We owned a Venture 17 (MacGregor) for 40 years. We could afford the boat, but not a slip. We live in Minneapolis, and even took it to the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, sleeping on it for 8 nights. Technically, you could sleep four 6 footers on the boat. Our kids were 11 and 7 when we did that trip. We sewed a custom, tight-fitting boom tent to give us extra room for our gear at night. With a 2 HP Evinrude, a self-bailing cockpit, and a self-righting hull with a swing keel, we had tons of fun. We trailed it with a small vehicle with no problem at all. Now, well into my 70's, we sail a Pearson Ensign with a sailing club on a city lake.
@@ro4317 the previous owner of my Triton was getting into his 70’s I believe. He single handed the Triton and had owned it for like 20-30 years. He sailed it down to La Paz from California then moved to Arizona and refitted it completely then moved to Minnesota with it for fresh water sailing and retirement. He was stepping down to something in the 18-22 foot range for more ease of handling.
The biggest advantage of a trailer sailer is being able to take your boat anywhere in the country and not being stuck in the same body of water. Cant be understated.
I have owned a Mac 26X (2002) for seven years now, and I can assure you that it is absolutely fantastic! Here are some pro tips (at your own risk blah blah blah...) 1- keep it in a marina most of the time. Launch in spring, pull in fall. So nice having it ready to go! Setup takes about 45 min, and you can expect to sweat like a pig in summer doing this. 2. Put centerbaoad and rudders fully down when maneuverability is needed. With these up. It's a big bathtub. Down, you are in total control. 3- raise rudders when not in use. Leaving them in the water will invite growth in salt water and at the very least cause yellowing. Don't let this happen to you! 4- leave the centerboard down on the marina after use. You can use force to pull it up, but only gravity let's it down 5- show your trailer some love early in your ownership. The glossy black rustolium paint is a cheap add that will make your trailer look like a million bucks, while keeping rust stains off your driveway. 6- get new sails. Chances are your used boat has tired sails and your pointing sucks. New sails will invigorate your boat and are a high priority! 7- don't lock your rudders in the cleats in expected shallows. At maneuvering speeds this is best practice. If the bottom out you are ok. Locked, not so much. 8- own your time at the boat ramp. Make a check list to get centerbaoad up, engine up, and rudders up before you step on the gas in the tow vehicle. This is not the time to be in a hurry! 9- walk your boar on the trailer. Attempting to motor on the trailer is shear folly. Just get the boat ready back on the dock, then simply walk it on the trailer. 10- reaf early. Single reaf at 10 knots, double...you'll know. 11- keep the ballast tank full most of the time. It costs you 3 knots of top motoring speed, but that's not an issue most of the time. The safety is absolutely worth it. 12- use the spinnaker halyard to haul up Festooned lights at anchor. They look amazing at night! Safe sailing my friends. See you on the water in the puget sound!
I have thought of getting a MacGregor for years, even when I had my terrible Hunter 170 whose plastic hull cracked from the cold of the Virginia winters.
Oh wow. The boat at 11:20 was mine! The suburban was my Dad’s. That was my first sailboat. Can’t recommend a Catalina 25 enough for a first boat. I sold it a couple years ago to a guy who came all the way from Canada to buy it.
Been sailing a MacGregor 26X for many years in the pacific northwest as well as catalina island and lakes mead and powell. We had the newer m model but found that we liked the x better. We are landlocked in utah, so the trailer sailer is our best option for now. The 50 hp engine on our boat opens up our possibilities when sailing in the san juan and gulf islands. The currents there can be quite strong as you probably know. Also, makes the trip back to long beach a guarantee even if there is no wind or too much wind. Macs have a reputation for being kinda cheaply made, but ours has never let us down, even in some bigger conditions. We are equipped with refrigeration, full galley, AIS, solar and tow a dinghy. We often spend up to a month on the boat in the summer. Winter, she sits on her trailer in our side yard and costs us nothing. Love our Mac 26 X!
You said it all well ,we live in Alberta we knew nothing about sailing ,Canada . bought our 26X new in 1998 in Vancouver , so many wonderful, memories from the PNW San Juan's to Desolation sound to the great lakes and so many in between..
@@ushillbillies I'm in Ontario, dreaming of sailing for a bit now. Just looked at my first boat - a Mac26X. Wow! Ran a 100 foot 300 ton displacement dredging barge on an inland lake for a few years, but know diddly squat about sailing... but you're saying you got into it knowing nothing? Maybe I'll have to go for it!
I have a McGregor 26s swing keel and rudder it is a fresh water boat it is 1993 . I tow with a Ranger. Only sail it in fresh water lakes in FL so far.I am 74 years old
Hey Tim, you forgot to mention one of the best features of a trailer sailer, the ability to hitch it up and drive 1000km to unexplored sailing grounds. A two week vacation can be 10 days sailing somewhere it would take a week to sail to in a keel boat. I sail a 28’ Magnum and can stay out for weeks. They are a compromise for sure, but depending on your life situation, they can be perfect. My sailmaker did a circumnavigation around Australia in a 22’ trailer sailer by bay hopping mostly. Then getting a flight back to the car and driving the trailer and support vehicle to the next state. Pretty crazy sailing it across the Great Australian Bight though :-0 My Magnum 8.5 has an enclosed electric head with holding tank, double bed and v berth, full galley, with fridge/freezer, solar power, an electric/hydraulic 950 lb lifting keel, autopilot and Chart plotter with AIS and more. It is a pain to rig solo and takes me an hour as you said, but i launch, sail and retrieve it solo most of the time without a problem. I race it against the big keel boats from time to time at our local club and give the big boats a good run for their money in light air. My most recent trip was a solo sail albeit with a buddy boat, to the Abrolhos Islands 50km out off the coast of Western Australia. Great episode for the smaller boat people, there may be more of us than you think. ;-)
Had a MacGregor Venture VN23 for 10 years. After a few years we were able to pull up to the launch, get the mast up and be in the water in just under 30 minutes. It was a great, cheap option for all the small prairie lakes in our region. Allowing us to drop it in whatever little lake we happened to be camping near.
My wife and I currently have a 1976 VN23 named MAKAI. I have been able to research the previous owners and learned a bit about where it had been the last 47 years. Still have original trailer, could use a newer one. The staysail is also original as well. Great boat, we have a blast on this little cutter rigged trailer sailer. Love the videos.
My wife and I bought a MacGregor 26M last year and have had a blast with it. We sail on a local lake and have a slip there. I can't recommend it highly enough!
@artsmith103 What's that supposed to mean. You can't trust a Macgregor owner ? You should ask as many different type of boat owners questions. But you should definitely ask a Macgregor owner their thoughts. The 26X is the best-selling trailer sailor for a reason.
@@artsmith103Why would you ask a Macgregor owner the performance characteristics of a Catalina or a Hunter. No your going to ask a Macgregor owner questions about a Macgregor. Who better to tell you the pros and cons of a Macgregor. Your welcome to your opinion but like I said you should listen to all boat owners. Even Macgregor owners. Many a present day 40 or 50ft boat owner got stated on a Macgregor.
@@artsmith103I didn't twist anything. If you want advise on a Macgregor ask a Macgregor owner even if they have only had a Macgregor. No all advice is valuable depending on your needs.
I just moved from Indiana to Washington state and brought my O’day 26. I used a Silverado 2500 and averaged 15.1 mpg. Did ton of maintenance on the trailer and it worked fine. It’s a lot of work to get her in the water. Having people that know what to do shrinks the time down. Hopefully she sails well on the Puget Sound. Cheers
My first boat was a Hunter 23. I was deciding between that and a Catalina 22. Wonderful first boat to learn on. It was so fun to sail, and very forgiving. The systems were very simple. It had a small galley with single burner alcohol stove and a sink with manual faucet. Porta potti under the v bearth. It had a simple electric panel which had running lights, mast light, cabin lights, a vhf radio and a stereo. I added a depth sounder and cockpit led accent lights. I also upgraded from a lead acid battery to lithium iron and installed a 50 watt Solar panel which was enough to meet all power needs without plugging in. I also put a grill on the stern rail. There were alot of amenities packed into that little boat. The cabin was surprisingly spacious for the size of the boat as well. We kept it in a slip during the season. We sailed it most weekends and occasional midweek sunset sails after work through the season and did not want the process of launching and retrieving to be a deterrent to going for a sail. We spent many overnights on the hook. It was great for a night or two, but due to the lack of head room and the small space not much more than that at a clip. I have since moved on to a bigger cruising boat, but highly recommend the 22-23 foot trailer sailer for anyone looking to start sailing. I still miss that Hunter 23.
Small and simple Sailfish are a blast. So light and easy to use. Day sailing becomes exponentially difficult with every other person involved. Go basic and go alone to have maximum enjoyment. You'll get knocked down and wet, but it's easy to right and continue.
As a non-sailor, my theory is that your first boat should be 'disposable', and easy to sell for roughly what you paid for it... and also something that's easy to learn to sail, on. The first order of business, is to learn how to sail, and make sure that you actually LIKE sailing. It's easy for me to assume that I love sailing, but that's a good way to waste money. A commodity level trailer-sailer, that's cheap and doesn't need any work seems ideal for this purpose. I can only guess, something like a Hunter or Catalina, that will fit on a trailer, so you can park it in the back yard, and take it to the water on the weekends, to practice. And when you're 'done' with it, you can probably sell it for the same price that you paid. It's a free rental, in essence (minus fuel, and minor expenses).
Yes. My O'day DaysailerII was perfect for that. Thinking about buyiing another because it was so much fun. Easy to launch and recover, easy to store, great boat to learn to sail
13:47 As to backing trailiers up: In addition to parking lot practice, another good option is to practice at a local boat ramp during a low-traffic time, for example, an early spring day before the summer crowds hit the water. And even during the summer, some lakes have less traffic mid-week during the day, so that might be a good practice option. Just don't expect to be able to practice at an actual ramp on the 4th of July! Practice in a parking lot, while very useful, does not provide the full challenge that a true ramp with a downward slope provides, so any ramp practice you can get during slow times at the lake will pay off in spades.
I bought my first sailboat 3 years ago. At first, i was thinking a large sailboat but decided on a 23ft aquarius trailer sailer. Its the most versatile boat I've ever owned! I LOVE this boat. Its got a swing keel that only draws 14" with the keel up and I can sail it anywhere where there's a boat ramp. I can literally beach the boat as long as there are no waves to push it too far ashore. I can sail this thing where no other sailboats of similar size have ever seen but its equally as capable crossing the lower chesapeake bay. WHEN I do accidentally run it aground, its easy to jump out and muscle it free. Its almost impossible to get into too much trouble with it. When im finished for the day, i just load it on the trailer and bring it home where i can easily unload it, perform repairs and clean it conveniently. If you are interested in a first sailboat, I cant recommend a trailer sailer more. I now have a 41ft morgan as well but it's no replacement. There is so much the Aquarius will do that's impossible in the Morgan.
I love that he covered this and just touched the large number of the advantages. My Hunter 26 has more room in it than most 30ft boats with the queen size bed under the cockpit. I own a few trailer sailors 16ft, catamarans, Hunter 26, MacGregor 26. Another advantage is that you can trailer somewhere and launch the boat. I live in Va and have sailed places like the Bahamas by towing down to Fl several times. I've added bladder watertanks and have A/C and carry an ultra quiet generator. For very little money and minor upgrades we did it with kids in comfort. Especially with the newer DC power coolers/freezers. With a very shallow draft, we found a lot of the time we would get prime spots in marinas. We might start up the "Conch Cruisers" again and head back next summer. (..Tiller autopilots are relatively inexpensive also.) GREAT CHANNEL!!!!! GO SAILING!
Did you prefer your Mac Gregor 26 or your Hunter 26? Where they both water ballast? I have bay front property in the panhandle. I’m looking at putting a mooring in there and living part time down there. So I want something that I can use almost like a weekend camper while we build the house on the property and that I can move when the bad hurricanes come. I know I husbands old enough. He doesn’t like doing anything without an air conditioner. Interested in how are you? Riged your air conditioner also
I picked up a free 92' capri 16.5 with a trailer a few months ago. Put about $1k in it with all new rigging, hatch, and spare parts. Sailed it for the first time last weekend and it was pretty great. A lot faster than I thought it was going to be with a good breeze. Planning to do a camping trip up the coast of lake Erie in early fall.
Thank you so much for exploring the trailer sailor corner of the world! They are quite popular for racing/cruising the lakes in the middle of the country and though they were meant to be moved around, many sit in slips or on the hard in various marinas/sailing clubs - and when you need to pull them out for repairs/maintenance, it is much easier to do. Their low introductory cost, lack of extensive electronics/plumbing/rigging make them perfect for inland use and they sure do introduce a lot of people to this great hobby/lifestyle. I have a 1993 Hunter 23.5 with a swing keel and water ballast that I bought as my first boat this past Spring. My friends and family and I are having a blast learning our way around this boat and the lakes around NE Oklahoma. Hope you get the amount of likes and comments to justify more small boat content - thanks for the video!
I'm sailing an almost 40 year old, (1985), Gloucester 22. It's a trailer sailer, and, while not a race boat, by any means, is still a delight to sail. It tows trivially easily behind my half ton pickup, only weighs about 3600 lbs, all up, with the trailer. And, you'r completely right... sailing it is quite easy because none of the forces involved are more than one person can mange by hand.
@@John-Nada I've not set up a gin pole, (and it doesn't come with one), so it's a two person job. But, that's one, me, to lift the mast and hold it, while person #2, my wife, fixes the pin in the forestay. It's not terribly hard. (And, while I'm relatively fit for my age, I think, I'm over 60....) I keep the boat on a lake, in a slip, so I don't have to put it up and down a lot during the season. If I had to do it more often, I'd rig up a gin pole.
New Sailor last year and I trailer sail a 1987 Hunter 23. I learnt so much on this boat. Liked the idea of a bolted on cast iron wing keel (2.25' draft), a fractional rig that has many sail adjustments, it's big enough to weekend on and you won't get too badly beat up by waves. I've been out almost every weekend since June 10th. I tow this setup, about 4200 pounds, with a mid-sized SUV.
I grew up with a Kestrel 18 with a ballasted keel and a centreboard, and it took about ten minutes to rig. It was a lot of fun. One thing new buyers should be aware of is the need to invest in safety equipment, as well as the boat, trailer, outboard etc. You'll need lifejackets to wear every time, flares for a bigger boat. It won't cost too much, but it needs to be in your budget.
You can tell from the many positive comments, MacGregor boats are one of the trailer sailors you mentioned with a large and loyal following. I loved my '91 26 footer (pure sail version, not the later motor-sailor). I hauled it down to FL every year from Cleveland, always using a 6 cylinder vehicle. I crossed the Gulf Stream in it, my icon photo shows it beached on Gun Key near Bimini. Yes they are simple boats; but I upgraded the power panel and installed 2 batteries and many other things like fiddled shelves and full electronics (mast head antenna and mast lighting are musts I think). They are also pretty fast in light airs and point very well. Not an exceptional heavy weather boat... go with a keel for that ;) You always need to check the weather, maybe a bit more so with these boats. Although, it got me through some pretty rough seas safely and in one piece. One thing: I did not like the rudder stainless upper cheeks, so I had flat doubling pieces welded over them, which worked great.
Love my Westerly 23. Twin keels are excellent on the trailer. Big boat so big truck, my F250 gets it done just fine. Had Loadmaster build me an amazing trailer with a 25’ extender and have launched and retrieved by myself. Endless summer baby! No hurricanes, no frozen lakes and a very good value.
Puzzled by the lack of coverage for the MacGregors in this video. One photo, maybe? My 26S (bought in 2020, manf. 1994) has exceeded my expectations and seems to do everything well. The queen-sized berth aft is better than you will see in a lot of much larger boats. Properly rigged, tuned, and crewed, they are surprisingly good boats for racing. It was both a surprise and not a surprise when we took third in this summer's series race, that with a DQ and 2 missed races. Trailers easy (1650 lbs. dry), great parts market, and quite reasonable in price. More love for MacGregors, Lady K! :D
With a little practice, we've gotten down to 15 to 20 min for stepping and the same for unstepping and stowing the mast on our Hunter 23. She's pretty quick, light footed and very responsive. Really fun to sail. First time took 40 minutes. It was a nightmare. 3 or 4 outings later it was a simple routine. The hardest is 9:00 at night with the mosquitoes out for blood, tired, sunburnt with kids on the truck falling asleep. Worth every second!
I have owned a Precision 23 since 2019 and absolutely love the boat. It's probably not a good option as a land based trailer sailer since the mast is unbelievably heavy and difficult to step without a crane but if you have a slip at a marina but still want to be able to launch and haul out your boat on your own terms it's amazing. The interior cabin layout is the best I've ever seen on a boat this size and maximizes space so well that you could sleep 4 people on the boat and the lack of standing headroom isn't really a problem as you would really never need it with the way the boat is designed. There's only two drawbacks in my opinion. As with pretty much all boats of this size the head is in such a stupid place that it would never really be useful and you should just treat the boat as if it doesn't have one. I opted to remove mine and use the space for extra storage as mine came with a type of head that is actually illegal in Canada anyway and I don't overnight on the boat outside of marinas. Its performance in waves is also absolutely terrible. It's a flat bottomed boat with a shoal draft keel with a centerboard so very little of the boat is actually in the water. In calm waters with a good strong breeze its a rocket and I can sail circles around friends with similar sized boats however in waves that flat bottom really makes it slam down hard and kills all of your speed making it very difficult to sail. It also rolls in waves quite easily so you end up losing all the wind out of the sails every time you hit a wave. Overall it's been a great starter boat for me and I've had a lot of fun with it. I do plan to upgrade to something bigger in the next few years but I would recommend it to anyone looking for a small easy to own boat that plans on keeping it in the water.
Thanks for this one! With trailer sailers you can take your time one step at a time without major investment. Got my 25ft mac. Almost brave enough to put the mast up!
I've got a 1973 Balboa 20 I picked up for just $1K this year with the trailer. It needed a lot of love, but not a lot of money to get ship shape. I love it! Easy boat to manage, wonderful little cabin, plenty of storage, and it is so overengineered for a lake in Wisconsin that it really is worry-free. I have a lakeside cabin where I can moor it, tie it up to the dock, and I have even lifted it out of the water with our boat lift. I am able to push it around with ease using a trolling motor with 55 lbs of thrust and it sails beautifully. 9/10 would buy again for sure!
Lady K: Thanks for a VERY REALISTIC and USEFUL episode. There are so many sell every possession to buy a 35" ocean going cruiser and sail the world channels" . That's ok for some but not most of us, your info was right on the mark. I"m looking for a trailered boat capable of sailing the Great Lakes with on weekends and holidays. Now I've got some real world information to start with. Thanks.
West Wight Potter 15, You can park it in a standard garage, takes 10 minutes to rig, cheap, tough boat for mild ocean use or great lakes, family friendly as it has hard chines and does not heel much at all. And if you want alittle bit bigger boat to store outside or a barn there is always the West Wight potter 19.
Awesome topic. We have a '93 Precision 23 that we keep on Lake Dillon in Colorado. It's been to Texas and Florida. We love that we can drop the board and point high, then pull it up and beach it. Best of both worlds.
I went from an El Toro to a Hobie 18 to a Lancer 30. We couldn’t tow the 30 but it was a bay sailor in San Francisco Bay in a slip. I was amazed that the “feeling” of the wind on the El Toro carried over to the 30. Sorry, rambling here. Love your channel.
I’m happy to see that the comments agree these are more than just first boats! They fit that role well too, but I found myself going back for my fourth time to this range of sailboats. Not too hard on the wallet, can race, camp, gunk hood and go to windward at highway speeds to get to exotic cruising grounds. Huge variety in design also makes class of boat interesting. Catalina 22 (3000lbs ish), San Juan 21 (1000), Sea Pearl 21 (700), Wharram Tiki 21 (1500), and on and on. I love the variety of designs and capabilities. I’ve owned: Oday Javelin San Juan 21 San Juan 28 Islands 17 Ulua (cedar strip outrigger) Catalina 22
Agreed! Ive had my 1972 Balboa 26 for 15 years. We tow her 500 miles to Longbeach and sail out to Catalina for 2-3 weeks every Summer. When she is parked in the side yard, shes a man cave.
Love trailer sailer content. One of the greatest advantages is that you don't need to start sailing where you last stopped. You can explore and choose where to launch depending on wind direction/destination. Where I live, Brisbane, has a huge range of options along the coast, and inland. Depends how far you feel like driving. I have a Mac 26x, weight is minimal with water ballast. Load the boat up before I leave my driveway, at the ramp, set by myself is about half an hour. The utility of a trailer sailer is so significant that I can't understand why there's small keel boats. Sure they sail better, but at what cost in utility? Not too many 22 ft keel boats cross oceans, and if you're not racing, what's the point?
Trailers also require maintenance. I had a 22ft Hunter with swing keel. It would take about an hour to step the mast in the parking lot. Highly recommended for first sailboat
I just bought a Rebel 16 not too long ago. It holds the distinction of being the first production fiberglass sailboat in the US. $250 with the trailer and while I have to put a little sweat equity into it, I have an honest to goodness sailboat to learn on. I couldn’t be happier. I’ll have a bigger boat in the near future (thinking a Cape Dory 28 or if I can find one, a Nicholson 32) but for now, being able to go sail whenever and pretty much WHEREever I want is something that can’t be beat.
I have a Hobie Getaway, and bought it for all the reasons mentioned here. Most we have had on it is 9 people, plowing the hulls through the water as everyone laughed and laughed. The front trampoline net is just so much fun, as are the wings. Hoping to take it to the Sea of Cortez for some sailing this winter.
Don't forget the Compac line of trailer sailers. I have a Compac 16. It's a solid boat, super easy to set up and launch. And store on its trailer in the back yard underneath a tarp.
Thanks so much Tim. I really appreciate you doing an episode on smaller boats. Like i've said before I have a smaller boat (Bayliner 210) but will eventually upgrade to 35ft plus. I actually just sourced a dufour 24 for a friend that we launched from a trailer. It wasn't ideal but we managed lol. Thanks again buddy, you really have a gift.
I have a Macgregor 25. Picked it up for $500 and put $1000 into it. Trailered it from Massachusetts to Florida. Put it in Indiantown and bummed around Florida for 4 months, Love the low draft 1.5ft and swing keel. I had no problem sailing around New England waters. You can put up the mast alone in about 30 minutes. I love this boat. I still have it but upgraded to a 37' Prout catameran
I'm currently fixing up my '78 Mac 25. I was wondering if it could be used for coastal cruising along the FL coast and Keys, or if it could make it across the gulf stream to, and around, The Bahamas. What do you think?
A few more comments. Ron Dietel (show on "She Said No") sailed to Catalina in the Pacific Ocean and to the Channel Islands and had good results from the boat. The cabin is big enough to sleep two adults in relative comfort. And my version of the boat (and Ron's) most definitely had a battery and navigation lights. A great boat, very convenient and performs nicely.
My 1986 Laguna Windrose 22 with swing keel has been a great boat. Hand laid glass so a solid hull and deck, and all deck fittings were butyl tape sealed so no leaks in almost 40 yrs. Nimble and spacious for a 22'er and will sleep 4 comfortably.
@@lukescott8932 I’m now selling my Farr 7500 as I’ve moved aboard a 53 foot Ketch. She’s on CPyachtsales website. I’ve had many happy years with her. Good look with your search for your boat.
I think I'm gonna go back to my childhood.. when Harts department store was going outta business, I bought a Snark sailboat with 2 grocery bags full of Buckeye stamps,lol. I was 10.. I spent a lot of my summers on a lake in the southeastern of Ohio. But alas I lost it on the Muskingum river 😢.. it was the only sailboat I ever had.. ,now,I'm 50.. I'm really thinking about getting another one,if I can find a decent used one cheap and use it for some camping adventures. No trailer is needed. Chuck it in the truck or on top of the car.. when I was a kid,I strapped it to a skateboard to go from the campground to the water. Great times..
After years of racing various classes of dinghies (still the best way to learn sailing), I decided with my wife to get into a "pocket cruiser", as they're also called. We bought a San Juan 21, which was hands down the best boat to buy for our then young family. This boat is light to tow and fun to sail in conditions up to 25kts. The keel swings flush to the hull, allowing for very simple launching/retrieval on ramps as well as the ability to nestle into shallow, protected inlets out of the wind. We stayed aboard the boat with our two small kids for several week-long adventures throughout the NW. Phloe easily out performed the Catalina 22s and other like boats in most matchups, and the fun of both racing and cruising her sustained our interest in sailing for several years to come. I highly recommend the the SJ 21, an excellent Clark Bro design that was followed with the less tender SJ 23 and 24, also excellent trailerables. The advantage of the trailer sailer is as many have mentioned, the ability to explore lakes and rivers, expanding boundaries, etc. The downside is that if you really have no need of a tow vehicle (with the required hp, transmission, etc) outside of your explorations with the boat, it's tough to justify the $$$ of said vehicle. We used a U-Haul pickup to get to our favorite places;)
I am in the Boise Idaho area. Got lucky and scooped up a 2006 Catalina 12.5 expo for one tenth of the new price. Have learned to sail it on Lake Lowell this summer and just love it. One day I hope to get a larger boat but its so fun solo or with a friend. Simple rigging and just easy as can be to learn on.
Bought a 2000 Catalina 18 in Summer 2022 and it's been the perfect first sailboat. Small enough that we could pull it behind my wife's Ford Escape, although it did have trouble crossing an 11K foot high pass in the Rocky Mountains to get it to my home in Denver. We sailed there before bringing it to our home in Mexico. 3-day drive, cross the border, and now it lives at my home in San Felipe. When I'm down there for a month at a time, we drop it in a slip at the marina (set-up once, take down once) then re-park it at the house before I head back to Colorado. Now we sail it on the Sea of Cortez and it's been wonderful!
There are bigger trailer sailers as well. I have a Kent Ranger 26. There were 72 of them built in the 1970’s in Kent Washington. It has standing head room and an enclosed head. The biggest production trailer sailer that I know of is the C&C Mega 30 which is a pure racing sailboat.
I believe that the Macgregor power sailer is the MOST SAFE cruising boat for sailing the Bahamas. The shoal/zero draft allows you to go into nearly zero depth to get into calm waters while anything else is stuck out in the weather. Further, her speed under power allows you to get out of the weather while everyone else is plodding along in nasty weather at 6 kts. Macs have made the FL to Bahamas many times and can be beached rather than go into an expensive marina. Who cares they dont sail to windward, sailing to windward is a pain anyway, you wait for a following wind or no wind and use that engine.
I really like it.... for day sailing or weekends. But my wife and I like 4-5 day trips, and it is too small for that. So we have bought a Nonsuch 22, and have the CS22 up for sale.
I had a Catalina Capri 18’ with a wing keel for my trailer sailer. Concerning fixed keels, you need to be very conscious of the boat launch you plan to use. My trailer had a 15’ extension and I launched in a river with tidal influence. I couldn’t get the trailer backed down far enough to get the boat off (or on) unless it was mid-tide or higher. My Cat drafted just under 3’ - the trailer would have to be in close to 5’ of water to get the boat on/off.
My first boat was a trailer sailer that I towed with my 1962 Plymouth Valiant. That boat was a Venture 21 that was under 2,000 pounds for trailering (boat + trailer). I towed it all over the Pacific Northwest including over mountain passes to some spectacular lakes. That was a fun boat that could be overnighted, even though that was definitely camping. I rented a house when I bought the boat and simply stored it in my driveway. The only negative of keeping a sailboat on the trailer is set up, launching and the haulout and tear down. Set up and launching was generally quite easy and fast, but as the boats get bigger the masts get longer, heavier and harder to stand up. In my opinion, about the upper limit for a boat with an easily stepped mast is 22"-23'. If you go bigger the mast get to be quite a chore and you really do need two people who know what they are doing and are reasonably strong. The only other issue I had with my boat was getting it onto the trailer in the right spot. There are modifications you can make to the trailer that make that easier, but be prepared to haul the boat out enough to see if it is in the right spot and then back it into the water again if you need to move it. My second boat also came on a trailer. It was a Challenger 7.4 (just over 24 feet) that I towed with a Ford F150. The truck towed it easily, but the mast required 2-3 people to step safely. The draft was deep enough that I had to unhitch the trailer and roll it into the water for it to float off and retrieve the boat. The trailer had a tire at the front for that and I put a winch on my truck to let the trailer into the water in a controlled way. After the first launching, I rented a mooring from a provincial park on a nearby lake so launching/haulout became a one a year thing. I also joined a local sailing club where we all cooperated to rent a crane to launch/haul the boats and step the masts. That made haul/launch much easier. Another thing about small trailer boats is that you can insure them very cheaply via a rider on your home owners policy. My challenger cost about $60 CDN to insure. Outboard motors can also be a bit of a pain to keep running if ethanol free gas isn't available. If I was buying a trailer boat now that was 22' or less I would use an electric outboard. My favorite boat in the trailer sailer group would be a Catalina 22, Compac 16, 19or 23, or a Cape Dory Typhoon. My old Venture was fun, but those boats are very lightly built and quite basic. They sail well though. An old venture would be an option for a really cheap boat if you don't mind doing a bit of fixing the boat up. Now I have a slightly bigger boat that is launched and hauled on a trailer. I store the boat at a boat yard and they use their Brownell Hydraulic trailer to haul/launch my boat. So I guess that even my Allied Princess 36 is a trailer boat.
I’ve owned a’79 Venture 222 for three years now and love it. Plenty big for a day sail with friends, cabin large enough for weekends solo. Got creative with power needs via a few rechargeable options and it’s good to go! Love the low cost of ownership and she’s a competent boat on the north Chesapeake where I sail…
What about the Hunter water ballast series? Made with an inner hull that could be filled with water for ballast, the Hunter 23.5 and the 260 offered a remarkable size boat that could be traileredwith a SUZ. I owned both.
that takes me back. We had a Hawk 20 cabin to start with. Using it for weeks at a time and kept it on a swinging mooring. Sailing has never been cheaper. Great fun.
Remember, most boats are tore up by trailers that don't fit with even pressure on all the rollers. I made some pins to fit the pipe in the rollers. Then I drilled a pipe thread diameter drill a little past half way down the pin. Then I crossed drilled the pin in the middle. Pipe tap the end and insert a grease cert in the end. Then when you have the roller on the trailer, you can just grease the cert and grease will come out inside the whole roller pin. You could push the boat on the trailer with your hand. I did the same on a motorboat, and you could drive right on the trailer with your motor and boat.
We purchased a Pearson Triton 28 for our first boat. It came on a huge trailer and I had to rent a 3/4 ton truck to trailer this home to Texas from Minnesota. That was a fun trip. Spent the night in the boat actually. But to learn to sail we purchased a Victoria Eighteen that has a full keel and is a trailer sailer. Extremely fun little boat with the small cabin with classic lines that resembles the Triton. It takes about an hour to rig it and get it in the water and it supposedly acts similar to he the Triton will. My long term idea for the Triton was to figure out how I might be able to treat it like an overgrown trailer sailer - work out a mast stepping method and a way to launch myself from the trailer. But I might hav w bitten off a little too much with that idea.
Thanks for the video! I made the mistake of buying a Macgreggor 22 before having any experience. Now with some time and classes under my belt, I'd probably go with a Catalina 22 for the cabin with a full fin. I'm not sure I am up for replacing the swing keel hardware. I've sailed the Capri 22 and 25 which are fun and sporty, not the best for an overnight. They're great to learn on and I found that being lower to the water on them (compared to a Catalina 27 or Hunter 285) helped me to learn/get comfortable with heeling.
My first sailboat was a trailer-able sailboat, a Catalina 22. I didn’t own nor have it on a trailer. Instead I always had a slip. The Catalina had a keel that could be pulled up or put down at various depths. I loved that beautiful boat and spent weekends living onboard.
We owned a 29-footer sailboat for 26 years. Upgraded to a 38-footer. Finally, because of the ever growing power boat plague along the New England Coast, we looked for a different solution and finally decided trailer sailing was the way to go. We bought a 15-foot Bolger MICRO cat yawl and towed it with a VW-GOLF. Storage in winter was alongside our garage under a tarp. When stepping the free-standing mast became too much (increasing age) we bought a MONTGOMERY -15, that was ideal. We towed it up and down the Interstates at 70 MPH to windward; sailed in the Florida Keys; Chesapeake Bay; Lake Champlain and Moosehead Lake in ME. You could have peace and quiet while sailing; and if a PWC bothered you, you just went to a different lake. We normally stayed at a B&B and day sailed. Operating costs were almost $0. Most ramps that we used were State owned and free. Power was from a 2 HP HONDA outboard, and a season's fuel consumption might by 2 quarts! The smaller the sailboat the better. That makes for fast and easy single-handed launching, mast stepping and rigging. The MONTGOMERY 15 was an excellent blue water boat, and one was sailed solo from San Diego to Hawaii.
I researched and tried out trailer sailers for years. The best all-around trailerable sailboat I discovered is the 23 foot water ballasted Santana 2023. I don’t have time to go into all the reasons now, but I will make some time to reveal the greatest secret to its remarkable sailing ability - as compared to ALL the other trailerable water ballasted sailboats - and I do mean all. I say “secret” because the manufacturer kept the reason for its unique ballast design under wraps. It has always amazed me that the other manufacturers such as Catalina, Beneteau, MacGregor, Hunter, etc. never figured out or incorporated what Santana designed. Not even most Santana 2023 owners know why their boats sail circles around all the others. All other water ballasted sailboats are notorious for rather poor windward performance and tacking. This is because in addition to their hulls being very narrow, tjeir ballast tanks are also very narrow (only about 1-2 feet wide) and run long - up to the full length of boat. Because of this, the boats heel far too easily, even in modest wind. This results in the wind being spilled and also the resulting hull angles being less than optimal for windward sailing. In addition, because the water ballast tanks run narrow and long, the center of gravity is spread out, which makes tacking quite difficult. The Santana 2023, however, has a completely different hull and ballast tank design than all other trailerable water ballasted sailboats. Utilizing the legendary Santana 23’s wide racing hull (with a heavy fin keel), the 2023’s ballast tank is short and wide, not narrow and long like all the others. Its ballast tank width goes all the way to the the hull’s port and starboard waterline. Thus, when the boat heels, the water in the ballast tank is actually raised above the water line on the windward side. Because the weight is above the waterline, it pushes the high side down. Thus, this design creates a counterbalance that none of the other water ballasted sailboats have. This results in far less heeling. Also, because the length of the tank is short and centered above the swing centerboard, the center of gravity is maintained in the middle of the boat where it should be for optimal tacking and windward performance. I have owned the Santana 2023-C version of this boat for about 15 years, which I have upgraded to the hilt with custom, original inventions, some that need to be patented for use on almost all sailboats under 30 feet! In other words, I am obviously a very proud owner of this boat. The “C” refers to the very large cabin version which is amazing in its live-ability for weekenders. There is also an R version for racing that has a taller rig and much reduced cabin size.
I am looking at a Santana 2023A that's really cheap. I am hoping the ballast tank is not rotted out as happened with some of the early boats. It's a bigger boat than I've sailed, but every thing I've read says it is easy to trailer, set up, and sail. And I think they look great!
As a follow on to this episode perhaps a video on catboats would be helpful. Easy to rig, easy to sail and easy to trailer. Many are equipped with a mast tabernacle making raising and lowering the mast fairly easy.
I bought a new to me Com-Pac Sun Cat and love it. It is very easy to step the mast and has plenty of room to keep my girlfriend and I comfortable on day sails.
Wind Hippie Sailing channel has been on a 27' boat for over three years solo circunavigating, starting in Maine, and now in the South Pacific with no fancy boat equipment and a 1 cyl Yanmar, takes the cake for cheap and make do cruising. Certainly not for the faint of heart.
Hi, Tim! Our first boat was a Catalina 25, which we sailed for about two years. We would only take it out on long weekends or holidays, maybe a long week, due to the time and complexity of stepping the mast, as it was just my wife and I. It was good that we could store it at home, and not 2 hours away on the coast of Florida, or for any maintenance needed. We loved it so much, we upgraded to a live aboard (thanks for the consult BTW, it was very helpful -p.s. we bought the boat, the Cabo Rico 34) Having the Catalina as a proof of concept if we liked sailing as well as all the learning experience was priceless. This video is awesome, and I hope it gets more people started in this wonderful sport/lifestyle.
I have owned an Astus 20.1 for several years, French built trimaran. Weighting 400 kg + 250 kg for the trailer, it can be easily trailed behind most cars with a hook. This boat was very fun to sail, the cabin can sleep two adults but the confort is minimal. There were two drawbacks with this boat. First getting the aluminum mast up was quite a challenge and required two adults. Secondly pulling the side hulls outwards was difficult on the trailer or on the water, and impossible in deeper waters. Today I’m considering a BayCruiser 23 or a Haber 620 instead.
Whatever is the easiest to use will get used the most. I had a Chrysler 22 with a trailer. It was heavy and took too long to set it up, so I kept it in a slip. For a trailer sailor to be easy to use, it must be light and have light rigging. I raced a Lindenberg 22 (1600 lbs) that had a tapered mast and was kept on an aluminum trailer in the dry storage yard at the marina. The yard had a hoist, and we could be in the water and ready race in less than 15 minutes. And it was easy to tow so we sailed in regattas in New Orleans, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mobile Bay and Sanford, Fl. Small Macgregors and Ventures are lightweight and fun to sail. And you can do some coastal cruising in them if you choose.
I love being able to put my alberg 30 on a trailer. When I bought it I didn’t have to pay somewhere to keep it I put it behind my house and worked on it.
I have had my 1973 Columbia T-23(Cat-22 knockoff) for a couple of years and absolutely love her! Lakes and Ohio river sailing mainly. The biggest advantages for me are that I can easily launch and sail single handed. (Mast stepping and launch is down to about 30 minutes) and comfortably camping for a weekend with some amenities. I have lots of bluewater sailing experience and hope to migrate south someday but for now, having a relatively cheap and convenient sailer sitting in the driveway makes me smile all summer long. Winter too!
Classic MacGregor 25. Light for her size, but that makes towing easier and trips more frequent. Iron keel instead of water ballast, and enough sleeping space for 2 or 3 people to do some small scale weekend cruising. Cheap, simple, now.
Hello, been watching for over a year .. about to buy my first boat .. a 19.2 oday im excited to learn to sail on this before stepping into a cruiser. Thanks for all the content.
I suggest looking at Polish Mazurian Lakes boats. They typically are swing centreboard boats with internal ballast, swing rudders (draught 1 foot), mast raising/lowering A-frames and are much more strongly built than those old MacGregor 26's and Ventures.
I started with an O-Day 17. Great boat to learn on. Upgraded to a Beneteau First 21. Great sailing with a screw-jack operated swing keel. Currently have a Beneteau First 235 with a wing keel. Better cabin and creature comforts. Do some club races and general single-handed sailing.
Hi Tim, great topic on the pros and cons of a Trailer Sailor. Would love to see a follow up on stepping down from a 33-40’ cruiser to a pocket sailor in the 22-28’ range. Something for day sailing and the occasional long weekend with 3-4 onboard. Trailering is an added bonus, but not a necessity. Fun factor and ease of sailing is the priority as most people interested in this category, me included, are getting older but not yet ready to give up on sailing yet. Thanks and keep up the great content!
Thank you, you are spot on on all your info. I have owned an 18 Capri and a 25 water ballast and my last boat was a 30 TR in Lake MI It's all about understanding your trade-offs and compromises. Great video.
Vandesdt and Mcgruer Siren 17 3,200 were manufactured from 1973 to 1987 in Owens Sound Ontario Canada awesome little sailboat weighing only 750lbs. and with a tremendous cult following.
First off let me thank you for all the incredible information you have passed on to us new sailors. I just started sailing about a year and a half ago and I jumped in with both feet. I started my ASA 101 class and about 30 days later bought my first sailboat. A 1974 Olympic Dolphin 23 in quite good condition. Unfortunately this trailer sailor was only half there, it had no trailer. I borrowed a friend's trailer and we went down and picked it up. Kept it in a wet slip for most of the time until I got the trailer that I picked up on the cheap completely rebuilt. Ended up not being on the cheap lol but now I'm ready to tow this thing all over Florida and then possibly up to Michigan as well to do some sailing on lake St Clair where my family lives.
I'm looking at a Cape Dory Typhoon Weekender to teach my grandsons to sail -- I plan to add an electric outboard and a backup sculling oar -- eventually, I plan to use some of the fiberglass skills I learned racing single-seat racing cars to make a few modifications to the cockpit, cuddy cabin and interior layout (very few!)
My dad often said the best free entertainment to had is a public boat ramp!! We first had a Clipper 26, then a Chrysler 26 which was giant improvement. He boat a tow vehicle and never used that way. We sailed Lake Minnetonka for years. In retirement he was pretty much gifted a Chrysler 22 fin keel. Unfortunately having move to a more rural setting the ramps just weren't deep enough. Me, I'm the industry now and sail on the likes of J109s, Swan 46 and now helping get a Grand Soleil 46 get started racing. Good brief episode. I'm sure you'll get tons of requests for more of the same
I have a Balboa 26. Boat ramps can be very entertaining . I always tell my son when we launch,' Sometimes you watch the show. Other times you ARE the show!"
Cool seeing my Jeep Gladiator pulling my Helsen HMS23. I made sure when I got my truck that its tow capacity covered the boat I have and the boat I want, a Seaward 26RK about as big as you can go with a trailer sailor
I just got the deal of a lifetime, a somewhat snazzed up catalina 22 on the trailer for only 900. I cant wait for my college weekends to be full of adventures on the great lakes once i get a decent motor.
Thanks for the great and informative video. One thing I didnt hear you mention about trailering a sailboat is that you need to make sure the ramp you plan on is a deep-water ramp. Many lakes have very short and shallow ramps because 99.9% of boaters are putting in a bass or ski boat. You will run out of ramp before you float your sailboat! And many short ramps have DEEP washouts at the end from boaters powering it up onto their trailer. IF you drop your trailer wheels off the end, you will have a very hard time getting back out of the water.
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We owned a Venture 17 (MacGregor) for 40 years. We could afford the boat, but not a slip. We live in Minneapolis, and even took it to the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, sleeping on it for 8 nights. Technically, you could sleep four 6 footers on the boat. Our kids were 11 and 7 when we did that trip. We sewed a custom, tight-fitting boom tent to give us extra room for our gear at night. With a 2 HP Evinrude, a self-bailing cockpit, and a self-righting hull with a swing keel, we had tons of fun. We trailed it with a small vehicle with no problem at all. Now, well into my 70's, we sail a Pearson Ensign with a sailing club on a city lake.
I bought my Triton just outside Minneapolis in Orono. I believe he sailed it on Lake Minnetonka.
@@ToddAaronSailing That's where we sailed our Venture the first 8 years.
@@ro4317 the previous owner of my Triton was getting into his 70’s I believe. He single handed the Triton and had owned it for like 20-30 years. He sailed it down to La Paz from California then moved to Arizona and refitted it completely then moved to Minnesota with it for fresh water sailing and retirement. He was stepping down to something in the 18-22 foot range for more ease of handling.
We slept SEVEN ppl on a Venture 22 when I was a kid...somehow.
Hello from MN!!!
Just bought a Catalina 22 swing keel and absolutely loving it as a small "pop-up" water camper that we can easily tow around.
That’s the boat I started with. It’s a great boat!
Hey I am looking to buy a Cat 22... what vehicle are you using to tow it?
The biggest advantage of a trailer sailer is being able to take your boat anywhere in the country and not being stuck in the same body of water. Cant be understated.
I have owned a Mac 26X (2002) for seven years now, and I can assure you that it is absolutely fantastic! Here are some pro tips (at your own risk blah blah blah...)
1- keep it in a marina most of the time. Launch in spring, pull in fall. So nice having it ready to go! Setup takes about 45 min, and you can expect to sweat like a pig in summer doing this.
2. Put centerbaoad and rudders fully down when maneuverability is needed. With these up. It's a big bathtub. Down, you are in total control.
3- raise rudders when not in use. Leaving them in the water will invite growth in salt water and at the very least cause yellowing. Don't let this happen to you!
4- leave the centerboard down on the marina after use. You can use force to pull it up, but only gravity let's it down
5- show your trailer some love early in your ownership. The glossy black rustolium paint is a cheap add that will make your trailer look like a million bucks, while keeping rust stains off your driveway.
6- get new sails. Chances are your used boat has tired sails and your pointing sucks. New sails will invigorate your boat and are a high priority!
7- don't lock your rudders in the cleats in expected shallows. At maneuvering speeds this is best practice. If the bottom out you are ok. Locked, not so much.
8- own your time at the boat ramp. Make a check list to get centerbaoad up, engine up, and rudders up before you step on the gas in the tow vehicle. This is not the time to be in a hurry!
9- walk your boar on the trailer. Attempting to motor on the trailer is shear folly. Just get the boat ready back on the dock, then simply walk it on the trailer.
10- reaf early. Single reaf at 10 knots, double...you'll know.
11- keep the ballast tank full most of the time. It costs you 3 knots of top motoring speed, but that's not an issue most of the time. The safety is absolutely worth it.
12- use the spinnaker halyard to haul up Festooned lights at anchor. They look amazing at night!
Safe sailing my friends. See you on the water in the puget sound!
I can tell that you've been there and done it.
I have thought of getting a MacGregor for years, even when I had my terrible Hunter 170 whose plastic hull cracked from the cold of the Virginia winters.
Great advice. Just got back from looking at a Mac 26X for sale. What a beauty.
Oh wow. The boat at 11:20 was mine! The suburban was my Dad’s. That was my first sailboat. Can’t recommend a Catalina 25 enough for a first boat. I sold it a couple years ago to a guy who came all the way from Canada to buy it.
Been sailing a MacGregor 26X for many years in the pacific northwest as well as catalina island and lakes mead and powell. We had the newer m model but found that we liked the x better. We are landlocked in utah, so the trailer sailer is our best option for now. The 50 hp engine on our boat opens up our possibilities when sailing in the san juan and gulf islands. The currents there can be quite strong as you probably know. Also, makes the trip back to long beach a guarantee even if there is no wind or too much wind. Macs have a reputation for being kinda cheaply made, but ours has never let us down, even in some bigger conditions. We are equipped with refrigeration, full galley, AIS, solar and tow a dinghy. We often spend up to a month on the boat in the summer. Winter, she sits on her trailer in our side yard and costs us nothing. Love our Mac 26 X!
You said it all well ,we live in Alberta we knew nothing about sailing ,Canada . bought our 26X new in 1998 in Vancouver , so many wonderful, memories from the PNW San Juan's to Desolation sound to the great lakes and so many in between..
@@ushillbillies I'm in Ontario, dreaming of sailing for a bit now. Just looked at my first boat - a Mac26X. Wow! Ran a 100 foot 300 ton displacement dredging barge on an inland lake for a few years, but know diddly squat about sailing... but you're saying you got into it knowing nothing? Maybe I'll have to go for it!
Trailer Sailboat OWNERS are the captains who's vessel is actually PAID FOR 😉.
I have a McGregor 26s swing keel and rudder it is a fresh water boat it is 1993 . I tow with a Ranger. Only sail it in fresh water lakes in FL so far.I am 74 years old
I love my Mac 26S. Best trailer sailor I can imagine.
Hey Tim, you forgot to mention one of the best features of a trailer sailer, the ability to hitch it up and drive 1000km to unexplored sailing grounds. A two week vacation can be 10 days sailing somewhere it would take a week to sail to in a keel boat. I sail a 28’ Magnum and can stay out for weeks. They are a compromise for sure, but depending on your life situation, they can be perfect.
My sailmaker did a circumnavigation around Australia in a 22’ trailer sailer by bay hopping mostly. Then getting a flight back to the car and driving the trailer and support vehicle to the next state. Pretty crazy sailing it across the Great Australian Bight though :-0
My Magnum 8.5 has an enclosed electric head with holding tank, double bed and v berth, full galley, with fridge/freezer, solar power, an electric/hydraulic 950 lb lifting keel, autopilot and Chart plotter with AIS and more. It is a pain to rig solo and takes me an hour as you said, but i launch, sail and retrieve it solo most of the time without a problem. I race it against the big keel boats from time to time at our local club and give the big boats a good run for their money in light air. My most recent trip was a solo sail albeit with a buddy boat, to the Abrolhos Islands 50km out off the coast of Western Australia. Great episode for the smaller boat people, there may be more of us than you think. ;-)
Interesting stories. I wish you did videos of your adventures and experiences. I'd watch!
Don't forget the handiest trailer-sailers of them all, the Sunfish & Laser!
Had a MacGregor Venture VN23 for 10 years. After a few years we were able to pull up to the launch, get the mast up and be in the water in just under 30 minutes. It was a great, cheap option for all the small prairie lakes in our region. Allowing us to drop it in whatever little lake we happened to be camping near.
My wife and I currently have a 1976 VN23 named MAKAI. I have been able to research the previous owners and learned a bit about where it had been the last 47 years. Still have original trailer, could use a newer one. The staysail is also original as well. Great boat, we have a blast on this little cutter rigged trailer sailer.
Love the videos.
Ditto for our Venture 17. I always rigged it alone at the ramp in 30 minutes or less.
My wife and I bought a MacGregor 26M last year and have had a blast with it. We sail on a local lake and have a slip there. I can't recommend it highly enough!
@artsmith103 What's that supposed to mean. You can't trust a Macgregor owner ? You should ask as many different type of boat owners questions. But you should definitely ask a Macgregor owner their thoughts. The 26X is the best-selling trailer sailor for a reason.
@@artsmith103Why would you ask a Macgregor owner the performance characteristics of a Catalina or a Hunter. No your going to ask a Macgregor owner questions about a Macgregor. Who better to tell you the pros and cons of a Macgregor.
Your welcome to your opinion but like I said you should listen to all boat owners. Even Macgregor owners. Many a present day 40 or 50ft boat owner got stated on a Macgregor.
@@artsmith103I didn't twist anything. If you want advise on a Macgregor ask a Macgregor owner even if they have only had a Macgregor. No all advice is valuable depending on your needs.
In Oklahoma, we call the “sport” of ramp watching, “going to go watch the fights”! It’s so much fun.
My first boat was an O’day Mariner. Great little boat.. I moved up to an O’day 25. Cruised Lake Huron for several years.
I just got on this year (See comment.) Love that boat. It didn’t kill me!
I just moved from Indiana to Washington state and brought my O’day 26. I used a Silverado 2500 and averaged 15.1 mpg. Did ton of maintenance on the trailer and it worked fine. It’s a lot of work to get her in the water. Having people that know what to do shrinks the time down. Hopefully she sails well on the Puget Sound. Cheers
If you get tired of all the clouds and drizzle make sure to take it to lake Chelan. Its close to Seattle but really sunny there.
My first boat was a Hunter 23. I was deciding between that and a Catalina 22. Wonderful first boat to learn on. It was so fun to sail, and very forgiving. The systems were very simple. It had a small galley with single burner alcohol stove and a sink with manual faucet. Porta potti under the v bearth. It had a simple electric panel which had running lights, mast light, cabin lights, a vhf radio and a stereo. I added a depth sounder and cockpit led accent lights. I also upgraded from a lead acid battery to lithium iron and installed a 50 watt Solar panel which was enough to meet all power needs without plugging in. I also put a grill on the stern rail. There were alot of amenities packed into that little boat. The cabin was surprisingly spacious for the size of the boat as well. We kept it in a slip during the season. We sailed it most weekends and occasional midweek sunset sails after work through the season and did not want the process of launching and retrieving to be a deterrent to going for a sail. We spent many overnights on the hook. It was great for a night or two, but due to the lack of head room and the small space not much more than that at a clip. I have since moved on to a bigger cruising boat, but highly recommend the 22-23 foot trailer sailer for anyone looking to start sailing. I still miss that Hunter 23.
Small and simple Sailfish are a blast. So light and easy to use. Day sailing becomes exponentially difficult with every other person involved. Go basic and go alone to have maximum enjoyment. You'll get knocked down and wet, but it's easy to right and continue.
As a non-sailor, my theory is that your first boat should be 'disposable', and easy to sell for roughly what you paid for it... and also something that's easy to learn to sail, on.
The first order of business, is to learn how to sail, and make sure that you actually LIKE sailing. It's easy for me to assume that I love sailing, but that's a good way to waste money.
A commodity level trailer-sailer, that's cheap and doesn't need any work seems ideal for this purpose. I can only guess, something like a Hunter or Catalina, that will fit on a trailer, so you can park it in the back yard, and take it to the water on the weekends, to practice.
And when you're 'done' with it, you can probably sell it for the same price that you paid. It's a free rental, in essence (minus fuel, and minor expenses).
Yes. My O'day DaysailerII was perfect for that. Thinking about buyiing another because it was so much fun. Easy to launch and recover, easy to store, great boat to learn to sail
I picked the Venture 21 because it would not sink and had a swing keel. Also, I am cheap and could trailer it to my house.
13:47 As to backing trailiers up: In addition to parking lot practice, another good option is to practice at a local boat ramp during a low-traffic time, for example, an early spring day before the summer crowds hit the water. And even during the summer, some lakes have less traffic mid-week during the day, so that might be a good practice option.
Just don't expect to be able to practice at an actual ramp on the 4th of July! Practice in a parking lot, while very useful, does not provide the full challenge that a true ramp with a downward slope provides, so any ramp practice you can get during slow times at the lake will pay off in spades.
I bought my first sailboat 3 years ago. At first, i was thinking a large sailboat but decided on a 23ft aquarius trailer sailer. Its the most versatile boat I've ever owned! I LOVE this boat. Its got a swing keel that only draws 14" with the keel up and I can sail it anywhere where there's a boat ramp. I can literally beach the boat as long as there are no waves to push it too far ashore. I can sail this thing where no other sailboats of similar size have ever seen but its equally as capable crossing the lower chesapeake bay. WHEN I do accidentally run it aground, its easy to jump out and muscle it free. Its almost impossible to get into too much trouble with it. When im finished for the day, i just load it on the trailer and bring it home where i can easily unload it, perform repairs and clean it conveniently. If you are interested in a first sailboat, I cant recommend a trailer sailer more. I now have a 41ft morgan as well but it's no replacement. There is so much the Aquarius will do that's impossible in the Morgan.
I love that he covered this and just touched the large number of the advantages. My Hunter 26 has more room in it than most 30ft boats with the queen size bed under the cockpit. I own a few trailer sailors 16ft, catamarans, Hunter 26, MacGregor 26. Another advantage is that you can trailer somewhere and launch the boat. I live in Va and have sailed places like the Bahamas by towing down to Fl several times. I've added bladder watertanks and have A/C and carry an ultra quiet generator. For very little money and minor upgrades we did it with kids in comfort. Especially with the newer DC power coolers/freezers. With a very shallow draft, we found a lot of the time we would get prime spots in marinas. We might start up the "Conch Cruisers" again and head back next summer. (..Tiller autopilots are relatively inexpensive also.) GREAT CHANNEL!!!!! GO SAILING!
Did you prefer your Mac Gregor 26 or your Hunter 26? Where they both water ballast? I have bay front property in the panhandle. I’m looking at putting a mooring in there and living part time down there. So I want something that I can use almost like a weekend camper while we build the house on the property and that I can move when the bad hurricanes come. I know I husbands old enough. He doesn’t like doing anything without an air conditioner. Interested in how are you? Riged your air conditioner also
@@flyingnellgreat questions!
I got a catalina capri 16 with a trailer and new main for $750 it's awesome
I picked up a free 92' capri 16.5 with a trailer a few months ago. Put about $1k in it with all new rigging, hatch, and spare parts. Sailed it for the first time last weekend and it was pretty great. A lot faster than I thought it was going to be with a good breeze. Planning to do a camping trip up the coast of lake Erie in early fall.
@@JaredRietdyk Awesome 🤙
Thank you so much for exploring the trailer sailor corner of the world! They are quite popular for racing/cruising the lakes in the middle of the country and though they were meant to be moved around, many sit in slips or on the hard in various marinas/sailing clubs - and when you need to pull them out for repairs/maintenance, it is much easier to do.
Their low introductory cost, lack of extensive electronics/plumbing/rigging make them perfect for inland use and they sure do introduce a lot of people to this great hobby/lifestyle. I have a 1993 Hunter 23.5 with a swing keel and water ballast that I bought as my first boat this past Spring. My friends and family and I are having a blast learning our way around this boat and the lakes around NE Oklahoma. Hope you get the amount of likes and comments to justify more small boat content - thanks for the video!
I'm sailing an almost 40 year old, (1985), Gloucester 22. It's a trailer sailer, and, while not a race boat, by any means, is still a delight to sail. It tows trivially easily behind my half ton pickup, only weighs about 3600 lbs, all up, with the trailer. And, you'r completely right... sailing it is quite easy because none of the forces involved are more than one person can mange by hand.
Nice! How many people does it take to step the mast?
@@John-Nada I've not set up a gin pole, (and it doesn't come with one), so it's a two person job. But, that's one, me, to lift the mast and hold it, while person #2, my wife, fixes the pin in the forestay. It's not terribly hard. (And, while I'm relatively fit for my age, I think, I'm over 60....) I keep the boat on a lake, in a slip, so I don't have to put it up and down a lot during the season. If I had to do it more often, I'd rig up a gin pole.
I had a Catalina 22 pop top about 25 years ago. I miss that boat.
New Sailor last year and I trailer sail a 1987 Hunter 23. I learnt so much on this boat. Liked the idea of a bolted on cast iron wing keel (2.25' draft), a fractional rig that has many sail adjustments, it's big enough to weekend on and you won't get too badly beat up by waves. I've been out almost every weekend since June 10th. I tow this setup, about 4200 pounds, with a mid-sized SUV.
I grew up with a Kestrel 18 with a ballasted keel and a centreboard, and it took about ten minutes to rig. It was a lot of fun.
One thing new buyers should be aware of is the need to invest in safety equipment, as well as the boat, trailer, outboard etc. You'll need lifejackets to wear every time, flares for a bigger boat. It won't cost too much, but it needs to be in your budget.
You can tell from the many positive comments, MacGregor boats are one of the trailer sailors you mentioned with a large and loyal following. I loved my '91 26 footer (pure sail version, not the later motor-sailor). I hauled it down to FL every year from Cleveland, always using a 6 cylinder vehicle. I crossed the Gulf Stream in it, my icon photo shows it beached on Gun Key near Bimini. Yes they are simple boats; but I upgraded the power panel and installed 2 batteries and many other things like fiddled shelves and full electronics (mast head antenna and mast lighting are musts I think). They are also pretty fast in light airs and point very well. Not an exceptional heavy weather boat... go with a keel for that ;) You always need to check the weather, maybe a bit more so with these boats. Although, it got me through some pretty rough seas safely and in one piece. One thing: I did not like the rudder stainless upper cheeks, so I had flat doubling pieces welded over them, which worked great.
Love my Westerly 23. Twin keels are excellent on the trailer. Big boat so big truck, my F250 gets it done just fine. Had Loadmaster build me an amazing trailer with a 25’ extender and have launched and retrieved by myself. Endless summer baby! No hurricanes, no frozen lakes and a very good value.
I trailer a Hobie 33 with a retractable keel, learned so much with it and I take take it in the ocean.
Puzzled by the lack of coverage for the MacGregors in this video. One photo, maybe? My 26S (bought in 2020, manf. 1994) has exceeded my expectations and seems to do everything well. The queen-sized berth aft is better than you will see in a lot of much larger boats. Properly rigged, tuned, and crewed, they are surprisingly good boats for racing. It was both a surprise and not a surprise when we took third in this summer's series race, that with a DQ and 2 missed races. Trailers easy (1650 lbs. dry), great parts market, and quite reasonable in price. More love for MacGregors, Lady K! :D
With a little practice, we've gotten down to 15 to 20 min for stepping and the same for unstepping and stowing the mast on our Hunter 23. She's pretty quick, light footed and very responsive. Really fun to sail. First time took 40 minutes. It was a nightmare. 3 or 4 outings later it was a simple routine. The hardest is 9:00 at night with the mosquitoes out for blood, tired, sunburnt with kids on the truck falling asleep. Worth every second!
I spent a week in Key West day sailing from a marina on Duval St in my 1990 McGregor 26 classic… trailered down I-95 from NJ 28 hours each way!
I tow my Catalina 22 with a FWD Explorer and never had an issue. In fact I think it’s better at the ramp because the front tires stay dry.
I have owned a Precision 23 since 2019 and absolutely love the boat. It's probably not a good option as a land based trailer sailer since the mast is unbelievably heavy and difficult to step without a crane but if you have a slip at a marina but still want to be able to launch and haul out your boat on your own terms it's amazing. The interior cabin layout is the best I've ever seen on a boat this size and maximizes space so well that you could sleep 4 people on the boat and the lack of standing headroom isn't really a problem as you would really never need it with the way the boat is designed.
There's only two drawbacks in my opinion. As with pretty much all boats of this size the head is in such a stupid place that it would never really be useful and you should just treat the boat as if it doesn't have one. I opted to remove mine and use the space for extra storage as mine came with a type of head that is actually illegal in Canada anyway and I don't overnight on the boat outside of marinas. Its performance in waves is also absolutely terrible. It's a flat bottomed boat with a shoal draft keel with a centerboard so very little of the boat is actually in the water. In calm waters with a good strong breeze its a rocket and I can sail circles around friends with similar sized boats however in waves that flat bottom really makes it slam down hard and kills all of your speed making it very difficult to sail. It also rolls in waves quite easily so you end up losing all the wind out of the sails every time you hit a wave.
Overall it's been a great starter boat for me and I've had a lot of fun with it. I do plan to upgrade to something bigger in the next few years but I would recommend it to anyone looking for a small easy to own boat that plans on keeping it in the water.
Thanks for this one! With trailer sailers you can take your time one step at a time without major investment. Got my 25ft mac. Almost brave enough to put the mast up!
I've got a 1973 Balboa 20 I picked up for just $1K this year with the trailer. It needed a lot of love, but not a lot of money to get ship shape. I love it! Easy boat to manage, wonderful little cabin, plenty of storage, and it is so overengineered for a lake in Wisconsin that it really is worry-free. I have a lakeside cabin where I can moor it, tie it up to the dock, and I have even lifted it out of the water with our boat lift. I am able to push it around with ease using a trolling motor with 55 lbs of thrust and it sails beautifully. 9/10 would buy again for sure!
Lady K: Thanks for a VERY REALISTIC and USEFUL episode. There are so many sell every possession to buy a 35" ocean going cruiser and sail the world channels" . That's ok for some but not most of us, your info was right on the mark. I"m looking for a trailered boat capable of sailing the Great Lakes with on weekends and holidays. Now I've got some real world information to start with. Thanks.
West Wight Potter 15, You can park it in a standard garage, takes 10 minutes to rig, cheap, tough boat for mild ocean use or great lakes, family friendly as it has hard chines and does not heel much at all. And if you want alittle bit bigger boat to store outside or a barn there is always the West Wight potter 19.
Awesome topic. We have a '93 Precision 23 that we keep on Lake Dillon in Colorado. It's been to Texas and Florida. We love that we can drop the board and point high, then pull it up and beach it. Best of both worlds.
Currently boat shopping from home in Fort Collins. Intend to get in (long) line for a slip on Dillon. Love it there. Granby also.
I went from an El Toro to a Hobie 18 to a Lancer 30. We couldn’t tow the 30 but it was a bay sailor in San Francisco Bay in a slip.
I was amazed that the “feeling” of the wind on the El Toro carried over to the 30. Sorry, rambling here. Love your channel.
I’m happy to see that the comments agree these are more than just first boats! They fit that role well too, but I found myself going back for my fourth time to this range of sailboats. Not too hard on the wallet, can race, camp, gunk hood and go to windward at highway speeds to get to exotic cruising grounds.
Huge variety in design also makes class of boat interesting. Catalina 22 (3000lbs ish), San Juan 21 (1000), Sea Pearl 21 (700), Wharram Tiki 21 (1500), and on and on. I love the variety of designs and capabilities.
I’ve owned:
Oday Javelin
San Juan 21
San Juan 28
Islands 17
Ulua (cedar strip outrigger)
Catalina 22
Agreed! Ive had my 1972 Balboa 26 for 15 years. We tow her 500 miles to Longbeach and sail out to Catalina for 2-3 weeks every Summer. When she is parked in the side yard, shes a man cave.
Love trailer sailer content. One of the greatest advantages is that you don't need to start sailing where you last stopped. You can explore and choose where to launch depending on wind direction/destination. Where I live, Brisbane, has a huge range of options along the coast, and inland. Depends how far you feel like driving. I have a Mac 26x, weight is minimal with water ballast. Load the boat up before I leave my driveway, at the ramp, set by myself is about half an hour. The utility of a trailer sailer is so significant that I can't understand why there's small keel boats. Sure they sail better, but at what cost in utility? Not too many 22 ft keel boats cross oceans, and if you're not racing, what's the point?
Trailers also require maintenance. I had a 22ft Hunter with swing keel. It would take about an hour to step the mast in the parking lot. Highly recommended for first sailboat
I just bought a Rebel 16 not too long ago. It holds the distinction of being the first production fiberglass sailboat in the US. $250 with the trailer and while I have to put a little sweat equity into it, I have an honest to goodness sailboat to learn on. I couldn’t be happier. I’ll have a bigger boat in the near future (thinking a Cape Dory 28 or if I can find one, a Nicholson 32) but for now, being able to go sail whenever and pretty much WHEREever I want is something that can’t be beat.
I have a Hobie Getaway, and bought it for all the reasons mentioned here. Most we have had on it is 9 people, plowing the hulls through the water as everyone laughed and laughed. The front trampoline net is just so much fun, as are the wings. Hoping to take it to the Sea of Cortez for some sailing this winter.
Looking at a Corsair f27. Go simple, go small, go now, go fast!
We love our 1990 F27. It’s great for some really fun and fast sailing.
Don't forget the Compac line of trailer sailers. I have a Compac 16. It's a solid boat, super easy to set up and launch. And store on its trailer in the back yard underneath a tarp.
Thanks so much Tim. I really appreciate you doing an episode on smaller boats. Like i've said before I have a smaller boat (Bayliner 210) but will eventually upgrade to 35ft plus. I actually just sourced a dufour 24 for a friend that we launched from a trailer. It wasn't ideal but we managed lol. Thanks again buddy, you really have a gift.
Tim tells it like it is! Good man.
I have a Macgregor 25. Picked it up for $500 and put $1000 into it. Trailered it from Massachusetts to Florida. Put it in Indiantown and bummed around Florida for 4 months, Love the low draft 1.5ft and swing keel. I had no problem sailing around New England waters. You can put up the mast alone in about 30 minutes. I love this boat. I still have it but upgraded to a 37' Prout catameran
I'm currently fixing up my '78 Mac 25. I was wondering if it could be used for coastal cruising along the FL coast and Keys, or if it could make it across the gulf stream to, and around, The Bahamas. What do you think?
my 1st boat was a McGregor 25 with a swing keel. It's big enough for my family of 6 at the time to enjoy a day on the water with little maintenance.
I own the.Precision 165 shown at 7:24. I bought it from the ad being shown. It's fun seeing my boat on the channel!
A few more comments. Ron Dietel (show on "She Said No") sailed to Catalina in the Pacific Ocean and to the Channel Islands and had good results from the boat. The cabin is big enough to sleep two adults in relative comfort. And my version of the boat (and Ron's) most definitely had a battery and navigation lights. A great boat, very convenient and performs nicely.
My 1986 Laguna Windrose 22 with swing keel has been a great boat. Hand laid glass so a solid hull and deck, and all deck fittings were butyl tape sealed so no leaks in almost 40 yrs. Nimble and spacious for a 22'er and will sleep 4 comfortably.
Thanks Tim. I love sailing my Farr 7500 around the Coast of Queensland. Great way of exploring bigger distances by trailering.
How much headroom does a Farr 7500 have?
@@AORD72 about 6feet with the pop top up. I’m 5’10 and have no problems.
My friend is about 5’4 and can stand up with the top down comfortably.
How do you find the boat? I am in SA and just looking for my first boat and there is one of these for sale. cheers
@@lukescott8932 I’m now selling my Farr 7500 as I’ve moved aboard a 53 foot Ketch.
She’s on CPyachtsales website.
I’ve had many happy years with her. Good look with your search for your boat.
I think I'm gonna go back to my childhood.. when Harts department store was going outta business, I bought a Snark sailboat with 2 grocery bags full of Buckeye stamps,lol. I was 10.. I spent a lot of my summers on a lake in the southeastern of Ohio. But alas I lost it on the Muskingum river 😢.. it was the only sailboat I ever had.. ,now,I'm 50.. I'm really thinking about getting another one,if I can find a decent used one cheap and use it for some camping adventures. No trailer is needed. Chuck it in the truck or on top of the car.. when I was a kid,I strapped it to a skateboard to go from the campground to the water. Great times..
After years of racing various classes of dinghies (still the best way to learn sailing), I decided with my wife to get into a "pocket cruiser", as they're also called. We bought a San Juan 21, which was hands down the best boat to buy for our then young family. This boat is light to tow and fun to sail in conditions up to 25kts. The keel swings flush to the hull, allowing for very simple launching/retrieval on ramps as well as the ability to nestle into shallow, protected inlets out of the wind. We stayed aboard the boat with our two small kids for several week-long adventures throughout the NW. Phloe easily out performed the Catalina 22s and other like boats in most matchups, and the fun of both racing and cruising her sustained our interest in sailing for several years to come. I highly recommend the the SJ 21, an excellent Clark Bro design that was followed with the less tender SJ 23 and 24, also excellent trailerables.
The advantage of the trailer sailer is as many have mentioned, the ability to explore lakes and rivers, expanding boundaries, etc. The downside is that if you really have no need of a tow vehicle (with the required hp, transmission, etc) outside of your explorations with the boat, it's tough to justify the $$$ of said vehicle. We used a U-Haul pickup to get to our favorite places;)
I am in the Boise Idaho area. Got lucky and scooped up a 2006 Catalina 12.5 expo for one tenth of the new price. Have learned to sail it on Lake Lowell this summer and just love it. One day I hope to get a larger boat but its so fun solo or with a friend. Simple rigging and just easy as can be to learn on.
Bought a 2000 Catalina 18 in Summer 2022 and it's been the perfect first sailboat. Small enough that we could pull it behind my wife's Ford Escape, although it did have trouble crossing an 11K foot high pass in the Rocky Mountains to get it to my home in Denver. We sailed there before bringing it to our home in Mexico. 3-day drive, cross the border, and now it lives at my home in San Felipe. When I'm down there for a month at a time, we drop it in a slip at the marina (set-up once, take down once) then re-park it at the house before I head back to Colorado. Now we sail it on the Sea of Cortez and it's been wonderful!
Very nice!
There are bigger trailer sailers as well. I have a Kent Ranger 26. There were 72 of them built in the 1970’s in Kent Washington. It has standing head room and an enclosed head. The biggest production trailer sailer that I know of is the C&C Mega 30 which is a pure racing sailboat.
I believe that the Macgregor power sailer is the MOST SAFE cruising boat for sailing the Bahamas. The shoal/zero draft allows you to go into nearly zero depth to get into calm waters while anything else is stuck out in the weather. Further, her speed under power allows you to get out of the weather while everyone else is plodding along in nasty weather at 6 kts. Macs have made the FL to Bahamas many times and can be beached rather than go into an expensive marina. Who cares they dont sail to windward, sailing to windward is a pain anyway, you wait for a following wind or no wind and use that engine.
Bought my first boat last September, a daysailor 2, 17 ft with a trailer, boat in excellent shape for 1200. Best decision I ever made.
Yesterday, I bought a 73' CS-22 on a trailer. I am very excited. Thank you for helping me 'get sailing'!
It’s been almost a year. How do you like the boat? I’m considering one for myself
I really like it.... for day sailing or weekends. But my wife and I like 4-5 day trips, and it is too small for that. So we have bought a Nonsuch 22, and have the CS22 up for sale.
@@BVSocialClub where are you located? how much for the boat?
Brighton, Ontario
I had a Catalina Capri 18’ with a wing keel for my trailer sailer. Concerning fixed keels, you need to be very conscious of the boat launch you plan to use. My trailer had a 15’ extension and I launched in a river with tidal influence. I couldn’t get the trailer backed down far enough to get the boat off (or on) unless it was mid-tide or higher. My Cat drafted just under 3’ - the trailer would have to be in close to 5’ of water to get the boat on/off.
My first boat was a trailer sailer that I towed with my 1962 Plymouth Valiant. That boat was a Venture 21 that was under 2,000 pounds for trailering (boat + trailer). I towed it all over the Pacific Northwest including over mountain passes to some spectacular lakes. That was a fun boat that could be overnighted, even though that was definitely camping. I rented a house when I bought the boat and simply stored it in my driveway.
The only negative of keeping a sailboat on the trailer is set up, launching and the haulout and tear down. Set up and launching was generally quite easy and fast, but as the boats get bigger the masts get longer, heavier and harder to stand up. In my opinion, about the upper limit for a boat with an easily stepped mast is 22"-23'. If you go bigger the mast get to be quite a chore and you really do need two people who know what they are doing and are reasonably strong. The only other issue I had with my boat was getting it onto the trailer in the right spot. There are modifications you can make to the trailer that make that easier, but be prepared to haul the boat out enough to see if it is in the right spot and then back it into the water again if you need to move it.
My second boat also came on a trailer. It was a Challenger 7.4 (just over 24 feet) that I towed with a Ford F150. The truck towed it easily, but the mast required 2-3 people to step safely. The draft was deep enough that I had to unhitch the trailer and roll it into the water for it to float off and retrieve the boat. The trailer had a tire at the front for that and I put a winch on my truck to let the trailer into the water in a controlled way. After the first launching, I rented a mooring from a provincial park on a nearby lake so launching/haulout became a one a year thing. I also joined a local sailing club where we all cooperated to rent a crane to launch/haul the boats and step the masts. That made haul/launch much easier.
Another thing about small trailer boats is that you can insure them very cheaply via a rider on your home owners policy. My challenger cost about $60 CDN to insure.
Outboard motors can also be a bit of a pain to keep running if ethanol free gas isn't available. If I was buying a trailer boat now that was 22' or less I would use an electric outboard.
My favorite boat in the trailer sailer group would be a Catalina 22, Compac 16, 19or 23, or a Cape Dory Typhoon. My old Venture was fun, but those boats are very lightly built and quite basic. They sail well though. An old venture would be an option for a really cheap boat if you don't mind doing a bit of fixing the boat up.
Now I have a slightly bigger boat that is launched and hauled on a trailer. I store the boat at a boat yard and they use their Brownell Hydraulic trailer to haul/launch my boat. So I guess that even my Allied Princess 36 is a trailer boat.
I’ve owned a’79 Venture 222 for three years now and love it. Plenty big for a day sail with friends, cabin large enough for weekends solo. Got creative with power needs via a few rechargeable options and it’s good to go! Love the low cost of ownership and she’s a competent boat on the north Chesapeake where I sail…
Thanks for sharing!
What about the Hunter water ballast series? Made with an inner hull that could be filled with water for ballast, the Hunter 23.5 and the 260 offered a remarkable size boat that could be traileredwith a SUZ. I owned both.
that takes me back. We had a Hawk 20 cabin to start with. Using it for weeks at a time and kept it on a swinging mooring. Sailing has never been cheaper. Great fun.
Had a Catalina 22 for 8 years learned a lot. Great boat. Sail on Lake Erie . Sandusky Ohio
Remember, most boats are tore up by trailers that don't fit with even pressure on all the rollers. I made some pins to fit the pipe in the rollers. Then I drilled a pipe thread diameter drill a little past half way down the pin. Then I crossed drilled the pin in the middle. Pipe tap the end and insert a grease cert in the end. Then when you have the roller on the trailer, you can just grease the cert and grease will come out inside the whole roller pin. You could push the boat on the trailer with your hand. I did the same on a motorboat, and you could drive right on the trailer with your motor and boat.
We purchased a Pearson Triton 28 for our first boat. It came on a huge trailer and I had to rent a 3/4 ton truck to trailer this home to Texas from Minnesota. That was a fun trip. Spent the night in the boat actually.
But to learn to sail we purchased a Victoria Eighteen that has a full keel and is a trailer sailer. Extremely fun little boat with the small cabin with classic lines that resembles the Triton. It takes about an hour to rig it and get it in the water and it supposedly acts similar to he the Triton will.
My long term idea for the Triton was to figure out how I might be able to treat it like an overgrown trailer sailer - work out a mast stepping method and a way to launch myself from the trailer. But I might hav w bitten off a little too much with that idea.
Thanks for the video! I made the mistake of buying a Macgreggor 22 before having any experience. Now with some time and classes under my belt, I'd probably go with a Catalina 22 for the cabin with a full fin. I'm not sure I am up for replacing the swing keel hardware. I've sailed the Capri 22 and 25 which are fun and sporty, not the best for an overnight. They're great to learn on and I found that being lower to the water on them (compared to a Catalina 27 or Hunter 285) helped me to learn/get comfortable with heeling.
My first sailboat was a trailer-able sailboat, a Catalina 22. I didn’t own nor have it on a trailer. Instead I always had a slip. The Catalina had a keel that could be pulled up or put down at various depths. I loved that beautiful boat and spent weekends living onboard.
We owned a 29-footer sailboat for 26 years. Upgraded to a 38-footer. Finally, because of the ever growing power boat plague along the New England Coast, we looked for a different solution and finally decided trailer sailing was the way to go.
We bought a 15-foot Bolger MICRO cat yawl and towed it with a VW-GOLF. Storage in winter was alongside our garage under a tarp.
When stepping the free-standing mast became too much (increasing age) we bought a MONTGOMERY -15, that was ideal.
We towed it up and down the Interstates at 70 MPH to windward; sailed in the Florida Keys; Chesapeake Bay; Lake Champlain and Moosehead Lake in ME. You could have peace and quiet while sailing; and if a PWC bothered you, you just went to a different lake. We normally stayed at a B&B and day sailed.
Operating costs were almost $0. Most ramps that we used were State owned and free. Power was from a 2 HP HONDA outboard, and a season's fuel consumption might by 2 quarts! The smaller the sailboat the better. That makes for fast and easy single-handed launching, mast stepping and rigging. The MONTGOMERY 15 was an excellent blue water boat, and one was sailed solo from San Diego to Hawaii.
I researched and tried out trailer sailers for years. The best all-around trailerable sailboat I discovered is the 23 foot water ballasted Santana 2023. I don’t have time to go into all the reasons now, but I will make some time to reveal the greatest secret to its remarkable sailing ability - as compared to ALL the other trailerable water ballasted sailboats - and I do mean all. I say “secret” because the manufacturer kept the reason for its unique ballast design under wraps. It has always amazed me that the other manufacturers such as Catalina, Beneteau, MacGregor, Hunter, etc. never figured out or incorporated what Santana designed. Not even most Santana 2023 owners know why their boats sail circles around all the others.
All other water ballasted sailboats are notorious for rather poor windward performance and tacking. This is because in addition to their hulls being very narrow, tjeir ballast tanks are also very narrow (only about 1-2 feet wide) and run long - up to the full length of boat. Because of this, the boats heel far too easily, even in modest wind. This results in the wind being spilled and also the resulting hull angles being less than optimal for windward sailing. In addition, because the water ballast tanks run narrow and long, the center of gravity is spread out, which makes tacking quite difficult.
The Santana 2023, however, has a completely different hull and ballast tank design than all other trailerable water ballasted sailboats. Utilizing the legendary Santana 23’s wide racing hull (with a heavy fin keel), the 2023’s ballast tank is short and wide, not narrow and long like all the others. Its ballast tank width goes all the way to the the hull’s port and starboard waterline. Thus, when the boat heels, the water in the ballast tank is actually raised above the water line on the windward side. Because the weight is above the waterline, it pushes the high side down. Thus, this design creates a counterbalance that none of the other water ballasted sailboats have. This results in far less heeling. Also, because the length of the tank is short and centered above the swing centerboard, the center of gravity is maintained in the middle of the boat where it should be for optimal tacking and windward performance.
I have owned the Santana 2023-C version of this boat for about 15 years, which I have upgraded to the hilt with custom, original inventions, some that need to be patented for use on almost all sailboats under 30 feet! In other words, I am obviously a very proud owner of this boat. The “C” refers to the very large cabin version which is amazing in its live-ability for weekenders. There is also an R version for racing that has a taller rig and much reduced cabin size.
Do some checking. Others have wide ballasts.
I am looking at a Santana 2023A that's really cheap. I am hoping the ballast tank is not rotted out as happened with some of the early boats. It's a bigger boat than I've sailed, but every thing I've read says it is easy to trailer, set up, and sail. And I think they look great!
As a follow on to this episode perhaps a video on catboats would be helpful. Easy to rig, easy to sail and easy to trailer. Many are equipped with a mast tabernacle making raising and lowering the mast fairly easy.
I bought a new to me Com-Pac Sun Cat and love it. It is very easy to step the mast and has plenty of room to keep my girlfriend and I comfortable on day sails.
Our Sirius 22 was the best bang for the buck we had and we had 4 boats over the years.
Wind Hippie Sailing channel has been on a 27' boat for over three years solo circunavigating, starting in Maine, and now in the South Pacific with no fancy boat equipment and a 1 cyl Yanmar, takes the cake for cheap and make do cruising. Certainly not for the faint of heart.
Hi, Tim! Our first boat was a Catalina 25, which we sailed for about two years. We would only take it out on long weekends or holidays, maybe a long week, due to the time and complexity of stepping the mast, as it was just my wife and I. It was good that we could store it at home, and not 2 hours away on the coast of Florida, or for any maintenance needed. We loved it so much, we upgraded to a live aboard (thanks for the consult BTW, it was very helpful -p.s. we bought the boat, the Cabo Rico 34) Having the Catalina as a proof of concept if we liked sailing as well as all the learning experience was priceless. This video is awesome, and I hope it gets more people started in this wonderful sport/lifestyle.
I have owned an Astus 20.1 for several years, French built trimaran. Weighting 400 kg + 250 kg for the trailer, it can be easily trailed behind most cars with a hook. This boat was very fun to sail, the cabin can sleep two adults but the confort is minimal. There were two drawbacks with this boat. First getting the aluminum mast up was quite a challenge and required two adults. Secondly pulling the side hulls outwards was difficult on the trailer or on the water, and impossible in deeper waters. Today I’m considering a BayCruiser 23 or a Haber 620 instead.
Whatever is the easiest to use will get used the most. I had a Chrysler 22 with a trailer. It was heavy and took too long to set it up, so I kept it in a slip. For a trailer sailor to be easy to use, it must be light and have light rigging. I raced a Lindenberg 22 (1600 lbs) that had a tapered mast and was kept on an aluminum trailer in the dry storage yard at the marina. The yard had a hoist, and we could be in the water and ready race in less than 15 minutes. And it was easy to tow so we sailed in regattas in New Orleans, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mobile Bay and Sanford, Fl. Small Macgregors and Ventures are lightweight and fun to sail. And you can do some coastal cruising in them if you choose.
I love being able to put my alberg 30 on a trailer. When I bought it I didn’t have to pay somewhere to keep it I put it behind my house and worked on it.
I have had my 1973 Columbia T-23(Cat-22 knockoff) for a couple of years and absolutely love her! Lakes and Ohio river sailing mainly. The biggest advantages for me are that I can easily launch and sail single handed. (Mast stepping and launch is down to about 30 minutes) and comfortably camping for a weekend with some amenities. I have lots of bluewater sailing experience and hope to migrate south someday but for now, having a relatively cheap and convenient sailer sitting in the driveway makes me smile all summer long. Winter too!
What about car toppers, like a Sunfish, or Minifiah? Or a slightly bigger trailerable like a laser? Great starter boats to get you wet.
A Laser is a perfect boat to learn on!
Classic MacGregor 25. Light for her size, but that makes towing easier and trips more frequent. Iron keel instead of water ballast, and enough sleeping space for 2 or 3 people to do some small scale weekend cruising. Cheap, simple, now.
Hello, been watching for over a year .. about to buy my first boat .. a 19.2 oday im excited to learn to sail on this before stepping into a cruiser. Thanks for all the content.
I suggest looking at Polish Mazurian Lakes boats. They typically are swing centreboard boats with internal ballast, swing rudders (draught 1 foot), mast raising/lowering A-frames and are much more strongly built than those old MacGregor 26's and Ventures.
I started with an O-Day 17. Great boat to learn on. Upgraded to a Beneteau First 21. Great sailing with a screw-jack operated swing keel. Currently have a Beneteau First 235 with a wing keel. Better cabin and creature comforts. Do some club races and general single-handed sailing.
Hi Tim, great topic on the pros and cons of a Trailer Sailor. Would love to see a follow up on stepping down from a 33-40’ cruiser to a pocket sailor in the 22-28’ range. Something for day sailing and the occasional long weekend with 3-4 onboard. Trailering is an added bonus, but not a necessity. Fun factor and ease of sailing is the priority as most people interested in this category, me included, are getting older but not yet ready to give up on sailing yet. Thanks and keep up the great content!
Thank you, and the consult offer is a great feature.
Great video, really good information 👍🏽
Thank you, you are spot on on all your info. I have owned an 18 Capri and a 25 water ballast and my last boat was a 30 TR in Lake MI It's all about understanding your trade-offs and compromises. Great video.
Thanks for watching!
Vandesdt and Mcgruer Siren 17 3,200 were manufactured from 1973 to 1987 in Owens Sound Ontario Canada awesome little sailboat weighing only 750lbs. and with a tremendous cult following.
First off let me thank you for all the incredible information you have passed on to us new sailors. I just started sailing about a year and a half ago and I jumped in with both feet. I started my ASA 101 class and about 30 days later bought my first sailboat. A 1974 Olympic Dolphin 23 in quite good condition. Unfortunately this trailer sailor was only half there, it had no trailer. I borrowed a friend's trailer and we went down and picked it up. Kept it in a wet slip for most of the time until I got the trailer that I picked up on the cheap completely rebuilt. Ended up not being on the cheap lol but now I'm ready to tow this thing all over Florida and then possibly up to Michigan as well to do some sailing on lake St Clair where my family lives.
I'm looking at a Cape Dory Typhoon Weekender to teach my grandsons to sail -- I plan to add an electric outboard and a backup sculling oar -- eventually, I plan to use some of the fiberglass skills I learned racing single-seat racing cars to make a few modifications to the cockpit, cuddy cabin and interior layout (very few!)
My dad often said the best free entertainment to had is a public boat ramp!!
We first had a Clipper 26, then a Chrysler 26 which was giant improvement. He boat a tow vehicle and never used that way. We sailed Lake Minnetonka for years. In retirement he was pretty much gifted a Chrysler 22 fin keel. Unfortunately having move to a more rural setting the ramps just weren't deep enough.
Me, I'm the industry now and sail on the likes of J109s, Swan 46 and now helping get a Grand Soleil 46 get started racing.
Good brief episode. I'm sure you'll get tons of requests for more of the same
Current Chrysler 26 owner
Can concur with the ramp situation, some ramps just wont work
I have a Balboa 26. Boat ramps can be very entertaining . I always tell my son when we launch,' Sometimes you watch the show. Other times you ARE the show!"
I have had a compact 16 for 15 yrs and a Mac26M with a 4 stroke 50 hp Yamaha for 6 yrs,
. Both are good trailer sailer boats.
Cool seeing my Jeep Gladiator pulling my Helsen HMS23. I made sure when I got my truck that its tow capacity covered the boat I have and the boat I want, a Seaward 26RK about as big as you can go with a trailer sailor
I just got the deal of a lifetime, a somewhat snazzed up catalina 22 on the trailer for only 900. I cant wait for my college weekends to be full of adventures on the great lakes once i get a decent motor.
Thanks for the great and informative video. One thing I didnt hear you mention about trailering a sailboat is that you need to make sure the ramp you plan on is a deep-water ramp. Many lakes have very short and shallow ramps because 99.9% of boaters are putting in a bass or ski boat. You will run out of ramp before you float your sailboat! And many short ramps have DEEP washouts at the end from boaters powering it up onto their trailer. IF you drop your trailer wheels off the end, you will have a very hard time getting back out of the water.