shallow draft trailerable sailboats

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7 Best Trailerable Sailboats for Cruising

Many sailors balk at the idea of leaving their boat in the water at a marina. Slip fees are expensive, and maintenance bills get bigger the longer you leave a boat in the water. However, if you want a boat under 30 feet long, there are trailerable sailboats that will fit the bill.

Like any boat purchase, you’ll need to analyze precisely what kind of trailer sailer you want. Will a simple weekend sailboat suffice, or do you really need the best trailerable cruising sailboat you can find? 

Here’s a look at some of the pros and cons of the best trailerable sailboat. Plus, we’ll look at how to compare them for your purposes.

Table of Contents

Best trailerable sailboats, easy to launch trailerable sailboats, quick setup time, towing weight, catalina 22/25 “pop-top”, com-pac horizon cat for classic coastal cruising, marshall sanderling — small, portable, classy, west wight potter 19 — the tiny go-anywhere sailboat, seaward 26rk with retractable lead keel, corsair f-24 trimaran – sporty sailing, macgregor 26m — maximum speed meets maximum living space, long-range cruising boats, 7 best trailerable boats – a recap, what’s the best trailerable sailboat for a cruise, trailerable sailboats faqs.

• Catalina 22/25
• Com-Pac Horizon Cat
• Marshall Sanderling
• West Wight Potter 19
• Seaward 26RK
• Corsair F-24 Trimaran
• MacGregor 26M

We’ll get into more detail about each brand in my post today, so hang tight!

What Is a Trailerable Sailboat, Exactly?

For this article, the priorities for a trailerable sailboat are:

• Easy to launch
• Require minimum setup to launch and store
• Lightweight enough to be towed by the average vehicle

Before you can really classify a sailboat as trailerable, you need to evaluate and narrow your search criteria. Truthfully, 50-plus-foot ocean-going sailboats are regularly put on trailers. But that’s done commercially, on a big rig, with special permits for oversized loads, and even led cars.  

That probably isn’t what most people mean when they think of a trailerable sailboat. But what is the priority here, the trailerable part or the sailboat part? Compromises are going to have to be made somewhere. 

If you’re looking at the 20-foot-and-under sailboat crowd, finding a trailerable example should not be hard. Most sailboats this size are designed for trailers anyway since they aren’t the sort of boats people want to pay to leave in a slip year-round.

Things get more interesting when you look at the 20 to 30-foot boats. In this class, there are stout ocean-going cruisers with deep keels and lightweight centerboard trailer sailboats designed from the get-go to be trailered by the average car or SUV. The differences between these boats are night and day.

Sailboats often have a hard time at boat ramps. First, deep keels mean that the trailer must extend farther into the water than the average boat ramp allows. This means the ramp needs to go back far enough, and the trailer tongue needs to be long enough not to swamp the car. 

If you have a boat like this, you’ll need to find the right boat ramps. Unfortunately, not all ramps are created equally. If your boat draws more than two or three feet on the trailer, you’re going to be limited to steep, paved, and high-quality boat ramps. Unfortunately, those aren’t standard features, so your cruising grounds are going to be limited.

Usually, ramps aren’t built steeply because they are often slippery. Your tow vehicle will need excellent traction and torque to pull your fully loaded boat out of a steep ramp. The steeper the ramp, the more trouble you’ll have. 

The alternative to finding steep ramps is to use a trailer tongue extender. This lets you get the trailer into deeper water without swamping the tow vehicle. But it also means that the ramp needs to extend deep enough. Many ramps end abruptly. Allowing your trailer to sink off the edge is an excellent way to get stuck or pop a tire.

Pick a boat as easy to launch and retrieve as a similarly sized powerboat to remove all of these boat ramp problems. The soft chines of most sailboats will always require a little more water, but a swing keel and the hinged rudder raised mean that the boat can sit low on the trailer bunks. That way, you only need one or two feet of water to launch, an easy feat at nearly every boat ramp you can find.

The next consideration for a sailboat to be portable enough to call it “trailerable” is the amount of time it takes to step the mast and get it ready to cruise. 

To accomplish this, you need a mast that can be stepped by a two-person team–maximum. Ideally, it will have some tabernacle hardware to enable one person to do the task for solo sailing.

There is an entire family of pocket cruisers that could ideally fit on trailers. But you won’t find the Fickas or the Falmouth cutters on my list, simply because they aren’t easy to launch or easy to rig. But, of course, they’re also too heavy for most vehicles to tow, which leads us to the final point of excluding them this trailable pocket cruiser’s list.

One of the most significant financial burdens the trailer sailer faces is their tow vehicle. You are all set if you already drive a two-ton dually diesel pickup truck. But if your daily driver is an SUV or light pickup, you need to think long and hard about the math of the towing equation. 

Whatever boat you buy cannot exceed the towing rating limits of your tow vehicle. If you don’t have a tow vehicle, you’ll need to buy one. This will double or triple the cost of getting a trailer sailer in most cases. For the same money, you may want to look at a boat that stays in the water at a traditional boat slip. For the cost of a trailer sailer and a tow vehicle, you can probably step into a nice boat that is larger and more comfortable than any towable.

If you have a tow vehicle, you need a light enough vessel for it to tow. Most modern SUVs tow less than 2,500 pounds. Anything more than 5,000 will require a full-size pickup. Remember that the tow weight isn’t just the boat’s displacement—it’s the empty hull weight, plus the weight of the trailer and any extra gear you need to pack into the boat. 

Finding a vessel that fits these limitations on weight isn’t easy. If the manufacturer’s goal is to make it towable, immediate limits are placed on the materials they can use. This means less seaworthiness since boats are built light and thin. As far as stability goes, lead keels are generally out, and water ballast systems or centerboards might be used instead. It doesn’t mean these boats aren’t safe and fun, but they aren’t designed for rough conditions, crossing oceans, or living on in the water full-time .

7 Best Trailerable Cruising Sailboats

There are more trailerable sailboats out there than you might imagine. Here’s a look at seven popular options of all shapes and sizes to give you a taste of what you might want to take to sea.

The boats here are selected for their storage and living space. With these boats and a little outfitting, you can spend weeks gunk-holing in the Chesapeake Bay or island hopping the Bahamas. If you broaden your scope to include daysailers with no cabin space, there are countless more options.

One of the worst parts of a small trailerable sailboat or pocket cruiser is the lack of stand-up headroom. One clever solution that you’ll find on some weekend sailboat types is the pop-top. 

The pop-top is simply an area around the companionway hatch that extends upward on struts. So when you’re at the dock or anchor, you get standing headroom down below—at least right inside the pop-top.

You can build a canvas enclosure for your pop-top to use it in all weather. A pop-top makes your boat feel much larger than it is and allows you to move freely to cook or get changed down below or even do a nice boat bed area. 

Later models of the Catalina Sport 22 and Capri 22s lacked this cool pop-top feature, so if you want it, you’ll need to seek out an older model on the used market.

Com-Pac has been building small sailboats since the early 1970s. They currently sell two lines, each with various-sized boats. All are well built, and a majority of their boats are trailerable. 

Most interesting at the Com-Pac traditional catboats . The rigging is more straightforward than modern sloops, with only one large mainsail. Com-Pac boats come with a unique quick-rig system to make getting on the water fast and simple.

The Horizon Cat Coastal Cruising has a displacement of 2,500 pounds with a 2’2″ draft when the board is up. She has a separate head forward and space to lounge either topside or down below. The smaller Sun Cat has slightly few amenities but shaves off a few feet and pounds, making it easier to tow and it is one of these amazing small sailboats. Com-Pacs features stub keels, so their centerboard and hinged rudder do not take up space in the cabin.

On the sloop rig side, the Com-Pac 23 comes in a 3,000-pound traditional sailboat or a very interesting pilothouse. Both are incredibly livable for their size , with shallow two-foot-long fixed keels and high-quality construction.

Another option if you like catboats is the Marshall Sanderling. This salty 18-footer oozes traditional charm , all while being easy to sail and easier to tow. And while she has wooden boat lines, she has a modern laminated fiberglass hull.

The Sanderling has a 2,200-pound displacement, so tow weights will be around 3,000 pounds. At only 18-feet, she’s on the small side for cruising. The cuddy cabin has no galley, and the portable toilet is not enclosed. But that small size means a simple boat that’s easy to maintain and take anywhere. 

An electric motor package is an exciting option on this weekend sailboat!

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You can’t mention tiny trailer sailers without touching on the famous West Wight Potter . These 15 and 19-foot pocket cruisers have earned a worldwide reputation as the ultimate go-anywhere coastal cruiser.

The West Wight Potter 19 offers the most living space for staying aboard and cruising. So even though its dimensions are diminutive, this little boat packs a lot in. There’s a single burner hotplate and sink and a porta-potty tucked under a cushion. Yes, it’s tight—but the company claims the little boat can sleep five people. Any more than two will feel pretty crowded, however.

The boat comes standard with a mast-raising system that a single person can manage alone. It has a daggerboard for a shallow draft of a half-foot when the board is up. The total towing weight is around 1,500 pounds, which means nearly any car can tow a West Wight Potter.

This little-known trailer sailer is produced at the same Florida factory that makes Island Packet Yachts. That should give you a little bit of an idea of what sort of boat it is—trailerable, yes, but also high-quality, beautiful, and built for cruising. In other words, it’s one of the nicest all round pocket cruisers and it feels like a much larger boat.

The Seaward is easily the saltiest boat on this list . It’s beefy and seaworthy. Instead of a lightweight centerboard, Seaward fits the RK with a bulb-shaped retracting keel. Other big-boat items include a Yanmar diesel inboard motor and an enclosed head. The spacious cabin of the boat features a double berth and is ready for salt water cruising.

According to sailboatdata.com , the tow weight of the 26RK is 6,000 pounds. With the keel up, the draft is 1.25 feet.

Multihull sailors need not feel left out from the trailer sailer club and the pocket cruiser. Beyond the ubiquitous beach Hobie Cat, there are not many options for catamarans. But trimarans are uniquely suited to be towed.

Why? For one thing, performance oriented boats like trimarans are based on it being built light. There is no ballast—a trimaran’s stability comes from its two outer hulls. Additionally, the living space is entirely housed in the central hull–the outer floats are small and sometimes foldable. Finally, there are no keels on tris, so they are extremely shallow draft and perfect for trailering.

If you’re looking for adrenaline-pumping sporty and fun sailing, it’s impossible to beat what a trimaran will offer. Let’s not beat around the bush—most of the trailer sailers on this list have hull speeds around five knots. The Corsair has no such limits, routinely sailing at 15 knots or more .

The new Corsair 880 trimaran has an unloaded weight of 3,659 pounds. It is trailerable behind a big SUV or small pickup and is probably the most fun sailing option that is trailerable at all.

An even more portable option is the older Corsair F-24. It has a light displacement of under 2,000 pounds—so nearly any SUV can tow it.

MacGregor owns the market on trailerable motor sailers since they more or less created the product to fit the bill. The MacGregor 26 is not like other boats. The design combines a planing powerboat with a centerboard sailboat. Imagine scooting along at 20 knots or more when the wind is down or enjoying a sporty sail on a breezy day–in the same boat.

The entire boat is built from the ground up for towing and long-range sailing. So if you want a big sailboat that you can tow behind pretty much any SUV, the MacGregor has to be on your list. 

Depending on the model, the 26-foot-long boats have incredibly light dry weights of between 1,650 and 2,350 pounds. Considering the massive volume of the roomy cabin, the ability to tow such a large vessel opens up an entire world of opportunities for owners. 

It’s not all good news, of course. MacGregor owners love their boats, but they are built light and are not ideally suited for offshore cruising or rough weather. But in bays and for coastal sailing on nice days, few boats can get as much use as a MacGregor. 

The motorboat capability of the 26M and 26X might not appeal to hardcore sailors, but for those looking to maximize their use of the boat depending on the weather, their mood, or location, it makes a lot of sense. 

MacGregor shut down in 2015, but the daughter and son-in-law of the original owners took over production and renamed the boat the Tattoo 26 . The company will soon release a smaller version, the Tattoo 22 .

If the 26 is a bit big to make your list of best trailerable small sailboats, consider the smaller Powersailer 19. It’s nearly identical to the 26, just smaller and lighter.

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What Do You Want Your Trailer Sailer To Do?

After you’ve settled on how you will tow and launch your trailer sailer, now it’s time to dream about what you want it to do. Where will it take you? 

The beauty of a towable boat is that you can travel anywhere. A boat in the water might take weeks or months to move a few hundred miles. But if you can attach it to your car and do 65 mph on the interstate, you could sail on the Pacific on Monday, the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, and the Atlantic on Friday.

We can divide our trailerable sailboats into three groups – daysailers, weekenders, and cruisers.

These are designed with open cockpits and no space to sleep. This is a majority of the sub-22-foot boats on the market. They are designed to be launched, play for the day, and return to the ramp or dock.

A weekender will have rudimentary sleeping facilities. Think of it as a floating tent—it’s not a five-star hotel, but you can sleep under the stars or get out of the rain. Conceivably you could stay aboard indefinitely, but it doesn’t have much room for gear. So most people are ready to get off after a day or two. 

A cruising boat has sleeping, cooking, and toilet facilities built-in. These might be small and simple, but in any quantity, they mean you can disconnect from shore for a long time. Unfortunately, squeezing all of this into a tow-friendly package isn’t easy, and very few boats do it well. 

The best trailer sailor for your adventures will depend on many factors. Like any boat, whatever you decide on will be a compromise – boats always are. But there are plenty of choices out there, no matter what size your tow vehicle is and no matter what sailing adventures you have in mind.

What size sailboat is trailerable?

Even large yachts are routinely transported by towing across land, so the question is more of how big a sailboat can you tow? Your tow vehicle will be the limiting factor. The upper limit for most large SUVs and trucks is usually a sailboat around 26 feet long.

Sailboats are generally very heavily built, with ballast and lead keels. Sailboats specifically made to be trailer sailers are lighter. They may use drainable water ballast tanks instead of fixed ballast and have fewer fixtures and amenities.

To find the best trailer sailer, you need to balance the total tow weight, the ease of rig setup at the boat ramp, and the boat’s draft. Shallow draft boats with centerboards are the easiest to launch and retrieve.

Is a Hunter 27 trailerable?

No. The Hunter 27 is a one of those fixed-keel larger boats built from 1974 to 1984. The boat’s displacement is 7,000 pounds, not including trailer and gear. That alone makes it too heavy to tow by all but the beefiest diesel trucks. 

Furthermore, the fixed keels had drafts between 3.25 and 5 feet, all of which are too much for most boat ramps. In short, the standard Hunter Marine 27 is too big to tow for most people.

On the other hand, Hunter has made several good trailer sailers over the years. For example, the Hunter 240 and 260 were explicitly designed for trailering. They have drainable water ballast and shallow keel/centerboard drafts less than two feet. 

Is a Catalina 22 trailerable?

Yes, the Catalina 22 is easily trailerable and makes a wonderful weekend sailboat. In fact, there were over 15,000 Catalina 22s made and sold over the years. 

The boat’s displacement is 2,250 pounds, which means your total tow weight with trailer and gear will be under 3,000 pounds. This is within the capabilities of most mid to full-size SUVs and light trucks. Be sure to check your vehicle’s towing capacity, of course.

The centerboard on the Catalina 22 is another factor in its easy towing. With the board up, the boat draws only two feet. This makes it easy to float off the trailer at nearly any boat ramp. You should avoid fixed keel versions of the 22 for towing unless you have access to extra deep ramps. 

Matt has been boating around Florida for over 25 years in everything from small powerboats to large cruising catamarans. He currently lives aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico sailboat with his wife Lucy and adventure dog Chelsea. Together, they cruise between winters in The Bahamas and summers in the Chesapeake Bay.

Can someone tell me why no other manufacturer makes pop tops? Those who have them, love them. Makes sense for head space with a trailerable boat too. Catalina stopped making them decades ago, yet people still swear by them. So, why isn’t there any newer models?

MacGregor put pop tops on many of its trailerables

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7 Trailerable Sailboats That Have Standing Headroom

Trailering your boat is a great way to sail in a lot of different places while keeping your boat budget in control. You can take a smaller boat a long way to launch it somewhere new, and you don't get saddled with a lot of mooring and dockage fees while your boat sits around unused.

That sounds great, but one key word in about trailerable sailboats is small . To move a boat on a street legal trailer without special permits and problems, it has to stay within certain size limits.

You may struggle to find a trailer sailer with head room when you're down below. But there are some out there that an average person doesn't have to sit to work in the galley, and we've put together a list of seven great pocket cruisers you can stand up in (if you're not too tall!).

On this page:

Standing headroom and trailering, westerly pageant, catalina 25, grampian 26, beneteau first 27, macgregor 26m / tattoo 26, corsair 760.

Our list includes some old classics dating back to the 70s, new boats in production today, and even a high performance multihull. The range of trailer sailers to pick from is enormous, but if you want something you can stand up in, here's a good place to start.

• Catalina 25 (poptop)
• MacGregor 26

The terms "trailerable" and "standing headroom" are both a little vague. Many boats can be moved by trailer, but you wouldn't want to move them that way every weekend. Bigger boats require heavier trucks and trailers, and once they get past eight feet of beam, you may need permits, special routing, and commercial equipment. Just because you can get it on a trailer doesn't mean it's "trailerable" in this context.

And standing headroom means something very different to different people. It's not just tall and short people who need different space, but what space in the boat you can stand in. Most people can stand up inside a small boat with the companionway open, but can you cook standing up with your head out in the cockpit? Or stand and stretch on a rainy day?

For our purposes, we're going to use the following definitions:

A trailerable boat is one you can launched, rig, and recover with the crew which sails it, an move on normal roads with no special permits or commercial tow vehicles. Many boats will fit on a trailer, but to be "trailerable" it needs to be reasonable to use for a trip on a long weekend, starting from and ending on a trailer. Most roads in North America have a vehicle width limit of a little over eight feet without special permits. This eliminates any boat with a beam much over eight and a half feet.

Standing headroom for this discussion means a person of average height (5'10" or 178 cm for men) can stand inside the main saloon, out of the elements. It doesn't mean you can stand everywhere down below, but you should be able to stand and move around a bit, get dressed and undressed without doing calisthenics, and hopefully work in the galley if there is one. "Headroom" on a boat is a very fuzzy measurement, and is distorted by marketing hype and wishful thinking. There isn't a standardized measurement for it, so we'll work with our own.

Within these parameters, there are many boats. If you can deal with some inconvenience in your trailering, or you only plan to move your boat by trailer once or twice a season, you can get more boat and still get the headroom you want. But that's not what's on our list.

Built by Westerly Marine in the 1970s, the Pageant is a 23' bilge keeled cruiser with full standing headroom in the saloon. At 4,300 pounds, it's heavy for its size and is known more for comfort than speed. The bilge keels may make getting onto a trailer interesting and require modifications to accommodate its under water layout.

There is a fin keeled version marketed as the Kendal 23/24, with a four-foot draft and two hundred pounds less displacement. They built only a few, so they're difficult to find.

The Catalina 25 is one of the most popular pocket cruisers built, with almost 6,000 hulls built between 1978 and 1994. A variety of keel styles and rigs were built, including a fin keel, swing keel, winged keel, and a tall rig. But the most distinctive feature of these boats is the "pop top" over the companionway, which enabled the entire area in the saloon under the companionway to lift for standing headroom. Some owners built covers and sides, enclosing this area into a true part of the belowdecks space.

The pop top was an option prior to 1987, but became standard after that through the end of the production run. It's important to know the build year for any Catalina 25 you consider, since the features varied considerably. Always check pictures for the pop top!

This trimaran is fast, but still has six feet of headroom. With the amas folded, the boat is narrow enough to trailer and with a 3,000 displacement is light and easy to move. While you won't have the interior beam of an eight-foot wide monohull in the living space, you will have quite a comfortable space with room to stand. But unlike most of the shallow draft, trailerable monohulls on this list, this one can hit fifteen knots under sail.

The Canadian-built Grampian 26 was built from the late sixties through the late seventies, and many of the almost 1,000 boats that were built are still around. It has six feet of headroom inside, an enclosed head, and a galley. It's an ideal weekender for a couple, or even a couple with a small child. Some boats had inboard engines, others had outboards. Additional options were for a keel or a centerboard model; with 4'3" of draft, the keel model is still easy to trailer.

One of the few new and in production boats in this list, the Beneteau First 27 is a fraction of an inch under our 5'10" qualifier (technically 5′9 5/16"), but it's such a roomy and quick boat that it seems appropriate to waive a few millimeters. This lightweight boat has sleeping space for up to six, and has a galley, fridge, and a proper marine head.

Don't confuse this boat with the earlier First 27 from 1978 or the First 27 SE (for "Seascape"), sold as the First 27 from 2018 to 2020 after Beneteau acquired Seascape. Those were quite different boats, though they had their own merits and strengths. They didn't have quite the headroom or interior volume as the newest model, and the earlier boat had too much beam for easy trailering.

Finds specs here

The MacGregor 26 series of boats is the most popular trailer sailor ever built. The first "Mac 26" was built in 1986, and went through several design upgrades and enhancements, including the 25D (dagger board), 26S (centerboard), 26X (dual rudder, motor sailing) culminating in the 26M (motorsailor with a rotating spar) built from 2002 though 2013. Earlier models have less headroom, but all are water ballasted, lightweight trailerable boats. The later 26X and 26M models can be equipped with rather large outboards (for sailboats) which could hit almost 20 knots under power.

Though the rigs on these boats are undersized and they're lightly built, they're spacious near shore and inland cruisers you can easily rig and de-rig for a weekend of sailing.

The founder of MacGregor Boats, Roger MacGregor, retired in 2013, and his daughter Laura founded Tattoo Yachts and bought the tooling for the 26M. Tattoo continues to build the Tattoo 26, which is a Macgregor 26M with a few modernizations and enhancements.

Corsair Trimarans offers several trailerable tris which meet the headroom test. The Corsair 760 is the smallest current production model, and like the Catalina 25, this 24' trimaran uses a clever pop-top over the companionway to get more headroom. It's sleeps two in the default configuration, though a foldable table can convert to sleep four.

Corsair designs their trimarans for easy setup and breakdown of the amas, and can be setup and launched in under an hour. The very shallow draft allows for anchoring in areas many boats can not, and even beaching.

The larger Corsair 970 is also trailerable with standing headroom, as is the older F-31.

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11 Best Pocket Cruiser Sailboats to Fit a Budget

• By Cruising World Staff
• Updated: May 24, 2024

Looking for a trailerable pocket cruiser that offers that liveaboard feeling? This list features 11 small sailboats with cabins that have the amenities often found on larger vessels. They may not be ocean crossing vessels, but they’re certainly capable of handling big bays and open waters.

What is a pocket cruiser? It’s a small trailerable sailboat, typically under 30 feet in length, that’s ideal for cruising big lakes, bays, coastal ocean waters, and occasionally bluewater cruising. Pocket cruisers are usually more affordable, compact, and offer a level of comfort that’s comparable to bigger liveaboards.

Small cruising sailboats are appealing for many reasons, but if you’re like most of us, you want to maintain a certain level of comfort while on the water. We took a poll and these are what we found to be the best cruising sailboats under 30 feet.

– DON’T LET CARBON MONOXIDE SNEAK UP ON YOU – Install detectors on your boat to sniff out any buildup of carbon monoxide gas. Avoid running engines or generators while anchored or stopped for extended periods. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard

Open and airy below deck, the Andrews 28 doesn’t sacrifice comfort for speed. Designed by Alan Andrews, the Southern California naval architect renowned for his light, fast raceboats, this 28-footer will certainly appeal to the cruiser who also enjoys a little club racing. Sporting a total of 6 berths, a galley, head and nav area, you might forget you are on a boat small enough to be easily trailered. The retractable keel allows the Andrews 28 to be easily launched and hauled and ensures it’s as comfortable as a daysailer as it is a racer. Click here to read more about the Andrews28.

Beneteau First 20

Small sailboat with a cabin? Check! Fun to sail? Modern design? Capable of flying a spinnaker? Check! Check! Check! The Finot-Conq-designed Beneteau First 20, which replaced the popular Beneteau first 211 nearly a decade ago now, is a sporty-but-stable pocket cruiser suitable for newcomers to the sport who are eager to learn their chops before moving up to a bigger boat or for old salts looking to downsize to a trailerable design. The boat features twin rudders, a lifting keel, and a surprisingly roomy interior with bunks for four. Click here to read more about the Beneteau First 20 .

Conceived as a way to bridge the gap between a safe, comfortable, family cruiser and a competitive racer, Gary Mull’s Ranger 26 does exactly as it was designed to. Undeniably fast, (one won the 1970 IOR North American Half-Ton Cup) the boat sails as well as it looks. However speed isn’t the Ranger’s only strong-suit, with over 7 feet of cockpit there’s plenty of room for socializing after an evening of racing. The Ranger 26 sports a nice balance of freeboard and cabin height ensuring that a handsome profile wasn’t sacrificed for standing headroom. Click here to read more about the Ranger 26.

Catboats were once a common site in coastal waters, where they sailed the shallow bays as fishing or work boats. Their large single and often gaff-rigged sail provided plenty of power, and a centerboard made them well-suited for the thin waters they frequently encountered. In the late 1970s, Canadian builder Hinterhoeller introduced the Nonsuch 30, a fiberglass variation of the catboat design, with a modern Marconi sail flown on a stayless mast, and a keel instead of a centerboard. The boat’s wide beam made room below for a spacious interior, and the design caught on quickly with cruising sailors looking for a small bluewater sailboat. Click here to read more about the Nonsuch 30 .

– SHOW THEM HOW MUCH YOU CARE – Nothing says ‘I love you’ like making sure the kids’ life jackets are snugged up and properly buckled. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard

Debuted in 1971 in California, the Newport 27 was an instant success on the local racing scene. For a modest 27-footer, the Newport 27 has an unusually spacious interrior with over 6 feet of standing headroom. With 4 berths, a table, nav station, head and galley the Newport 27 has all the amenities you might find in a much bigger boat, all in a compact package. While quick in light air, the drawback of the tiller steering becomes apparent with increasing breeze and weather helm often leading to shortening sail early. Click here to read more about the Newport 27.

First splashed in 1969, the Balboa 26 continues to enjoy a strong following among budget-minded cruisers. Built sturdy and heavy, all of the boat’s stress points are reinforced. The spacious cockpit comfortably seats 4 and is self bailing, ensuring that sailors stay dry. While only 26 feet, the Balboa still has room for a double berth, galley with stove and freshwater pump, and an optional marine head or V-berth. The Balboa has the ability to sleep five, though the most comfortable number is two or three. Under sail, the Balboa is fast and maneuverable, but may prove a handful in heavy breeze as weather helm increases. Click here to read more about the Balboa 26.

Cape Dory 28

While the sleek lines and the teak accents of the Cape Dory 28 may grab the eye, it is the performance of the boat that make it unique. The Cape Dory comes with all amenities that you might need available, including a V-berth, 2 settees, and a head. Safe, sound and comfortable as a cruiser it is still capable of speed. Quick in light wind and sturdy and capable in heavy air, it is off the wind where the Cape Dory 28 shines with a balanced helm and the ability to cut through chop and still tack perfectly. Click here to read more about the Cape Dory 28.

Islander Bahama 28

On top of being a real eye-catcher, the Islander Bahama 28, with its 5-foot-6-inch draft and 3,300 pounds of ballast, sails beautifully, tracks well, and responds quickly to the helm. Inspired by the International Offshore Rule, it is unusually wide, offering stability in breeze without sacrificing the sheer and lines that make it so attractive. Below deck, the Islander Bahama 28 comes standard with plenty of berths and storage space and a galley complete with stove, icebox and sink. Click here to read more about the Islander Bahama 28.

– CHECK THE WEATHER – The weather changes all the time. Always check the forecast and prepare for the worst case. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard

Much like its older sibling, the S2 8.6 still holds its contemporary style, despite its 1983 introduction. Like all other S2 Yachts, the 8.6 is recognized for the quality craftsmanship that allows the boat to hold up today.The S2 8.6 is a very comfortable and easily managed coastal cruiser and club racer. It’s relatively stiff, its helm feels balanced, and it tracks well. On most points of sail, it compares favorably with other boats of similar size and type. Click here to read more about the S2 8.6.

Contessa 26

When the Contessa 26 was released in 1965, it immediately proved itself to be a strong, seaworthy vessel. The Contessa has continued to prove itself throughout its lifetime, being the boat of choice for two solo circumnavigations under the age of 21. While upwind performance leaves some wanting, the boat is sturdy and can carry full sail in up to 20 knots of breeze. Suited more for single-handing, the Contessa lacks standing headroom and the accommodations are sparse. Nonetheless, the Contessa 26 performs well as a daysailer with guests aboard. Click here to read more about the Contessa 26.

The Hunter 27 perfectly encompasses the pocket cruiser ideal. Even if you don’t want a big boat, you can still have big boat amenities. With the generously spacious layout, wheel steering and a walkthrough transom the Hunter feels much larger than 27 feet. Step below deck and any doubts you had that the Hunter was secretly a big boat will be gone. The amenities below are endless; a full galley including stove, microwave and cooler, head with full shower, several berths and not to mention a saloon with seating for 6. The Hunter 27 has reset the benchmark for 27-footers. Click here to read more about the Hunter 27.

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PS Reviews the Presto 30 Trailer-sailer

The shallow-draft coastal cruiser draws on munroe’s classic sharpie..

Photo by Billy Black

In name alone, the new Presto 30, a shallow-draft cruiser designed by Rodger Martin has set the bar as high as it will go. The centerboard, round-bilge sharpie is named after Presto, the legendary 41-footer designed by Commodore Ralph Munroe and effusively praised by his friend Vince Gilpin in the 1937 book “The Good Little Ship.”

For the 21st-century fans of Munroe’s 19th-century design, Presto holds near mythical status. After sailing his Presto for six years from “Cape Cod to the Gulf Coast of Florida in all kinds of weather,” Munroe introduced the design to the public in the November 1926 edition of Yachting. It was 41 feet on deck, 10 feet, 6 inches in the beam, and had just 30 inches of draft. Ballast was some 4.5 tons of pig iron.

“Throwing out the old axioms that with light draft, one must have more beam, I did the opposite, reducing the beam at the deck, and still more at the waterline, but adding a little deadrise, and increasing the depth of hull and bilges to give ample displacement and righting moment,” Munroe wrote. “She was one of the most wholesome and satisfactory boats I ever owned.”

Martin’s Presto 30 is clearly a descendant of Munroe’s round-bilge sharpies, but the resemblance fades once you remove the rig. Using velocity prediction programs (VPP) to evaluate sailing efficiency, Martin re-thought the design and engineering of the traditional hull.

The sharpie profile—at least up to the sheerline—is easily discernible. The Presto 30 has a greater beam-to-length ratio than the original. The bow is finer, and the almost perpendicular, broad flat transom is a clear departure from Presto’s counter stern.

To some degree, how faithfully the boat holds to Munroe’s model is moot. Nearly every current designer who has dabbled in a shoal-draft cruiser has hailed Munroe’s Presto as inspiration, despite sometimes dubious connections. At the end of the day, the Presto 30 is a character boat, and Munroe is the name behind the character.

Although there is no shortage of sharpie-lovers, the market for “good little ships” is small—too small for most builders to bother. Fortunately, for Munroe fans, Martin makes his living designing ocean racers and fast cruisers; from its inception, the Presto 30 was a diversion, an indulgence in Martin’s passion for sharpies.

“This boat goes back to 1980, when we were sailing in the Exumas,” Martin recalled. “A strong northerly blew through, and we watched as this 32-foot sharpie sailed right up to the beach. I was impressed.”

With no buyers or builders clamoring for the ideal Exuma cruiser, Martin set his sharpie dream aside for a couple decades. Opportunity finally knocked in 2005, when the outdoor leadership school Outward Bound began looking for a boat to replace its aging fleet of Cy Hamlin-designed double-enders. Outward Bound’s design brief called for a boat that would be equally suited for its bases in Maine and in Florida, and Martin immediately thought of Munroe’s sharpie. Martin’s boat, based on Munroe’s round-bilge sharpie concept, was unanimously chosen from several bids and became Outward Bound’s new Hurricane Island 30. When interest in the Hurricane Island 30 led to requests for a cruising version, Martin went back to the drawing board and came up with the Presto 30.

The boat’s builder—Ryder Boats in Bucksport, Maine, best known for its tooling for high-end builders such as Hinckley—soon found itself with an unexpected blessing in a down economy: It was busy building Presto 30s. One year after the boat’s introduction in March of 2009, eight hulls have been built.

The origins of the hull and rig date back to a classic American oyster-tonging boat, the New Haven sharpie, which first appeared in Long Island Sound sometime before 1850, according to American maritime historian Howard Chapelle. Various iterations appeared, but at the height of its popularity in 1880, the typical two-man New Haven sharpie was a 35-footer rigged with twin leg-of-mutton sails on sprit booms.

To create his round-bottom sharpie, Munroe effectively rounded and smoothed the “sharp” chines that gave the boat its name. Although the traditional-minded yachting journalists of the era derided anything but heavy-displacement, deep-keel boats as “skimming dishes,” these easily driven hulls offered a glimpse of the future, eventually leading to the planing dinghies and scows still racing today.

Trailerability and shallow draft were two of the most restrictive design details Martin had to work within when developing the Presto 30. Rules vary, but in most states, an 8-foot, 6-inch beam is legal width for trailering without any special permits.

Martin’s hull is 30 feet on deck with a waterline length of just less than 29 feet. Beam is right at the trailerable 8-foot, 6-inch maximum, about 2 feet narrower than an average 30-footer today. With the centerboard up, it draws just 13 inches, and with it fully extended, the draft is 5 feet, 6 inches. You can motor in about 2½ feet, and sail to windward in 3 feet. Internal ballast is 1,000 pounds. The total tow weight, loaded with gear and including the trailer, is about 6,600 pounds, requiring a full-size SUV with a towing package.

Like the original 1850 New Haven rig, the 320 square feet of sail area is divided between two full-batten sails on sprit-booms (wishbones). A performance package boosts sail area to 400 square feet. Although the identical masts suggests a schooner rig (which is what Martin calls it), the forward mast sits a little deeper in the boat, so Ryder calls the boat a cat-ketch. The result is the same. Not only does the low-aspect split rig aid stability by keeping the center of effort low, the sealed carbon-fiber masts add some buoyancy that further help it resist a full capsize. Martin’s stability curves give the Presto 30 self-righting capability up to 145 degrees. Although based on the accepted International Measurement System (IMS) for rating stability, this is an optimistic scenario that assumes that there is no down-flooding and includes the buoyancy of the sealed spars.

Munroe’s most famous sharpie in this size range, Egret, covered many offshore miles delivering mail along the Florida coast at the turn of the century.

Although the Presto 30 is light enough to be sculled, the hull’s primary mission is performance under sail, particularly when reaching. To dial the thrill meter up a notch, Martin stretched the waterline and gave the Presto a much flatter run aft than the Hurricane Island 30. Since he and Phil Garland (a principal in the carbon-fiber-spar specialists Hall Spars) were to be co-owners of hull

No. 1, performance priorities rose to the forefront.

Martin and his wife have been on two long cruises with the boat, once around the tip of Florida and this year, two months in the Bahamas.

“It’s turned out to be a very fast, handy cruising boat,” Martin said. “More than I imagined it to be, which is strange to say, since I designed it.”

Munroe expressed a similar surprise with Presto.

Deck Details

The long 10-foot, 6-inch cockpit offers plenty of room to stretch out or sleep under the stars. The boat is tiller steered, with a 2-inch-high, contoured foot brace running up the center of the cockpit. The foot brace helps crew keep to their seats when the boat is sharply heeling, but it also will keep them on their toes at anchor—at least until they learn to avoid it when moving about the large cockpit.

Owners have a couple of options for propulsion: a 12 horsepower inboard diesel with a folding prop, a stern-bracket mounted outboard, or a well-mounted outboard. The boat we sailed had the well-mounted outboard option. On our test boat, a fiberglass cutout that fit the well opening was fixed to the bottom of the outboard skeg. When the outboard was lifted for sailing, the well opening was essentially sealed, presenting a smooth, flush bottom for sailing.

A narrow, flat-bottom boat offers scan’t real estate belowdecks, so cockpit stowage becomes essential. The Presto 30 cockpit has three, well-gasketed latching lockers under each of the settees and a fourth mini-garage underneath the cockpit sole. The port locker is sized for a valise-packed life raft, while the starboard locker has room for buckets, rope, and fenders. The lazarette locker has about half as much storage as the port and starboard lockers. The sole locker is an ideal spot for big stuff like dive gear, folding bikes, or a roll-up dinghy. For those who don’t like transom ladders, a transom door is an option.

The helmsman accustomed to sailing sloops may complain about the way the mizzen mast splits his field of vision, but when the boat is running, the high wishbone booms allow much better forward visibility than you would find on conventional sloops.

When running dead downwind or nearly so, the rotating masts allow the wishbone booms to be winged forward of the beam, so you can effectively sail with the mizzen sail set to windward, and the mainsail to leeward. In smooth water, the boat balances extremely well with the sails set like this, out wing-and-wing. This is but one of the split rig’s many “sharpie tricks,” as Munroe called them.

All sail-trim controls are close at hand for the helmsman. Both sheets are double ended, putting them within easy reach on either tack. The mizzen sheet ends lead to twin cam cleats on the port and starboard cockpit coamings, while the mainsail sheet leads to cam cleats adjacent to the companionway.

Our chief complaint with the deck layout was the narrowness of the side-decks, a common trait among boats with narrow beams. This makes for a snug squeeze between the cabintop and the stanchions, and the big step down from the cabintop to the sidedeck should be avoided at sea. In our view, narrowing the coachroof to allow an extra inch or two on the sidedecks would be an improvement. On the plus side, the Presto 30’s coachroof is lined with stainless-steel handrails giving you plenty to grab on to as you move forward.

The boat features a generously sized divided locker for ground tackle, with two strong bits for securing the anchor. The stern cleats are amply sized, but they are mounted too low, so that the dock line chafes against the toerail.

Accommodations

Envisioned as a versatile, trailerable weekender that is capable of longer camp-style cruises, the Presto 30 has berths for four. Its tight quarters below and limited carrying capacity, however, suggest that couples or singlehanders would be a better fit for any longer cruises.

A curtain divides the 6-foot, 6-inch V-berth and the two 6-foot, 4-inch settees in the main saloon. The centerboard trunk splits the aft section of the narrow main saloon down the middle, and Ryder has cleverly converted this into a fold-out dining table. The centerboard trunk also offers a convenient place to brace yourself when moving about belowdecks.

The initial hull had a pop-top built in it, raising the 5-foot, 2-inch headroom to more than 6 feet while at anchor, but Ryder no longer makes that version. Sailors who want more headroom can opt for the new pilothouse model, which the company will be launching this summer.

The head, equipped with a toilet, a small sink, and a handheld shower is located aft to starboard. This makes a handy wet-locker for foul-weather gear. Owners can choose between a composting head or conventional marine toilet with a 12-gallon holding tank.

The boat we sailed had a fixed galley to port with a small sink, a double-burner alcohol stove, and slot for a cooler.

The boat we sailed was Thorfinn , an expedition model specifically designed for Thorfinn Expeditions. The company, which is owned and operated by Thor Emory, the former program manager for the Outward Bound Sea Program, runs adventure charters for small groups who want to explore Florida, Maine, and the Canadian Maritimes.

When we tested the boat on Pine Island Sound, near Naples, Fla., it had just finished a charter in the Florida Keys and was still loaded with all the equipment required for a guest charter, except for food provisions.

Thorfinn had already proven itself a fast boat, winning fourth place overall and second in its class on corrected time in the 2011 Fort Lauderdale to Key West race. Thorfinn , which had the shortest waterline of any monohull in the race, covered the 160-mile course in 22 hours.

After struggling in the light winds at the start of the race, Thorfinn (which carried a PHRF rating of 164) showed what a boat with minimal wetted surface can do downwind. In the 20- to 25-knot northerly, Thorfinn hunted down all but one boat in its class, beating a Hunter Legend 37, a C&C 33, and a Hunter 35.5 on uncorrected time. Emory’s blog account of the sail posted on the Thorfinn Expeditions website describes surfing down waves at speeds up to 14 knots.

The day we sailed the Presto 30 brought more typical winds. One of the obvious advantages of the unstayed sharpie rig is the ease of maneuvering under sail. No preventers, vangs, or runners to deal with. No jibsheets to mess with when tacking or jibing. And the booms are well above noggin height, alleviating concerns about concussive blows during an accidental jibe.

The boat’s nimbleness came in handy when the foam windscreen for a video-camera microphone blew into the water during the test sail. We recovered the piece, which is about the size of a dime, in one pass under sail. The entire recovery maneuver (a modified deep-reach-and-return) took less than a minute.

Tacking angles were better than expected from the rig, about 45 degrees. The Presto 30 will not point as high as a sloop, but when you crack off about 5 to 10 degrees, the boat foots along nicely.

We spent most of the afternoon reaching in calm waters at about 5 to 5.7 knots until the sea breeze picked up to about 12 knots after lunch. Reaching with the staysail flying from the main mast kept the boat moving at 6.7 to 7.2 knots for the run back to Pine Island Marina.

The most rewarding sailing was on a beam reach with the true wind between 80 and 115 degrees. When we set the staysail off the wind. it added more than a knot to overall boat speed. The boat was well balanced under sail, although Emory says he eases the main some in higher winds to decrease weather helm. The wishbone rig allows basic control of sail shape via the snotter-line, the line at the front of the wishbone that allows you to instantly adjust the draft in the sail. Racing sailors will gripe about the relatively limited control of sail shape and twist, but that is one of several tradeoffs that come with the rig. The boat was particularly well balanced off the wind, sailing by the lee with the sails wing-and-wing.

The one notable problem we had on the water was with the rudder design. When the rudder was kicked up for shallow-water sailing or motoring, the force of the water against the long rudder blade (unbalanced when raised) made it quite difficult to steer. The original New Haven sharpies had long, balanced rudders that were oriented horizontally, instead of vertically, requiring little effort to steer. The stock could be raised and lowered according to the depth of the water.

The new version of the Presto 30 will have a foil rudder in a cassette that will allow it to be raised and lowered without dramatically upsetting the rudder balance. The blade will still kick up in shallow water.

courtesy of Ryder Boats

Despite the optimistic numbers for stability, the fact remains that a narrow, shoal-draft sailboat is initially tender. The 1,000 pounds of lead shot encapsulated in the bottom of the boat and a low-aspect rig help offset the Presto 30’s handicap in this area, but like any light displacement boat, it will require an attentive hand at the helm in a blow.

One of the reasons to buy a shoal-draft boat is so you can avoid the nasty stuff, sail inland waters and nose into the sand or reeds when the weather turns foul. And should the weather catch you off guard in Albemarle Sound, the bob-and-weave abilities of a light displacement boat can be an asset in the right hands. Add the crash bulkheads, sound engineering and good construction and you have further reassurance off soundings.

For sailors in the Gulf of Mexico, the Carolinas, or the Chesapeake, where a shallow draft opens up a whole new world of cruising opportunities, the Presto 30 makes a versatile coastal cruiser. It also makes sense for the shallow-water adventurer looking for an expedition platform that can be trailered from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian Maritimes. And for experienced sailors like Martin, it makes a great Bahamas getaway, with a shoal draft that lets you tuck into places few sailors ever see. If performance is what you are after, you may want to look at the J/95, which is a less portable, but quicker shoal-water sailer.

Fully rigged and with a trailer, the Presto 30 sells for $142,500, and this is quite a lot to pay for 6,000 pounds of boat. No doubt a big part of the boat’s appeal is the romance of its storied heritage. While a modernized Presto-type sharpie may be an impractical choice for the average sailor, the Presto 30 fits a growing niche. It is encouraging to see builders and designers of this caliber exploring the exciting possibilities for a shoal-water cruising boat.

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Com-Pac Yachts Home Sun Cat Daysailer Horizon Cat Horizon Day Cat Com-Pac Legacy Com-Pac Legacy Sport Com-Pac Eclipse CP 23 Pilothouse Com-Pac 23/IV Com-Pac 27/3 Click here for more info See the 23 Pilothouse Welcome to the Com-Pac Idea Com-Pac Yachts began business in 1974 with our first boat, the Com-Pac 16. The idea then was to build a seaworthy yacht with a strong commitment to value. (For the full story, see Hutchins Company Profile .) Since then we have expanded our line and today we have twelve models, six cat-rigged sailboats, five sloop rigged sailboats and one power launch. The Com-Pac line covers a wide range of sizes from a 14' day sailor to the Com-Pac 27/3 cruising yacht . Each model, regardless of size, is built with the same exacting attention to detail and that same commitment to value. All the convenience of our cat boats in a sloop-rigged daysailer with a 9' cockpit --> --> The Launch is a comfortable, multiuse yacht for a leisurely cruise for sightseeing, to dinner or, even, the occasional overnighter. --> --> Our line of modern cat-rigged models (dubbed “A New Breed of Catboat”) offer the ultimate in trailer-sailing ease and rig set up. All come with the Mastendr™ quick-rig sailing system that allows for the boom, sail, and gaff to be left installed on the boat while the mast is folded or raised. The shrouds stay attached and the head stay disconnects with the flip of the pre-adjusted forestay self-locking lever. This system, unique to Com-Pac, adds an ease and convenience to trailer sailing that is really astounding. Your mast is up and you are ready to go in seconds, not minutes. Our newest sloop-rigged models are the Eclipse SL , the Legacy , and the Legacy Sport daysailer. We consider these yachts “crossover” models. We have taken all of the convenience and features of our cat boat line and applied them to these new exciting sloops. Features include the Mastendr™ (Eclipse), Boomtendr™ (Legacy & Sport), keel centerboard hull configuration and low riding trailers for ease of launching and retrieval. See the Horizon Day Cat The three traditionally rigged sloops ( 23/IV , 23 Pilothouse , and 27/3 ) have full masthead, eight stay rigs and fixed keels. As such they can be sailed in areas and conditions that lesser sloops would be wise to avoid. Many of our sloops have long cruises to their credit. Coastal cruising, Gulf of Mexico crossings, and long term Bahamas cruises are a few that are recorded. The 23/IV and 23 Pilothouse are trailerable but they are still full fledged cruising yachts. We did not compromise sea-worthiness or comfort. When the 23/IV or 23 Pilothouse is fitted with the available custom trailer, they can easily be taken over the road for vacation or winter storage. See the Com-Pac 35 The new launch with the available electric propulsion is perfect for an evening of touring the harbor, canals and waterways or even more varied areas of interest with the standard 2 cylinder diesel engine. All of our models come with an extraordinary list of amenities and standard equipment. From the 14' Picnic Cat to the 27' cruiser, you will find everything you need for that day sail, day cruise, weekend getaway or extended cruise. If you are looking for something other than an “off the shelf” yacht, then Com-Pac is for you. Many builders today do not give you any more choices than cushion fabric and canvas colors. Whether your yacht is 14' or 27', nowhere else will you find the freedom of involvement and creativity you will find by sitting down with us and discussing your dream yacht. Our answer to 95% of requests for personalization is “we can do that.” | | | | | | | | | Com-Pac Yachts / Hutchins Co., Inc. 1195 Kapp Dr., Clearwater, Florida 33765 USA Call Us: 727-443-4408 E-mail Us: Sail Far Live Free Camping on a keel - trailer sailers for cruisers. Here's a throwback to , our Helms 25 and very first boat The end! Great compendium Kevin. Also a sensible choice for those who've done the conventional cruising and are looking at phase 2 options. All the best. While I'm not sure how old this post is, Ill add another boat to consider using your criteria above. We have a S2 7.9 Gran Slam which we cruise locally in Milwaukee and also take a few weeks out of the summer and trailer to better cruising grounds. We pull it with a Chevy Suburban and are quite please with having a performance boat that is straight forward to launch and rig. The beam is actually over legal limit at 9', but these boats have been trailered extensively to one design regattas over many years and I have never heard of anyone being stopped by the hi way revenuers. Post a Comment Popular posts from this blog, top 10 favorite affordable bluewater sailboats, go small and go now 5 pocket cruisers to take you anywhere. Escape to the Sea: How to get from the Great Lakes to the Caribbean TES Yacht Canada Description Photo Gallery Introduction TES 246 Versus is the newest addition to the TES Yacht family. It is all new design! New, uniquely shaped hull is designed for speed, superb nautical performance and maximum cabin size. High hull form stability makes boarding or cabin top communication safe as TES 246 Versus offers very stable platform. The boat will keep you and your crew safe in difficult weather condition, whether you are exploring yet another local lake or cruising your fauvorite coastline. Shallow draft will allow you to launch the boat anywhere a speed boat can be launched. TES 246 Versus offers wing-keel boat feel with advantage of variable draft, that makes exploration of areas normally not accessible to keel boats possible. If you find a nice spot on the shoreline, you can beach the boat or drop anchor in knee deep shallow water. It is the very first trailerable cabin sailboat in the world with inverted wave-piercing bow. Very long waterline for the boat size helps to maintain high cruising speeds. The cabin top and cockpit are reminiscent of it's larger brother, TES 28 Magnam, while center cockpit storage compartment is similar to the one found on the TES 24. Huge cockpit rivals larger size boats and will seat all crew comfortably. Highly asymmetrical companionway makes room for large and comfortable enclosed head (optional shower) on one side and well ventilated large galley on the other. The interior is available in 4+2 or 6 crew (with smaller galley) configurations.   Some key points: - Very high hull form stability and keel boat-like feel - Blue-water friendly - Exceptional performance as a pocket cruiser - Outstanding headroom and cabin size - Modern, European interior - Fully customizable - Inboard, outboard or electric propulsion On The Water Informative Leaflet - PDF format Forums New posts Unanswered threads Register Top Posts Email What's new New posts New Posts (legacy) Latest activity New media Media New media New comments Boat Info Downloads Weekly Quiz Topic FAQ 10000boatnames.com Classifieds Sell Your Boat Used Gear for Sale Parts General Marine Parts Hunter Beneteau Catalina MacGregor Oday Help Terms of Use Monday Mail Subscribe Monday Mail Unsubscribe best shoal draft blue water boats 26 to 30 Thread starter anchorclanker Start date Jun 6, 2012 Forums for All Owners Ask All Sailors anchorclanker I know the question has been asked a 100 times before, but I dont know if it was ever asked in this particular way. There are so many boat makes and models in that size range you get delirious wading through them. Dream would be to one day go out into the gulf and work my way down into the islands. Shallow draft via swing keel would be optimum. But strength is at least second to draft, but really its first. Trailerable is also a requirement, so beam has to remain within legal limits.   anchorclanker said: I know the question has been asked a 100 times before, but I dont know if it was ever asked in this particular way. There are so many boat makes and models in that size range you get delirious wading through them. Dream would be to one day go out into the gulf and work my way down into the islands. Shallow draft via swing keel would be optimum. But strength is at least second to draft, but really its first. Trailerable is also a requirement, so beam has to remain within legal limits. Click to expand Watkins 23 footer (which is trailerable) would work...retractable keel to 18 inches, down it's almost 6 feet. Also, Watkins seem bigger on the inside than they actually are.   or the macgregor X or M. its not really strong, but it can motor fast (around 12-15knts). that speed can make up for its lack of strength since you can motor in a smaller weather window. One problem with the small boat is storage in the islands. -you'll need water and fuel down island. Have you also considered a trimaran ? corsair makes some nice boats that just fly, and are trailer-able. http://www.f-boat.com/pages/news/f32new.html   I know Matt Layden (builder of Paradox, pictured by Sumner), he is the perfect example of the old adage that it isn't the boat, it is the sailor. He is known as "Wizard" and his exploits /accomplishments are legendary.   Stu Jackson Introduced in 1974 from the board of Bruce King and designed to be trailered and easily rigged and launched. LOA = 24' 8" LWL = 20' 10" Beam = 8.0 feet (legal to trailer without permits) Draft = 2.0 feet (w/ board up) Displacement = 5,400 lbs. Ballast = 2,500 lbs + 150 lb. centerboard Sail Area = 265 sq. ft. (100% foretriangle) Head Room = 5' 6" Rating = 18.0 IOR (Quarter Ton)   Robert, were you talking about the Ericson 25? That's one nice small yacht, and legally trailerable as well. L   This is a very interesting boat that I saw at the Annapolis boat show http://www.seawardyachts.com/writeups/SailKeys.pdf   RAD said: This is a very interesting boat that I saw at the Annapolis boat show http://www.seawardyachts.com/writeups/SailKeys.pdf Click to expand twistedline How about a Nor'sea 27?   justsomeguy anchorclanker said: Now thats what im talking about. But what do ya do if the electric winch for the keel fails? Would this be blue water capable? I do realize the guy at the helm has a lot more to do with survival than the boats integrity, but having a good strong ship is always a plus. Click to expand Check out the Seaward Yachts as they come in 26' and 32'. You did not mention affordable in your requirements so these boats may fill your needs. Don't forget saving some for the heavy duty tow vehicle which is required.   FastOlson said: Robert, were you talking about the Ericson 25? That's one nice small yacht, and legally trailerable as well. L Click to expand This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Accept Learn more… 7 Best Sailboats Under $20,000 Last Updated by Daniel Wade December 27, 2023 You can buy a fully-equipped and serviceable sailboat for less than $20,000 on the used market. Most of these vessels are fiberglass sloops. Used sailboats between 20 and 30 feet in length can be found for between $10,000 and $20,000 nationwide, especially on the coast. Catalina, O'Day, and Islander sailboats are common in this price range and lots of fun to sail. Table of contents What to Look for When Buying a Used Sailboat When buying a used sailboat, it's essential to carefully inspect the vessel and look for flaws and structural issues. Sailboats in this price range are often ready to sail or just need minor improvements. For the price, an older fiberglass 20 to 30-foot sailboat should be in good to excellent condition. Here's what to look for when buying a used sailboat and what to expect in the sub-$20,000 range. Overall Condition The overall condition of the boat is important, as it gives you an idea of how well the vessel was maintained. A sailboat with a clean, glossy hull, a solid deck, fresh varnish, and polished brass is an excellent sign of a responsible owner. However, a sailboat with rust, corroded aluminum parts, a filthy hull, and a moldy interior was likely neglected in more ways than one. The first impressions of a sailboat can give you a pretty good idea of what lies below the surface. Hull and Deck Fiberglass boats are quite impervious to weather and corrosion, but problems occur when water penetrates the hull. Soft spots form around areas where the fiberglass cracks and water permeates. Look for 'dented' areas of the deck where water pools up, as deformities can be a sign of something worse going on underneath. Check the bilge for excessive water but be mindful that some boats came with 'wet' bilges. Does the vessel have all of its standing rigging tightened and maintained? What about sails, halyards, and sheets? If the rigging is present and neatly organized, it's a good sign that you're getting your money's worth. If the vessel has an inboard motor, check the condition and fire it up. Inboards can be an expensive nightmare if they're neglected, which is often the case on used sailboats. See how it runs and make sure it responds to forward and reverse. Sailboats are notorious for poor wiring and electrical issues. Much of the time, sailboats were shoddily wired from the factory, and sometimes the issue is related to improper maintenance or water damage. Check the switchboard and make sure everything works. Try the radio, cabin lights, engine starter, hydraulic systems, and bilge pumps. A few broken lights or dead outlets are acceptable, but an electrically-neglected vessel can be a nightmare and a navigational hazard. Best Affordable Used Sailboats Under 20k Owning a used sailboat is a great way to explore local waterways and occupy the weekends. Sailboats made by well-known manufacturers were produced in huge numbers in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. These vessels are seaworthy and affordable, which makes them an excellent choice for budget-friendly sailing. Here are seven of the best used sailboats for under $20,000. 7. West Wight Potter 19 {{boat-info="/boats/west-wight-potter-19"}} It's difficult to omit the West Wight Potter 19 from a list of the best affordable sailboats for under $20,000, as this vessel is exceptional by almost every metric. The West Wight Potter 19 is the ultimate small trailer sailboat. The vessel is a V-bottom sloop with a fiberglass hull and a centerboard. It was introduced in 1971 and has since become very popular from the United States all the way to Australia. It's a hardy coastal and inland cruising vessel that's made occasional offshore trips, including one from San Francisco to Hawaii. It measures just under 19 feet overall and has a width of 7 feet 6 inches. With the keel up, it has a draft of only 6 inches, making it a beachable and trailerable cruising boat. For its size, the West Wight Potter 19 has spacious accommodations below. It features a center-mounted split galley with a stove and a sink, along with space for a head below the stove. A V-berth upfront offers sleeping quarters for two, and two additional berths aft bring the comfortable capacity up to four. The centerboard trunk in the center of the cabin features rigging to raise, lower, and lock the centerboard. The West Wight Potter 19 features a fast-rigging system that allows one person to raise and rig the mast in just a few minutes. It's easy to sail, safe, and plenty of fun. Plus, the hull features positive floatation foam, which makes it quite literally unsinkable. 6. Contessa 26 {{boat-info="/boats/contessa-26"}} The Contessa 26 is a unique and capable mid-sized sailboat. It's a fast boat and a common sight at long-range regattas like the singlehanded TransPac race from San Francisco to Hawaii. The Contessa 26 was produced starting in 1966, but the design dates much further back. The basic hull shape of the Contessa 26 was based on a Nordic Folkboat designed in the late 1930s for speed and agility at sea. As it turned out, the design also proved to be quite seaworthy. The Contessa 26 was produced up until the end of the 1970s. She measures 25.5 feet overall, with a waterline length of 20 feet. The Contessa 26 has a reasonable beam of 7.5 feet, giving it good stability and seakeeping characteristics without sacrificing speed or handling. The Contessa 26 is not a trailerable sailboat by most definitions, as it weighs 5,400 lbs and has a 4-foot draft. It has a full ballast keel, which makes it a stout offshore sailing platform. That said, its relatively small draft makes it safe to operate in shallow inland waters. The accommodations of the Contessa 26 are excellent for its size, and it comfortably sleeps between one and five adults. It features standing headroom, a basic galley, a head with shower, and a standard V-berth upfront. Space below leaves much to be desired, as vessels like the Catalina 30 outshine it significantly. But overall, the Contessa 26 is an excellent cruising sailboat with a classic design and sharp performance. 5. Catalina 30 {{boat-info="/boats/catalina-30"}} The Catalina 30 is one of the best used sailboats available for coastal and offshore cruising. If spacious accommodations are important to you, then you can't go wrong with this 30-foot Catalina sloop. The vessel features a tall and stout Bermuda rig with an aluminum mast and standard rigging. The Catalina 30 measures 29.92 feet overall, with a length of 25 feet at the waterline. With a beam of 10.83 feet, the Catalina 30 is a wide and stable vessel. Catalina 30 sailboats feature a long fin keel and a relatively deep 5.25-foot draft, which requires care when operating in shallow water. However, offshore the Catalina 30 has proven to be a seaworthy and well-handling vessel. Overall, the Catalina 30 weighs just over 10,200 lbs. She's not exactly trailerable, but most marinas can haul out a Catalina 30 without too much trouble. Interior accommodations on board are stellar. With sleeping room for seven adults, the Catalina 30 is a fantastic family boat. It features a full galley, a head and shower, a chart table, and a spacious dinette. Over 6,000 Catalina 30 sailboats have been produced since 1972, making it one of the most popular sailboats ever built. A decent used Catalina 30 can be had for around $10,000 to $15,000 on the used market. 4. Islander 28 {{boat-info="/boats/islander-28"}} Another popular and classic 1970s fiberglass sloop is the Islander 28. Launched in 1975, the Islander 28 is an affordable and well-handling sailboat with a reputation for durability and seaworthiness. The Islander 28 is a masthead sloop with a spade rudder and a fin keel. It displaces 7,000 lbs and has a relatively wide 9.83-foot beam. The Islander 28 measures 27.92 feet overall with a waterline length of 23.08 feet. Islander sailboats are some of the most common vessels of the 1970s and 1980s. And though not as numerous as the Catalina 30, the Islander 28 is still a popular boat on the used market. Islander 28 sailboats aren't exactly shoal draft, but their moderate 5-foot draft means they're safe to operate in most harbors. And while not technically trailerable, the Islander 28 is small and light enough to be hauled out and repaired in most boatyards. The Islander 28 sleeps six adults comfortably and features full accommodations below. These include two seats, a galley, a table, a head with shower, and a V-berth forward. An Islander 28 is a wise choice for coastal and offshore cruising. It's a stout, safe, and fun boat for the family, and it's easy for moderately experienced sailors to handle. A decent used fully-equipped Islander 28 can be found for less than $20,000 on the used market. 3. Compac 23 {{boat-info="/boats/com-pac-23"}} Compac is a well-known sailboat manufacturer with a long history of producing swift compact cruising boats. The Compac 23 is a large sailboat in a miniature package. This vessel is ideal for those looking for a small and easy to handle sailboat with spacious accommodations. It features a fiberglass hull, an extensive cabin, and a shallow draft of just over 2 feet. The Compac 23 has an overall length of just an inch shy of 24 feet, and a beam of 8 feet. Its dimensions make it stable and easy to handle, and it doesn't heel excessively. Overall, the Compac 23 displaces 3,000 lbs. The interior accommodations of the Compac 23 set it apart from other vessels in its size category. The interior features a separated galley with a sink and a stove, seats, and a V-berth upfront. It also has plenty of well-thought-out storage space throughout the cabin. The Compac 23 is also available with a pilothouse configuration, which features standing headroom and a clever table arrangement aft. The vessel features a skeg rudder and a long fixed fin keel, which removes the cumbersome centerboard trunk from the cabin. {boat-info="/boats/cal-25"}} The Cal 25 is a formidable cruiser for its size. While technically a fin- keel sailboat , the Cal 25 features a long ballast keel that offers superior stability and windward performance. Some would consider the Cal 25 a "flush-deck" sailboat, as the top section of the cabin runs flush with the bow to the cockpit. This design increases cabin space and improves the lines of the boat. The Cal 25 was produced between 1965 and 1976, making it one of the older fiberglass sloops on our list. That said, Cal Yachts build quality is excellent, and many serviceable examples of the 1,848 original Cal 25 sailboats still exist. The vessel measures 25 feet overall, with a waterline length of 20 feet. She has a beam of exactly 8 feet and a relatively shallow draft of just 4 feet. The Cal 25 has a modest displacement of 4,000 lbs, making it a relatively practical trailer-sailer option. The Cal 25 usually came with an outboard motor instead of an inboard to save space. The helm is controlled by a tiller, which maneuvers a skeg rudder located underneath the cockpit. With the mast collapsed, the Cal 25 is a great sailboat for winter storage and summer use. The level of fit and finish varies between boats, as some were outfitted with finer wood and more premium features than others. The cockpit is spacious for its size, and the cabin headroom is excellent. The Compac 23 is an ideal used shoal-draft cruising sailboat in the sub-$20,000 category, and it's still produced today. 1. Catalina 22 {{boat-info="/boats/catalina-22"}} The Catalina 22 was the first sailboat of countless families across the United States. This sleek 22-foot vessel was designed to be the perfect 'starter boat' for sailors who wanted to explore inland waterways and coastal areas. The Catalina 22 was first introduced in 1969. It has an overall length of 21.5 feet and a beam of 7.67 feet. Catalina 22 sailboats are truly trailerable, as most come with a retractable swing keel. With the keel or centerboard down, the Catalina 22 has a draft of 5 feet. The Catalina 22 is the most popular sailboat ever produced in its class. With over 15,000 built, this vessel is common on the used market, and parts are abundant. Overall, a standard Catalina 22 sloop weighs around 2,490 lbs, making it practical to tow behind most half-ton pickup trucks or V8 SUVs. Fiberglass boats like the Catalina 22 are an excellent choice for first-time sailors looking for a fun and capable family boat with overnight accommodations. The Catalina 22 sleeps four adults comfortably, but five can fit if the crew are comfortable with a tighter arrangement. The most unique feature of the Catalina 22 is its camper-like pop top. The top of the cabin, which normally provides sitting headroom, can be popped up several inches past the original height. This is an excellent feature for cooking at anchor, as it provides standing headroom over the galley and part of the settee. Pre-owned Catalina 22 sailboats in ready-to-sail configuration run anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000. Fiberglass sailboats like the Catalina 22 make excellent freshwater or saltwater daysailers, and some have completed lengthier offshore voyages. Related Articles I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing. by this author Best Sailboats Most Recent What Does "Sailing By The Lee" Mean? 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Top Rated Posts Lifeofsailing.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. (866) 342-SAIL © 2024 Life of Sailing Email: [email protected] Address: 11816 Inwood Rd #3024 Dallas, TX 75244 Disclaimer Privacy Policy 103 IMAGES Top Shallow Draft Boats From Scout Shallow Draft Sailboats are the Best!!! 1986 Catalina 25' pop-up shallow draft with swing keel sailboat for SHOAL DRAFT JEANNEAU'S: Seaward 17 w/shoal draft fin keel… Best Small and Trailerable Sailboats COMMENTS 7 Best Trailerable Sailboats for Cruising To find the best trailer sailer, you need to balance the total tow weight, the ease of rig setup at the boat ramp, and the boat's draft. Shallow draft boats with centerboards are the easiest to launch and retrieve. 9 Best Trailerable Sailboats Instead of docking a large boat, you can purchase a small trailerable sailboat. A trailerable sailboat is a perfect option for part-time sailors and people with busy lives. Best Small Sailboats, Beginner and Trailerable Sailboats Designed by John Beetle and first built in 1921, the wooden shallow draft sailboat is still in production today in Wareham, Massachusetts at the Beetle Boat Shop. With a draft of just 2 feet, the boat is well-suited for shallow bays, but equally at home in open coastal waters. 13 Popular Trailerable Sailboats with Lifting Keels Marketed as the "Swiss army knife" of boats, any of their offerings meet the criteria for an easy to trailer and handle boat with a shallow draft. The 17.5 can take a small outboard, has two rowing stations, and comes with a carbon fiber, rotating mast for easy setup and break down and solid performance under sail. 13 Biggest Trailerable Sailboats: Cheap But Good Its modest draft allows you to sail in shallow waters, and the traditional wooden mast adds charm to this timeless boat. It is a simple and easy-to-use boat that is well-suited for beginners or casual sailors. 7 Trailerable Sailboats That Have Standing Headroom The very shallow draft allows for anchoring in areas many boats can not, and even beaching. The larger Corsair 970 is also trailerable with standing headroom, as is the older F-31. Trailerable Sailboat Reviews: Small Boats, Big Adventures Due to that shallow draft and minimal freeboard, the rig required a low center of effort, which Martin addressed with a simple cat-ketch rig. With the addition of a slightly raised cabin top, he was able to insert basic interior accommodations (which were also somewhat compromised by the centerboard trunk). 11 Best Pocket Cruiser Sailboats to Fit a Budget What is a pocket cruiser? It's a small trailerable sailboat, typically under 30 feet in length, that's ideal for cruising big lakes, bays, coastal ocean waters, and occasionally bluewater cruising. Pocket cruisers are usually more affordable, compact, and offer a level of comfort that's comparable to bigger liveaboards. Catalina 250 Catalina 250 Specs. The Catalina 250 is one of a group of relatively lightweight, shallow-draft trailerable cruising boats that appeared in the mid-1990s, utilizing water ballast to provide stability. These boats—notably the C-250, the Hunter 26, and the MacGregor 26—all are of very modern design, are relatively inexpensive, and feature ... PS Reviews the Presto 30 Trailer-sailer Beam is right at the trailerable 8-foot, 6-inch maximum, about 2 feet narrower than an average 30-footer today. With the centerboard up, it draws just 13 inches, and with it fully extended, the draft is 5 feet, 6 inches. You can motor in about 2½ feet, and sail to windward in 3 feet. Internal ballast is 1,000 pounds. Best Shallow Water Sailboats ‍ 13 Shallow Draft Sailboats to Consider When looking for the best shallow draft sailboat, a lot of boats fit that criterion. However, each one will need to fit the individual buyer's needs in size, price, and functionality. Com-Pac Yachts: Trailerable Cat Boats, Trailerable Cruisers, and The sloop-rigged Com-Pac Eclipse, designed for ease of trailering, has a shallow 18" draft (with board up), and a clutter-free transom for easy boarding. Com-Pac Eclipse Great Harbour Trawlers: America's go-anyhere liveaboards Great Harbour Trawlers are rugged, roomy and unsinkable. with a shallow-draft, form-stable hull design that allows these boats to g0 anywhere from secluded inland waters to open ocean passages Shallow-water Beach Cruising in a Small Sailboat I started sailing small shallow-draft boats after having owned keelboats for 30 years. Confined to the marked channels in the Intracoastal Waterway while nearby estuaries and shallow coves beckoned, I purchased a sailing dinghy to explore the marshes and mangrove mazes that make up a good portion of the Florida coast. I would tow my sailing dinghy behind the "mother ship" to Cayo Costa ... Camping on a Keel An overview of trailerable sailboats and a review of some trailer sailers for cruisers. Great Harbour TT35. Americas most versatile cruising boat The TT's shallow draft opens access to otherwise inaccessible anchorages and waterways, yet its modern, capable hull form is equally at home when crossing to the Bahamas or cruising the Sea of Cortez. Belle Marie: The Skinny Water Queen Super shallow draft has some interesting advantages in a cruise boat. We could always find a spot in a crowded anchorage just by going into the shallow spots where no one else could go. TES Yacht Canada Fine European trailerable shallow draft yachts. Fine custom European trailerable sailboats importer.TES 678 BT, TES 720 BT 24' trailerable shallow draft cruiser. TES 28 Magnam 28' trailerable sailboat - new addition to the TES Yacht family. Who makes a good shallow draft sailboat? Check out the shallow draft, trailerable O'Days. I sail a 272LE myself, but from fellow O'Day owners I've heard plenty of good things about models like the 192, 22, 222 and 24, among others. Some models are shallow draft, some centerboard, some swing keel. u000bu000bOne guy on another O'Day list-serv, who lives in Arizona, owns a 222 that he ... TES Yacht Canada Shallow draft will allow you to launch the boat anywhere a speed boat can be launched. TES 246 Versus offers wing-keel boat feel with advantage of variable draft, that makes exploration of areas normally not accessible to keel boats possible. If you find a nice spot on the shoreline, you can beach the boat or drop anchor in knee deep shallow water. best shoal draft blue water boats 26 to 30 Shallow draft via swing keel would be optimum. But strength is at least second to draft, but really its first. Trailerable is also a requirement, so beam has to remain within legal limits. One boat that meets ALL of the stated requirements would the early 80's Ranger 26. 7 Best Sailboats Under $20,000 Catalina 30 sailboats feature a long fin keel and a relatively deep 5.25-foot draft, which requires care when operating in shallow water. However, offshore the Catalina 30 has proven to be a seaworthy and well-handling vessel. Shallow Draft Sailboats Boats for sale 1983 Macgregor 25 Sailboat,The Macgregor 25 sailboat is sought after for its shallow draft, fast sailing and ability to be easily trailered. With a cast iron swing keel this sail boat floats in only 22 inches of water. catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat sailboat yacht