Trailerable boats around 26-28'?

William_H said:
Re the comment about multihulls and the Tahitians sailing long distances. Any boat can sail anywhere and if it gets lost on the way no one knows any way. Even the smallest sail boat capable of being sealed and self righting can survive any seas.
However we the humans inside are not (normally) so robust. We expect to enjoy our sailing and certainly to be safe and comfortable. Unfortunately in an open ocean the only comfort comes in mass. ie a light boat will bounce around in a small wave a lot more than a heavy boat. Very significant for our local sailing where we know if it is going to be bad from forecasts but not so much just medium windy /choppy. Actually around here we know it is going to be windy/choppy every summer afternoon. ie not comfortable in open ocean in a light weight TS.
Anyway the point is mass/size of a boat is comfort but mass/size means no good for trailering. So OP must choose what he wants to do. Yes trailer sailing can be wonderful with much more range of cruising sites than a lead mine. But may end up uncomfortable in medium to bad weather. olewill
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Valid point, the "sweet spot" depends how much mobility I want. I've pretty much given up frequent trailering with an SUV, pro service <4t and <3m beam comes at realistic prices in Europe if someone relocates only in every 2-3 years.
 
fredrussell said:
Another vote here for Superseal 26/ Parker 27. Not a trailer sailer but trailerable. Quick, close-winded and good accommodation for size. Parker 27 has standing headroom and costs more generally. All reviews will feature the word "quick".
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I have a Parker 275. I think you would need to be braver than me to attempt a trailer launch or recovery on a slippery slipway! Crane both ways I think. I have never towed it but people who have who tow regularly say it is a doddle.
 
Another vote for the Hunter delta 25. We had one on a trailer and sailed all over the channel in 5 years of ownership, from Chichester Harbour. Basic and simple boats that are easy to maintain and work on. We had some excellent sailing and IMHO better sailing boats than the super seal, as the ballast is in the keel, not the floor and gives more serious righting moment. We sailed ours like a big dinghy and look back fondly on it, particularly a memorable sail across Lyme bay in F5 where we surfed most of the way with the kite up, overtaking several 40 ft yachts.
 
seumask said:
Another vote for the Hunter delta 25. We had one on a trailer and sailed all over the channel in 5 years of ownership, from Chichester Harbour. Basic and simple boats that are easy to maintain and work on. We had some excellent sailing and IMHO better sailing boats than the super seal, as the ballast is in the keel, not the floor and gives more serious righting moment. We sailed ours like a big dinghy and look back fondly on it, particularly a memorable sail across Lyme bay in F5 where we surfed most of the way with the kite up, overtaking several 40 ft yachts.
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Just to point out that my later Parker 275 has 320Kg in the keel as well as a ballast plate.
 
We have a Beneteau First 26 with a lifting keel, which has a trailer. I would say it's trailer-able but not a trailer sailer. We have so far moved it from Ipswich to Monmouth to Cardiff back to Monmouth and on to Swansea on its trailer. You wouldn't want to try and launch it from the trailer and so we have had it lifted in and out.
 
shan said:
We have a Beneteau First 26 with a lifting keel, which has a trailer. I would say it's trailer-able but not a trailer sailer. We have so far moved it from Ipswich to Monmouth to Cardiff back to Monmouth and on to Swansea on its trailer. You wouldn't want to try and launch it from the trailer and so we have had it lifted in and out.
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I took a look at the First Class 10, also referred being a "blue water vessel" - whatever that means. Heavy, but its beam stays below the 3m/10' limit.
 
GTom said:
I took a look at the First Class 10, also referred being a "blue water vessel" - whatever that means. Heavy, but its beam stays below the 3m/10' limit.
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Have you even bothered to find out the cost of moving a boat like this from ex A to B?? You asked for a trailerable boat initially. Now you are into any sailboat capable of beeing transported on a lorry/semi.
 
H35 said:
Have you even bothered to find out the cost of moving a boat like this from ex A to B?? You asked for a trailerable boat initially. Now you are into any sailboat capable of beeing transported on a lorry/semi.
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Yes, I am continuously doing my homework. At uship.com I found several entries: this size (~30x10', <4t) goes from the Baltic to the lakes in southern Germany (1000km/600miles) for 2k€. I also convinced myself, that purchasing an SUV with a yearly costs of 3k€+ doesn't worth if I want to move the boat 1x-2x a year.
 
GTom said:
Yes, I am continuously doing my homework. At uship.com I found several entries: this size (~30x10', <4t) goes from the Baltic to the lakes in southern Germany (1000km/600miles) for 2k€. I also convinced myself, that purchasing an SUV with a yearly costs of 3k€+ doesn't worth if I want to move the boat 1x-2x a year.
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Yes its crazy buying an suv for occasional trips. Because I own a trailer for my boat I can just pay someone to tow it. In the UK it is only say £200 (about 200 euros!!!) to get it moved say 150 km plus the craning costs. A lot cheaper to get it towed than buy a land-rover.
 
roblpm said:
Yes its crazy buying an suv for occasional trips. Because I own a trailer for my boat I can just pay someone to tow it. In the UK it is only say £200 (about 200 euros!!!) to get it moved say 150 km plus the craning costs. A lot cheaper to get it towed than buy a land-rover.
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Initially I was thinking replacing my estate car. Still, simply the additional fuel costs of an SUV on my daily routine would take more than one long trailer ride. Not to mention higher depreciation/insurance/service/etc of a more expensive car. What I haven't really researched in detail for mobility, are the inland waterways in Europe. Apparently it is not impossible with a ~30' sailing boat: http://www.sy-tongji.de/2010/2010.html (at least, trailered routes could be shortened significantly).


I just wonder how much effect weight has on professional transport? Some plastic classics fulfill the width/length requirements (<12x3m/40x9.8') but they are heavy, e.g. Westerly 32 weighs 5 tons.
 
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Hi All I own an Imexus 28 here in Australia that the previous owner fitted with a 180hp Yanmar Diesel inboard engine. The weighbridge weight with cruising gear on board including the trailer is just on 3 ton. I have just towed this yacht over 5,000 klms from one side of Australia to the other with a VW Touareg and regularly rig and launch it sometimes alone or with my 15 year old daughter.
It is possible to have a capable inshore and inland waterways trail-able cruising yacht\motor-sailor that does do most things adequately well. Some old salts hate the thought of a really big engine in a yacht but it does have its advantages dealing with river mouth entrances with breaking waves, running against tidal races or escaping the doldrums or that brewing storm. Finally getting a partner or kids home quickly when conditions or patience/tempers are frayed works as well.
Just my two pence worth from over here in Aus. :)
 
ghostlymoron said:
Why not charter a decent boat in the area you want to sail? Much less hassle.
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You could fund quite a few charters for the cost of a Yanmar 180HP upgrade!
https://www.yanmarshop.com/product?catalog=Default Catalog&product=4BY3-180 and thats before you have fitted it.


Trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear comes to mind.
I am parked up behind an Imexus and it would still sail just as badly even with a diesel lump in the flat bilges...

A brand new Swallow yachts Coast 250 is much more appealing and Towing 3 Tonnes in the Uk is going to need a big 4*4...

http://swallowyachts.com/range/coast-250-new/
 
Hi All The yacht trailer package has been purchased for retirement Grey Nomading as we call it here in Australia. I have chartered on numerous occasions and you had better budget a minimum of around A$3,000 per week here in OZ. Also they restrict the area of operations to the bare minimum precluding many great locations. As I intend to spend 3-6 months a year travelling and sailing you can pretty much kill chartering as an option as one or two years would buy a yacht.
Here in Australia many grey nomads tow 22 to 28 foot caravans huge distances chasing the best weather and living on the road. The problem is free camping is very restricted and formal camping grounds are becoming expensive and crowded. Living on board whilst trailing to multiple locations then camping for free just up river from crowded caravan parks has huge advatages and cost savings combined with the joys of sailing and messing around in boats.
I think cruising/camper sailing here is somewhat more relaxed and less stressed than attempting the same in the UK and a bit more like sailing inshore in the med. Having lived and owned a motor home in the UK I understand your fear of trailing larger yachts as driving our Knaus motor home in England and Wales was challenging at times.
Kind Regards Grith
 
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Hi The swallow looks great but I dread to think what buying one and importing it to Australia with the current exchange rate would cost. I didn’t fit the Yanmar to my Imexus and the poor soul who did lost an enormous amount of money upon reselling the yacht to me after his wife just didn’t take to sailing. Still I ended up with virtually a brand new yacht for under two thirds of its replacement and had to cut the plastic wrapping of a number of items it had seen so little use. 20 engine hours and bunk cushions and one of its three sails still sealed up from new. The swallow looks very nice but many things missing from their information that I will research out of interest later. The Imexus has a very nifty built in one person managed mast raising and lowering system with side stabilisation for both trailering and mast lowering on water for bridges and powerlines for instance. No erecting special props just take the tension off the forestry furler remove the safety pin and lower away using a sheet/halyard winch on a built in multi purchase rope system. My Diesel engine has an outrageous 150amp hour alternator allowing electrical appliances and charging my electric backup and dingy outboard on board. Thanks for the info on the Swallow I will watch carefully to see if one ever makes it here. Regards Grith
 
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Hi All I just did some research on the Swallow Coast 250.
Yes it looks like a fabulous new take on a Powersailer with even more of a bias towards yachting than my Imexus 28. In my view the European built Imexus is already a step forward from the American built Hunter and Macgregor yachts. The swallow is the type of yacht I was looking for prior to settling for the Imexus 28 but would have struck a small problem with this choice regardless. PRICE!
Matt's price list at the Boat show had the basic Swallow Coast 250 at £54,950 (inc VAT). Add trailer, 70HP Yamaha, asymmetric, spray hood, mainsail lazy bag, and copper antifouling and you are talking just under £73,500. Other at cost extras available include nav lights, fridge, sea toilet plus holding tank, fully installed gas cooker system, etc.
By the time I got the Swallow fully kitted and over to Australia including the transport, government duties and the like I expect I would be close to $200,000 Aussie dollars which is way over double what my current very near new Imexus 28 cost me here. Even the original purchaser had only spent around $138,000 including $38,000 on the 180hp Yanmar diesel inboard and the 140l stainless fuel tank.
I already had enough trouble justifying my very expensive purchase over the many quality second hand maxi conventional trailer sailers like the RL28 already mentioned earlier in this thread. These maxi trailer sailers are available here in Australia usually built from the seventies through to nineties and start at around $20,000 Aus (about ten thousand pounds) for a rough one and go through to about A$60,000. In Australia you will generally pay quite a bit more for a trailer sailer than the equivalent age , size and condition keel boat.
There are lots of excellent maxi trailable yachts with swing or drop keels available secondhand in Australia. In part this is due I feel to the long distances between favoured sailing areas and also the access to shallow areas a retractable keel allows.
I was however seeking a yacht capable of running river mouth bars with significant surf, powering over tidal races and dealing with long distances quickly during significant periods of doldrums or alternatively strong winds right on the nose. 4-6 knots under 9.9HP Yamaha or similar is the usual TS iron wind speed.
Thanks for the info on the Swallow 250 however as its great to see designers being so innovative.
Regards Grith
 
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