Small Yacht recommendations

[Praxinoscope]

One of the problems with this sort of thread is that it very much depends upon what you want to do with your boat.
If space is a major consideration, then boats like the Leisure 23 or maybe Virgo Voyager could suit you, they are a bit floating caravan and aren’t the best under sail, but it may be that this is what you want. If space is not so much of a problem then boats like the Achilles sail well and will take the bottom well.
You seem to be veering towards a bilge keel approach which does give you a wide range of boats to look at.
I have knee trouble but find the hardest part is just getting on and off from tender to yacht, once aboard I’m slower than I used to be but still get around and often sail single handed.
I don’t know what your budget is so very difficult to point you in any one direction so perhaps an indication of budget, what sort of sailing do you want to do, day sailing only, overnight or a bit more adventurous?

 

[steppygas]

I don’t think there is anything with bilge keels and no lid, but someone who remembers the free-for-all that was seventies boatbuilding will be along to correct me soon.

Hunter Sandhopper? (Squib with bilgekeels) however the boom is quite low.

 

[bitbaltic]

I don’t think there is anything with bilge keels and no lid, but someone who remembers the free-for-all that was seventies boatbuilding will be along to correct me soon.

Hunter Sandhopper? (Squib with bilgekeels) however the boom is quite low.

Thank you, I knew someone would be along

 

[dolabriform]

Sounds good, do they have fin or bilge keels?

The vast majority have bilge keels but there were a few made with fin keels.

https://www.leisureowners.org.uk/leisure-23-and-23sl/

 

[steve yates]

I have a bradwell 18, am 6ft and can't be hit by the boom gibing while sitting in the cockpit.

 

[Fantasie 19]

Thanks Fantasie.......in your Hurley 20, can a 6 foot person like me, feel confident that when the boom swings over on a tack or a gybe, it will clear my head?

Yes... I say this with confidence as I am about 6'...

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

Back in my 'dinghy days', some 60+ years ago, I quickly learned to grab the mainsheet bundle when gybing or tacking. This was partly to have a degree of control over the maneuver but it also kept my head well out of the way of the mainsheet, blocks and the boom when they went across the cockpit.
My present boat is 32ft long and the mainsheet goes to a rail on the bridgedeck so it is well away from me but old habits don't die and it is still a valid 'trick' to remember.
p.s. My son is over 6'2". He,too, learned on dinghies, starting on an oppi.

 

[steve1963]

Hurley 22?

 

[Poey50]

Accidentally deleted my last when trying to edit it. My recommendation is a Hunter Medina (20 feet). Fully retractable keel, sails really well. I've done three Round the Island Races in my mates, including one gusting to Force 7. A lot of boat for the money.

I'm 6 feet 5 inches by the way and don't recall having to duck.

 

[maby]

Accidentally deleted my last when trying to edit it. My recommendation is a Hunter Medina (20 feet). Fully retractable keel, sails really well. I've done three Round the Island Races in my mates, including one gusting to Force 7. A lot of boat for the money.

I'm 6 feet 5 inches by the way and don't recall having to duck.

Almost any of the British Hunters will meet the OP's requirements. We had a Hunter Ranger 265 and loved it - very comfortable boat. It's a bit bigger than the OP is specifying, but would be well worth a look. A very nicely built, comfortable pocket cruiser. We moved up from it to a new Jeanneau 33i and were unable to fit all the contents of the 26 into the 33!

 

[mickywillis]

Westerly Pageant.
Good cockpit/boom clearance, internal headroom, bilge keel, small inboard engine. Solid as a rock, everything happens slowly so overreactions not necessary.
Very affordable boats ranging from £2000 - £7000, dries upright on the bilge keels and lots about for sale.
Its what we moved onto from an Enterprise and Heron dinghy, had it for 7 happy years and then moved up to a Griffon.

 

[Simonpk]

Or the Westerly Warwick/21 the Pageant's baby sister.

Westerly Pageant.
Good cockpit/boom clearance, internal headroom, bilge keel, small inboard engine. Solid as a rock, everything happens slowly so overreactions not necessary.
Very affordable boats ranging from £2000 - £7000, dries upright on the bilge keels and lots about for sale.
Its what we moved onto from an Enterprise and Heron dinghy, had it for 7 happy years and then moved up to a Griffon.

 

[James_Calvert]

Saw a Sailfish 18 ghosting into Kingsbridge on today's high tide. Had a high boom and deepish cockpit and it reminded me of this thread.

Might be a bit small, but perhaps somebody who owns or sails one (or used to) could comment. There is an owners website and of course Dave Selby has had a regular spot in PBO about antics in his. Didn't he also do a UK circumnavigation or something of the sort for charity?

 

[Goody]

Saw a Sailfish 18 ghosting into Kingsbridge on today's high tide. Had a high boom and deepish cockpit and it reminded me of this thread.

Might be a bit small, but perhaps somebody who owns or sails one (or used to) could comment. There is an owners website and of course Dave Selby has had a regular spot in PBO about antics in his. Didn't he also do a UK circumnavigation or something of the sort for charity?

Thanks, another boat to investigate :encouragement:

 

[Goody]

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions and advice :encouragement:

 

[Seajet]

Goody,

it depends what sort of sailing you intend, but I've come across a few Sailfish 18's in the 40 years I've had my Anderson, the Sailfish is a very light boat, fine in good weather - I've met them after crossing the Channel - but not exactly the sort of thing to see you through heavy weather - the lift keel doesn't weigh much - ie she's lightly ballasted - and has a bit of a reputation for falling off ! I've met examples where this has happened - I think there is a fix for this, if there's an owners association they'll know all about it.

Your initial spec' of a big open cockpit, cabin optional does scream out ' Hawk 20 ' but they're silly expensive.

 

[TSB240]

Your small boat choice is huge and very cheap at the moment!
I would only give the following advice based on our experience.

Dont be persuaded to go for a sailing dog.... It needs to be able to sail otherwise you are just buying a badly performing motor boat!

We bought a lovely performing trailable yacht that served us well on short coastal and day sailing. Any sub 20 foot boat would do this and given my choice again I would probably go for something like this: https://www.boat-specs.com/jeanneau/sun-fast-20.

Second hand with trailer about 6K would be very reasonable.

Very easy to sail with self tacking jib but........

The reason we moved on was:

On longer trips we never felt comfortable as passage making usually depends on making certain tidal gates in our area. We had to carry far too much petrol to have as a back up if wind drops on longer passages. So consider carefully the cost and risk of running petrol power against a diesel powered craft if you want to venture any distance from your home mooring.

Whilst our choice was great two up, accommodating grand children and parents on days out meant we were too crowded.

We were quite weather limited for longer term cruising and this very much limited us to local sailing and beach hopping when friends might be planning going further away on a long weekend. A small increase in length and displacement weight can give far more comfort and a kindly sea motion. It is also reassuring when out of sight of land and it gets a bit rough out there!

It seems your focus is on a high boomed craft. I suspect you have not come from a dinghy background! For me this would be a minor equation in the purchase choice.
The where, who with, how often and how far and in what weather are more important in the decision making process.

My choice if starting out again to do what I currently do in a 30 foot boat would be something like this. https://www.theyachtmarket.com/boats_for_sale/1228620/
Tough little performers.

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

I currently have a Jaguar 24. At some time in the past a previous owner raised the boom - presumably so that he could stand up in the cockpit and not get hit on the head. The gooseneck was un-popped and pop riveted higher up the mast, and about a foot was cut of the bottom of the main.

Now it's all back the way it's supposed to be, and the only remains are the extra holes in the mast, and the mains'l that permanently has about a quarter of a reef. I have wondered if we should raise the thing again: the main problem would be that the boom would be a bit high when putting the cover on, or tying in a proper reef.

This is surely the right answer. Buy the boat that you want and move the boom. I can't think that you'd spend more than a couple of hundred on rivets, two strops to extend the msheet and vang and a trip to a sailmaker.

 

[Teko]

You could do a lot worst then a Leisure 23sl
Decent cockpit, loads of room below ,boom finished over the companionway find one with a in-board diesle and your laughing

 

[rwoofer]

I'm 6'6" and own a Jeanneau Sun 2000. I don't ever recall having to duck the boom on it, but could check next time I'm down (at my height you do a surprising number of things subconsciously).

It works very well for me as the berths are big enough(very rare), i can lie on a cockpit seat and I can properly brace myself upwind.