Thinking of buying a sail boat, please help.

[san dimas]

I've been power boating but now I'm thinking of buying a sail boat. Trailerable and not too big. Maybe 20-22 feet. What sort of problems should I be looking for in a used boat? Thanks.

 

[southkogs]

Have you ever sailed before? A 22' sloop is pretty sporty for a novice with no experience. If not, I'd suggest lookin' for a small light cat rig boat for a year or so to get the hang of basics first.

After that, you really need to know what type of sailboat you're lookin' for. In a trailerable boat, you could have a fixed or swing keel. Both have their "need to check" items. Rigging and sails are almost a little too obvious that you don't always think to see how much sail (ft2) there is for the boat itself. Don't miss things like lines, winches and pulleys. Everything needs to move smoothly. If there's a fitting on the deck, mast(s), boom or gunwale without a line runnin' through it - make sure you know why.

Plus all of the stuff you'd check on a power boat.

 

[SolingSailor]

Each item mentioned by Southkogs above is worth a chapter or two of a book. Your best plan may be to take advice from a knowledgeable sailor-friend who can go with you to look at prospects. Come to think of it, there are more than a few books out there on small sailboat surveying, which is what you'll be doing. Some have titles like "How to buy your first sailboat," and so on.

I also agree that your intended use of the boat is an important consideration, such as ocean or lake, short daysail or overnight or extended cruising? But I would also say that if you are serious about your sailing intentions, and take some lessons, that the 20 - 22 foot length is very doable for a novice. You can easily grow into that size boat, and you will not have to sell and buy again, if that is the length you would like to have.

 

[southkogs]

... and take some lessons ...

That would probably negate my earlier "get a small cat rig" comment.

We started out with a 15' sloop when I was a kid. Dad had some experience from sailing with my grandfather (who was amazing with a sailboat), but our first 5 or 6 times out were pretty dicey. We never turtled it, but we got close a few times. Keeping up with two sails (and knowing when to pay closer attention to one over the other) can be a little trickier than it sounds when yer' first gettin' going.

At the same time ... many people dive into a medium size sloop with no experience and wind up sailing pros pretty quickly, so I'm giving suggestions rather than hard and fast rules.

 

[tpenfield]

I've been power boating but now I'm thinking of buying a sail boat. Trailerable and not too big. Maybe 20-22 feet. What sort of problems should I be looking for in a used boat? Thanks.

Not sure from your post, if you have some sailing experience. If not then maybe learn the basics on a small sailboat. If you have the basic knowledge and some experience of sailing, then you are probably good to go.

Catalina 22 with swing keel (or something similar) is probably your best bet, It is 21' 6" in length IIRC. That was my first larger sailboat, other than Sunfish and Beetle Cat boats.

A lot of what to look for depends upon the specific type of boat that you consider. Center board, swing keel, full keel, wing keel, water ballast, etc. Each has their own set of things to consider in terms of its condition and worthiness for purchase.

Post some of your thoughts on which specific boats you may be interested in, and I can comment more specifically.

Here is a link to my Catalina 22 web site, in case you are interested . . .

http://home.comcast.net/~tpenfield/C22/

I owned the boat for 7 years, then bought my Formula 242SS in 2005. There are days when I would rather sail than power . . . if I could ever get my hands on an S2 7.9 :thumb:

 

[olddawgsrule]

I saw this post and was sorry to see you haven't responded. I wanted to see what your criteria was.
I just when through the process of buying my first and built my criteria list before joining here.
The folks here are giving you great advise and have found them all to be knowledgeable and willing to assist.
Hit them with your list and listen to what they say.
Wish I had met them before!

Your experience of sailing is key as to what to buy.
As is the experience of those that you figure will be your main crew.
You will grow into what you buy, but don't wish to scare off your crew with something too fast.

Here in NH, we can not moor overnight.
Well under certain conditions you can, and those conditions are rather strange...
This lead to 'Cabin' not being as important.
Check your local regulations and see what they are.
This may a big decision point for you as well.

You going to trailer or moor?
At first I figured trailing..
Then learned that 'my' town has free moorings!
Again, check your local regulations, you may get a surprise like I did.
That changed length and keel options!

I could go on for hours, but it's time for you to list up some criteria.
Besides I have a clambake to go to...
This is New England, and it's that time of year!
Now, if I was sailing to it...

 

[avenger79]

if you're used to motor boating you will get very tired of trailering a 22 foot sail boat. standing that mast and rigging is not something you will enjoy. Mine is 19 ft and personally for me I don't think I'd go bigger in a trailerable boat. folks do and they love it, but they usually already love sailing. go to your perspective launch and look for wires and trees. you need enough room to stand the mast without hitting those. now you need a clear path to the launch to put her in the water without hitting them. Takes me nearly an hour to get the boat ready to drop in water. stand the mast, tighten rigging, hang the boom, put on the rudder, put on the trolling motor, hang the sails, run sheets, I could do it faster but I would probably forget something.

I would definitely reiterate what someone else said above. spend a few hundred bucks and take lessons. it seems expensive but the knowledge is invaluable. I took lessons on a 23 footer. it was a blast to sail. definitely more daunting then my 19 though. many people start on 22 foot boats, some even bigger. it's like everything else in life though. If you get one that is easy to set up, and easy to sail you will do it more often. than as you progress, bigger becomes easier to handle and set up.


let us know what you decide and what you get.


edited to add: I don't mean to sound too negative. 22 foot on a trailer will be a handful for set up. funny I had a guy tell me that and I thought "what does he know" LOL now I know. if you could put it in a slip you would probably love the 22.

 

[Coho Ghost]

Here's my evolution of 35 +/- years of sailing: 10 ft car top sailing dingy 1 1/2 years, Venture 17 swing keel trailed 2 years, Catalina 22 trailered (loved this boat) swing keel 5 years, Catalina 25 swing keel, trailered (loved this one too). Start small and work your up to what works best for you. For me learning to race sailboats did the most to improve my sailing skills and confidence in the boat and myself.

FWIW
Coho Ghost

 

[phillyg]

Solid hull, trailer brakes (if any) working plus good lights and coupler. Standing rigging and controls in good condition. Complete sails incl jib.

 

[sailor55330]

It really depends on the size of the boat. If it's over 25ft, I'd hire a marine surveyor. The stress factors on a sailboat are much different than a powerboat. You need to be concerned with delamination and blister, although blisters on a trailerboat aren't that big of a deal. Also, I don't think I'd want to start with a 22ft sailboat as my first. They aren't point and shoot like a powerboat. A few systems I'd be concerned about:

Hull, chainplates, rudder, keel, electrical system, running rigging, standing rigging, steering systems, electronics and finally engine. You also need to be concerned with the condition of the sails. They stretch over time and once they lose shape, they dramatically lose effificency. Not to be arrogant, but if you've never sailed, chances are you won't know what to look for--it just takes time to develop the eye.

I have sailed everything from a 12' sailing dingy to 35'+ offshore cruising sailboats...(I still love the cats). My last boat was a Catalina 30 tall rig. I would agree that Catalina makes a very solid boat with systems that are super easy to understand and maintain, plus the support network is huge in the U.S. I too agree that some lessons wouldn't be a bad idea. You might find you just don't like it or the amount of work involved.

FWIW, I've been doing this for 45 years and soloed first when I was 10 or 11. Monohulls and Cats, sloop, cutter, ketch, tried them all.

Way more rewarding that pushing a throttle in my opinion.

Good Luck

 

[joetheis]

I took a sailing class, crewed on a boat for 1 race, (hated it! The captain was a bone head)!
Bought a small 16' MFG boat and sailed EVERY small lake in my area.
Had the summer of my life with that boat!!!
Sold it and bought a 22' boat and leased a dock the next season.
Had a good summer sailing, but was really happier sailing all over in a trailer sailer!
Mean while got a place on the Thousand Islands and bought a 20' cuddy motorboat. (first sail with the wife, she got clunked in the head with the mast, (I told her to keep her head down)! That was the 1 and only time she was on my boat. Hence the cuddy.
Motoring is alright, but sailing, well, that's living!
I just bought a 16' Seaward Luger, almost done restoring her.
So, my thoughts.................
Take a class, crew to see if sailing is for you, (I have a hard time going fast in my motor boat, you may have a hard time going slow).
Start small and in calm waters to get the feel of a boat.
The bigger the boat, the harder to "solo" sail her.
Smaller boat are easier to sell, easier to handle, easier to park in the drive way.
Joe
As Always take any advice I givce with a beer er 2!

 

[White90GT]

I just started sailing last summer. My 14 year old daughter joined Sea Scouts and I became the skipper's First Mate. This is the best way to get into sailing IMO. Free access to a lot of small boats and a couple of big boats. I have tested with our commodore and he has granted me the ability to take the kids out on any boat we have safely. I've learned a lot and been able to sail anything from my Hobie 16, to a Capri 14.2 and other small boats, to our two big boats, a 26' Westerly Keel boat and a 32' Hunter keel boat. The smaller boats are more fun, but the bigger boats are more relaxing LOL.

We have a Macgregor 26x boat for sail. They are a really cool boat that combines a decently powered power boat with a nice large cabin cruising sailboat.

MOD EDIT - Removed selling comment.

 

[GA_Boater]

2 Comments about this thread.

1) This is an archive thread and only the OP, san dimas, can re-open the thread.

2) iboats does condone selling in the forum. If you have a boat to sell, use the Boats For Sale tab on the top of every page.

Thank you.

 

[White90GT]

OK sorry about that selling thing.