looking for trailer sailer and advice

[tnnurse]

I guess this is an introduction and request for advice... I'm in the market for a larger trailer sailer. We're a family of 6, 2 adults, 3 preteen boys, and a teenage girl. We are located in Tennessee about halfway between Knoxville and Nashville. We are wanting something for learning how to sail (no experience) and for multi day (camping) trips on the lakes around Knoxville and Nashville. Once we know what we are doing we plan on hauling it to Florida or Carolinas for some light coastal cruising. Our plan is to eventually become permanent cruisers on a larger boat.



We are looking into a Chrysler 26 in Ohio at the moment for around 4000. We would like to stay below 5 grand for our first boat. I'm 6' and would like to be able to stand up inside if possible. We're gonna haul it with a suburban so towing shouldn't be an issue with "larger" trailer sailers (within reason of course). We've looked at several 22 footers online but they seem so small. Obviously we would like enough room for everyone to sleep inside (they are ok with cramped quarters). We've done a lot of canoe camping so can get by with the roughing it aspect.


We have not gone and actually physically looked at any boats but I've been doing a lot of research on what to look for and such. We've discussed going to some Marina's to look at boats, they are about 1.5 hours away and I don't know how boat owners feel about people coming around with covid and such.



Would love to hear your thoughts on the Chrysler or any other boats that you think would fit our circumstances. The Chrysler looks in good shape in the pictures. I'm very handy so I'm pretty sure I can fix anything that needs done with a little bit of research. I've built a couple strip-built kayaks so also familiar with fiberglass work.



Thanks for your time and thoughts. I know this has been discussed to death and I've read alot on the forum but haven't found anything quite like our situation.

[Sherpa17]

You should consider a well designed boom tent and cockpit cushions as a sleeping area. Opens up possibilities.

[Sparx]

Tnnurse,

Welcome to the forum!

I can so relate to your situation. I traveled a similar path and have even sailed those Tennessee lakes.

You are the right path with a 26 footer with a swing keel. The Chrysler 26 is a good choice. You will not find a 26 foot trailer sailor with standing headroom, but 26 foot is a about the biggest trailer sailors you are likely to find. Macgreggor 26 sailboats are also a possibility. Definitely go walk the docks and talk to sailors as part of your boat hunting.

All 26 footers will be cramped, especially with the family. We had great fun pitching tents in the woods when sailing those lakes. Thus is a great way to make memories, while learning to sail.

I can recommend the St Joe peninsula and around to St Marks in Florida as good first introduction to salt water sailing.

For any serious travel with a 26 footer a two axle trailer with brakes is very helpful. Figure the weight of the boat plus 2000 lbs for the trailer to arrive at a total towing weight.

Good Hunting.

[Jammer]

Welcome


Enjoy the search. It is part of the experience.


It is unlikely you will find standing headroom in boats that size. It is one of the compromises that usually has to be made for something truly trailerable.


At $5000 for boat+motor+trailer you are looking at 1970s boats that will have poor to nonexistent resale options and that will have been built to the 8'0" width limit then in force. I have a Morgan 250, very similar to what you're looking at, that I am moving up from and I am probably going to have to take it to the dump because I don't have any buyers.


A few thousand dollars more will get you a newer and beamier boat with more usable space, and better resale options when you're ready to move on.


Be sure to think ahead on tow vehicles. Not sure what your situation is but there are fewer and fewer large SUVs on the market and towing capacities are coming down including on the new 'burbs. There is considerable cost in keeping a tow vehicle on the road and you should factor that into your plans.


6 people is crowded on any 26' boat especially overnight.


I have a Hunter 26 which is water ballasted and very easy to trailer and launch. Lots of room. Does not sail especially well -- tradeoffs you make I guess. They come up for sale often and are comparatively easy to buy and sell.


The Chrysler 26 has a masthead rig which will mean higher jibsheet loads and more reliance on winches and more physical effort to short tack in lakes and rivers. One fact to consider is that winches from this era typically no longer have service parts available so you may be stuck with replacement at $500 a side.


On any older centerboard or swing keel boat you can expect problems with the board or keel mechanism. Usually not a DIY repair because you have to hoist the boat off the trailer to get at it.


Again, welcome

[canyonbat]

Some observations and suggestions from someone with a 25 ft trailer sailor.

Any 26 footer is going to incredibly small for 6 people. Yes you can fit and can probably find a place for everyone to sleep but lake sailing tends to involve lots of tacking, quick wind changes and people moving about to handle the sheets and lines and balancing the boat.

Plan on 2 hrs, minimum, at the ramp, each way to rig and launch. People will tell you they can do it faster but we have watched hundreds of boats rig and launch and not many do it in less time. Many take 3 to 5 hrs or more.

As mentioned above, swing keel boats of that age tend to have issues with the centerboard. Every year, we have boats that can’t get the board down after they launch or can’t get the board up when they are ready to load it on the trailer. Consider a fixed wing keel boat such as the Catalina 25 or Hunter 27.

If I were you, I would wait to buy a boat and first, get everyone into some sailing lessons. Dinghy racing for the kids and ASA certifications for you, your wife, and maybe your daughter. This will give you a much better idea of what you need in a boat and give you a good foundation to build on this adventure safely and will give you a better chance of successfully getting everyone’s buy in.

[JoeRobertJr]

Originally Posted by canyonbat

Some observations and suggestions from someone with a 25 ft trailer sailor.
...
Plan on 2 hrs, minimum, at the ramp, each way to rig and launch. People will tell you they can do it faster but we have watched hundreds of boats rig and launch and not many do it in less time. Many take 3 to 5 hrs or more.

It takes my wife and I three hours from arriving in the parking lot to having our Catalina 25 floating. That limits us to 3-day weekends. We are seriously considering renting a slip next season.

[ArlyB]

If this is your first boat and it will be a family fun vehicle, I would suggest some things to think about and possibly avoid. Water ballast boats are attractive for reduced towing weight, but tend to be very tender (heel much more easily) and most have issues with the water cavity structure down the road a few years. Swing keel boats tend to be stable with good sailing manners and are relatively easy to load, but they are heavy on the trailer. The Catalina 25 swing keel with popup top is a good example of this type and can generally be purchased for $5-9K depending on condition. Also, Catalina Direct will have most of the replacement/upgrade parts you will need/want readily available. Another option would be a shoal keel with a swing down board such as the O'Day 26. This type generally is generally quite stable with good sailing manners, the drop down board greatly enhances sailing to windward, and is relatively easy to load. The board weight is usually minimal, but attention must be give to the slot in the keel clean so the board doesn't jam in the up position. A full keel boat is obviously the best option for sailing manners and stability, but they can be difficult to load and unload from a trailer. Chryslers and McGregors were the low end of the market when they were built and often don't age very well. All boats are a compromise between wants and needs--what do you want vs what do you actually need, but the primary criteria should probably be how will the boat be used and by whom. I agree with the suggestion of taking at least an ASA 101 class to get more familiar with sailboat dynamics and what can and can't be done with which type of boat. Should you and the family take to the sport, you can always move to a different boat when you know more about what fits your needs.

[tombeau]

Sailed and cruised a Catalina 22. My thoughts: Raising and lowering the mast is easier on a 22' as opposed to 25 or 26'. Catalina 25 has a lot of interior volume, and sails pretty well. Our 22 had a pop top and enclosure, so we had room to stand in the aisle, and used the cabin top shelf created by this arrangement to store stuff overnight so we had clear bed space. Not sure on a chrysler 26 or catalina 25 if they have this arrangement. Families with 3 kids (never saw 4) on a 22 would use a board over the aisle with a fill cushion and sleep multiple people across the boat. Can be done on a 25 or 26' Boom tent and cushions work well also, just not as private. 22' is easier to feel the sailing adjustments and manage the mechanics, but most want to moveup to a 25 or 26 for the added space and comfort. There are active Catalina 22 and 25 fleets, and a national association for each, due to large numbers of boats manufactured, so you can get advice easily. Do not know about a chrysler 26, as there were not that many made. Good luck on your search and a big welcome to the sailing life!

[rhubstuff]

The Chrysler and Hunter boats would be fine for you and are probably the best fun-for-the-money option. I don't know how you would fit six below-decks berths in a trailerable boat, because at 6ft. X 2ft per berth, times 6 berths, that's 72 square ft. of horizontal space, so you will very likely be using the cockpit for berthing. If you have the $$, you might consider a Sea Pearl 28. (Mine is listed here: https://www.boattrader.com/boat/1993...pearl-7238385/, and there are others available. Google "sea pearl 28" for more info.) There is unlimited headroom in the wide hatchway and there are four berths in the cabin. The two masts are in tabernacles, so rigging is very easy and takes only an hour or so. She draws only 19 inches with the centerboard up, so you can pull right up to the shore in many places. The cat-ketch rig is very easy to sail (no jib). The trailer is tandem-axle with hydraulic brakes and the whole rig weighs 6060 pounds. Good luck!

[garyfdl]

Two Facebook references you might find useful:

Trailer Sailors Association

https://www.facebook.com/groups/5037...57593264266690

Also

Pocket Yachts and Trailer Sailors

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1005054962848194/

That said, the size of your family will make trailer sailing a challenge. Using the cockpit for sleeping will probably be a necessity.

Chrysler 26's are old boats so look it over very carefully.

For any trailer/sailor: check/replace the pivot pin for the centerboard and the cable. Last thing you want is to lose the board in heavy weather. Pay particular attention to the mast step and the chain plates (my understanding is these were particular problem areas on Chryslers). Another problem area to pay attention to is soft decks.

Another boat worth looking into (if you can find one) is a South Coast 26 - only about 80 were built so they can be hard to locate. They are on the large/heavy end of the trailerable spectrum but will still be a 'snug fit' for 6 people. A distinct advantage of these boats is the keel design. Instead of pivoting, the keel is actually a daggerboard, and lowers straight down, so no pivot pin to fail. There is a cable to raise and lower the board, with a 12 VDC winch. The winch also has a hand crank so the board can be reised or lowered manually. Should the cable break, the board is held captive in the centerboard trunk. It cannot fall free/out of the boat. So there is no risk of capsize.

Regardless of what boat you decide on (assuming it's more than a day sailor) make sure the trailer has good brakes.

Best of luck!

[IMACSS]

Welcome Tnnurse to this wonderful site. It is a wonderful resource for all things sailing related.
I have a Noelex 25 and have sailed with wife and 3 adult "children" but it was a real squeeze. Before the Noelex we sailed on a Sabre 22 and it was not as good.

Both boats had good headroom under the pop-top and you get used to it.

My family were long time campers until we were visited by a guy with his 3 sons in their 20 foot TS and they looked they were having too good a time so we "graduated" and only recently after nearly 15 years stepped up (perhaps down) to a 34 foot Trawler design. We can now more comfortably sleep 6-8 on board but I will always admit it is not the same as sailing. Still, we are on the water at least.

Lots of good info in the discussion so far and one which seems important is the use of a well-planned cockpit for sleeping. It is amazing what will be tolerated when you are having fun sailing.

I would suggest that protected water sailing will always be a safer and less stressful option for 6 on board a trailer-sailer.

In our later years of sailing we used to rig up in the water as a safer option and our setup allowed us to be in the water well within 30 minutes after arriving at the ramp from where we would find a nice place on the water to take our time. You probably won't need 6 people for the rig and de-rig so a ducky or paddle boards / kayaks towed behind is good value here.

I believe that you will not regret your adventures and I wish you lots of good safe times.

[Vingt-Knots]

Hello and a warm welcome,

We trailer our wing-keel Catalina 270, have done so since 2009 when we purchased her. Now we only do one launch and one one on-the-hard per year. So we might not really be considered ‘trailer’ sailers. The 270 is a fine boat to sail, we do so on a large mountain lake in BC Canada in the summer months. Room to sleep 6 inside and also seat 6 outside, but both would be considered ‘crowded’ conditions. The downside of trailering this particular boat is its weight and size, so I would guess it might not work for you. The towing weight is some 12,000 Lbs and the 9’-6” beam means we need oversize permits on public roads. I am not sure what the early ones sell for right now, so it also might be out of the budget range. But anyhow I though I would chime in with a boat that we trailer about. I agree with some comments above about doing a very good inspection and making sure your towing set-up is fully safe no matter which boat you end up with.

Happy sailing and Cheers!

[Don C L]

Welcome aboard tnnurse!
If you do a search here you'll find more threads but this one may help too:
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...at-237277.html
With your crew you may need to have a cockpit with seats long enough for 2 to sleep outside. Standing headroom? You'll have to let that one go. You might get a look at some Catalina 25s too. Take the family with you and see if everyone can stretch out in the bunks of any boat you like!

[NorthCoastJoe]

I have a Macgreggor 25 with a cast iron swing keel. I built a mast raising pole into my trailer and we get the mast up in a few minutes. Also, we never spend more than 15 minutes from arriving at the ramp to ready to go.

If you can weld, make a telescoping mast raising pole and ladder part of your trailer it makes life easy.

Macgregor 25 can be had cheap my first one was $100 and the second one was $400. Both did not have an outboard but were ready to sail and the trailers were good.

[tnnurse]

Thanks for all the replies. Will take them into consideration. We've been watching boats pop up on different sale websites and have been messaging people about them. Definitely keeping our options open. We've consigned ourselves to very cramped quarters when we start out. I work 7 on 7 off so finding time to sail won't be an issue. We have seriously considered leaving the boat in the water for the sailing season then hauling out during the winter. Would make it alot more convenient for sure. We've found several nice looking boats, but all to often they don't have trailers to get them home. I guess we could use a flatbed trailer, but would be a big hassle I'd think with making a crib for it and all. When we get serious about one, I'll definitely be asking a bunch of questions. Thanks for all your time and expertise.