Advice on Our Short List of Boats ?

[MontanaSailor]

Hello all,
I recently wrote for advice on a trailerable boat that will handle both Montana lakes as well as occasional (once a year for 1 month in length) trips to Bellingham, WA for sailing in the San Juans. We have some other limitations, namely a ~3000lb towing limit. We've narrowed the list from ~150 towable boats in our range to the following 7 (based on additional criteria of cabin and cockpit size, galley, berths, etc). Any thoughts on pros and cons of each would be appreciated!

1) ODay 20
2) Santana 21
3) Sirius 21
4) Catalina 22
5) Balboa 20
6) South Coast 22
7) ComPac 19

[Anomaly]

really might want to consider the Montgomery line --- the 17 is probably more capable than most on your list and the rare/elusive 23 would be exceptional. My 2 cents....

[Adelie]

Anomaly suggested the Montgomery 23 which would excede your towing limit at 3500lb.

The Montgomery 17 he/she suggested looks like a decent boat and has an impecable pedigree.

The Compac only going to point OK with the very long shallow keel it has and it is really undercanvassed for the PNW. Couldn't say about the MT lakes but don't expect it is much windier there.

Among the other boats on the list I would lean towards the Catalina. There are 15,000 of them built, they are still in production, and the company is still a going concern so you can get support. The boat weight is considerably higher than the others implying heavier/stronger construction. The tradeoff is a lower SA/D ratio, 17.9 compared to most of the others in the low 20's. That said, being the heavier boat the ratio is likely to drop less when loaded.

What I would do is come up with an estimate of weight that will be on the boat while cruising:
Crew weight and personal gear for the regular crew. Ignore the occasional guest.
60% of the max water you intend to carry
60% of the max fuel
1/2 of the max food
1/2 weight of ice1/2 wieght of holding tank or porta-pottie contents (porta-pottie weight extra)
cooler weight
cushions
Weight of sails
Anchors, chain and rode
BatteriesGenerator/solar panel if carried.
Personal gear to include:
pillows,
sleeping bags
books/reading material
warm clothing
cold weather clothing
weather gear">foul weather gear
toiletries

The food, ice and sewage are halved because they will be consumed or created between port stops.

You should be conservative about fuel and water so port stops will be made before running completely out. For me I want 20-25% remaining when I refuel & rewater giving me a reserve if fuel or water aren't available where I thought they would be. That means the average weight of each is 60%-ish over the course of each leg.

Make a spreadsheet for the boats you are looking at. Columns will be
Boat Model
Sail area
LWL in ft (Length at Water-Line)
Displacement advertised in lb (light boat)
SA/D
D/L
Displacement loaded (light boat + load weight)
SA/D-loaded
D/L-loaded

SA/D = sail area/(displacement/64)^.666
D/L = (displacement/2240)/(LWL*.01)^.333

The boat info you need can be found at

Compare SA/D-loaded to get an idea of how boats will compare in light air.

Compare D/L to get an idea of which boats are built comparatively heavier/stronger. This is a bit tenuous but better than nothing. If 2 boats with the same hull and deck but one is built with internal bulkheads and plywood furniture and the other has a lot of glass liner molded in weights are going to diverge greatly for essensially the same hull and deck strength. I would guess the liner boat is heavier. Checking out boats you are considering will need to be done to compare how much liner there is and if a D/L comparison is at all valid.

Comparing D/L-loaded would give you an idea of heavy air performance, though the boats are all so so similar in length that would be a tenuous comparison again.

Doing the load wight in the same spreadsheet will make it easy to modify and have all the results automatically update.

See if you can find how many of each boat was built. Gives you an ideal how well supported theat boat will be. Also check for a class association.

I assume you have eliminated the Cal20 which I would be most likely to buy in that size range. Seals Spars supports this and a lot of the smaller Cal's very well with parts.

Whatever boat you get, get a drifter for the San Juans, don't just depend on a Genoa or lapper. I would spend money on a drifter and pole (whisker or spinnaker) before getting a spinnaker. Drifter can go upwind or down.

[Adelie]

Forgot to include link to sailboat data and line drawings.

SailboatData.com - sailboat database with specifications, drawings and photos, more than 8000 listings

[Sparohok]

I know this is in monohull forum, but I have to ask: have you considered trailerable trimarans? If you are looking for the most spacious boat within a given weight limit, a trimaran will be much larger and more capable than a monohull since it doesn't have to carry ballast. Farrier F-27 and F-24 are both under your weight limit.

The other big advantage particularly in light winds destinations like San Juans is the performance. You don't have to be a racer to appreciate sail area!

On the other hand, if cost is a limiting factor, trimarans don't look so great anymore.

Martin

[MontanaSailor]

Martin,
Thanks for your thoughts and post. I have to admit I'm a bit of a monohull snob. I suppose that is my experience, therefore that's what I'm pushing for. In addition, our budget isn't flexible either, unfortunately! Thanks though!