Which boat - Trailer Sailer or Bilge keel

R

Resail

New Member
Joined
27 Aug 2009
Messages
3
Visit site
I am returning to sailing after some years and trying to make up my mind which boat would be suitable for cruising in the Deben/Orwell/Crouch estuaries. Probably weekends or short breaks only.

I have been looking at MacGregor 26, Seawolf 26 Sabre 27 or Cobra 750. The trailer option looks very good with the MacGregor, although I worry about her being a little too lively on a mooring or in a choppy sea. Conversely the other look a bit heavy for trailering to and fro.

We previously did a lot of day boat and dinghy sailing, but as the wife is not keen on blue water sailing and I like to do single handed. We need a good boat which will take the ground at the bottom of the tide, with a loo and some cooking facilities on board.

Can anybody recommend a good boat which will meet this specification? The information on the various sites with regard to trailing some of these boats is a little limited.
Any input appreciated.
 
which boat

I owned an eboat 22 foot - sailed like a dinghy but too big to launch and recover

so anything over 20 foot is a struggle

owned a 16 foot sealord - slept 2 but launched as easily as a wayfarer

but anything easy to launch and recover will be lacking in creature coforts

Also need to consider centre plate jamming abilities of east coast mud



eastern rivers are the home of the bilge keelers - for good reason

now I sail a bilge keeler - mirror offshore - separate heads, single gimbled ring, sits on the mud, inboard diesel - motors like a rescue boat - sails better than it should, not very pretty

you will never get fed up with the east coast - so my advice is to forget towing, buy a decent bilge keeler, learn to love walk on mudberths

my current accommodation on the walton backwaters is £20 a month

lovely

dylan

keep turning left
 
Well we have some bare bones, but we really need to talk ballpark budget, becuase there are hundreds of choices.

Also, how tall are you?

And how DIY?

I won a fiver off another forumite for correctly predicting he would be looking for a mooring before a single season was out.
 
Dylan is right about the difficulties of trailer sailing. I have a lifting keel Trapper TS240 which was trailered by her previous owners but at 24 feet and 1200 kgs launching and recovering is not something you would do for a daysail. It takes at least an hour to put the mast down or up although it might be quicker with frequent practice. I have no experience, so far, of the centre plate trapping propensities of east coast mud but Dylan's experience is much longer and wider than mine. Again, the previous owners frequently dried out (I might have put that better) without, so far as I know, any adverse consequences.

So my Jessie sits on a swinging mooring on the Crouch. She is very easy to handle singlehanded, although I have yet to try anchoring on my own and have not yet come alongside without a shore hand to take the lines. Headroom is a slight problem when it comes to cooking and washing up. I get back ache pretty quickly. But her full length bunks are the antidote to that. She has a fully plumbed loo - you have to sit to pee - and a galley that slides away under the cockpit when extra room is required below. There is ample locker stowage below and in the cockpit. The outboard engine sits in a cockpit well and is easy to remove and stow in the cockpit locker. The hole is then plugged to keep the sea out. With the engine removed owners reckon on at least an additional half knot of speed.

If you would like a look at her I should be pleased to show you around. You might also like to take a look at the Trapper owners' forum http://tallshipsailing.co.uk/trapperyachts/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=2. Examples don't come up for sale very often but they are worth considering in my opinion.

Michael
 
The Macgregor isn't really a sailing boat, you would be very disappointed in her.

I agree with the others about trailer sailing, it really is too much effort to launch a rig a sailing boat for weekend or even a week's use. Ok for cheap winter storage but that's it really.

Depending on budget a mid size bilge keeler, or a lift keeler, sounds your best option. I don't think you could go wrong with a British Hunter - either 23 or 26 footer or a Westerly Pageant or Centaur.
 
dylanwinter said:
eastern rivers are the home of the bilge keelers - for good reason

now I sail a bilge keeler - mirror offshore - separate heads, single gimbled ring, sits on the mud, inboard diesel - motors like a rescue boat - sails better than it should, not very pretty

you will never get fed up with the east coast - so my advice is to forget towing, buy a decent bilge keeler, learn to love walk on mudberths

my current accommodation on the walton backwaters is £20 a month

lovely

dylan

keep turning left
Click to expand...

Here is an exact copy of what Dylan is talking about that may end up going for a decent price at this Ebay auction. Please note the vendor mentions the trailer pictured is not for sale.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270446843961&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
 
On returning to sailing after a gap like you we started with a 20' trailer sailer - but after a good weekends sail the hassle of pulling her out, dropping the mast and packing her away for a tow home at 60 mph was too much for us. Not to mention some concern about the risk of injury whilst manhandling over a ton of boat on a slippery surface.

So after the first season we stopped towing her a kept her on a mooring. After a further six months on the mooring we felt that we had all the negatives of a light trailer sailer (excessive bobbing about on moorings, limited capability), without any of the 'advantages' (towing her home).

So we sold her an now have a bilge keel Sabre 27. Absolutely over the moon with her and have never regreted the change for an instant, especially when the wind pipes up and we're enjoying a F5 instead of avoiding it.

Its all a compromise and balancing act, good luck with the hunt.
 
Last edited:
Looking to buy a boat for east coast cruising there are certain factors that helps you decide what should be right for you. A bilge keeler is roomy below, sits on the mud but does'nt point too good to windward. A drop keel will give you performance, sail close hauled unlike most bilge keelers and has the advantage for creek crawling, but lift keelers under about 28' will not have the cabin space of bilge keels.
 
bilge keelers draw less

Granted bilge keels will not sail as well to windward - so I am told

but bilge keelers cansail in shallower water than most lift keelers

- unless you lift the keel on the lift keeler - then you sail even worse to windward than a bilge keeler.

There is one more factor...

I had an eboat and was terrified that one day I would let her settle on a rock or lost anchor

I would never let it settle on Brightlingsea hard - too many stones

bilge keelers are more tolerant of less than ideal bottom conditions

I would run my mirror offshore up almost any surface and not be worried

but then I was trying to race the eboat and I cared what the finish was

The Mirror is an old clunker and can take a lot of abuse

Pointing ability is usually a drawback of bilge keelers - but its one I can live with

Dylan
 
dylanwinter said:
Granted bilge keels will not sail as well to windward - so I am told

but bilge keelers cansail in shallower water than most lift keelers

- unless you lift the keel on the lift keeler - then you sail even worse to windward than a bilge keeler.

There is one more factor...

I had an eboat and was terrified that one day I would let her settle on a rock or lost anchor

I would never let it settle on Brightlingsea hard - too many stones

bilge keelers are more tolerant of less than ideal bottom conditions

I would run my mirror offshore up almost any surface and not be worried

but then I was trying to race the eboat and I cared what the finish was

The Mirror is an old clunker and can take a lot of abuse

Pointing ability is usually a drawback of bilge keelers - but its one I can live with

Dylan
Click to expand...
Maybe your views are valid with just a few drop keelers, unlike mine, with all that cast bolted to her hull you could beach on her concrete if you wanted to.....and I do sometimes! With 2' draft (keel retracted) she ventures where no bilge keelers could ever go!
2vchpxi.jpg
i51647.jpg
34zhtg3.jpg
 
Last edited:
Hi resale

I have a macgregor 26x,once you learn its quirks they can sail quite well,i have had mine out in f6-7 in choppy seas.Trailer sailing has its drawbacks,it can be quite expensive to trailer your boat,i find my fuel consuption drops to 15mpg,so a run up to explore the Caledonian canal gets expensive.Where you save with a trailer sailor is in marinas such as Levington that have a package for trailer sailers,you can keep your 26ft trailer sailer there for about 300 a 6 month season, as long as its on its trailer ready to launch.

Macgregors have lots of advantages as well as disadvantages,i take mine up rivers and canals as well as sailing in the wash and down the coast,the mast can be dropped for bridges and the keel lifted for shallow waters,it has to get below 12 inches before i ground mine.
 
I have no experience of trailer boats but have had a Centaur for a few years. When I think of all the pre and post sailing work required to get a boat ready, and compare that to the not brilliant pointing abilities of a bilge keeler, then I have no doubt at all that the bilge keeler would win hands down. When I was first looking for berths etc, I was amazed at how little a swing mooring on mud could be had for. Good luck with whatever you end up with though.
 
Resail said:
We need a good boat which will take the ground at the bottom of the tide, with a loo and some cooking facilities on board.
Click to expand...

Are you sure you want to squash into a trailer sailor? No headroom, nowhere to stow anything. I would think going to the boat would soon become a chore rather than fun.

I have full tide pontoon berth for a 1.4m fin keel in Brightlingsea and it costs me about £1200 for the season including winter lift out, storage ashore etc. A part tide mooring and winter ashore for a bilge keeler I am guessing would be a little over half.

I am sure CPD is too gallant to mention he has a Westerly Centaur available for sale but it could be just the right boat and probably worth taking SWMBO to have a look. Standing headroom, good galley, loo etc and loads of space in 26 feet. Whats more stick to a well known name like Westerly and it will help to sell the boat on when you want bigger!
 
Karouise said:
Are you sure you want to squash into a trailer sailor? No headroom, nowhere to stow anything. I would think going to the boat would soon become a chore rather than fun.

I have full tide pontoon berth for a 1.4m fin keel in Brightlingsea and it costs me about £1200 for the season including winter lift out, storage ashore etc. A part tide mooring and winter ashore for a bilge keeler I am guessing would be a little over half.

I am sure CPD is too gallant to mention he has a Westerly Centaur available for sale but it could be just the right boat and probably worth taking SWMBO to have a look. Standing headroom, good galley, loo etc and loads of space in 26 feet. Whats more stick to a well known name like Westerly and it will help to sell the boat on when you want bigger!
Click to expand...

Had Peter, had. News to follow .............
 
Resail said:
I have been looking at MacGregor 26, Seawolf 26 Sabre 27 or Cobra 750. The trailer option looks very good with the MacGregor,
...........

Can anybody recommend a good boat which will meet this specification? The information on the various sites with regard to trailing some of these boats is a little limited.
QUOTE]
Click to expand...
Resail said:
Just to clarify the only boat you can tow here is a Macgregor. And even this I would say is beyond the capabilities of a normal family car, don't try this on a slippery launching ramp unless you want a very wet car!

If you really want the trailer option try looking at the Trail Sail Association website, loads of good information there. http://www.trail-sail.org.uk/ Its interesting to see that they refer to their boats as mainly in th2 20-22 foot range.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Shamal said:
Resail said:
I have been looking at MacGregor 26, Seawolf 26 Sabre 27 or Cobra 750. The trailer option looks very good with the MacGregor,
...........

Can anybody recommend a good boat which will meet this specification? The information on the various sites with regard to trailing some of these boats is a little limited.
QUOTE]

Just to clarify the only boat you can tow here is a Macgregor. And even this I would say is beyond the capabilities of a normal family car, don't try this on a slippery launching ramp unless you want a very wet car!

If you really want the trailer option try looking at the Trail Sail Association website, loads of good information there. http://www.trail-sail.org.uk/
Click to expand...


MacGregor 26 dont sail do they
:o
Click to expand...
 
you have to be a really good water skier to ski behind a mac 26,mine tops out at 16-17 knots with the throttle full on

you need a car thats rated at 1500kgs towing capacity for a mac,on wet steep slopes a 4x4 is the best idea

7000 macgregor 26 owners worldwide

If sailing ability is more important that head room and having a large outboard then the Mac 26D is the better sailer.

There is standing headroom in my mac,i have about 6ft at the galley
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

I
Turkey vs Greece for cheap boat storage on handstand + refit – advice needed!
Replies
13
Views
1K
Wansworth
W
E
Nimbus 305 or Marex 330
Replies
19
Views
801
Time Out
T

Share this page

Top