extreme novice advice

[siamese]

Sixty-eight here. Been sailing since I was 24. Have had trailerables from 14 to 23 feet, including monohulls and a catamaran. Have sailed extensively in boats in the 28 to 31 foot range, and currently own a Catalina 31 which I keep in a slip near my home.

When you're in your 70's comfort in a small boat like a 14 has nothing to do with how soft the seats are. It has everything to do with moving about a cramped cockpit, managing lines, raising and lowering your outboard, pull starting the outboard, ducking under the boom, going forward to fix something that has jammed, etc.. I recently bought a very nice O'day 14 for my grandkids and taught them to sail it. Once they learned, I couldn't get out of it fast enough.

Your criteria is basically: in our 70's, some health issues, want comfort, and plan to trailer it. The boat you're looking for probably doesn't exist.

If you were 40, 50, or so, I could make many recommendations. But....

Any boat large enough to be comfortable, will be difficult to launch. That mast with it's rigging has to go up. And it has to come down, maybe on a hot day after the bugs have had their way with you.

I agree with the poster who said a catamaran is a physical boat. It is. In spades. Putting a 70+ year old novice on one would be a disaster.

The only viable way for you to own a boat that you can sail, is to adjust your criteria. Don't trailer it. Keep it in a slip. 18 to 22 feet. Precision 18 or Precision 21, Catalina 22, O'day 20, one of the Compacs, and many more.

With regard to whether you get a project boat, I have an opinion on that, too! Don't. Handy is one thing, boat handy is another. If you want to sail, get out on the water and sail. If you want to tinker, there are plenty of ways to do that that don't involve boats. Get the nicest boat in that size range you can afford. Even a well cared for boat in excellent condition is going to be more project than you think, particularly if you don't want it to deteriorate under your ownership.

Best of luck to you with sorting out the advice you've received. And, if you proceed, more luck to you with your sailing.

[drdoyle]

What you need is a nice 17 foot Boston Whaler power boat.

[SuW]

Originally Posted by drdoyle

What you need is a nice 17 foot Boston Whaler power boat.

This is a decent suggestion.

Also, depending on your budget and location, there are good small trailer sailors around (the O'day and West Wight Potter as mentioned) or something like a Compac 16 or 19 is nice too. (In my late 60s, I wouldn't be able to manage using a catamaran comfortably).

Another option, if you're looking for some exercise is to get a Whitehall-type rowing boat, with a comfortable seat for your crew to lounge, while you row. There are fixed-seat versions if you aren't familiar with a sliding seat boat (which is far more efficient).

[ben2go]

You don't have your location in your profile. This info may help you find a deal on a boat or possibly lead to someone taking you out to get a feel for a boat or two. Also, consider joining a boating/yachting club on the lake(s) you may use the boat. They usually have several verity of boats that can be rented or used for the day. As always, talk to people. Tell them what you're looking to do. This has lead me down some very adventurous roads lately. I've been invited aboard many boats and even been taken out sailing. Most people enjoy sharing the joy their boat brings them and are happy to talk about it for hours.

[Dallas Bell]

I would look at getting a SeaCycle. I added a electric motor to ours and we love that we sit side by side (easy to talk) and as we explore new areas we can point out things and see where each other is pointing.

[nofacey]

70 yrs old, wife with health issues, balance likely to become an increasing issue……trailer launching & rigging a sailboat is going to be a challenge.

Why not go with a nice big rowboat, something along the lines of an 16ft Whitehall. Give the wife a comfortable seat in the stern, and row her about.

[GrowleyMonster]

Actually, you might enjoy a small pontoon boat. Add an awning, maybe go with electric outboard and a series of golf cart batteries for juice. Solar panels on top would extend your range significantly. Electric is fairly quiet, no exhaust, easy to "start". Your 4HP gas outboard and a small tank would make an excellent backup or primary propulsion system. No sails to handle. No mast and rigging to fuss with, lots of possibilities, not much downside. Swim. Fish. Just putter about, explore skinny water, relax, nap, grill steaks, enjoy an ice chest full of cold refreshments in the shade and in the breeze.

If you really want to sail, I can't improve much on the list of boats already mentioned, except that to me the West Wight Potter 19 offers a lot more than the 14 or the popular 15. You can even overnight on the 19. Your outboard will push it easily. If you like to sit down and stay sat down, sailing isn't always what you seem to be looking for, though. The path of least resistance would seem to be something in the way of a power boat.

A sailboat that lives in a marina slip will over the long run cost you an order of magnitude more to keep than a trailer sailer, but it gets you out of all the rigging and unrigging, and launching and recovering. The positives and the negatives are many. If you are on a tight budget then you probably shouldn't consider it, because parking a trailer in your driveway is waaaaaay cheaper than keeping a hole in the water lined with fiberglass that you keep shoveling money into but never quite get it filled up. If you can afford it, it is a much easier way to own a boat, whether sail or power. Disconnect water and shore power, throw off the lines, and go. Or don't go, just relax with your marina neighbors.

[drdoyle]

Originally Posted by drdoyle

What you need is a nice 17 foot Boston Whaler power boat.

But if you want to sail I would look for a Herreshoff 18 foot Cat Boat (fiberglass). They are shoal draft and very stable/ wide with a simple rig. https://www.smartmarineguide.com/L50052251

[TrentePieds]

professor229 said: " I look forward to hearing replies that start with "I am old too... and this is what I would look for..... "

'Ere! Not so much of the 'old' then, eh? I'm only 83! Don't know why young people are so timid these days :-)!

Boatman came closest, I think, to what you are looking for, but the Montgomery is to my eye quite a lot prettier.

However, once you get into 23-foot and larger boats, rigging and derigging becomes a pain, and if you intend to trailer the boat, rigging and derigging are chores you have to perform for every outing. IMO it soon gets tedious.

Dinghies such as the Enterprise, the Wayfarer and the Osprey are easier to handle in that respect, but they are, of course, unballasted boats where YOU supply the righting force by hiking out on the weather side. Sitting in the bottom of 'em doesn't work! Nevertheless, people have been known to circumnavigate The Sceptered Isle in such boats!

So since you have a Lund fishing boat, I think you said, why would that not be a far better choice for what you would like to do than a tiny little sailboat could ever be?

TrentePieds

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by drdoyle

What you need is a nice 17 foot Boston Whaler power boat.

Yep, a small power boat, maybe a pontoon boat would be best if you and the wife are having mobility issues.

A sub 20ft sailboat is going to be fairly physical to operate and to set up if you don't have a permanent slip.

Since a kayak was desirable option except for the mobility issues, I'm assuming the choice is not related to some deep love of sailing.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

Actually, you might enjoy a small pontoon boat. Add an awning, maybe go with electric outboard and a series of golf cart batteries for juice. Solar panels on top would extend your range significantly. Electric is fairly quiet, no exhaust, easy to "start". Your 4HP gas outboard and a small tank would make an excellent backup or primary propulsion system. No sails to handle. No mast and rigging to fuss with, lots of possibilities, not much downside. Swim. Fish. Just putter about, explore skinny water, relax, nap, grill steaks, enjoy an ice chest full of cold refreshments in the shade and in the breeze.

This could be a really nice option where electric propulsion is very viable if you are looking for a quiet genteel experience.

For day trips just tooling around shallow marshy inland lakes, a small pontoon boat would work very well with electric.

[ktbaker]

Originally Posted by Sailor Sailor

A Flying Scott would be a good choice.

Plus one for Flying Scott

[JPA Cate]

To the OP:

Kayaks are too physical and you can't sit long comfortably...and you'd like to explore various lakes and maybe streams.

How about an inflatable dinghy which you could have an electric motor for, and drive up on the beach when you want to get out and have a stretch?

Maybe less carbon into the atmosphere, it's small and simple, and you could pack collapsible camp chairs if you wanted to sit around on the shore before going back to where you launched it. Same sort of entry as required for a kayak, but motor powered, by a motor that is light enough for you or your wife to lift and load.

***********

If it must be a sailboat, Jim enjoyed his Oday Osprey, but as a much younger man. In general, trailer sailors are tippy, and as mentioned above, that might or might not be a problem. So far, you're used to being stable and not heeled. What you need to do to keep your body happy when heeled (face athwartships and brace with your legs, with your neck turned so you can see where you're going) could involve giving you and your wife stiff necks. Plus there's taking down the mast and stowing everything at the end of the day, when you feel tired, before you return to the comforts of home. Even as a young man, after he'd graduated to his Catalina 22, Jim decided after a couple of years to keep it in a slip, so he could spend more time sailing and less taking it apart and putting it back together.

*******

A question I have is would you both be content with a porta potty? Another question: do you see these as day trips only, or do you want overnight capacity? One would not want to relieve oneself in the lakes, especially if they are someone's water supply. You need enough room to stretch out to sleep. Another aspect to consider: do you care if the boat is ugly? How much will the aesthetics matter?

*******

I'd suggest you rent a small lake sailboat for a day or a weekend, and see what you both think of the experience before committing more money to a boat (and its maintenance and storage). It really doesn't matter if some of us who are older than you are more active, you have to decide for yourselves what you are now up for and what you are not. I hope you find a way to get out on the water that works for you.

Ann

[sailingharry]

You had the three top candidates that I would suggest mentioned. Some of the others like the West Wight Potter or catamarans, are nice boots but not quite what you were asking

I had a Lightning, and they are a truly amazing boat. Fast, stable, and quite a racing following. And the huge spinnaker is a blast! Probably too much boat for you, and a little bit more tippy than you are probably looking for. Also, the keel stepped mast is maybe too hard for a older couple to step alone.

The Flying Scot is another obvious candidate, with zillions of them made. Again quite a racing following. But better suited for your purposes than the Lightning.

But I really think the sweet spot for you is in the line of O'Day boats, with the Daysailor being probably the best of all. Stiff, beamy, probably impossible to capsize, just a really good choice.

Of course, my list was presented in increasing order of desirability for your purposes, but also decreasing order of performance! The two tend to be at odds with each other. But the Daysailor is certainly not going to be a frustratingly slow boat either.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by leecea

Catamarans in that size are physical boats to sail in any type of wind - I think they are the opposite of what you want.

Even small sailboats are going to require some level of physical effort and moving around to control them and to avoid getting hit by the boom.

You also have to be able to get them on and off the trailer and into and out of the water, plus raise and lower the mast.

Does your lake have a marina? I think something a bit larger that stays in the water all season might be a better choice. We sailed a couple of times in an O'Day 23 and it was pretty relaxing. Not a fast boat but seemed easy to sail.

You might consider a trailer sailer, Westwight potter comes to mind.
Some leg room, tabernacle mast mount, you can beach them.
https://www.westwightpotter.com
Boatyarddog