Any good trailerable sea yachts?

warby1212

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HI,
I'm a recovering boat owner. We had a steel 38 footer and the scars are still healing from the incredible financial and emotional trauma! (just kidding) Any way I'm thinking another boat would be pretty good but we have learnt some lessons. I want to be able to bring it home on a trailer (using a truck to pull it probably). I also want to be a ble to resell it if necessary. So does anyone have any recommendations on a bring-homeable seaworthy fibreglass boat? Also be nice if it was pretty /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 

William_H

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Basically no. If a boat is small enough/ light enough to be easily towed then it will be too small/ light for rough water.
Of course that is a wild statement and you may be happy in alight boat in rough water. To my mind a boat shrinks in prtoportion to the height of the waves and I don't like it.

It is practical to put a fin keel yacht ont a trailer for towing at least a short distance and not often. It may also be practical for you to get a special permit for oversized loads again for infrequent trips.
Here in Oz for instance you can tow up to 10ft beam if you have an overwidth sign front and back and a flashing yellow light but only during daylight hours. (and permit) You may also get some concession on towing weight and of course length if necessary.
A friend recently towed a 30 ft X 10 ft boat 3000Kms from Melborne recently behind a Nissan 4X4. Yes granted a fairly light retractable keel boat.

So you need to do some research on local rules/ permits and choose a boat which is big enough but not too big and then get a trailer to suit. And ask more questions / look around. olewill
 

warby1212

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Hi, Thanks for that. I was thinking along the lines of towing it twice a year, once down to the water, a season of sailing, and then once back home. I can build a trailer and then hire a truck for those two days. Marinas are too expensive for me and I want the boat at home where I can fiddle with it between trips (working on boats is half the fun for me. It wouldn't have to be seaworthy to ultimate conditions but definitely self righting and sturdy and (pretty).
 

moondancer

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Two Tide 28's sailed across the Atlantic with a father and Son, so I assume would be seaworthy enough for you. They are properly ballasted and trailerable and sail pretty well. Not sure if it passes the pretty test but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 

AngusMcDoon

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Dragonfly 920, legal to tow in the EU. All up towing weight (boat plus trailer) 3000kg. Needs a vehicle like a Land Rover or Land Cruiser to tow it, but can be done.

trans3.jpg
 

Avocet

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Something like an Elizabethan 23? They're good, stout little boats with a centre plate so they sit lower on the trailer.

I don't know how heavy a Contessa 26 is but you might JUST get one and a trailer under 3500kg. Similarly, our Cutlass 27 is a fantastic sea boat (for its size) and weighs 3 tons. I've never tried building it a road trailer and unless we absolutely stripped it bare, the combined weight would probably be too close for comfort. Also relatively deep draught (4'6") for launching off a trailer. I guess a lot depends on how much work you're prepared to do at the start and end of each season.

Finally, I have heard good things about the seakeeping qualities of the Parker / Jaguar lift-keelers.
 

NigelBirch

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Some friends of ours have a Trapper 240TS that they swear by. Although it's very much a boat for one couple. Their working their way to the mediterranean. Other than that what about Super Seals and Parkers?
 

reginaldon

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Re: Any good trailerable sea yachts? re: olewill

A stock Caprice Mk 1 marine ply & 18' circumnavigated, much of the way with 2 aboard; I have the Mk 4, 19' & GRP.
 

michael_w

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Beneteau First Class 8. Seriously quick; got 15.8kts out of mine.

Not much in the way of creature comforts, SWMBO and I cruised the North Brittany coast. Frogs thought we were bonkers. Creep into the shallows with the lifting keel, then whizz past cruising boats 10' longer.

If the lack of accomodation/headroom becomes too much, there is no law against booking into a hotel.
 

oldharry

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Almost any boat up to about 26 ft and three tons gross can be towed behind a truck or Landrover given a suitable trailer. Some years back I towed a 3.4 ton 24ft Motor sailer from N Wales down to Portsmouth behind a Landrover without any problems or special permits. (Would rather have gone by sea, but time did not allow!).

The biggest problem is getting the boat safely on and off the trailer. Craning can be very expensive - or not! Here on S Coast you would pay anything from £40 to £150 per lift - or more! With a boat that size floating off may be an option, but certainly not loading up except with a trailer specifically designed for the boat.

Also you need to read up on trailer regulations pretty carefully. Bored Plod loves finding something like a badly or overloaded boat trailer to get his teeth in to!

Indispension used to publish a pretty fair guide to a complex area.

Anything much over 26 ft length you will start running in to special permits, escorts and all kinds of other expensive conditions before you go on the road.

So is a 24 - 26 footer truly seaworthy? Thats entirely another matter - many Transats have been done in smaller boats, but that doesnt mean they would be safe with you or me doing it!

There are some 20 footers i would happily take offshore, while there are 24 - 26footers I would feel distinctly uneasy about when the going gets rough.
 

MrCramp

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It depends on how big a trailer you want to build. I brought my Macwester 30 (5000kg+) home on an old commercial boat trailer pulled by the local farmers tractor. You can buy old flatbed trailers for less than £1000 (in the UK) if you look carefully and then any local artic owner/operator will be able to move it for a nominal fee, or a farm tractor. Obviously a bilge keeler will stand on any flat trailer so might be a better bet for you. Maybe the regulations might be more hassle where you are. I have always found that dawn on a summers Sunday morning is a good time to move things!
 

ValleyForge

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Re: Any good trailerable sea yachts? re: olewill

Fairy Atalanta. Well proven cruiser, light but strong, trailerable (lots of history here inc. across Russia) Twin fully retracting cast iron centre boards. Narrow beam makes it just legal for UK roads. Approx. 3 tons. Just about towable with a land rover / range rover or small truck.

Good size, comfy too.

Down side - these are old classics now, and some effort will likley be required. You may be a fan of the Coventry Victor flat twin but a more modern small diesel may be a worthwhile upgrade. Eye catching in their own unique way.


/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Drat Must engage brain first. Just read above post & Warby is in Oz !

Oh well, how about a hobie cat & a tent.
 

Allan

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I would add Etaps to your growing list. I'm not sure if they are available in Oz but if they are, you should have a look. I recently sailed my 22i across the Bristol channel in winds of F5-F6 and it took it very well. Although I have to admit my girlfriend did say she nearly gave up sailing that day! The later 21s have twin rudders which I think will reduce the only problem I had. The problem was that the rudder lost grip when we sat on top of large waves, this meant that we were spun round and side on to the next wave. Even this did not seem too bad as she stayed quite upright. We did however get wet but that is part of sailing!
Allan
 

warby1212

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Wow ! Thanks for all that. I've looked every one up. Yes I'm in Australia but being down hill from th UK lots of boats have found there way down there. I would go for a Fairy Atalanta in a big way (if I could find one). The other one would have to be the Tide 28. The Cutless 27, however would have to be the winner. I can really push on the size because I would be happy to have it lifted in and out each year so backing the trailer in wouldn't be necessary. I really want to be able to bring the boat home. I had seven years of mooring in an exposed spot in the Whitsundays and every time the wind blew up I got very nervous and every time I went out to the boat it was filthy. we live on half an acre and I would rather fiddle with a boat than watch the TV any day. The search contiues... thanks to everyone.
 
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