Want To Buy: Small sailboat

[Tcubed66]

I’m looking for a small (less than 20 ft) sailboat that I can tow with my small truck. something like a Capri 14 or Hobie Holder style for up to 4. We will be mostly sailing it in our local lakes. We will be slowly meandering by vehicle to Annapolis from Mississippi for the sailboat show and would think there would be the possibility to pick up something on the trip. Anyone have anything or know any leads? Thanks.

[tkeithlu]

It's difficult to respond to this. Under 20 ft but holding four? Somewhere between Mississippi and Maryland? Open or cabin? One hull or two? Try a much more specific question.

[Ded reckoner]

You can try sailingtexas.com . They list boats from multiple states and there might be something there for you as you go on your way. If I get the gist of what you're after, you might want to consider a Catalina 16 or Hunter 18, both of which could hold four.

[siamese]

Buy the boat where you are. Or, if you have to travel a reasonable distance to buy it, tow it home.

It's the rare 14 - 18 foot boat that's sold ready to sail. Generally, they're going to need some sorting out.

I would not trust a used trailer for serious highway hauling. The lights need to be in reliable working order. And, the bearings and tires will most likely need to be replaced before you can safely tow.

Of course, you'll need to arrange for a plate and registration.

I agree with the previous poster that 4 people on a 14 footer isn't going to work. As you get into the 18' range there may be some viable choices if you're talking about 2 adults and a couple of young children. Four adults just sounds like a bad day on the water.

[Tayana42]

Tcubed66, that plan sounds like a lot of fun to me. Years ago we had a 16’ AMF Sunbird that we, a family of two adults and two kids, trailered and sailed all over the US Midwest from Minnesota and Wisconsin to Nebraska and Arizona. It was mostly cockpit with a small cuddy to stow jackets and the lunch basket. It was great for daysailing. On occasion we had as many as 4 adults and 4 children aboard but that was an awful lot of knees in each other’s way.

The suggestion above to check or upgrade the trailer makes a lot of sense. You don’t want to have to leave a disabled boat and trailer by the side of the road while you go searching for parts.

[JBP]

I have an Islands15 in Pittsburgh, PA you can have for $500 if you want to swing by, kind of out of your route though.

[Nord Sal]

I just sold a Hobie Holder a couple of years ago. What a fun little boat! (14 ft).


The owners manual said it could accommodate four people. What were they thinking!? Any more than two adults and it was cramped.

[Tcubed66]

Yep,

Copy on all accounts. Just so all understand, I’m not looking for anything for a passage on the open ocean or such, just something for the kids and maybe an adult or two at times. Daysailer. We don’t have many sailboats of the small variety around my area so please understand the request and would like to see what’s out there during my travels to MD. As far as the condition of a trailer I am capable of changing tires, rewiring the complete trailer, replacing and packing bearings, all on the side of the road if needed but am very competent of inspection before embarking on a cross-country. Thanks for the suggestions!

[flyingnut40]

Keep an eye out for a Sandpiper 565.
At about 18' they could accommodate two adults and 2 children. They are 1200 lbs. dry including the 300 lb. retractable keel.
Sails like a dinghy (no winches) but dry and stable like a keel boat. great learning platform.
I have one for fun and bought it with trailer and 3 sails in the Niagara Falls area in Canada for $1000 off Kijiji. I now have a 36' cruiser, but I'll keep the 'piper just because it's fun.

[JeffDPT]

I loved my Flying Scot. Held four comfortably. Easy to rig in parking lot. Light to tow.
Good Luck

[BenBowSirocco]

Buccaneer 18’s hold 4. They sail well from heavy to light (the sailing club in Alaska didn’t choose them by accident) they have a chute under the foredeck and changes the boat from easy to advanced in less than 60 seconds- which is good unless you want to be bored sooner than later.

Lots available on the used market. Hobie 16 mainsail is a solid upgrade to the original and lots of “like new” available.

Great learning boat. Room to sleep in the cockpit for two.

[mhay61]

Norseboat 12 or 17.5. Not the cheapest option, but the advantages are: easy and fast to rig, easy to row and tow, plenty of cockpit room.
-There is no standing rigging, it's a modified catboat with a carbon-fiber mast. After getting a little practice rigging we could have it rigged and ready to go in 15 minutes.
-It's light. Lightship displacement is 529 lbs. It's a row-able sailboat. It's not ballasted. The centerboard weighs only 25 lbs. This makes it tender while sailing. With two rowing stations we never had, or felt the need for, an outboard. This makes it an easy tow also.
-The cleverly designed hatch covers double as slats to create a sleeping platform for two people.

[BenBowSirocco]

Those Norseboats are super cool. I spent 3.5 months rowing and sailing the CLC 20’ faering and we encountered all types of conditions and can tell you they are very safe and capable craft.
There used to be a blog of a pair of marines who did the NWP in one.

Much more the Sail/Row compromise than a pure sailing machine though. Would have to consider your priorities.

Ours was also 209lbs empty compared to 500lbs and so I am not not sure if that would improve the sailing side of the equation.

[ShoreFun]

Hunter 170 will hold 4 fine. But the plastic hull is a pain in the butt. If you find one cheap enough it will work.

[ohdrinkboy]

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/slipper-17