast and comfortable, although a little limited on headroom. A really great trailable boat that both looks and is good. Usually priced >£14K with road trailer, launching trolley and engine. If you are going to tow regularly go for the outboard version, sticking the outboard and rudder assembly in the back of the car reduces tail weight and aids towing no end. Otherwise, buy one with and inboard engine.