best trailerable sailboats 2023

My Cruiser Life Magazine

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.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dale Roddick (@droddick33)

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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Santana 2023

Another water-ballasted trailer sailer available in three versatile configurations, the 2023 is a fair introduction to low-cost cruising, but not all production problems have been resolved..

With the introduction two years ago of the Santana 2023, one of the newer waterballasted trailerables, the W.D. Schock Corp. in Southern California offered entry-level sailors the same types of mix-and-match options available at an automobile showroom.

The A model is your basic family sloop with a contemporary, low-profile cabin. The 2023 C (cruise) has a longer trunk cabin with more amenities below. The 2023 R (race) is optimized for performance with a sprit for flying asymmetrical spinnakers, though you can add a tall mast to either the A or C model. The R model has the same cabin top as the A model, which we think is more attractive, but has less headroom below, of course.

Air conditioning and white wall tires? Well, thats a stretch.

The Builder

The versatility of the companys product line comes as no surprise, considering that during slow-downs in the boatbuilding business during the mid-1940s, founder Bill Schock kept the doors open by repairing woody station wagons and building furniture, including wooden toilet seats.

Schocks entry into boatbuilding was unplanned. He built his first boat at age 11, but at 26 was running a pontoon repair business. Intrigued by the design of the International 14, he ordered a kit. Before long he had orders for three boats and the rest, as they say, is history. By the early 1950s, his fledgling company was on firmer ground with the construction of I-14s, Sabots and Thistles.

Bill Schock may be best remembered, however, for purchasing designer Barney Lehmans company and building one of the first production fiberglass boats, a 10′ sailing dinghy called the Lehman Interclub, which sold for $642. He was subsequently certified to build the first fiberglass Thistles, International 110s, Penguins and El Toros. Schock claims to be the oldest production boatbuilding company in the country with more than 25,000 boats produced.

In 1959, he converted a homely, under-performing 14-foot cat boat to a centerboarder with headsails and the Lido was born. The company has since produced more than 5,000 of these popular little daysailers, and commemorated its 50th anniversary with the introduction of a special edition at this years Sail Expo.

The companys first venture into the cruising market came with production of the Schock 22, a Calkins-designed version of a Highlander to which were added a small cabin, bunks for four and a hinged mast. Schock proclaimed the boat to be the first trailerable ocean racer in the country, and proved his point by sailing it on extended cruises.

Following in his fathers footsteps, son Tom began sailing as a tyke and by age 12 had become the youngest winner of the Snowbird regional championships. By the mid-1960s he was well entrenched in the business and had developed a reputation on the racing circuit that resulted in an invitation to sail aboard Columbia during the Americas Cup trials. Tom now is president of W.D. Schock.

After crossing paths with architect Gary Mull at a West Coast regatta, the two formulated plans for construction of the Santana 22, a spacious, fixed-keel, sloop-rigged cruiser designed to perform competitively around the buoys and on the MORC circuit. More than 700 of the 22s were produced; active one-design racing fleets are scattered across the country.

The 2023 is a development of the Santana 23 (same hull), designed by Shad Turner and introduced in 1979. But the 2023 is a fractionally rigged, water-ballasted center-boarder that is significantly lighter than its predecessor, and is easily trailered by the family car. About 170 have been built.

Steve Schock, Toms brother, completed the design work for the 2023. Its fine entry, straight sheerline, and reverse transom are, to our eye at least, attractive. Though the 2023 is a contemporary design, it is not as plumb-bowed as some other new designs, but does have a self-bailing open transom. With the centerboard up, it draws just 14″ for trailering and gunkholing. The low cabin and long, black ports of the A and R models are sleeker in appearance than the more traditionally designed C model, which has a higher doghouse and four portlights.

Below the waterline, the A and C versions have conventionally designed appendages, while the rudder and keel of the R version are elliptical shapes designed to improve upwind performance and tacking ability. The kick-up rudder on the A and C models is mounted on a rudder post in the cockpit sole, and controlled with lines in the cockpit. This makes it essentially an inboard rudder, though it folds up out of the water and against the transom because the post is located well aft. The outboard R version rudder is mounted on pintles on the transom. One C-version owner retrofitted an R rudder after a launch mishap. He said the change improved the boats pointing ability, as well as making for crisper tacking.

The spar on the A and C models is a lightweight section constructed in the Schock factory. The spreaders, which are swept back 20 degrees, are supported by 1 x 19 wire attached to the mast with a ball and socket joint. Schock said that in addition to permitting a larger mainsail roach, elimination of the backstay reduces weight aloft by 3 pounds. Cruisers sailing in areas where winds are light may choose an optional rig that is 3′ taller.

The standard rig would seem to be designed to make raising and lowering as easy as possible; however, without a backstay it wont be possible to fully tension the forestay. There are single lower shrouds (in addition to the uppers), which lead to chainplates at the edge of the cabin top.

The A and C reefing system for the mainsail is a boom furling arrangement, managed by rotating a hand crank while easing the main halyard, a feature much appreciated by a number of owners we talked to. All had experience sailing in breezes of more than 15 knots, and one described sailing in 30 knots on a choppy day in San Diego. Each said that the reefing and furling gear facilitates easy reductions in sail area.

The R version mast, a taller, tapered section manufactured by Sparcraft, has a conventional backstay, since support is necessary for the masthead spinnakers.

Spreaders are only swept back seven degrees.

One owner encountered a problem with the failure of welds in the spreader bar, a fitting inside the mast to which the spreaders are attached.

Tom Schock said, The problem was that we were cutting and welding two sections to the mast and we suspect that the welds were failing from vibrations when being trailered.

To solve that problem, the spreader bar is now a single piece of aluminum bent to the proper angle and heat treated.

Headsails for all models are attached to a Harken roller furler. Jib sheets on the C-version lead aft through a turning block to cam cleats on the coachroof. Two owners replaced the cleats with Lewmar #16 winches, an option Schock feels is unnecessary because of low loads. Genoa track is standard on the R version.

The mainsheet on the A and C versions is attached at the end of the boom and led directly to a wire pennant secured at the stern with stainless fasteners and a backing plate, then forward to a padeye in the cockpit and a Harken cam cleat. A factory option to the pennant arrangement was an aluminum barney post to which the sheet lead was attached with screws. Several gear failures were reported by owners of C models when the sheet tore the fitting free of the post.

We drilled holes 1/32 too large for the fasteners we were using at the factory, Schock said, and didnt realize we had a problem until the first failure. Then we realized that, since we produce several boats at a time, we had several problems. Retrofits were made by the factory.

The R-version mainsheet is led to a traveler on the cockpit sole, which improves sheeting angles and sail trim, but impairs movement about the cockpit-an old bugaboo.

Cockpits in both versions are spacious, though the 8′ long R version, 2′ longer than the C-model, provides more room and improves maneuverability for racing crews. All models have cockpit lazarettes large enough for fuel tanks and modest amounts of gear.

Considering the overall length of the boat, accommodations belowdecks are spacious, due in part to the 8′ 6″ beam. The A and C versions have 6′ settees with 3″ foam cushions. A tiny plastic sink and counter are mounted on a starboard bulkhead, below which is a shelf providing space for a single burner alcohol stove. A compartment below the counter houses an ice chest mounted on slides.

Forward of the bulkhead is an enclosed head with a portable toilet, and a 7′ long V-berth.

The portside quarterberth is 6′ 4″ long and 27″ wide.

There is a storage area below the cockpit. A poptop increases standing headroom to more than 6′. The portable dining table can also be mounted in the cockpit.

One owner replaced the plastic sink with a stainless model, and installed a water pump. He also removed the ice chest and converted the area to storage.

Two owners were dissatisfied with the latch on the door of the head, a single wood section with a tendency to open when heeled to port. One removed the door entirely and replaced it with a curtain; another made a bi-fold door and reattached it with brass hinges and latches.

On a more positive note, all owners said they liked the boats livability. All had cruised for extended periods on lakes in Nevada, on the Sea of Cortez, in blustery conditions in San Francisco Bay, and Puget Sound.

Because of its longer cockpit, space below in the R version is reduced. Port and starboard seats form a dinette just aft of the V-berth. A second double berth is located underneath the cockpit. The enclosed head is amidships, across from the galley sink. For racing, this layout places the weight centrally. But cruisers will find the V-berth cramped. Because the retractable sprit is housed to starboard belowdecks, it intrudes into the sitting area on the starboard settee and presents a rather uncomfortable backrest. The sprit is housed in a fiberglass tube that runs through two bulkheads. A tiny plastic hose attached to the aft end of the pole and led to a sink drain on the other prevents the intrusion of water into the cabin.

Construction

The 2023C is constructed of hand-laid fiberglass. After 18-20 mils of gelcoat are applied to the mold, two layers of 1.5-ounce mat and a layer of 18-ounce woven roving are bonded using polyester resins, with extra layers added at the keel trunk. Hull thickness is 1/2″ on the bottom and 3/16″ at the sheer. The deck is a similar combination of mat and cloth cored with marine plywood.

The deck overlaps the hull by approximately 1″, and is bonded with 3M 5200 to a 1″ x 1″ beam running the length of the hull and finished with stainless steel fasteners on 8″ centers. A plastic rubrail covers the joint.

Because minimizing weight is critical to racers, the R model is constructed with 1/2″ Divinicell core in the hull and deck. The combination of a lighter mast and hull and fewer amenities belowdeck allows the R model to weigh about 250 pounds less than the C.

Exterior surfaces on the boats we inspected were nicely finished and detailed, deck layouts were proper for each boats intended use, and high quality rigging and hardware was used.

However, the interior does not reflect the same attention to detail. Surfaces are painted white and are textured. Wood surfaces, counters and bulkheads are teak or veneer. Upon close inspection, we discovered that corners werent joined or trimmed properly, some edges were not finished smoothly, and head doors were not plumb. The overall impression is that finish work would benefit from closer scrutiny at the factory.

One owner purchased a 2023 in 1993 and has been attempting to resolve warranty issues for almost two years. He experienced the broken spreader problem mentioned earlier. His companionway ladder delaminated. The clew ripped out of his jib. He discovered voids in the gelcoat, above the waterline. Most importantly, his gelcoat has faded and blistered, and he has been unable to resolve the issue with the factory.

Tom Schock acknowledged the most serious issues with this unhappy customer, including his personal failure to resolve the issue more expeditiously.

The air voids are uncommon, not representative of our product. We have been attempting to resolve the gelcoat problem with the manufacturer, but so far the manufacturer has offered no help. An immediate response was made by the gelcoat manufacturer by adding more UV retardant. Unfortunately, our customer has suffered a delay in the process, and I have been negligent in not solving the problem more quickly. Doing that will be a New Years resolution, he told us.

Performance

We sailed an R model in moderate breezes on a lake, and were impressed with the boats performance. An 8-hp. outboard with a long shaft moves the boat well, though the factory specification is only for 6-hp. Hoisting the main and unfurling the jib were straightforward, and the boat moved towards hull speed and 15 degrees of heel in 6-8 knots of wind. It is nicely balanced, and appears to sail to within 30 degrees of apparent wind. The weight of a railbird will be advisable when heel is more than 15 degrees.

Setting the asymmetrical spinnaker was a simple matter of pulling a line to extend the bowsprit to its 5′ length, and pulling the halyard, which is led to a cleat in the cockpit. As we have experienced on other sprit boats, the 2023 performs best when sailed at high jibe angles; it is appreciably slower when sailed below 140 degrees of apparent wind. It rewards good driving and sail trim with the sensation of speed and the occasional spurt forward in a puff. Jibing is an uncomplicated process as long as the spinnaker sheet is eased before the boat turns, thus avoiding the potential for a wrap around the headstay. Under spinnaker, the 2023 R seems much more forgiving than the hot rod sprit boats designed specifically for the race course.

Trailerability

Because the sails are attached to the boom and headstay inside a protective sock, shrouds are attached to chainplates, and there is no backstay, the C model is easily rigged by two experienced people, ready to launch in about 15 minutes. Optional equipment includes a hoisting pole, which we think may be unnecessary considering the light weight of the mast and boom. When being trailered, the mast is supported by an aluminum crutch in the cockpit and on the bow pulpit.

The boat fits nicely on a Zieman trailer with a long cradle designed specifically for the 2023. Owners say that filling and draining the ballast is as simple as opening a valve and the air vent located on the cabin sole. Then you wait for 1,300 pounds of water (1,050 for the R model) to enter or run out of the tank.

Dry weight of the boat and trailer is 2,080 pounds without gear. As we have noted on the MacGregor 26 and Catalina 250, the water doesn’t drain until the hull is out of the water, so even though a suitable mid- or full-size car might tow the empty boat, the car will work hard to get the boat up the ramp.

We think the Santana 2023 is a reasonable introduction to cruising lakes and protected waters. Its simple operation should not confound beginners or those stepping up from daysailing. Though the design of the 2023 is not as radical or sophisticated as other sprit boats such as the Melges 24 or Ultimate 20, the hull is well designed. It is easy to rig and launch. While early models suffered gear failures, Schock appears to be working out the bugs. Still, we are dismayed that at least one customers warranty work has not been completed.

At the time of our 1996 review, the prices were $14,175 for the A model. The C model listed for $16,275, the R model for $20,475.

If we were ordering one, wed take the A model (we like the long cockpit and much prefer the looks of the low-profile cabin to the trunk cabin of the C model) and buy the optional taller mast to improve performance.

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Best Trailerable Sailboat Brands to Cruise or Race

18th dec 2023 by samantha wilson.

Being able to trailer your sailboat opens up many possibilities, from cost saving  boat storage solutions to being able to take your boat to new cruising grounds. It's common to see trailered motorboats on the roads in the United States, Canada, and Europe, but sailboats tend to be trailered in smaller numbers.

Of course the act of trailering a sailboat involves a bit more preparation, namely lowering the mast, but as we'll see there are many excellent brands out there ensuring that the sailboats they build can be trailered nearly as easily as a RIB or center console. And they're not just bathtub-sized sailboats either. Some of the best trailerable sailboats are up to 30 feet in length. While it's trickier to trailer a large catamaran due to its wide beam, the multihull world hasn't been left behind, as you can find clever trimarans that fold up in different ways.

We have picked out some of our favorite trailerable sailboat brands in this article but it's important to remember there are many excellent brands building excellent boats.

Corsair Marine photo. 

What Is the Biggest Sailboat I Can Trailer?

Daysailers have long been trailered, thanks to their compact size, simple rigs, and easily lowered, relatively short mast. For those who want a slightly larger boat that they can take the whole family out on or use for overnight trips, then a 20- to 25-foot sailboat may be more useful than a 16- to 19-foot one. Going up a size category allows for a whole new range of activities, with proper galleys, running water, electricity, and an enclosed head to provide more substantial home comforts. But how big is too big to trailer?

You might be surprised to hear that in the United States, sailboats up to around 31 feet in length can be trailered legally. In fact, it typically depends less on length, and more on the weight, beam, and height of the vessel and the trailer together, must meet several legal requirements.

• Weight : While there is no specific weight limit to be towed, the sailboat has to be able to be towed easily by your vehicle, usually a pickup-style truck or full-size SUV with substantial power. Most single- and tandem-axle trailers can handle a maximum combined load of 7,000 to 8,000 pounds, so your weight limit will also be dictated by your trailer.
• Beam : To travel without permits, the trailer and vessel must fit on the road in regular traffic. In the US, that's a maximum width of 8 foot 6 inches (a couple inches less in the EU at 2.55 meters). Most trailerable monohull sailboats will be less than this for ease of maneuvering in traffic, but when it comes to catamarans and trimarans, adjustments have to be made (we'll look at those later).
• Length : The upper length limit of a sailboat can be anything up to 65 feet, but that's a moot point because vessels of that size would never meet the width limits. In reality, a 30-footer is the longest sailboat you're likely to tow, with 15- to 25-footers being much more common.
• Height : Your trailer and sailboat have to fit under bridges and highway overpasses and so for most states the maximum height is 14 feet. This will obviously require lowering the mast onto the deck and including that into your height calculation.

For more advice on the practicalities of trailering see our guide to Buying a Boat Trailer .

The Best Trailerable Cruising Sailboats

The best trailerable cruising sailboat brands.

• Catalina Yachts : As one of North America's best-known sailboat brands of sailboats, Catalina has a long history of building trailerable models. Their entire Sport line cruising boats—except for the 275—can easily be trailered, and the 22 and 22 Sport, in particular, make for a great step up from daysailing to enjoying a pocket cruiser.
• Beneteau : Beneteau 's reputation for affordable, capable yachts spans the globe, and their skill at building trailerable sailboats up to 30 feet is just one of many attributes. Take the First 27SE and 24; they are not luxury cruiser (although the 27SE can sleep six crew!) but they sure can sail fast on short distance races or fast adventure cruises. With impeccable and high-quality design featuring double rudders, these are some of the nicest fast cruisers on the market.

Beneteau First 27SE. Beneteau photo. 

The Best Trailerable Sport Sailboats

Several brands on this list create high performance sports sailboats , and one of the top names you think of in this sector is Laser whose speedy tiny racers are now an Olympic event in themselves. But there are many excellent brands building ultra-fast sports sailboats – several on our list are considerably bigger than a Laser too. Here we take a look at some of our favorite sports dinghies which are the quintessential trailerable sports boat.

The Best Trailerable Sport Sailboat Brands

• Melges : Founded in 1945 by Harry C. Melges, Sr., this is an iconic Midwestern brand made famous, in part, by Harry's son, Harry “Buddy” Melges Jr, an Olympic medalist in the ‘60s and National Sailing Hall of Fame member. Today the business is run by Harry III, also a championship sailor, who oversees a range of high performance vessels from the award-winning Melges 14 and 15 dinghies, to A, C, E and MC scow classes, and international sportboat classes, the Melges 20 and 24—the latter has more than 900 boats sailing competitively all over the world. All of their models are trailerable, allowing them to be transported easily to competitions. Melges boats for sale
• J/Boats : The most successful volume builder of trailerable, performance keelboats is also a family-run brand founded by brothers Rod and Bob Johnstone and now led by second-generation Johnstones—Jeff, Al and Stuart. Starting with the J/24 (more than 5,500 boats built) and most recently with the J/70, the company has popularized a series of international racing classes from 22 to 26 feet while also building many popular larger racer/cruiser-style models that don't fit easily on a trailer.  J/Boats for sale
• RS Sailing : British-built RS Sailing performance dinghies and keelboats are spreading in popularity across the world. Distributed widely on the east coast of the US, they're excellent pocket racing dinghies, easily trailered and ultra-fast. Their range of boats runs from 12 feet and 21 feet and includes dinghies, catamarans, and keelboats, allowing you to find exactly the right boat for your experience level and interest, but it's their Racing Series which sets them apart as high performers in the market. They're lightweight, simple in their design, and well-suited to being trailered thanks to their compact sizes.

Melges 24. Melges photo. 

The Best Trailerable Youth Sailboats

Trailerable sailboats designed for younger sailors are lightweight, easy to rig, and easy to sail. They should offer a simple platform in which to learn the mechanics of sailing, the movement of the boat on the water, and the basic maintenance of a sailboat. For more guidance check out our guide to choosing the best beginner sailboat .

The Best Trailerable Youth Sailboat Brands

• ILCA : Formerly known as the Laser, the ILCA design is one of the most popular sailboats of all time, a responsive yet high-performance one-person sailboat that is an excellent step up, particularly for sailors who outgrow their smaller dinghies as teenagers. As a racing class, ILCA offers three different mast sizes so sailors can start in what's called the ILCA 4 class and as they gain weight, move to ILCA 6 and 7. By that time, you're in a class of boat that can take you all the way to the Olympics. Designed in the 1970s by Canadian sailor Bruce Kirby, the 13'10.5” boat teaches high-performance skills, subtle steering and trimming techniques, and astounding speed once on a plane.
• Hobie Cat : We've put Hobie Cat in this category simply because of the brand's long-standing legacy of creating fun, simple, and compact catamarans that are loved by families and easily trailered. The classic Hobie 16 model with more than 100,000 built remains an active international class worldwide for the young and the young at heart; newer models provide a good, stable platform for a variety of off-the-beach and daysailing contexts. Catamarans are obviously wider than their monohull counterparts, but beach cats like the ones made by Hobie are well within the maximum width allowance to be towed on American roads. And because of their lightweight fiberglass or rotomolded hulls, they can be towed by much less powerful vehicles too.

Laser sailboats. Laser Performance photo. 

The Best Small Trailerable Sailboats

There are many benefits to opting for a small towable sailboat , and plenty of excellent brands out there are producing high performance pocket cruisers. A smaller sailboat won't require a large trailer and together they will weigh less and be able to be towed by a regular family car rather than a pick-up truck. Navigating smaller roads or heavier traffic will be less of a consideration, plus getting your sailboat launched will be a simpler affair. Several brands on our list could be in this category but special mention must be made of:

The Best Small Trailerable Sailboats Brands

• Cape Cutter : The traditional beauty of these sailboats, twinned with modern-day advancements, makes them really stand out from the rest. The design originates from the classic gaff cutter work boats, but today it's one of the fastest small gaffers in the world. The interior is cleverly spacious, with four berths, as well as a simple galley area. With quick rigging, it can be sailed solo, but is also able to accommodate small groups, making it a capable and hugely versatile pocket cruiser. At 22 feet long, 7 foot 7 inches wide, and under 5 foot in height with the mast lowered, it's perfect for trailering too. Cape Cutter boats for sale.
• NorseBoat : These beautiful, hand-crafted, and impressively versatile Canadian-built sailboats offer good performance and are described by the manufacturer as "the Swiss Army Knives of sailboats". Whether it's the 12.5 model, which can be sailed, rowed, and motored, or the 17.5 or 21.5 models, they can all be trailered, easily beached, and even used as camp cruisers, allowing for overnight adventures. And with traditional styling they're absolute head-turners whether you're cruising along the road or water.

NorseBoat 17.5. NorseBoat photo. 

The Best Trailerable Catamaran and Trimaran Sailboats

Multihulls have gained popularity in the last 20 years thanks to their stability, lack of keel, performance, and increased space on board compared to a monohull of the same length. Yet there are obvious challenges when it comes to trailering a sailboat with a very wide beam such as a catamaran or even more so a trimaran. In fact, by having three hulls, the trimaran type has bred for some innovative engineering, folding in the two outer hulls thus creating a smaller overall beam for transport. This is trickier with catamarans as they're not foldable in the same way. We've mentioned the well-known Hobie Cat brand of small beach cats above but there are some other innovative brands out there making it easier to trailer multihulls.

The Best Trailerable Catamaran and Trimaran Sailboat Brands

• Nacra : Catamarans are difficult to trailer because their beam is likely to exceed the legal road limits due to their double hull structure. Having said that, small models such as Nacra's lightning fast racing cats will squeeze within the beam limits at 8 foot 5 inches wide including the 15, F16, and F18 Infusion. If you're after trailerable performance and some competition, these cats provide a whole different level for serious and athletic sailors.
• Corsair : Corsair makes some of the best trailerable trimaran sailboats on the market and were pioneers in the folding trimaran sector for more than three decades. Yes you read that correctly…foldable trimarans up to 20 feet in length. With technology straight out of a Transformers movie, a 15-foot beam folds down into a neat little 8-foot wide package ready for trailering. Even the 31 foot 10 inch long 970 Cruze, with its standing room cabin, can be put on a trailer thanks to the folding system and retractable daggerboard and rudder.
• Dragonfly : With a focus on beautiful, cruise-worthy, high-quality, and high-performance trimarans up to 40 feet, Dragonfly offers two models— the 25 and 28—that can be folded and trailered for ease of transport and to allow you the freedom to access different cruising grounds. At a folded width of 8 feet 3 inches, the 28 is still just within legal width for towing on US roads, while offering you a true weekend cruiser complete with saloon, cabin, and galley.

Dragonfly 28.1. Dragonfly photo. 

Written By: Samantha Wilson

Samantha Wilson has spent her entire life on and around boats, from tiny sailing dinghies all the way up to superyachts. She writes for many boating and yachting publications, top charter agencies, and some of the largest travel businesses in the industry, combining her knowledge and passion of boating, travel and writing to create topical, useful and engaging content.

More from: Samantha Wilson

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Best Trailerable Sailboats

Look­ing for the per­fect sail­boat that offers free­dom and ver­sa­til­i­ty? Look no fur­ther!

In this arti­cle, we’ll reveal the best trail­er­a­ble sail­boats for your adven­tur­ous spir­it.

With their impres­sive per­for­mance and speed, ease of trai­ler­ing and launch­ing, spa­cious cab­in, and durable con­struc­tion, these sail­boats are designed to give you the ulti­mate sail­ing expe­ri­ence.

Whether you’re a sea­soned sailor or a begin­ner, get ready to embark on unfor­get­table jour­neys with these top-rat­ed sail­boats.

Key Take­aways

• Per­for­mance and speed: Sleek design, light­weight hull, well-designed sail plan, and mod­ern mate­ri­als con­tribute to increased speed and maneu­ver­abil­i­ty of trail­er­a­ble sail­boats.
• Ease of trai­ler­ing and launch­ing: Light­weight sail­boat, reli­able trail­er hitch, com­pact design, user-friend­ly trail­er sys­tem, and fea­tures like a stur­dy winch and smooth rolling sys­tem ensure easy and effi­cient trai­ler­ing and launch­ing.
• Cab­in space and com­fort: Sail­boats like Catali­na 22, Hunter 23, and Mac­Gre­gor 26X offer spa­cious cab­ins with ample head­room, com­fort­able seat­ing areas, and lux­u­ri­ous accom­mo­da­tions for relax­ation and enjoy­ment on the water.
• Dura­bil­i­ty and con­struc­tion: Sail­boats with dou­ble prepo­si­tion, rein­forced hulls, strong keels, sol­id deck fit­tings, and mate­ri­als like fiber­glass, alu­minum, and steel ensure dura­bil­i­ty, resis­tance to cor­ro­sion, and sta­bil­i­ty in var­i­ous road and water con­di­tions.

Table of Con­tents

Performance and Speed

You’ll find that the per­for­mance and speed of a sail­boat are cru­cial fac­tors to con­sid­er when choos­ing the best trail­er­a­ble option.

As some­one who desires free­dom, you want a sail­boat that can cut through the water with ease and pro­vide an exhil­a­rat­ing sail­ing expe­ri­ence. Look for a sail­boat that boasts a sleek design and a light­weight hull, as these fea­tures con­tribute to increased speed and maneu­ver­abil­i­ty.

A well-designed sail plan with a large main sail and a vari­ety of head­sails will also enhance the boat’s per­for­mance, allow­ing you to har­ness the pow­er of the wind effec­tive­ly. Addi­tion­al­ly, a well-bal­anced boat with a deep keel or cen­ter­board will ensure sta­bil­i­ty and improve your sail­boat’s over­all han­dling.

When it comes to per­for­mance and speed, it’s essen­tial to con­sid­er the mate­ri­als used in the con­struc­tion of the sail­boat. Mod­ern mate­ri­als like car­bon fiber and fiber­glass offer strength and dura­bil­i­ty while keep­ing the boat light­weight. These mate­ri­als also con­tribute to reduced drag, allow­ing you to glide smooth­ly through the water and achieve high­er speeds.

Ease of Trailering and Launching

To ensure a smooth expe­ri­ence, ensure that the sail­boat is light­weight and equipped with a reli­able trail­er hitch. When it comes to ease of trai­ler­ing and launch­ing, you want a sail­boat that gives you the free­dom to explore with­out any has­sle. Look for a sail­boat that’s com­pact and easy to maneu­ver. You don’t want to waste pre­cious time strug­gling to get your boat on and off the trail­er. Opt for a sail­boat that can be eas­i­ly loaded and unloaded, allow­ing you to hit the road and embark on your next adven­ture in no time.

Con­sid­er a sail­boat with a user-friend­ly trail­er sys­tem that sim­pli­fies the launch­ing process. Look for fea­tures like a stur­dy winch and a smooth rolling sys­tem that allows for effort­less launch­ing into the water. You want a sail­boat that can be eas­i­ly maneu­vered from the trail­er into the water, pro­vid­ing you with the free­dom to set sail when­ev­er and wher­ev­er you desire.

Addi­tion­al­ly, make sure the sail­boat has a secure and reli­able trail­er hitch. This will ensure that your sail­boat remains secure­ly attached to your tow­ing vehi­cle, giv­ing you peace of mind as you trav­el to your next sail­ing des­ti­na­tion. A reli­able trail­er hitch is essen­tial for a wor­ry-free tow­ing expe­ri­ence.

Cabin Space and Comfort

When it comes to cab­in space and com­fort, you’ll want a sail­boat that pro­vides ample room for relax­ation and accom­mo­da­tions. After a long day of sail­ing, you’ll want to unwind in a cozy and spa­cious cab­in where you can stretch out and enjoy your free­dom on the water.

Here are some sail­boats that excel in cab­in space and com­fort:

The Catali­na 22 offers a spa­cious cab­in that allows you to move around freely. It pro­vides ample head­room and com­fort­able seat­ing areas, per­fect for relax­ing after a long day of sail­ing. The Hunter 23 is known for its roomy cab­in lay­out, with a cozy V‑berth and com­fort­able seat­ing options. Last­ly, the Mac­Gre­gor 26X boasts a gen­er­ous cab­in space, offer­ing lux­u­ri­ous accom­mo­da­tions for those seek­ing a high lev­el of com­fort.

No mat­ter which sail­boat you choose, hav­ing a com­fort­able cab­in space is essen­tial for your sail­ing adven­tures. With these sail­boats, you can enjoy the free­dom of the open water while expe­ri­enc­ing the utmost com­fort and relax­ation in your onboard accom­mo­da­tions.

When it comes to find­ing one, you should also con­sid­er the type of sail­ing you plan to do. If you plan on coastal cruis­ing, a larg­er boat with more stor­age and ameni­ties will pro­vide a more com­fort­able expe­ri­ence. On the oth­er hand, if you plan on rac­ing or day­sail­ing, a small­er boat with less stor­age and fea­tures may be more suit­able. Sail­boat’s con­struc­tion qual­i­ty should also be tak­en into con­sid­er­a­tion, as this will affect its longevi­ty and per­for­mance. Make sure to check the boat’s weight capac­i­ty and tow­ing capac­i­ty to ensure it can be towed safe­ly.

What Are Trailerable Sailboats?

Trail­er­a­ble sail­boats are small, light­weight sail­boats that can be towed behind a vehi­cle. They have a beam (width) of less than 8 feet, and they can be trans­port­ed on a trail­er to dif­fer­ent bod­ies of water. These boats are designed to be easy to maneu­ver and han­dle, and their small­er size makes them great for those who are just start­ing out in sail­ing. You can even make a full time liv­ing on it.

They often fea­ture two or three berths, a gal­ley, a head, and a nav­i­ga­tion sta­tion. Depend­ing on the mod­el, they may also include addi­tion­al ameni­ties such as a cab­in heater, an elec­tric anchor winch, a refrig­er­a­tor, a stereo sys­tem, and a show­er. They are usu­al­ly made for use in coastal and off­shore waters, and can accom­mo­date up to six peo­ple. Trail­er­a­ble sail­boats are a great way to explore and enjoy the out­doors with­out hav­ing to wor­ry about long-term stor­age or moor­ing.

Advantages of Trailerable Sailboats

Tra iler able sail boats offer a great oppor­tu­ni­ty to own a sail boat with­out the high costs of tra­di­tion­al sail boat own­er­ship . They can be towed to dif­fer­ent loca­tions , allow­ing for more sail­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties than a reg­u­lar sail boat . They can also be stored more eas­i­ly , and some can even be stored in the water , reduc­ing the need for ha uling in and out of the water . Trail­er able sail boats are also typ­i­cal­ly eas­i­er to main­tain , mak­ing them a great option for those new to sail­ing . They are more afford­able than tra­di­tion­al sail­boats, allow­ing even the most bud­get-con­scious sailors to enjoy the sport of sail­ing.

The most obvi­ous advan­tage of trail­er­a­ble sail­boats is their cost. While larg­er sail­boats can cost tens of thou­sands of dol­lars, trail­er­a­ble mod­els are much more afford­able. This makes them a great option for those who are just get­ting start­ed in sail­ing, or for those who are on a tight bud­get.

Maneuverability

They are also much eas­i­er to maneu­ver than larg­er sail­boats. Their small­er size makes them ide­al for tight spaces, and they’re also much eas­i­er to turn. This makes them a great option for those who are just start­ing out in sail­ing and need to prac­tice their maneu­ver­ing skills.

Portability

One of the major advan­tages of them is their porta­bil­i­ty. Since they can be towed behind a vehi­cle, they can eas­i­ly be trans­port­ed to dif­fer­ent bod­ies of water. This makes them great for those who want to explore dif­fer­ent areas with­out hav­ing to buy or rent a boat for each area.

Types of Trailerable Sailboats

They are small sail boats that can be trans­port­ed on a trail­er , allow­ing for easy trans­porta­tion from one loca­tion to anoth­er . They typ­i­cal­ly range from 8 - 30 feet in length and can be used for a vari­ety of recre­ation­al activ­i­ties . They  are typ­i­cal­ly designed for day sail­ing or week­end exc ursions , and are pop­u­lar choic­es for first - time boat own­ers due to their afford­abil­i­ty and con­ve­nience . Com­mon fea­tures of them  include a mast , boom , t iller , and dag­ger board or cen­ter board , as well as a cab­in or cock­pit for addi­tion­al stor­age and shel­ter .

Day­sail­ers are the most com­mon type of trail­er­a­ble sail­boat. These boats are rel­a­tive­ly small and are designed for day sail­ing. They typ­i­cal­ly have one or two masts, and they’re designed to be easy to maneu­ver. Day­sail­ers are a great option for those who are just start­ing out in sail­ing and don’t need the extra room of a larg­er boat.

Pocket Cruisers

Pock­et cruis­ers are a bit larg­er than day­sail­ers, and they offer a bit more room and com­fort. These boats are designed for longer trips and overnight stays, and they usu­al­ly have a cab­in and oth­er ameni­ties. They’re also more sta­ble than day­sail­ers, which makes them a great option for those who want to explore more dis­tant areas.

Mul­ti­hulls are boats with two or more hulls. They have a wide beam, which makes them more sta­ble and bet­ter able to han­dle rough con­di­tions. They also offer more room and com­fort than day­sail­ers or pock­et cruis­ers, and they’re a great option for those who want to explore larg­er areas.

Things to Consider When Buying a Trailerable Sailboat

When buy­ing a trail­er able sail boat , it is impor­tant to con­sid­er a few fac­tors . S ize of the boat should be appro­pri­ate for the type of sail­ing you plan to do . A larg­er boat may be more com­fort­able , but it may also be more dif­fi­cult to han­dle and require more expen­sive equip­ment . Y ou should con­sid­er the design of the boat to make sure it is suit­able for your sail­ing needs .

• Size : Con­sid­er how much space you have to store and trans­port, as well as the size of the body of water you plan to sail on.
• Hull Mate­r­i­al : What type of mate­r­i­al do you pre­fer for the hull? Some pop­u­lar mate­ri­als include fiber­glass, alu­minum, and wood.
• Rig­ging : Think about the type of rig­ging you want, such as sloop, cut­ter, or ketch.
• Draft : Con­sid­er how much draft your sail­boat should have, depend­ing on the type of sail­ing you plan to do.
• Speed : Think about the speed and how it will affect your sail­ing expe­ri­ence.
• Price : Con­sid­er your bud­get and make sure your choice is with­in your price range.
• Main­te­nance : Research the main­te­nance require­ments for the sail­boat you are look­ing at and make sure you are will­ing and able to keep up with them.
• Safe­ty : choose meets all applic­a­ble safe­ty reg­u­la­tions and that you have the nec­es­sary safe­ty equip­ment on board.

You should also pay atten­tion to the con­struc­tion mate­ri­als used , as these will affect the longevi­ty of the boat and its per­for­mance on the water . Y ou should think about the cost of the boat , as well as the cost of main­te­nance and repairs . All of these fac­tors should be weighed care­ful­ly before mak­ing a pur­chase . As a start You might con­sid­er buy­ing small sail­boats .

When buy­ing a trail­er­a­ble sail­boat, it’s impor­tant to con­sid­er your bud­get. As men­tioned above, these boats are much more afford­able than larg­er sail­boats, but they can still be expen­sive. Be sure to con­sid­er the cost of the boat, the cost of main­te­nance, and the cost of oth­er nec­es­sary acces­sories.

Anoth­er impor­tant fac­tor to con­sid­er is the size of the boat. They come in a vari­ety of sizes, and it’s impor­tant to choose one that will fit your needs. Be sure to con­sid­er the size of the boat, the amount of room it offers, and the num­ber of peo­ple that it can accom­mo­date.

The fea­tures of the boat are also impor­tant to con­sid­er. You’ll want to look for a boat that has the fea­tures you need, such as a cab­in, a gal­ley, a head, and a sailplan. You’ll also want to con­sid­er the type of sails and rig­ging the boat has, as well as its elec­tron­ics.

Maintenance

Main­te­nance is also an impor­tant fac­tor to con­sid­er when buy­ing a trail­er­a­ble sail­boat. Be sure to research the boat’s main­te­nance and repair require­ments, as well as the cost of replace­ment parts. This will help you to deter­mine if the boat is a good fit for your needs.

Safety Tips for Sailing in Trailerable Sailboats

They are a great way to get out on the water and explore your local water­ways. How­ev­er, it’s impor­tant to keep safe­ty in mind when sail­ing these boats. Here, we’ll take a look at some safe­ty tips.

Sail­ing in trail­er­a­ble sail­boats can be an enjoy­able and safe expe­ri­ence if you take the prop­er pre­cau­tions. Make sure your boat is in good con­di­tion and that all safe­ty equip­ment is in work­ing order, includ­ing life jack­ets, flares, and a first-aid kit. Famil­iar­ize your­self with the rules of the water, includ­ing any local boat­ing reg­u­la­tions that may be in place. Before you leave the dock, check the weath­er fore­cast and adjust your plans as need­ed.

When sail­ing, stay aware of your sur­round­ings and be aware of oth­er ves­sels in the area. When under­way, prac­tice good boat han­dling and stay alert to changes in the envi­ron­ment. Always have a plan for return­ing to shore and make sure you have enough food, water, and sup­plies for the dura­tion of your trip.

Check the Weather

Before you set out, be sure to check the weath­er. Trail­er­a­ble sail­boats are small and light­weight, which makes them vul­ner­a­ble to wind and waves. It’s impor­tant to check the fore­cast before you head out, and be sure to avoid sail­ing in rough con­di­tions.

Wear a Life Jacket

It’s impor­tant to wear a life jack­et when sail­ing in a trail­er­a­ble sail­boat. These boats can be eas­i­ly cap­sized in rough con­di­tions, and wear­ing a life jack­et can help keep you safe should this hap­pen. It’s also impor­tant to make sure that every­one on board is wear­ing a life jack­et.

Check the Boat

Before you set out, it’s impor­tant to check the boat for any signs of wear and tear. Make sure that all of the lines and rig­ging are in good con­di­tion, and check the hull for any cracks or oth­er dam­age. Also, be sure to check the sail for any tears or wear.

Check the Trailer

It’s also impor­tant to check the trail­er before you set out. Make sure that the tires are prop­er­ly inflat­ed and that the hitch is secure­ly attached to the vehi­cle. Also, be sure to check the winch and straps to make sure they’re in good con­di­tion.

Stay Aware of Your Surrounding

When sail­ing in a trail­er­a­ble sail­boat, it’s impor­tant to stay aware of your sur­round­ings. Be sure to keep an eye out for oth­er boats in the area, and be aware of any haz­ards such as rocks or shal­low water. It’s also impor­tant to be aware of the wind and waves, and to avoid sail­ing in rough con­di­tions.

Stay­ing aware of your sur­round­ings is an impor­tant part of keep­ing your­self safe. It means being aware of what is hap­pen­ing around you and pay­ing atten­tion to your envi­ron­ment. It means being aware of who is near you, what is hap­pen­ing around you, and where you are. This means pay­ing atten­tion to your body lan­guage, lis­ten­ing to what oth­er peo­ple are say­ing, and being aware of poten­tial risks.

By stay­ing aware of your sur­round­ings, you can bet­ter iden­ti­fy poten­tial risks and respond to them quick­ly and appro­pri­ate­ly.

Carry an Emergency Kit

It’s also impor­tant to car­ry an emer­gency kit when sail­ing in a trail­er­a­ble sail­boat. This kit should include a radio, a flash­light, a first aid kit, and oth­er items that you may need in an emer­gency.

Trailerable Sailboat Maintenance Tips

If you’re the proud own­er of a trail­er­a­ble sail­boat, it’s impor­tant to keep up with reg­u­lar main­te­nance. This will help ensure that your boat stays in good con­di­tion and is safe to use. Here, we’ll take a look at some tips for main­tain­ing your trail­er­a­ble sail­boat.

Wash and Wax the Hull

It’s impor­tant to keep the hull of your boat clean. Be sure to wash it with a mild soap and warm water, and then wax it with a good qual­i­ty boat wax. This will help pro­tect the hull from UV rays and keep it look­ing like new.

Clean and Lubricate the Hinges

It’s also impor­tant to keep the hinges on your boat clean and lubri­cat­ed. Be sure to use a high-qual­i­ty lubri­cant, and make sure to clean off any dirt or debris that has accu­mu­lat­ed. This will help ensure that the hinges open and close smooth­ly.

Check the Lines and Rigging

It’s impor­tant to check the lines and rig­ging on your boat reg­u­lar­ly. Be sure to look for any signs of wear and tear, and replace any lines or rig­ging that are frayed or worn. This will help ensure that the boat is safe to sail.

Check the Sails

Be sure to check the sails on your boat reg­u­lar­ly. Look for any signs of wear and tear, and replace any sails that are dam­aged or worn. Also, be sure to check the bat­tens and bat­ten pock­ets for any signs of dam­age.

Check the Electrical System

It’s also impor­tant to check the elec­tri­cal sys­tem on your boat. Be sure to check the bat­tery and the wiring for any signs of cor­ro­sion or dam­age. Also, be sure to check the con­nec­tions and make sure they’re tight.

It’s impor­tant to check the trail­er reg­u­lar­ly as well. Be sure to check the tires for any signs of wear and tear, and check the winch and straps for any dam­age. Also, be sure to check the hitch and make sure it’s secure­ly attached to the vehi­cle.

Trail­er­a­ble sail­boats are a great option for those who are look­ing for a small­er, more afford­able boat. These boats are easy to maneu­ver and han­dle, and they offer a great way to explore your local water­ways. Be sure to con­sid­er the cost, size, fea­tures, and main­te­nance require­ments when choos­ing the best trail­er­a­ble sail­boat for you. With the right boat, you’ll be able to enjoy your time on the water for years to come.

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2023 Boat of the Year: Best Performance Cruiser

• By CW Editorial Team
• December 7, 2022

One of two categories with a solid lineup of five nominees, the Performance Cruiser class provided the judges with tremendous sailing and difficult choices. Beneteau, J/Boats and X-Yachts had all delivered winning entries in previous years. This time, price and production—as well as performance—all factored into the final decisions. 

The Lyman-Morse LM46 is an heirloom-quality craft, but it is also a semicustom boat with a seven-figure sticker price, and it will have a limited production run compared with its rivals. Still, the panelists could not ignore its overall excellence . That left four powerful contestants, and the “sail-off” that followed couldn’t have been more pleasurable or rewarding. This division truly lived up to its name, with a roster of performers that lit up under sail. 

Winner: J/Boats, J/45

The Johnstone family business has certainly evolved in the 45 years since the company launched with the J/24, but the common denominator in the boats it has built since then is pretty straightforward: They’re all terrific sailing craft. Over time, J/Boats pivoted from one-design classes to ocean racers and full-fledged cruisers, and all that experience has culminated with this sleek, slick, dual-purpose 45-footer. 

“As expected, this boat sailed beautifully,” judge Ed Sherman says. “Its 75 hp Volvo Penta saildrive gave us ample speed when motoring, and was quiet too. I see this boat as an answer to the hardcore racer who wants to scale back a bit and enjoy cruising with the family in comfort while not sacrificing the performance they’re used to.” 

Fellow judge Mark Pillsbury explains what put the boat over the top in his mind: “During Boat of the Year sea trials, we’re usually accompanied by builders or dealers who tell us what a boat’s intended to do, and we’re left to determine how successfully they hit the mark. In the case of the new J/45 , we got to hear directly from an owner himself, who wanted a boat that he could seriously race with his mates, and then take his family of four young daughters off cruising. After a summer of doing both, the verdict was in: He loved his new J/45. And after our sail, so did we. ‘Rides like it’s on rails,’ I jotted in my notes. ‘Very smooth.’”

Finalist: Beneteau, Beneteau First 36

The French builder’s First line of boats has always been performance-oriented (as opposed to its Oceanis line of dedicated cruisers), and the company has upped the ante since obtaining the Seascape brand and incorporating it into Groupe Beneteau. 

“I reckon First 36 owners are going to be racing more than cruising,” says judge Herb McCormick, who led the charge to give the boat “special recognition” . “It will excel in both club races and doublehanded events, which are becoming more and more popular. But this boat can do both well. It gives you so many options.” 

Sherman concurs: “Another boat offering the racing enthusiast a genuinely viable cruising option. Simple but solid construction and finished to a high standard, this model represented to me what a modern racer/cruiser should be. Equipped with a 30 hp saildrive, it motored along nicely at 8 knots, and this was on a day when we had lots of wave action and over 20 knots of wind at times. This Slovenian-built Beneteau was also a joy to sail.”

Finalist: L30 Class, L30

Our judges were highly impressed with this sweet little trailerable sailboat, which was developed by Ukraine’s most famous sailor, Olympic sailing medalist Rodion Luka, and which is still being produced in the country despite the ongoing conflict. 

Our sea trial, in a stiff 20-plus-knot southerly, was easily one of our week’s wildest. Here’s Pillsbury’s take: “The L30 is an interesting boat with just enough interior accommodations for short cruises or overnights en route to a regatta and back. The boat we sailed was set up for racing, meaning lot of lines to tug to adjust sails. But its retractable keel, cassette rudders and mast stepped on a tabernacle make trailer sailing a definite possibility.”

Finalist: Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding Inc., Lyman-Morse LM46

Our Domestic Boat of the Year is a showstopper on multiple levels, a boat built by the midcoast Maine company that produced the beautiful Seguin line back in the day, of which the LM46 is a worthy successor. 

Sherman peels back the technical layers: “Mastervolt lithium battery power and a 120-amp, high-output, main-engine-driven alternator eliminate the need for an onboard air-conditioning generator. Further enhancing this concept, the engine is connected to a Centek muffler system so that when the engine is running to recharge the batteries, things stay quiet. Our engine motoring tests confirmed this with speeds at over 8 knots with noise decibel levels in the low 70- to 74-decibel range on a 20-knot windy day that generated a lot of ambient noise.”

Finalist: X-Yachts, X-Yachts X4 3

It’s always a memorable year for the BOTY judges when a new X-Yacht is one of the nominees. The Danish builder has left a consistent mark on the proceedings, with multiple victories in its respective classes over the years. 

X-Yachts’ latest versatile offering, Pillsbury says, picks up where previous models left off: “Well, they’ve done it again. The team at X-Yachts has launched another stunning performance cruiser, this one a 43-footer that’s lively under sail and well-thought-through below. Counters have deep fiddles, handholds abound, the deck is uncluttered, and the single rudder delivers smooth-as-butter steering. The X4 3 replaces a popular model of the same size that sold more than 100 boats. I’m guessing that the newest model will give its predecessor a run for its money.” 

View all of the winners by category, meet the judges, and more…

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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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Practical Boat Owner

• Digital edition

Best trailer sailboats: Our trailer sailing expert offers his recommendations

• Colin Haines
• March 28, 2022

PBO reader Paul Adamson wants to know what are the best trailer sailboats. Our trailer sailing expert Colin Haines has this advice…

Paul Adamson wonders if a Beneteau First 21.7 like this is the ideal trailer-sailer for him. Photo: David Harding

Paul Adamson from the Isle of Man, writes: “My wife and I are looking to buy a trailer sailboat, mainly for coastal cruising with an overnight before returning to berth.

“We have room to store over winter and so are looking forward to all those upsides that trailer sailing offers.

“My research so far is leading me to a Beneteau First 21.7. Is there anything else out there that I should also seriously consider as a trailer sailboat?”

PBO trailer sailing expert Colin Haines replies: “These days the limitations of getting a boat to the water are clearly defined.

“Obviously, your driving licence defines your limits with regards to weight you’re allowed to be in control of.

“The maximum weight of trailer that a car can pull is defined by the car’s VIN plate and the maximum allowable weight on a single axle is 1,800kg.

“Double axle trailers can carry more weight but are effectively impossible to turn round by muscle power alone when manoeuvring. The 3,500kg limit of combined car and trailer weight may also apply.

Article continues below…

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“The internet tells me the official weight of a Beneteau First 21.7 is 1,245 kg, but this will be the minimum. Reality may well see the boat weighing more.

“Steel-built trailers typically weigh about 40% of the weight of the boat they carry, suggesting you’re looking at towing something like 1,750kg, perilously close to the 1,800kg limit for a single axle trailer.

“However, having personally towed a similar weight for many thousands of miles, provided your rig is well set up and you take your time it presents little to worry about if the trailer’s brakes are better than adequate.

“Launching and recovering a heavy boat depends on the trailer’s design. Submersion launching will lead to problems with rusting trailer wheel bearings. Sealed bearings keep grease in but won’t keep water out – they can rust after a single submersion.

Quite large yachts can be successfully trailed and sailed with the right tow vehicle and trailer combination. This is a Swallow Yachts Bay Cruiser 26

“One solution is to carry the boat on a launching trolley resting on the trailer, adding weight to be towed down the road. The other is some form of break-back trailer that pivots in the middle.

“Getting the trailer’s wheels wet to allow the boat to be launched into deeper water is not a problem provided the water level does not reach the bearings.

“Trailer brakes do not prevent the trailer from running backwards down a slipway, so the tow vehicle needs a very effective handbrake.

“The Beneteau First 21.7 is ‘unsinkable’ but everything has a price. In this case, being unsinkable the boat is effectively two boats, one inside the other with foam in between.

“The inner ‘boat’ is therefore smaller and there’ll be a lack of stowing spaces compared with similar sized single-skin boats. This I know because much of my trail-sailing was done with an unsinkable Etap 22i .

“The adverts don’t mention thermal insulation, but it is an important consideration. One Easter on the Norfolk Broads we were warm enough in the cabin when we woke up to be surprised to see an inch or so of snow on the decks.

“I wouldn’t limit your search to a single trailer sailboat at this stage. Instead, I suggest you prepare a list of desirable features and then look for the best trailer sailboats that tick as many boxes as possible.

“There may be some mileage in the idea of buying your first trailer sailboat knowing that it’s not perfect, and with the full intention of sailing it for two years and then selling it.

“By then, you may have the same tick-list, but the priorities for you and your wife will be very, very, different. What you actually end up buying will then depend on what is for sale at the time. As ever, the final choice will be a compromise.

“The benefit of a trailer sailboat, of course, is that it opens up a whole new world of cruising grounds. A Spring Bank Holiday on Scotland ’s west coast can be followed by a summer holiday cruise of Brittany’s Gulf of Morbihan. I’ve done that, and during the same year spent Easter on the Norfolk Broads.

“If you choose a trailer sailboat that’s easy to launch and rig the mast, then when fair winds coincide with a weekend, the whim to spend a night anchored somewhere sheltered can be turned into a reality.”

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What is a good Trailer Sailboat?

• Thread starter ShalomOrchard
• Start date Dec 15, 2022
• Forums for All Owners
• Trailer Sailors

ShalomOrchard

What is a Good Trailer Sailboat? My Criteria? Smaller then 30 ft. Can be ?easily? launched from a trailer on a ramp... Is livable for a week long trip or so. Older / Classic Sailboat that can bought inexpensively Decent Headroom? Can be sailed Single handed. A Cabin with at least a couple decent sized windows, instead of small portholes. I'm considering downsizing from a Pearson 30, to something that can be trailered, not daily or per sail, as it would be on a mooring during the season, or can be trailered elsewhere to sail. Many Thanks, Jim.  

Leeward Rail

ShalomOrchard said: Is livable for a week long trip or so. Click to expand

ShalomOrchard said: A Cabin with at least a couple decent sized windows, instead of small portholes Click to expand

ShalomOrchard said: Older / Classic Sailboat that can bought inexpensively Click to expand

Hi, Unfortunately the sailboat you are looking does not exist (as far as I know). Once the boat gets bigger than 22' or so, launching and retrieving becomes very difficult. My first boat was a Catalina 22. A nice, fun, easy to sail boat. I trailer sailed it for one year. Even after lots of practice it took at least one hour to launch and another hour to recover. While that boat was relatively easy to sail and had a small cabin, I would state it was livable for a week. The Catalina 25 can be trailered, but it's a lot of work and very difficult to raise the mast, launch, recover, etc. I have HEARD of someone trailering a Catalina 27, but that seems crazy to me. Good luck, Barry  

Will Gilmore

ComPac 23. Comes also in a pilot house version. -Will  

"Liveable is totally subjective. Some people think a Catalina 22 is liveable for a week... Others would say nothing under 30ft need apply." Since it is subjective, I would depend on other people's description of the boat.... I could then decide if it met my standards. "On a boat under 30 feet that is unlikely." I swear I've seen I boat like that. I can't recall what it was, but I think It may have been some variety of Pearson. The aft end of the cabin was a bit higher then usual, and had two decent sized windows with a dinette on one side and the galley on the other. "Define inexpensive.. That term is also subjective. What price range ?" Let's say an older boat under $10,000. I bought my P30 for $4k. If I can only find a suitable boat for more money, I'll have to figure something out. "What are you using for trailering ? SUV ? 1 ton pickup ?" I doubt that will be an issue. I expect other factors will be a problem before the tow vehicle becomes a problem. As of now, I have a E450SD Shuttlebus to pull my P30. But I just use it to pull it from the boatyard to home and vice versa once a year. "Seawards are nice" I looked at them, they seemed quite nice, but I imagine very expensive. Thanks for responding!  

Hayden Watson

By two previous boats were both trailer-sailed and over 25'. My first was a Clipper Marine 26 swing keel and the second was a Catalina C25 swing keel. I could step the mast on both with one helper. They had a tabernacle mast base that allowed the mast to rotate at the base. I carried the mast on deck with the head towards the stern. I would rig a gin-pole that held the jib halyard up about 8' above the deck to the tabernacle mast base with lateral support lines. Raising the mast was a matter of walking the mast back to connect the base, attaching the aft lower, uppers and aftstay than cranking on the jib halyard to raise the mast. It took about an hour to rig and launch. Of the two, the Clipper was lighter and easier to to tow. The Catalina was more comfortable.  

"ComPac 23. Comes also in a pilot house version." VERY Interesting. How does the "hideaway" galley work?  

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Will Gilmore said: ComPac 23. Comes also in a pilot house version. Click to expand

I’ve owned two macgregor 21 sailboats, A McGregor 22, Coronado 23, Coronado 25, a Balboa 26, A Rhodes 22, and a Hunter 26. of those boats the roads 22 and the hunter 26 are the only two that I would consider comfortable to stay on for a week or more that are also easy to launch and easy to retrieve. The Balboa 26 is a very spacious boat but it is a beast to launch. The Coronado 25 is not trailerable  

Crazy Dave Condon

@rgranger Sent the poster a pm if he wants to talk with a former dealer  

ShalomOrchard said: "Seawards are nice" I looked at them, they seemed quite nice, but I imagine very expensive. Click to expand

Used sailboats, sailboats for sale

“Man is that pilothouse version ugly !” oh come on, it’s not THAT Bad…. For my taste they could have raised the cabintop half as high and cut the window in almost to the deck. Just as big a window, half as high.  

Leeward Rail said: Man is that pilothouse version ugly !...Looks like someone glued a shed on a boat... Click to expand

2024 Com-Pac Pilothouse Cruiser for sale - YachtWorld

ShalomOrchard said: For my taste they could have raised the cabintop half as high and cut the window in almost to the deck. Click to expand

SailingLoto

I like my c25. Trailerable with a half to truck. 2 people can step the mast relatively easily. It's reasonably roomy. I trailer mine like you stated. It's slipped spring-fall and trailers out in the winter. This year it has stayed in the water this far, but due to working on it through most of the summer, it's only been in the water since August.  

I think that it would be hard to beat a Hunter 260 or a 26. I settled on a Hunter 240 but she is a little small for a week on the water unless you are by yourself. She is easy to pull though, even with my six cylinder Mountaineer. Also I don't know of any boats with an easier mast raising system.  

One thing that I've noticed during my searching is that not all manufacturers put adequate thought/provisioning towards mast raising on a trailer sailor. My current Hunter 23.5 actually has a fairly elegant and simple solution. I've seen a few others that were not as well thought out. As for headroom, that's gonna be difficult. Not impossible, but add week long + 6' headroom + easily launchable and you are very quickly going to exceed $10K budget. There is a couple at my marina that have a Seaward 26 that would fit the bill, but you won't find one of those anywhere close to $10K. Any Mac26 (M or X) that I've found is minimum $13K, and most are over $20K if well equipped. One thing you didn't mention is how many people you plan to have aboard for that week long trip? I would have loved to find a Hunter 26 or 260, as they have a fair amount more room below. But, I bought my 23.5 for less than half of what I could find for ANY 260, and it was almost local. Anything else was at least 18hrs of drive time away. One thing I would suggest in your search is to plan on spending a LOT of time aboard potential boats, and take notes of what you like and don't like. We found that very useful. No boat has everything we would want, but the 23.5 does check most of the boxes for us.  

"One thing that I've noticed during my searching is that not all manufacturers put adequate thought/provisioning towards mast raising on a trailer sailor. My current Hunter 23.5 actually has a fairly elegant and simple solution. I've seen a few others that were not as well thought out." Good to Know "As for headroom, that's gonna be difficult. Not impossible, but add week long + 6' headroom + easily launchable and you are very quickly going to exceed $10K budget. There is a couple at my marina that have a Seaward 26 that would fit the bill, but you won't find one of those anywhere close to $10K. Any Mac26 (M or X) that I've found is minimum $13K, and most are over $20K if well equipped." Yeah, headroom is actually a little lower on the priority then price, trailer ability, and ramp launch, self mast raising. I have a Pearson 30, but I'm trying to downsize to something trailerable. Also high on my priorities is having a couple decent sized ports to be able to sit and look out, instead of feeling like you're in a hole. "One thing you didn't mention is how many people you plan to have aboard for that week long trip?" Well, conceivably it would be just me most of the time. I hope to convince my wife to come along some of the time. Her mobility is limited, so she can't be counted as crew. The biggest problem is the border collie and Australian Shepherd she will want to bring along. "I would have loved to find a Hunter 26 or 260, as they have a fair amount more room below. But, I bought my 23.5 for less than half of what I could find for ANY 260, and it was almost local. Anything else was at least 18hrs of drive time away." "One thing I would suggest in your search is to plan on spending a LOT of time aboard potential boats, and take notes of what you like and don't like. We found that very useful. No boat has everything we would want, but the 23.5 does check most of the boxes for us." Yes, I will be spending at least a year looking until I find something to replace the Pearson 30 with. It's very hard to sail by myself, and expensive to have a yard step the mast, launch, and then lower the mast and pull out each year. Plus a mooring. Thankfully I have a trailer, so I don't have to pay them to store it.  

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Best Trailerable Sailboats

If you are interested in buying a boat but want to keep it stored on land, then the best trailerable sailboats are your only choice

October 17, 2023

This article may contain affiliate links where we earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

The best trailerable sailboats offer excellent performance for their size and can be used as family sailing boats, coastal cruising sailboats, and even fast day-racers. Catalina Yachts, Hunter Marine, Cape Dory, MacGregor Yachts, and Contessa offer the best trailerable sailboats available today.

While we all dream of owning boats which we can keep on our driveways and pull out for weekend races, many of us have to stick to powerboats as they're much easier to manage. However, if you really love sailing, why not consider your holidays in something which can be carried on a trailer or towed behind your car? You might have to use it only once every few weeks, but when you do go out in it, it will be worth it!

This article is a collection of thoughts and ideas from our expert sailor staff on what they feel are some of the best trailerable sailboats out there today. It's written to hopefully inspire you if you're looking for a new boat or just want to dream about what you'd like to have someday.

Table of Contents

‍ 1. Catalina 22 Sport

The  Catalina 22 Sport Sailboat  is a high-quality sailboat that can accommodate up to four individuals. This boat has been designed with the modern sailor in mind, and it makes sailing an enjoyable experience for any level of sailor.

The boat was built by Catalina Yachts, which was founded in 1969. Today, this company has grown into one of the premier sailboat builders worldwide. They build boats ranging from 16 feet long to 60 feet long, and they offer many different types of boats, including yachts and trawlers, as well as fishing boats and powerboats.

It's no surprise then that their products are prized for quality construction and attention to detail: every single part on a Catalina yacht is custom-made to ensure maximum strength, durability, and performance.

The Catalina 22 is a small boat designed for recreational use. The hull of the boat was built to be exceptionally stiff to travel quickly across choppy waters or large waves without feeling unstable or tipping over. The boat's floor is concave, which creates pockets that trap air inside the boat's floor. This makes for an incredibly stable ride in rough conditions, no matter how choppy they may be.

The hull on the Catalina 22 Sport is designed to cut through the water easily, making it easier for you to sail faster and farther. The deck is also designed for performance, with a self-bailing cockpit that will keep you and your crew dry even in the worst weather conditions.

The mast and boom are made of anodized aluminum, which will not corrode or rust even when exposed to saltwater. The rigging is stainless steel, which resists corrosion and rust as well. All of this means that the Catalina 22 Sport will be ready to sail even when you are not prepared for your next outing: simply wipe it down with a damp cloth and let it dry to ensure that it's clean and safe to use again the next time you go out on the water.

The Catalina 22 comes in two different layouts – an aft cabin version and a standard model without any additional sleeping area. Both versions have a V-berth cabin which sleeps one individual comfortably, as well as storage areas both in the cabin and behind it where you can store away personal items for later use.

Along with its sleek design, this boat also offers many features you don't normally find on boats at this price point (see below). Simply put, there are few other boats out there that offer all these features along with excellent performance and stability in such a compact, affordable package. The Catalina 22 boat is designed to be the best family recreational boat out there.

The  Catalina 22 Sport  is perfect for small families looking to enjoy sailing without spending too much money. This boat is also ideal for novice sailors who are still learning the ropes. With its sturdy construction and dependable performance, this Catalina can make even beginner sailors look like experts on the water.

Specifications

• Price: $5000 to $40000
• Length: 23 ft 10 inches
• Displacement: 2380 lbs
• Beam: 7 ft 8 inches
• Draft: 5 ft
• Great value for money
• Durable fiberglass construction
• Spacious cabin area
• Built for speed
• None that we could find

2. Hunter 27

Are you in the market for a boat to enjoy sailing but have never spent time on the water? Or are you an avid sailor looking for something new? If so, then look no further. The Hunter 27 is perfect for both scenarios because of its affordability and simplicity.

The  Hunter 27  is an easy-to-manage trailerable sailboat. The hull is made of fiberglass, which makes it extremely durable, but not weighted enough to break your back when pulling closer up to shore. When you are ready to drop the sails and motor again, this boat takes only minutes.

Let's first address what has changed since its previous model. After years of customer input, Hunter Marine completely redesigned this vessel into something that was much more suitable for novice sailors or fishing hobbyists; they modified the keel depth, added a mid-bow entry-level (more like the front), which increases interior space significantly, moved all live wells/storage below deck for improved stability and added a less complicated drop-sail, that helps beginners avoid common mistakes.

As for the interior of the boat, the seating arrangement is perfect for fishing or just lounging around on an afternoon with friends. The 9.25 ft beam offers space to stretch out after spending hours on the water. However, we must recommend adding more storage because there isn't enough below deck. The table in front of the bow does not come with this boat, so if you want one, you will need to buy it separately

We also suggest that you get some type of cushion for your butt when sitting at the table; it can get very uncomfortable without one. However, Hunter Marine has made the boat very easy to customize. They have left a large space in the back of the cabin that is not sealed, letting you run wires or other options as you see fit. The majority of this space is above deck, but if you prefer something below deck, be our guest!

All in all, this is a fantastic boat at an excellent price. The amount of research that Hunter Marine has put into redesigning this model truly speaks to their dedication to customer satisfaction. If you are looking for the perfect vessel to enjoy the water, then look no further than the  Hunter 27 .

• Price: $19,000 to $45,000
• Length: 27 ft
• Displacement: 7000 lbs
• Beam: 9.25 ft
• Draft: 3.50 ft
• Easy to manage for beginners
• Good amount of room, especially in the front (keel)
• Price! What you get for what you pay is simply unbeatable
• Poor cushioning on table and seats(add some foam and problem solved!)

3. Cape Dory 28

Cape Dory 28  is the perfect example of what the best trailerable sailboats should look like. Built-in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, the Cape Dory 28 is an American-made full keelboat. The design of this boat is based on the brilliant work of Carl Alberg, who was a well-renowned naval architect and engineer.

This boat has a waterline length of 22 ft and a beam of 8 ft 7 in, giving it plenty of space inside without weighing it down with too many materials, making it stable afloat. The Cape Dory 28 also includes an anchor locker, which keeps your heavy fishing equipment out of sight but still easily accessible. The height from the deck to the hull measures only 21 inches, so this boat can still pull up extremely close to shore despite its size.

Cape Dory 28 construction starts with the frames. The frames are then joined together to make the stringers, bulkheads, and hull plating. The inner skin is then fitted with side-by-side longitudinal battens. Fiberglass cloth is then laid over this inner skin, and resin is used for adhesion. The exterior of the boat is then trimmed with fiberglass for protection against seawater corrosion. This type of construction has been done on Cape Dory boats since 1965.

Onboard sleeping accommodations are comfortable enough for 3 to 4 people at one time. Sleeping arrangements include two V-berths under the main salon, two-quarter berths in the main salon, and a convertible dinette located on its port side. The dinette can be converted into a double berth overnight. This boat also includes an enclosed head located on the starboard side and a galley equipped with a propane stove, oven, and refrigerator.

In addition, the cockpit storage areas contain water compartments for storing fishing gear during inclement weather conditions. In this type of vessel, there are two separate self-draining fish wells in which one can store fat fish you may come across while out at sea. There are twin fuel tanks and watertight bulkheads to prevent leaks in the middle of the ocean.

The only downside to this boat is that it can be a bit pricey if you are on a budget. Despite this, the overall value of this vessel is well worth the price.

Overall, if you are looking for the perfect boat to get away from nature for a few days, then look no further than the  Cape Dory 28 . This vessel won't let you down, whether you are searching for shallow waters or simply sitting back and relaxing with your friends while at sea.

• Price: $26000-$45,000
• Length: 28 ft
• Displacement: 9000 lbs
• Beam: 8 ft 7 in
• Draft: 4 ft
• Built of durable materials
• Excellent woodwork by American craftsmen
• Can sleep up to four people comfortably.
• Spacious for a 28-foot vessel
• Pricey--but only if you don't know how to look for deals online or at other retailers

4. Contessa 26

The  Contessa 26  is a high-quality cruising-style sloop. This boat was originally made in Canada, but you can find it at various retailers.

Typically, our list consists of boats that are built for fishing and/or living off the grid. However, this time we have included a boat that is capable of taking its crew out into the open seas without fear of breaking down or getting lost.

This boat can be found in both fiberglass and aluminum, ranging from 26 to 27 feet long. Despite its size, it is extremely efficient in fuel consumption. It is also extremely lightweight with a displacement of 5600 pounds, so no need to worry about whether or not your car will be able to haul this vessel around with ease.

The Contessa 26 can cruise at speeds of up to 12 knots. This means it is fast enough for coastal trips but still slow enough for fishing.

In terms of design, the Contessa 26 features an efficient hull shape with a masthead sloop. This is crucial in keeping it afloat if there are any leaks.

The Contessa 26 also includes a drop keel that can be deployed to keep this boat stable when at anchorages. This vessel is aesthetically pleasing and highly functional for any family or group of friends who wants to spend some time out on the open seas.

Another great feature of the Contessa 26 is its self-tacking jib and solid fiberglass construction, along with a foam-cored deck, bulkheads, and hull.

This boat doesn't carry too much weight, either. It has a maximum capacity of 5 people plus its captain--but you'll probably want more room than that if your crew includes more than two people. Its fuel tank capacity is 11 gallons, which is ideal for overnight or weekend trips, though longer trips may require refueling along the way.

The only downside to this vessel is that it may be too small for some purposes. Also, the narrow beam might result in heeling. Additionally, you cannot customize it much in terms of power or materials used.

Before setting out on your next voyage, consider purchasing the  Contessa 26  as your vessel. With this boat, you will be able to store enough equipment and supplies without worrying about running out of space. You will also be able to bring all members of your crew along with you without worrying about making them feel claustrophobic.

• Price Range: $6000-$25000
• Length: 26 ft
• Beam: 7 ft 8 in
• Displacement (lbs): 5600 lbs
• Lightweight and fast on fuel consumption .
• Ideal for coastal trips but still slow enough to do some fishing along the way.
• Can be purchased in both fiberglass or aluminum, depending on your preferences .
• High-quality cruising vessel that is also perfect for short trips out at sea.
• Capable of taking up to 5 people
• Budget-friendly
• Narrow beam might cause heeling
• Small capacity
• Less customizable features compared to its competitors

5. MacGregor Venture 25

The  Venture 25  is a great boat for both novice and experienced sailors. This boat features a sloop configuration with a cutter rig, which means it's fast, but it can also hold its ground in relatively rough waters.

Out of all the boats on our list, the Venture 25 has one of the smalled capacities for people onboard--it can hold up to 3 people! That being said, it isn't too small that you are sacrificing comfort or features. It can even reach speeds of 10 knots when at optimal conditions.

The Venture 25 comes with standard tackle, including mast hoops which are crucial for hanging sails effectively. It also includes adjustable backstays. Additionally, this vessel has five opening ports with screens, allowing for good ventilation.

The Venture 25 is made out of fiberglass, which means it can resist some damage that other boats cannot. That being said, the more you use this boat, the more likely it is to scuff or scratch. It is advised that you always keep this boat covered when not in use. The floorboards are aluminum, which is prone to corrosion after a significant amount of time in contact with water and sun exposure.

This vessel weighs a total of 2,300 pounds and has a draft of 15 inches when fully loaded with supplies and equipment. Overall, this boat is one of the most well-rounded vessels on our list. While it's not as fast as other larger boats, its capacity for people and comfortability make up for the lack of speed.

• Price: $9000 to $30000
• Length: 25 ft
• High strength-to-weight ratio
• Extremely lightweight and maneuverable
• Fast and agile
• floorboards can corrode quickly if they are not taken care of properly

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I'm Michael Moris. I've been sailing my whole life, and it has taken me to places I never imagined. From the Caribbean to Europe, from New Zealand to South America - there's nowhere that hasn't felt like home when you're on a 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 The CP 23 Pilothouse The true delight of this boat is the brightness and view while in the pilothouse.. See video of the Com-Pac 23/IV See our Photo Gallery of the CP 23 Pilothouse Download a brochure (.pdf format) The brand-new trailerable cruiser CP 23 Pilothouse offers a revolutionary combination of trailerability, cruisability, and livability. The CP 23 Pilothouse is designed with numerous well-thought-out features and Com-Pac's legendary attention to detail: Steering from inside the pilothouse during inclement weather, in addition to tiller steering in the aft cockpit Excellent natural light and visibility from inside the pilot house while under way or at anchor Abundant storage space, including 2 hanging lockers Draft of only 2'3" Twin cylinder freshwater-cooled diesel engine Dinette that converts to a berth Roomy v-berth Galley and enclosed head Mast is mounted in a tabernacle that allows it to be folded down for trailering Stainless steel handrails on deck (optional teak handrails available) CP 23 Pilothouse Specifications Length: 23 ft. 11 in. LWL: 20 ft. 2 in. Beam: 7 ft. 10 in. Draft: 2 ft. 3 in. Displacement: 3,500 lbs. Ballast: 1,340 lbs. Sail Area: 240 sq. ft. Mast Height Above Water: 30 ft. | | | | | | | | | Com-Pac Yachts / Hutchins Co., Inc. 1195 Kapp Dr., Clearwater, Florida 33765 USA Call Us: 727-443-4408 E-mail Us: The Working Man's Guide to Trailer Sailing Last Updated by Capt Chris German June 15, 2022 Let's face it, life would be better with a 40 foot sailing yacht sitting on the hook just off your front yard on a tropical island. But if you are not quite there yet, maybe you want to start a little smaller. Let me introduce you to the Trailer Sailer. A trailerable sailboat is in many ways better than a keel boat or a dinghy. You can get a trailer down a boat ramp, it stores for free in your backyard, and it has many of the benefits of a keel boat or dinghy, with fewer drawbacks. Some might argue that the perfect sailboat is the trailer sailer. Table of contents Trailer Sailers offer the Best of Both Worlds For the last five years I have dabbled in both trailerable boats and keel boats, and have personally owned two trailerable sailboats . They really were the perfect boats for my needs. They were small enough that I could tow them with my Ford Ranger, but big enough that I could sail outside the demarcation line at Cape Lookout in North Carolina, just one mile from the Atlantic Ocean. They had a water ballast system so I could sail my wife, two dogs, myself and a whole weekend's worth of gear and a 13 foot dinghy though the sand bars and shallows of Bogue Sound and never have to drop my center board once. They also fed me by allowing me to teach a few dozen sailors to master the tempestuous winds of East Carolina before I decided Hurricanes-be-damned and moved to Utah, I must admit I choked up a bit because these boats owed me nothing and I was sorry to see them go. Trailerable Sailboats Can’t Handle as Much Trailer Sailers are not perfect for every occasion despite my enthusiasm. Oftentimes the wind was just too much for these little girls, especially in places like East Carolina. On days like those, sailing was not possible and I would drop sails and just motor, awkwardly, up the channel home. Anything over 15 knots and the boat would be overpowered and simply luff up into the wind while under sail. Luckily I had a really good 9-horse yamaha on days like that and we still enjoyed a day on the water - mostly. That is to say, we always had fun, except when we didn’t, and that was the case on 4th of July 2019. Jennifer and I decided to head to the cape that weekend in our trailer sailer “Flo’s Revenge” to escape the holiday crowds that always seem to pack into Beaufort to celebrate a holiday in the pre-covid days. We set out at 6 pm on Friday with a pile of food and beer, tents and charcoal, dogs and sleeping bags. We sailed over with a reefed main and a motor and arrived shortly before sunset to find that our usual anchorage had been erased from existence earlier in the season by a storm. We decided to find a new spot and selected one that wasn’t quite as protected with less beach and more exposure to the channel traffic. The first night went fine and we arose the next morning to find a bright sunshiny hightide and a steady stream of boats making their way across from Harkers Island. We enjoyed the day, although we discovered that our dinghy motor was on the fritz and that when the tide went out, we were hard aground tilting the wrong way. At some point in the night, a thunderstorm came through, that I managed to sleep through. Unfortunately, the tilt of the boat made my wife roll out of her bunk and the hatch leaked perfectly onto her forehead. We were forced to close the hatch to keep the wind and rain out, but the little boat turned into a sauna with my wife, myself, and two dogs packed inside and a tropical East Carolina thunderstorm raging outside. Our boat rode hard at anchor that night and bounced off the bottom as the wind pushed us up against the beach. By the next morning, my wife was ready to kill me for sleeping so soundly and the boat was a good 30 feet up the beach from the high tide line. Our tent had been shredded by the winds and most of our food was washed out to sea or soaked in sand and saltwater. Needless to say, I was in deep trouble for sleeping so hard. I waited for the high tide to come in and told my wife that we would head home as soon as we could float the boat. But as the tide came in, I realized that the storm had surged us higher than the morning tide would rise and I could feel my wife’s ire build to a level that I don't think I ever want to see again. She was hot, mosquito bitten, tired, wet and now because our boat was so great a beaching, stuck there until I could figure out how to get it off the beach. Thankfully one of the parade of power boats came close enough that I could hail them and asked them to haul my boat off the beach, which they did with great difficulty. We sailed back home and put the boat in the backyard and never sailed it again. I tell you this story because it illustrates the real experiences of trailer sailing, with all its drawbacks, but the truth is I did love that little boat. Raise The Mast On Shore Trailer sailers can be a challenge to launch and retrieve much like any boat, but with trailer sailers there is the question of the mast. The mast on pretty much all trailer sailers can be raised and lowered on the ramp or at the dock, and that makes it way cheaper and easier than having the raise and lower the mast with yacht club crain or pay a yard to step your stick. The challenge however is raising it on shore or in the water. I have done both and have decided it is way easier to do it on shore as you can reach all the fasteners and leverage the halyard from the ground. And if your wife drops a turnbuckle, it doesn’t sink in 15 feet of water. Watch Out For Obstructions Dropping integral items in the water is just one draw back. I have also seen more than one vessel precipitously drop their mast immediately after stepping, by backing their trailer into a tree branch on their way down to the water. It took them the better part of an afternoon to raise that mast and it came down in mere seconds when challenged by a scrub oak branch hanging over the ramp. The worst part was, the entire boating world was watching when they struggled to raise their mast and when they dropped it at the boat ramp. Your best bet is to practice raising and lowering your mast in your backyard before ever trying to do it down at the dock or boat ramp and always look up for trees and wires. Water Ballast Another issue in launching was my water ballast. It was a blessing in shallow water for stability but proved a bit tedious when launching and retrieving. My manual said to let the boat sit immediately after launching to allow the ballast tank to fill, but more than once I damn near capsized the boat when climbing aboard to check to see if it was filled. Air embolisms could stop the filing process and without a full ballast tank that boat had the stability of a sippy cup on a glass topped coffee table. Towing a Sailboat Hauling was an issue as well. While my little ford ranger had no problem hauling the boat with a dry ballast tank, barnacles and seaweed could clog the ballast drain and make it a real challenge to haul. I never had to dive under to dislodge any seafood samples, but I always was afraid I would have to some day, and had to wait until it was completely drained before trying to traverse the entire boat ramp when towing with my ranger. My GMC however could haul that thing with flat tires dragging a danforth though so if you do decide to trailer sail, make sure you get yourself a decent truck to do your towing. Other than the ballast and mast, launching and hauling is relatively similar to any other boat. Depending on how deep your draft is, a sailboat can be a bit more difficult on shallow ramps. Lots of trailer sailer trailers come with extensions to allow you to drop the trailer even deeper into the water for shallow ramps and deeper draft vessels. The big thing is to ensure that whatever trailer you use, that it works nicely with your hull. And most trailerable sailboats in my experience are a package deal with the trailer so I would recommend you go with the manufacturer when selecting a trailer and don't go shopping for a better deal on a trailer. Maintenance Is Easier With a Trailer Sailer While a trailerable sailboat is free of many of the pitfalls of boating like docking, yard fees and mast stepping, it is still a boat. Engine troubles, bottom paint and on board storage are all challenges. No one that I know of has ever created a boat that doesn’t need oil changes, doesn’t grow barnacles and doesn’t need a ton more storage than it is designed with. It's just a boat. With a trailer sailer, you can work on your motor next to your garage in your driveway and do all the fresh water flushes your garden hose can handle. You can also skip bottom painting if you dry sail your boat, which is to say never leave it in the water for more than several hours. But if you decide to leave it overnight, odds are you’ll have a scum line and barnacle babies by morning. And for storage, the only saving grace is you can load your boat in your driveway and save the three dozen trips between your boat and the car at the boat ramp. Register Your Trailer You're also gonna have to register your trailer sailer and your trailer, if you decide to ever leave your driveway. Septic System You will have to ensure that you have a compliant septic system which is oftentimes a bucket or for the high brow sailors, a chemical toilet on trailer boats. Most trailer sailers don't have a holding tank due to the fact that you don't want to have to drive down the road with a full holding tank. And many also lack a usable size water tank as well for the same reason. USCG Boardings Just because your boat lives in your driveway instead of on a dock, doesn’t mean it is not subject to USCG boardings when underway. So flares, noisemakers and PFDs are all legally required as well. Other Trailerable Boats We have a  great article on the top types of trailerable sailboats.  But there are literally all kinds both new and used. One of my favorite is the corsair pulse, a boat being manufactured in Vietnam that is a trailerable catamaran. I envisioned taking this boat up to the northern reaches of Canada and sailing in the Arctic with it. It’s got enough room to live aboard with lots of winter gear. You can launch it virtually anywhere and it's stable enough that you probably won’t pitch-pole into sub freezing water. Start Small and Cheap But if a new boat isn’t in your budget, the used trailer sailer market is super hot right now. With Covid 19, folks are looking for all sorts of ways to get away and not have to worry about exposure. What better way is there to get away and socially distance than taking your trailer sailer to the lake or to a remote beach for the weekend? You can pick up hunter 23.5’s for sale around the country with most offered for $6K or less. Hunter 27s are also to be found but go for $30K plus. My suggestion is if you're gonna buy your first trailer sailer, start small and cheap. The bigger your boat the more expense and the bigger truck you’ll need to launch it. Practice Parking With Your Trailer & Boat No one likes to drive a trailer and even fewer people like to back one up. Particularly when you have a sailboat with a 30 foot mast up. It's never fun and quite frankly embarrassing when you do it wrong. I always tell my students looking to trailer a boat to go to a massive parking lot on New Year’s day and spend three hours practicing backing your trailer into parking spots. There really is no other way to get good at it. Trailer Guides, Rollers, and Side Straps Even if you can back your trailer beautifully, you also need to put your boat on your trailer and that is even harder when it’s a sailboat. Installing trailer guides on your trailer if you don't have them makes a huge difference in lining up your boat with your trailer bunks. I also like rollers instead of flat bunks to hold the boat on the trailer, but with sailboats that's tough because they can roll the boat off on the boat ramp prematurely when backing in. My hunter has a bow bumper that never quite worked right on my trailer. The boat always hit too high or too low and the winch strap chaffed it. I took to leaving the boat a foot back from the bunk and using a chain to hold the boat on the trailer. Never take your boat on the road without side straps. Many people think that because there are trailer guides and a bow strap holding it on the trailer, that you will be fine. But turning corners and sloshing water in the hull have a tendency to flip boats over while going home and no one wants to be the guy to pick his boat up off the highway or worse yet, have to flip your truck back over when your boat decides to take you for a ride. Is Trailer Sailing for Everyone? A resounding no is my answer to that whenever I am asked. When I was selling my hunters, I had lots of tire kickers come by and more than a few who could never handle a little boat like this in what remained of their lives. Age, obesity and gravity are all challenges when it comes to trailer sailing. On shore you have to climb up the trailer to step the mast and clean the boat and do all kinds of other stuff and in the water, you have an unstable deck with great big steps on to the foredeck and onto the dock. As much as this boat was a plug and play sailboat, it wasn't for anyone who lacked a certain agility. One time docking I got my foot caught in the life line with a student and came real close, if I didn’t actually fracture my wrist. Trailer sailboats are smaller and less stable than their oversized cousins with the keels. If you are in anyway, limited in your physical prowess, a trailer sailboat may not be the best choice for you. So that’s my take on trailer sailers. A younger me would have loved to have a whole fleet of them, but as I age I tend to think a 60 foot catamaran far away from the North Atlantic is more my speed. Trailer Sailers are way cheaper than keel boats to own without having to pay for a dock, mast stepping and storage, but they are not a plaything and should be respected like every other boat. They meet all the requirements to be USCG regulated and they can go in big water if you want to take them there, but they are not an easy ride back. Practice your mast stepping and trailer backing with no one watching and try not to be too much of a ramp hog while you're in the public eye. Start small, as big boats are a pain to drive on a trailer. So do good, have fun, and sail far. Thanks for reading. Related Articles Capt Chris German is a life long sailor and licensed captain who has taught thousands to sail over the last 20 years. In 2007, he founded a US Sailing-based community sailing school in Bridgeport, CT for inner city youth and families. When Hurricane Sandy forced him to abandon those efforts, he moved to North Carolina where he set out to share this love for broadcasting and sailing with a growing web-based television audience through The Charted Life Television Network. by this author Travel Logistics 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 Event calendar Annapolis Sailboat Show Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Miami International Boat Show Oceanis 30.1 Oceanis 34.1, oceanis 37.1, oceanis 40.1, oceanis 46.1, oceanis 51.1. Oceanis Yacht 54 Oceanis Yacht 60 FIGARO BENETEAU 3 Heritage Sailing Yacht Flyer 7 SUNdeck Flyer 7 SPACEdeck Flyer 8 SUNdeck Flyer 8 SPACEdeck Flyer 9 SUNdeck Flyer 9 SPACEdeck Antares 7 Fishing Antares 8 Fishing ANTARES 11 FLY Gran Turismo 32 Gran Turismo 36 Gran Turismo 41 Gran Turismo 45 Swift Trawler 35 Swift trawler 41 Sedan Swift trawler 41 Fly Swift Trawler 48 Swift Trawler 54 Grand Trawler 62 Heritage Powerboats Future Owners A REMARKABLE ANNIVERSARY Our History Our Architects and Designers Our philosophy Our Innovations Your way to ownership Tests and Awards Description Key Features Specifications The Oceanis 30.1 is easy to sail, yet  lively to helm  and promises new  experiences and thrills . This robust, smart little cruiser is small enough to trail, opening up endless possibilities for lake and river sailing, as well as  coastal sailing  and high sea adventures. NAVAL ARCHITECT : Finot - Conq INTERIOR and DECK DESIGNS : Nauta Design YouTube est désactivé. Autorisez le dépôt de cookies liés aux vidéos pour accéder au contenu. Exterior design With a stemhead, hard-chine hull, well-proportioned sides and coachroof, the Oceanis 30.1 artfully resembles a small yacht. The Finot-Conq plan has met the double challenge of power and simple navigation. With her slender bow, optimized weight, and square-top mainsail, she performs well in all points of sail. For beginners or for short-handed sailing, the self-tacking jib and the single winch make her easy to handle. For performance, the Oceanis 30.1 has a large overlapping genoa, a furling code zero and an asymmetric spinnaker. Aft, a step affords access to the sea and can be supplemented by a small lifting platform.   Interior design With a few extra inches won in strategic places, the Oceanis 30.1 differs from other boats thanks to a headspace of 6.5 ft in all the areas inside where it is comfortable to stand. The two sizable double cabins each have berths running lengthwise and an open entryway making them feel particularly spacious. The two benches in the salon provide an additional place for two extra berths. The large shower room is divided into a marine toilet on one side and shower and washbasin on the other. At the foot of the gently sloping companionway, the L-shaped galley has top and bottom storage, a 20 US Gal refrigerator and a real oven under the gas hob stove top. FOR EVERYONE With unbeatable living space for its size and a focus on simplicity of use, the smallest model of the cruising range is nevertheless stylish and fast, with a highly competitive, ready-to-sail price.  TRAILERABLE With an overall size of under 30 X 10 ft and a weight of 8,000 lbs, the Oceanis 30.1 can be trailered by road, without the issues of an extra-wide load. With the lifting keel and rotating tabernacle mast version, the cruiser can sail along canals and rivers to its sailing grounds.  CHOICE OF HELM On the Oceanis 30.1, sailors get to choose between a tiller with twin rudders for anyone seeking a few thrills or from the world of dinghy sailing, or twin steering wheels for anyone who prefers space and comfort!   FUNCTIONAL COCKPIT The double steering wheel layout results in a wonderfully big cockpit. On either side of the large fold-away table are two large benches, which comfortably seat up to six guests. Oceanis 30.1 Electric Silent, comfortable and emission free, the new Oceanis 30.1e now has an all-electric propulsion system that offers a unique boating experience. With engine power equal to 14 HP, the Torqeedo engine has a range of up to 6 hours at 4 knots. Equipped With SEANAPPS The easiest way to keep your boat safe and ready to cruise anytime. The new Seanapps  app is the ultimate solution to help you indulge your passion for boating. With the touch of your finger, you can easily connect, monitor and order services for your boat – from routine maintenance, to requesting a wash or fuel or having us complete a repair. The information below is intended for general informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice and does not constitute a contractual agreement. Any descriptions, representations, or statements made in this document are not to be considered binding unless explicitly stated otherwise in a formal contractual agreement. Length Overall Beam overall Light displacement Air Draft Max Fuel Capacity Water Capacity Max. engine power Cabin Number CE Certification B6 / C8 / D10 Polar diagrams Documents produced by Finot-Conq Architectes Drifting keel Deep draught keel - genoa Deep draught keel - Foc autovireur Short draught keel - foc autovireur There are 3 ballasts available, so you can sail in your configuration of choice. Shallow draft Performance draft (hydraulic swing keel) Large benches seating six guests, with a fold away table Tiller or twin steering wheels on twin rudders Tilting mast Square-top mainsail Raymarine Electronic Pack EC certification: B6 / C8 / D10 (10 passengers aboard) 2 CABINS & 2 HEADS L-shaped fitted galley: fridge, sink, two-ring hob, oven, storage and worktop Lounge bench seats that convert to extra berths Master cabin with double berth at the bow Aft cabin with twin berths Shower room, with shower compartment and marine toilet Gently sloping companionway (4 steps) HARKEN HARDWARE Press Reviews Cruising world. Cruising World Judges named the BENETEAU Oceanis 30.1 the Best Performance Cruiser for 2020.   Read more NorthWest Yachting Boat Review - Everyone is talking about the 2020 Beneteau Oceanis 30.1 and for good reason—she’s an awesome boat!  SAIL Magazine Winner of the “small cruiser” category in SAIL magazine’s  2020 Best Boats contest. Read More SAILING TODAY "Easy Start" more in the April 2020 issue All Oceanis News Seizing the Moment: Uncover Exceptional Value in BENETEAU Ownership Current market conditions offer unprecedented opportunities to purchase a BENETEAU at discounted prices, with faster delivery times, and potential long-term financial benefits. Nautic boat show 2022 : Spotlight on remarkable sustainable innovations at BENETEAU BENETEAU has decided to follow the path of innovation to reduce the environmental impact of sailing. Practical yet ground-breaking innovations that were visible on the First 44e and the Oceanis 30.1e sailing yachts world premiered at the Nautic Boat Show in Paris. New Oceanis 30.1 Small, yet oh so big ! Customer Care Buying a BENETEAU doesn’t have to be a daunting task. We have teams of experts to guide you through the entire process – everything from sea trials, financing, and customization to after-sale commissioning, service, and maintenance. We are proud to have one of the largest, most highly-regarded dealer networks in the world. We’re ready to provide you with the assistance and expertise needed to launch you and your BENETEAU on a lifetime of happy, rewarding, and memorable voyages. Other models in the range 10.77 m / 35’4’’ 3.57 m / 11’9’’ 11.93 m / 39’2’’ 3.92 m / 12’10’’ 12.87 m / 42’3’’ 4.18 m / 13’9’’ 14.6 m / 47’11’’ 4.5 m / 14’9’’ 15.94 m / 52’4’’ 4.8 m / 15’9’’ Select your area and your language Chinese, Simplified 263 IMAGES 7 Best Trailerable Sailboats for Cruising Best Small and Trailerable Sailboats SAIL Top 10 Best Boats for 2023 9 Best Trailerable Sailboats Best Small and Trailerable Sailboats Best Small and Trailerable Sailboats COMMENTS 7 Best Trailerable Sailboats for Cruising Quick Setup Time. Towing Weight. 7 Best Trailerable Cruising Sailboats. 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. 9 Best Trailerable Sailboats 2) West Wight Potter 19. jacqeast. We thought it fitting to include the Potter 15's big brother, the West Wight Potter 19, on this list of the best trailerable sailboats. West Wight Potter boats are well known for their robust design and easy handling, and the Potter 19 is no exception. Trailerable Sailboat Reviews: Small Boats, Big Adventures Trailerable Sailboats might be the ultimate recreational vehicle. Reviews for the Catalina 22, NorseBoat 17.5 Classic and more. ... but designer Tim Jackett has taken some of the ancient classic's best features and incorporated them into a thoroughly modern upgrade: the Tartan 245. ... More: pocket cruiser, print March 2023, Sailboats ... Santana 2023 Sailboats 21-30ft; Santana 2023 ... Schock proclaimed the boat to be the first trailerable ocean racer in the country, and proved his point by sailing it on extended cruises. ... As we have experienced on other sprit boats, the 2023 performs best when sailed at high jibe angles; it is appreciably slower when sailed below 140 degrees of apparent ... SAIL Top 10 Best Boats for 2023 For almost 20 years, we've called this awards program SAIL Best Boats, but this year, we're refining and renaming this program to better and more fairly represent the boats we've selected. Restricting boats to categories and labels—such as Best Cruising Monohull 30-40 feet and Best Performance Monohull 40-50 feet—doesn't bring our readers the full picture. Best Trailerable Sailboat Brands to Cruise or Race The Best Trailerable Cruising Sailboat Brands. Catalina Yachts: As one of North America's best-known sailboat brands of sailboats, Catalina has a long history of building trailerable models. Their entire Sport line cruising boats—except for the 275—can easily be trailered, and the 22 and 22 Sport, in particular, make for a great step up ... Biggest Trailerable Sailboats The best and largest trailerable sailboats are the Cal 20, the Catalina 22, the O'Day 240, The Islander 24, the Moore 24, the Cal 25, the Helms 25, the MacGregor 26, and the Nor'Sea 27. Most of these vessels can be towed behind a well-equipped truck or SUV. ... October 3, 2023. The Best Sailing Schools And Programs: Reviews & Ratings. Daniel Wade. Best Pocket Cruiser Sailboats, Small Cruising Sailboats Balboa 26. Balboa 26 Courtesy Of Matts G. Djos. 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. Best Trailerable Sailboats Under 30 Feet Below are the best trailerable sailboats under 20 feet, separated into their best use: day sailing and cruising. Show Hide. Table of contents. Best Sailboats Under 30' for Day Sailing. ... October 3, 2023. The Best Sailing Schools And Programs: Reviews & Ratings. Daniel Wade. September 26, 2023. Trailerable Cruisers Com-Pac's range of trailer sailers with accommodations starts with the 16-feet 6-inch Legacy, an entry-level trailer sailer that can sleep a couple plus a small child or two, but is otherwise devoid of amenities, and moves up through the 21-feet Eclipse, the CP23 Pilothouse and the 23/IV. Aside from their well-thought-out rig-raising systems ... Best Trailerable Sailboats Best Trailerable Sailboats. By Boat World Updated on October 12, 2023 Status: Up to date. Spread the love. ... What Are Trailerable Sailboats? Trail­er­a­ble sail­boats are small, light­weight sail­boats that can be towed behind a vehi­cle. They have a beam (width) of less than 8 feet, and they can be trans­port­ed on a trail­er to ... Pocket Cruisers and Trailer-sailers for Every Sailing Style The Voyager 20 measures in at 19ft 10in overall, with a trailer-friendly beam of 7ft 6in, and its base price is $29,995. Pulse 600. Speaking of trailer-friendly, nothing else comes with as potent a blend of portability and punch as a trailerable trimaran. Alliteration aside, Corsair Marine's new Pulse 600 looks like an extremely enjoyable ride. 2023 Boat of the Year: Best Performance Cruiser Lyman-Morse LM46 Jon Whittle. Our Domestic Boat of the Year is a showstopper on multiple levels, a boat built by the midcoast Maine company that produced the beautiful Seguin line back in the day, of which the LM46 is a worthy successor. Sherman peels back the technical layers: "Mastervolt lithium battery power and a 120-amp, high-output ... Trailerable Sailboats Comparison The best trailerable sailboats have collapsible masts that stow securely across the deck. These vessels typically have a fork-shaped mast boot that acts as a hinge, allowing sailors to easily lower and secure the mast. ... October 3, 2023. The Best Sailing Schools And Programs: Reviews & Ratings. Daniel Wade. September 26, 2023. 7 Trailerable Sailboats That Have Standing Headroom Westerly Pageant. 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. Best trailer sailboats: Our trailer sailing expert offers his Reality may well see the boat weighing more. "Steel-built trailers typically weigh about 40% of the weight of the boat they carry, suggesting you're looking at towing something like 1,750kg, perilously close to the 1,800kg limit for a single axle trailer. "However, having personally towed a similar weight for many thousands of miles ... What is a good Trailer Sailboat? 9 Best Trailerable Sailboats | Life of Sailing 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. www.lifeofsailing.com Biggest Trailerable Sailboats | Life of Sailing ... Jan 2, 2023 #18 Best Bluewater Sailboats Under 24 Feet The best bluewater sailboats under 24 feet are the Pacific Seacraft Dana 24, Norseboat 21.5, Catalina 22 Sport, Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20, and West Wight Potter 19. These sailboats have ample space for a couple and even a moderately-sized family along with all the amenities you may need. A roomy cabin, galley, and settees are necessary to go ... Best Trailerable Sailboats October 17, 2023. This article may contain affiliate links where we earn a commission from qualifying purchases. ... Cape Dory 28 is the perfect example of what the best trailerable sailboats should look like. Built-in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, the Cape Dory 28 is an American-made full keelboat. The design of this boat is based on the ... CP 23 Pilothouse, A Trailerable Cruising Sailboat from Com-Pac Yachts Com-Pac Yachts / Hutchins Co., Inc. 1195 Kapp Dr., Clearwater, Florida 33765 USA. Call Us: 727-443-4408. E-mail Us: [email protected]. With abundant storage, standing headroom, and excellent light and ventilation, the CP 23 Pilothouse is a great trailerable cruiser. Trailerable Boats with Comfort and Speed Farrier, who passed away in 2017, created the F-22 as a kind of culmination of all he'd continued to learn about small, trailerable multihulls in the years since he penned the F-27 trimaran, a true trail-blazer and now part of the "Sailboat Hall of Fame.". Another F-22 sidles up alongside a pier in Malta with amas folded in. The Working Man's Guide to Trailer Sailing Let me introduce you to the Trailer Sailer. A trailerable sailboat is in many ways better than a keel boat or a dinghy. You can get a trailer down a boat ramp, it stores for free in your backyard, and it has many of the benefits of a keel boat or dinghy, with fewer drawbacks. Some might argue that the perfect sailboat is the trailer sailer. BENETEAU Oceanis 30.1 TRAILERABLE. With an overall size of under 30 X 10 ft and a weight of 8,000 lbs, the Oceanis 30.1 can be trailered by road, without the issues of an extra-wide load. With the lifting keel and rotating tabernacle mast version, the cruiser can sail along canals and rivers to its sailing grounds. catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat sailboat trimaran yacht