largest trailerable sailboat

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7 Best Trailerable Sailboats for Cruising

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

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

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

Table of Contents

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

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

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

What Is a Trailerable Sailboat, Exactly?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7 Best Trailerable Cruising Sailboats

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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What Do You Want Your Trailer Sailer To Do?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What size sailboat is trailerable?

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

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

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

Is a Hunter 27 trailerable?

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

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

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

Is a Catalina 22 trailerable?

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

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

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

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

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

MacGregor put pop tops on many of its trailerables

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Biggest Trailerable Sailboats

Although there are some exceptions, most sailboats 30 feet long and below may be driven on roads safely. These are the biggest trailerable sailboats.

March 16, 2023

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

In this post, we'll look at twelve of the biggest sailboats that are trailerable on the market. The Catalina 27, Hunter 27, Cape Dory Typhoon, Cal 20, Islander 24, Catalina 22, O'Day 240, Moore 24, Helms 25, MacGregor 26, Nor'Sea 27 and Catalina 25 are some of the best trailerable sailboats.

These boats have comfortable cabins, exceptional sailing qualities, and meet all of the towing criteria for U.S. highways. These boats can usually be towed by a truck.

I’ve sailed a few of these boats throughout the years and have unique perspectives on how each compares. Growing up on sailboats was the best learning experience, and I welcome any opportunity to share my experiences.  Read on to find out more!

Table of Contents

‍ Considerations for a Trailerable Sailboat

The limits and dimensions of American roads impose certain standards on trailerable sailboats. The first is width (otherwise referred to as the beam). The sailboat and its accessories and the trailer it's towed on must fit in normal traffic lanes. Another important factor to consider is the overall weight of the boat. The ideal trailerable sailboat is light enough that a modestly equipped truck or suv can tow it.

Overall Length

There are definitely boats out there on the longer side, but the longer the sailboat, the wider it has to be for stability purposes. However, it would be difficult for such a long boat to meet the width standards because sailboats of that length are typically much wider. In practice, the longest trailerable sailboats are usually 30 feet or less in length. The average is about 20 to 25 ft long, with a few exceptions at 27 feet in length.

Keel Draft And Type

The keel design is also significant, since it influences the boat's height above the ground. Sailboats that are trailerable feature a smaller centerboard that can be pulled within the hull to make towing more manageable.

Total Height

This is a big one. Sailboats are tall and need a collapsible mast in order to be transported on a trailer.

In most states, a trailer load may not exceed 14 feet in height. Sailboat masts are incredibly tall and unwieldy at reasonable towing speeds. The mast must be broken down, and the keel and boat height combined can't exceed 14 feet tall.The height of the trailer must also be considered, since a tall boat may not be able to fit under highway bridges.

Displacements (Weight)

Weight's a consideration as well. Most trailers are limited to around 3,300 pounds per axle. A triple axle trailer will allow around 9,000 lbs of weight capacity, but you might have a hard time finding a reasonable heavy duty truck to tow this boat size around.

As mentioned, The most width/beam for a sailboat that may be trailered is just under nine feet. This is due to the fact that the typical trailer in the United States has a maximum width of 12 feet. The logistic behind rowing a larger boat are a nightmare, and its worth mentioning that unless you plan on keeping a larger boat in one place, a trailerable sailboat might be a better option.

Most sailboats fall below this upper limit to make them easier to trailer and handle on the road.

12 of the Best and Largest Trailerable Sailboats

Trailerable sailboats tend to be on the smaller side, but it doesn't mean you can't find a roomy, weekend cruiser for fun with the family. The vessels we chose range in length, but all of the are under 27 ft, and are great for cruising around the bay. We'll take a look at two of the larger boats in the series then work our way down from there. Here are twelve of the best large trailerable sailboats.

1. Catalina 27

This might be a controversial one as the weight of Catalina's 27 is just shy of 7,000 pounds, but it's technically trailerable and might be the best boat on this list for sheer fun and pleasant sailing.

The Catalina 27 is a roomy cruiser with a comfortable interior and a spacious cockpit. There's plenty of storage, and the boat is rigged for single-handing. The wide beam and stable platform make the Catalina 27 an ideal boat for coastal cruising and long-distance sailing.

The Catalina 27 has a fixed keel that draws 2 ft 6 in, making it easy to tow. The mast folds down for highway travel, and the overall length is just shy of 30 ft.

• Ubiquitous design
• Great cabin space
• Fun weekend cruiser
• Fast for its age
• The cabin lack storage space
• Not sealed well against the elements

2. Hunter 27

This 27 footer is also on the heavy side and would require a much heavier duty truck for towing, but it's doable if needed.

This trailerable sailboat is a roomy coastal cruiser that's perfect for weekend getaways and family sailing. The Hunter 27 has a wide beam and a comfortable interior with plenty of headroom.

The Hunter 27 is a sturdy cruiser with an easy-to-sail short-keeled sloop rig. The mast and boom are made of aluminum, making them corrosion resistant and lightweight. The boat has a swing keel that draws 3 ft 9 in, allowing it to ride low on the highway.

The Hunter 27 isn't the best boat for bluewater sailing, but it's a great vessel for weekend trips and coastal cruising. The overall length is just shy of 30 ft, and the boat has a beam of 8 ft 3 in.

• Wider beam makes this boat luxurious compared to the others on this list
• Many sub models to choose from
• Large on a trailer
• Heavy on a trailer as well

3.West Wight Potter 19

This sailboat is a fantastic, small, lightweight sailing dinghy that's perfect for weekend getaways and easy to tow behind a standard car. The boat has a fixed keel that draws 1 ft 6 in and this boat can be easily sailed by one person.

This trailerable boat is made of fiberglass and has an open transom that makes it easy to get in and out of the water. The mast can be quickly be lowered for transport, and the overall length is just shy of 20 ft.

This boat also has a great cabin with berths and storage to make your weekend trips more comfortable.

Our third addition to this list is a great sailboat for beginners, and it can be sailed solo or with a partner. This smaller boat is a joy to sail, is fast, easy to use, making it a great choice for weekend sailing trips.

• Lightweight and easy to tow
• Can be sailed solo or with a partner
• Fast and easy to sail
• Not the best choice for long-distance sailing

4. Cape Dory Typhoon

One of America's best selling sailboats and the "Littlest yacht"

The Cape Dory Typhoon is a trailerable sailboat that's perfect for weekend cruising and long-distance sailing. The boat has a fixed keel that draws 2 ft 6 in, and the mast can be lowered for transport. The overall length is just shy of 30 ft, and the boat has a beam of 10 ft.

The Cape Dory Typhoon has a comfortable cabin with berths for four people. The boat is also equipped with a head. The cockpit is spacious, and the boat has plenty of storage space for all your gear.

The Typhoon can be sailed shorthanded, but it's best enjoyed by a crew of two. The boat is well-suited for light bluewater sailing, making long trips or offshore passages easy and safe.

• Cabin with berths for four people
• Spacious cockpit
• Well suited for bluewater sailing
• Can't carry much in terms of gear for those long trips

This is a great sailboat that’s been available for over 30 years, and it's a great choice for coastal cruising. In the right hands, this trailerable boat is capable of plenty more, as the Cal 20 is well regarded as an ocean crossing race boat.

This hull is renowned for its interior and ease of use while trailering. It has a fixed keel that draws 2 ft 6 in, and the mast can be lowered for transport. The overall length is just shy of 21 ft, and the beam is 7 ft.

This sailboat has a comfortable interior with berths for four people. The boat also has a head, sink, and galley. The cockpit is spacious and well-suited for coastal cruising.

This boat is a great choice for all types of sailors, and it can be sailed solo or with a partner. The boat is fast and easy to sail, making it a great choice for weekend sailing trips.

It's not the lightest trailerable sailboat on our list, but it should be towed without issue by a well-equipped truck.

• Trailerable
• Cabin isn’t all that

6. Catalina 22

This boat is a bit of a legend and one of the first boats I sailed.. Considered by many to be one of the best selling sailboats in America, and for good reason. This trailerable boat is perfect for weekend cruising and coastal sailing. The boat has a fixed keel that draws 2 ft 6 in, and the mast can be lowered for transport. The overall length is just shy of 25 ft, and the beam is 7.67 ft.

For a twenty two foot boat the interior is comfortable with berths for four people. The original boat also has a head, sink, and galley. The cockpit is spacious and well-suited for coastal cruising.

This vessel is a great choice for all types of sailors, and it can be sailed solo or with a partner. The boat is fast and easy to sail, making it a great choice for weekend sailing trips.

This sailboat has one of the best interiors in its class, but the mast requires regular maintenance.

Despite its age, the 22 is still in production.

Production began in 1969, with over 16,000 built in total. Catalina 22’s have been made to differing specifications. As a result, it is a popular sailboat made in great numbers and across the states. At any time, thousands may be available on the secondhand market at reasonable costs.

• Looks great
• Thoughtful cabin design
• Available everywhere
• The cabin isn't tall

7.O'Day 240

This boat is rugged and is a great choice for those looking for a trailerable sailboat that can handle more than just coastal sailing. This boat has a fixed keel that draws 3 ft 6 in, and the mast can be lowered for transport. The overall length is just shy of 26 ft, and the beam is just over 8 ft.

The boat looks great. It’s wide and this contributes to its ease of use and stability while underway.

The O'Day 240's interior is particularly distinctive. It's packed with features, including a great berth in the shape of a V, galley, and room for a head. There’s also room in the rear for more berths. There's plenty of headroom in the cabin, which is rare in this size of boat. This boat is great for longer trips!

• Beamy which means more cabin space
• Great coastal cruiser
• Cabin design might be off putting to some

8. Islander 24

Islander's are renowned for their larger sailboats and are known for their great coastal cruisers. This boat is a great trailerable example by the company.

Built in a time when manufacturer's understood less about fiberglass, the hull is made thicker than modern sailboats. This gives the boat a sturdier look and adds substantial weight to the platform.

This fiberglass sailing boat is well-crafted and suitable for coastal cruising across a variety of conditions..

• Thicker fiberglass means stronger hull
• Great performance qualities
• Coastal cruising
• Heavy, Heavy, Heavy

The Helms 25 is a trailerable sailboat of exceptional quality, design and a swing keel. The boat has a fixed keel that draws 3 ft 6 in, and the mast can be lowered for transport. The overall length is just shy of 26 ft, and the beam is 8 ft.

The boat is well-appointed and has a nice layout. There's a small galley, two seats at the table, a berth in the shape of a V, and has room for more aft.

This boat is a comfortable, seaworthy, and trailerable boat. There is a lot of information available about this yacht. It's inexpensive to maintain and has a high resale value post new sale, making it an excellent investment opportunity.

• Cabin Layout
• Not great for extended trips

10. MacGregor 26

It seem we all have opinions about MacGregor. The 26 is no exception.

It's not quite like anything you've seen before. It looks blocky, wide and tall. This unique appearance might be off putting to some but it makes the boat much easier to handle and stable in conditions that would put other boats to shame.

The MacGregor 26 is loaded with options and a variety of models are available. With varying cabin layouts, window designs, and color schemes you're sure to find a MacGregor out there for you. If you're into the non traditional look, this is a great option as a trailerable sailboat!

• Modern design may be a trend setter
• Excellent headroom
• Stable across many conditions
• The look might put some people off

11. Nor'Sea 27

This boat might be one of the only true offshore sailboats with cabin amenities that might put some of the larger sailboats out there to shame. This 27 footer is a well designed, full-keel displacement sailboat. While underway, this boat feels safe and comfortable. A full keel allows this boat to weather more than others on this list.

This boat has a fantastic and large cabin, which is unique for these vessels. The interior’s paneled in attractive wood, and the whole ship has an elevated feel with quality materials throughout.

This boat’s a cruising sailboat that's ideal for extended travel and offshore sailing. If you're searching for a genuine cruising sailboat that'll trailer well, this boat is the one for you. Because of its size, weight and capabilities, towing this boat safely will require a vehicle that’s a bit more hefty.

• Large cabin
• Extended offshore trip capable
• Large and heavy

12. Catalina 25

The Catalina 25 is a sailboat that has been around for a while and is known for its great performance and easy handling. It's one of the most popular trailerable sailboats on the market, and it's easy to see why.

At just over 25 feet, the Catalina 25 is an easily handled sailboat that's perfect for weekend getaways. It has a spacious cockpit, a well-appointed cabin, and is capable of handling a wide range of wind and sea conditions.

The Catalina 25 is also one of the most affordable sailboats on the market. You can find them used for as little as $2,000, and they hold their value well. If you're looking for an affordable, trailerable sailboat that's perfect for weekend getaways, the Catalina 25 is a great option.

• Well-appointed cabin
• Not ideal for long-distance sailing or rough seas

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Trailerable Sailboats Comparison

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

June 15, 2022

Trailerable sailboats come in a variety of shapes and sizes. These vessels can be used for everything from racing to offshore cruising.

In this article, we'll compare six of the most common trailerable sailboat types along with their uses. Additionally, we'll cover vessel design elements that distinguish different types of trailerable sailboats.

The most common types of trailerable sailboats include dinghies, racers, open-top cruising sailboats, pocket cruisers, coastal cruisers, and compact offshore sailboats. These vessels differ by size, rig type, hull type, and weight.

The information contained in this article was sourced from sailing guides and vessel identification records. Additionally, we took into consideration the opinions of sailors with experience on a variety of trailerable sailboats.

Table of contents

Defining Trailerable Sailboats

What distinguishes a trailerable sailboat from any other small cruising craft? The first and most obvious consideration is size. A trailerable sailboat has to meet the dimensional requirements set forth by the Department of Transportation. In other words, it must fit on a trailer that's small enough to travel on the road.

An additional consideration is weight. A trailerable sailboat should weigh less than around 7,000 pounds, as this is the upper towing limit for most typical Class C vehicles. Most trailerable sailboats can be towed behind a typical half ton pickup or SUV.

Additionally, most trailerable sailboats have a swing keel or centerboard. This makes it possible to rest a boat on a low trailer. Most displacement keels are simply too tall, though there are a few exceptions. The maximum trailer load height in most states is 14 ft, which a trailerable sailboat should clear without trouble.

Length is a consideration, though it's not as important as width. The maximum beam of a trailerable sailboat is 8 ft 6 in, as this is the limit for standard trailers on American highways. Typically, trailerable sailboats don't exceed 30 feet in length, as the length to beam ratio of a longer boat would lead to poor handling characteristics.

The final consideration is rigging. Due to height requirements, trailerable sailboats must have collapsible masts. Additionally, rudders and other items that extend beyond the hull must fold or stow in some manner.

Types of Trailerable Sailboats

Trailerable sailboats come in many varieties, weights, in sizes. These vessels are designed for specific uses, such as racing, cruising, fishing, or training. Here are the most common kinds of trailerable sailboats, along with what they're used for.

1. Dinghies

Dinghies are small, open sailing craft that usually don't exceed 15 feet in length. Dinghies are designed for use in protected waters. They're sometimes used to shuttle between an anchored sailboat and the shore. Dinghies are popular racing vessels, and many sailing schools use them for sailing instruction.

Popular Trailerable Dinghies:

• Optimist “Optie” (7 ft 9 in LOA)
• Minto (9 ft LOA)
• Wayfarer (16 ft)

Trailerable racing sailboats are long and narrow. They're designed for speed and agility, not comfort or offshore cruising. These boats generally have a low profile, and they're often open-top and lack sleeping accommodations.

Racing sailboats are lightweight and easy to tow. That said, trailerable racing sailboats are designed for experienced sailors as they're easier to capsize in high winds. These vessels range in size from 15 feet to over 25 feet.

Popular Trailerable Racing Sailboats:

• National 12 (12 ft)
• Sunfish (13 ft 9 in)
• Merlin Rocket (14 ft)

3. Open-Top Cruisers

Open-top cruising sailboats lack a cabin. However, these seaworthy craft are more than capable of coastal cruising in a variety of conditions. Many of these vessels are based on proven workboat designs that date back over a century. These vessels are ideal for harbor sailing and cruising on lakes.

Some people use open-top cruising sailboats for camping, as these traditional vessels are long enough to lay down a cot or sleeping bag. They make a great starter sailboat, as they're safe and easy to store in the garage or driveway.

Popular Trailerable Open-Top Cruisers

• Norseboat (17 ft 6 in)
• Bay Rider (20 ft)
• Com-Pac Legacy (23)

4. Pocket Cruisers

Pocket cruisers are similar to coastal cruisers, though they're distinguishable by their size and amenities. Generally speaking, a pocket cruiser is a small sailboat (under 25 feet in length) that features a cabin, galley, self-draining cockpit, and other 'big boat' accommodations.

Pocket cruisers usually aren't designed for serious offshore cruising, but they are comfortable for extended coastal or inland voyages. They weigh more than racing vessels, as stability is a key aspect of their design. Pocket cruisers are popular because they offer impressive capabilities in a small package.

Popular Trailerable Pocket Cruisers

• Sandpiper (15 ft)
• Sanderling (18 ft)
• West Wight Potter (19 ft)

5. Coastal Cruisers

Coastal cruisers are some of the most popular trailerable sailboats on the market. These vessels usually feature a cabin with a V-berth and a sink, though they occasionally include a head and a complete galley. Coastal cruisers are seaworthy enough for most near-shore and inland weather conditions.

Some adventurous sailors have taken coastal cruisers on extended bluewater voyages, though it's not particularly common. The size and sailing characteristics of these vessels is often not their greatest limiting factor.

There's only so many provisions you can store aboard a 22 to 25-foot sailboat, which is why coastal cruisers are generally considered impractical for offshore voyaging. Coastal cruisers handle well, and they're easy to sail, which is why this type of trailerable sailboat is popular in bays and harbors across the country.

Popular Trailerable Coastal Cruisers

• Cal 20 (20 ft)
• Catalina 22 (22 ft)
• Hunter 22 (22 ft)

6. Compact Offshore Sailboats

Compact offshore sailboats are the rarest and most capable type of trailerable sailboat. These vessels are a big boat in a compressed package. They typically feature a long displacement keel, a wide beam, and a cramped but feature-filled cabin.

These vessels are true cruising boats inside and out. The cabins usually feature a full galley, standing headroom, ahead with a shower, a V-berth upfront, and provisions for navigation. Their rigging is strong enough to handle offshore weather conditions.

Compact offshore sailboats usually have the greatest displacement, as their deep draft and wide beam keep them stable in rolling seas. This also contributes to greater dry weight, which is why they can't be towed by small vehicles.

Vessels of this type are technically trailerable, as they meet the dimensional requirements to travel on the highway. That's said, moving one of these boats is difficult. Owners generally keep these vessels in the water or in dry storage most of the year to avoid the hazard and hassle of towing such a hefty boat.

Popular Compact Offshore Cruisers

• Flicka 20 (20 ft)
• Dana 24 (24 ft)
• Nor'Sea 27 (27 ft)

The keel of a sailboat keeps it stable and tracking a straight course. Most trailerable sailboats have retractable keels of some variety, though some have fixed (permanently lowered) keels. Here are the most common types of trailerable sailboat keels in order of their popularity.

1. Centerboard

A centerboard is a form of retractable keel that's common on the smallest types of trailerable sailboats. A centerboard is essentially a long, thin blade that descends through a hole in the bottom of the boat.

Half of the centerboard remains inside the boat in a box called the 'centerboard trunk.' Centerboards are simple and easy to use, but the centerboard trunk takes up useful space in the cockpit or cabin.

2. Swing Keel

The swing keel is a type of retractable keel that eliminates the inconvenient centerboard trunk. A swing keel is a centerboard with a hinge on one end. It lives in a trunk, typically below the base of the hull, and swings down when in use.

Swing keels allow the sailboat to ride low on a trailer, which makes them a popular choice for pocket cruisers and trailer-sailers. Swing keels raise and lower using a  block and tackle system or a crank, usually located near the bilge or under a seat.

3. Fin Keel

Fin keels are less common on trailerable sailboats than they are on larger cruising boats. This type of keel is fixed to the bottom of the hull. A fin keel blade extends between 12 inches and 3 feet below the hull, and it occasionally includes a hydrodynamic bulb on the end. Fin keels are most often found on racing boats.

4. Semi-Displacement

Semi-displacement keels are long, fixed keels that run along the aft 2/3 of the hull. This type of keel is designed for cruising boats that value speed but still want to retain the stability and seaworthiness of a full keel.

Some trailerable sailboats have semi-displacement keels, especially if they're designed for offshore use. The benefits of a semi-displacement keel over a full keel are negligible on a trailer, as both types have a deep draft and high ride height.

5. Displacement (Full Keel)

Displacement keels are traditional and highly seaworthy. This type of keel runs across the entire length of the hull, usually reaching its deepest point at the stern. Displacement keels are found on vessels that are designed for offshore use.

Displacement keels are uncommon on trailerable sailboats, as they're long and cause the vessel to ride high on a trailer. Additionally, the type of vessel that uses a displacement keel is often wide and heavy, which isn't ideal for trailering.

Collapsable rigging is a hallmark of trailerable sailboats. 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.

Many trailerable sailboats are gaff rigged. Though the traditional gaff rig is more complex than a modern Bermuda rigs, it uses a shorter and stronger mast. This has obvious benefits for trailerable boats, as the mast and spars store more easily.

Trailer Types

There are multiple types of trailers used to tow and store sailboats. The most common kind of sailboat trailer is the single-axle trailer. These trailers have one wheel on each side, and you can tow them with a standard Class IV trailer hitch.

Larger sailboats, such as heavy offshore cruising vessels, require something a bit sturdier. These vessels typically ride on dual-axle trailers, which have two wheels on each side.

Larger trailers, such as those with two axles, connect to a standard trailer hitch or to a fifth wheel hitch, which is mounted in the bed of a truck. Fifth-wheel trailers are the least common type of sailboat trailer.

Sailboat Weight and Towing

Dry weight is an important factor to consider when comparing trailerable sailboats. It's important to avoid confusing displacement and weight, even though both values use the same units.

Displacement is the weight of the water displaced by the vessel, whereas dry weight determines how much the boat weighs with its tanks empty and bilge dry. The ideal towing weight of a typical trailerable sailboat is between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds. This weight is within the towing capabilities of most trucks and full-size SUVs.

Larger trailerable vessels, such as many coastal cruisers and offshore trailer-sailers, can weigh 7,500 pounds or more. A sailboat of this magnitude requires a heavy-duty towing vehicle, such as a 1-ton diesel pickup truck.

Best Trailerable Sailboat for Cruising

For protected cruising, such as in a bay or after the river, it's hard to overlook the Catalina 22. This iconic fiberglass sailboat is known for easy handling and fun sailing characteristics. It has a comfortable cabin with plenty of room for a weekend on the water.

For more extensive cruising, especially offshore, the best trailerable sailboat is the Nor'Sea 27. This vessel is ideal due to its spacious interior and full accommodations. It has a full keel for stability, along with a head, galley, and sleeping arrangements down below.

Best Trailerable Sailboat for Weekend Sailing

The ideal weekend cruiser should be easy to tow in fast to rig, as larger and more complex vessels take too much time and effort the launch. With this in mind, it's a tie between the Wayfarer dinghy and the West Wight Potter. Both of these vessels are well-designed, fast to launch, and fun to sail.

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I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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13 Popular Trailerable Sailboats with Lifting Keels

Trailerable boats come in a wide range of styles, sizes and capabilities. Dinghies and small sport boats are easy to trailer and even car top, but what if you're looking for something you can take some place, and maybe spend a weekend on board?

One good way to open a lot of shallow cruising grounds and gunkholes and to make your trailering life easier is to add a lifting or swing keel to the boat. With drafts under a foot on some models, these boats will give you a lot less trouble with overpasses, wires and launching.

While this isn't an exhaustive list, these thirteen popular boats will give you an idea of the range of trailerable boats with lifting keels you can find on the market. Some are older and no longer built, and you can find some of them at the boat shows and ready for purchase new today. Whether you're looking for a day sailer or a weekender for a couple to gunkhole along the coast, here are some great boats to consider.

Catalina 22 Sport

• Com Pac Eclipse

Flying Scot

• Islander 24

MacGregor 26

Montgomery 17, norseboat 17.5.

• Seaward 26 RK
• West Wight Potter 15/19

Most of these builders have several boat models, and several them have specialized in pocket cruisers, trailerable boats, and smaller hulls. Remember the specific model listed may be a good sample of their work, but check their entire lineup for something closest to what you want.

13 Biggest Trailerable Sailboats: Cheap But Good

Also - not all these boats are still in production, though they you can find them for sail used. Links are to the builder where possible, or to information pages to learn more if the builder is no longer around. Because we're looking at smaller boats, they won't likely be listed on brokerage sites, so you'll need to search for them on places like Craigslist, class association sites, and smaller regional boat sales sites and for sale boards.

On this page:

Com-pac eclipse, seaward 26rk, west wight potter (15 and 19), finding your boat.

First introduced in 1970, the Catalina 22 has been one of the most popular trailerable boats since its inception, though the Mk II update added a few inches of beam and couldn't race the Mk1 boats under one design class rules. The 22 Sport updates the classic original, while returning to the specifications for class legal racing out of the box with the original 22. It has a retractable lead keel, or an fixed keel option, and has berths below for up to four people. It's an easy weekender to launch and sail, with ready made fleets for fun, competitive racing.

Find the specs here

Com-Pac specializes in small, compact trailerable sailboats. The Eclipse is a solid example of their sloop-rigged boats. With a 21 foot overall length, 7'4" beam, and a 2,200 lbs displacement, it will tow easily with a modest vehicle. Down below, you'll find a double v-berth and space for cooking and food preparation. This converts to sleeping space with two additional quarter berths.

When looking for a trailerable pocket cruiser, look at the entire Com-Pac line.

Over five hundred CS 22 hulls were built in their production run in the early 70s, and this sturdy little cruiser is still a popular boat if you can find one on the used market. They conceived it as a lightweight, trailerable cruiser. It has a stubby externally ballasted keel with centerboard for added stability and pointing.

Though small, the interior has sleeping accommodations for four, a small galley, and a space for a portable toilet, making it a suitable choice for short expeditions and weekending. Though scarce today, the CS 22 is a good example of compact design that helped set the standard for later pocket cruisers.

The Flying Scot is a day sailer, and a popular design with over a hundred racing fleets around the U.S. It's an older design, having been in production for over fifty years, but this 19 foot sloop will still get a small group out on the water for a day of sailing and fun. Although it doesn't have an interior, clever and adventurous sailors have rigged up boom tents and other means to spend the night on their boats. Options on new boats include space for motor mounts, swim platforms, and higher end racing packages, and there is a strong market for parts and equipment.

The Hunter 22 is an updated replacement for the retired Hunter 216, another popular trailerable boat. The boat can be configured in a cruising setup with a V-berth and portable toilet, or a performance package with a sprit and asymmetrical spinnaker. For the size, it's a good value mini-cruiser with good performance and enough comfort to keep a small crew for a weekend. Depending how you configure your Hunter 22, it can run the gamut from comfy pocket cruiser to sporty day sailer.

Note: Hunter Marine changed names to Marlow-Hunter, though there is an enormous base of used boats with the Hunter brand.

There are several varieties of the MacGregor 26 beyond the base boat, including the 26D (1986-89), 26S (1990-95), 26X (1995-2003) and 26M (2002-2013). MacGregor boats have proven very popular trailerable boats, selling over 38,000 boats during the company's lifetime.

The Mac 26 differs from many small sailboats by two things - water ballast for stability, and the ability to take what is, by small sailboat standards, a massive outboard engine. A seventy horsepower engine on a 26' sailboat can make it hit planing speeds under power. This popular boat is a compromise - the water ballast, hull design, and smallish rig make it a somewhat underpowered sailboat, but it will sail. But if there is no wind, the Mac owners will still beat everyone back to the bar even while towing a water skier.

Their blend of form, function and design have made them controversial boats with experienced sailors, but there is no doubt the MacGregor 26 has gotten thousands of new boats on the water and built a loyal following for one of the most popular trailerable boats ever sold.

After the closure of MacGregor yachts, the Tattoo 26 was developed from the Mac 26 and is almost identical in performance capabilities and design.

Built at first with a fixed keel with an optional centerboard, orders for the keel/centerboard version outstripped the original and more centerboard versions were built. If you're looking for one, make sure it's the right version.

Lyle Hess and Jerry Montgomery designed the Montgomery 17 as a cruising capable, trailerable boat. The lapstrake fiberglass hull deflects spray and chop, and the 1,550 lb boat gives a stiff, dry sail. The cuddy cabin below has comfortable space for two adults, space for a portable toilet, and ample storage for gear and supplies. A four-part tackle rig makes raising the deck stepped a snap.

NorseBoats specializes in lighter day sailers and trailerable boats with a classic look but modern build and design concepts. Marketed as the "Swiss army knife" of boats, any of their offerings meet the criteria for an easy to trailer and handle boat with a shallow draft. The 17.5 can take a small outboard, has two rowing stations, and comes with a carbon fiber, rotating mast for easy setup and break down and solid performance under sail.

The larger NorseBoat 21.5 has an optional cabin version, with more sheltered space for sleeping and living than the open version.

The venture is a sixteen foot day sailer, and a modern design which can be sailed by up to eight people. The Venture has options for fixed keel, a centerboard, or a ballasted centerboard. As a forgiving design, it's a popular boat for inexperienced sailors and sail training, but still has enough power to be interesting and fun for skilled sailors as well. The RS Venture Connect features a lifting keel.

RS Sailing develops and sells many performance oriented small dinghies and day sailors aimed at a range of sailing skill and applications, from sail training dinghies to high performance racing skiffs.

Hand built with carbon fiber and vinylester resin over balsa core, this little boat is lighter than expected, but still sails well with options for a fixed keel or centerboard. At 16'10" overall, a 6'9" beam, and 1,300 lbs it's an easy boat to handle. But down below it's got a V-berth sized for adults and seating for two down below. The lapstrake designed hull deflects water and spray for a drier, more comfortable ride.

The smaller Sage 15 is another option for a lightweight boat using the same modern materials and techniques in a classically styled package.

The Seaward 26RK is the successor to Nick Hakes’ Seaward 25, with an edge to more comfort and better performance in a similar price to the last generation yacht. The result is the 26RK with more waterline, more buoyancy aft, and a lifting keel.

One of the larger boats on this list, the Seaward 26 RK, is still easy to move over land with a trailered weight under 6,000 pounds. The boat alone displaces 3,800 pounds, with 1,200 lbs. of that in retractable ballast with a bulb on the bottom. The keel lifts with an electric motor and is simple to operate. The cockpit is comfortable for four and has options for wheel or tiller steering.

Down below you'll find four six-foot berths and seating for four. Interior configurations include options for an enclosed head and v-berth, and a two-burner stove in a small galley.

Seaward Sailboats began sharing construction facilities with Island Packet Yachts and are sold through the same dealer network.

For over fifty years, the West Wight Potter has been a compact, trailerable option for a weekender and vacation boat. The fifteen and nineteen foot models have been fixtures at boat shows and in harbors, and sailors have even crossed oceans in these doughty little boats. The fifteen displaces only 475 pounds, with 165 pounds of ballast in the lifting keel. It's self righting and self bailing, with added foam for stability and floatation. The 19 is heavier at 1,225 pounds with 370 pounds of ballast, but the extra volume adds two more quarter berths, more headroom, space below, and more waterline.

With a kick up rudder and retracting keel, these little cruisers can be beached or taken in shallow waters. They designed the hull for stability and reduce spray for a dry and comfortable sail. Factory options include several creature comforts, sail options, and even trailers. With over 2,600 West Wight Potter 15s built and 1600 of the nineteen footer, there's a ready market of these pocket cruisers for sale.

While the big boats get the glory and high profile spots at the shows, smaller trailerable boats are what most people can buy. The corners of the shows where you see the West Wight Potters and Com-pacs to be just as exciting to me as the main docks filled with forty and fifty footers, because these smaller boats invoke a different adventure. An attainable adventure, for so many more people.

There's an array of smaller boats you can store in your garage or backyard and take out for everything from a casual day sail to a long summer vacation. This list gives you a flavor of what's out there in the trailerable boat market, but it's up to you to decide where you want to go and how you want to get here.

The article is headed by a photo of a S2 7.9 but that boat did not make your list. IMO the best trailer boat .

Leave a comment

You may also like, what is a swing or lifting keel 14 pros and cons explained.

If you need to know what a swing keel is, like me, this article is for you. I'm trying to decide what keel type is right for me, so I dove into the swing keel.

Sailboat Keel Types: Illustrated Guide (Bilge, Fin, Full)

Centerboard (Swing Keel) vs. Fixed Keel: Pros and Cons

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whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style

• Thread starter akevin
• Start date Jul 8, 2011
• Jul 8, 2011

lookin to get a new boat for a family of 4(sundancer style?) and unsure if we want a 32-36' or if we would be happy w the largest boat there is that we can trailer- not sure whats available to trailer and i know theres 2 ways to trailer - one w my car and and another w special permits - can anyone tell me a few types of the largest trailer-able boats available? any w a bridge?  

americaneagler77

Petty officer 1st class.

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style start by identifying the tow vehicle. i personally wouldnt trailer anything over 25-28 feet on a regular basis unless i had a one ton cummins for a tow rig, and even then....not a fan  

Grand Larsony

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style Generally, trailering a boat with more than 8.5' of beam will require a permit (you can get per-trip or annual). Much larger issue is the tow vehicle... anything above 25' will usually require an F150 class truck (or better) with full tow package. That, plus the pure hassle of driving such a large trailer\boat around -- and finding good spots to launch -- makes it pretty difficult in most areas. Gas costs money, too. You'll need to think carefully about your usage pattern, availability of water \ marinas nearby, and the expense (and hassle) you're willing to take on. Forget trailering a bridge boat, and even a radar arch can force you to be very careful with your routes. For me there is no question... my boat gets moved by the boat-man when necessary, and it sits in my slip for the season. This allows me to use it MUCH more frequently than I could ever do if it were on a trailer. It's WAY CHEAPER too (vs. maintaining a tow vehicle, permits, trailer, registration, insurance, etc.). Virtually nobody trailers a large boat on a regular basis. Forgive the question, but do you have any experience with boats, trailering, etc.? It's hard to tell from your post, but you seem sorta new to boating in general. Starting out with that size boat (potentially on a trailer) is a big step.  

25thmustang

Lieutenant commander.

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style This question is very open ended. The largest reletively easily trailerable cruiser would probably be a Sea Ray, Wellcraft, Bayliner... with an 8.5' beam. These will most likely fall in the 25-28' range. Figure a minimum of 5000-6000 lbs for the boats dry weight. Add toys, gear, fuel, trailer and your at a 9000+ lb rig. A newer 1/2 or 3/4-1 ton truck would be in order. If your talking with permits you can step up into a higher 20s to 30'+ boats. These will be wider, roomier, but heavier. Forget the half ton once your at or above 28-30'. Some people actually do trailer these types of a boats around, most just trailer to and from the marina, and wet slip the boat. I have seen 33-36' cruisers on trailers. 11-13' wide. 10000+ lb dry weights etc... It can be done, and even legally. Would I recommend it, no. Nearly everyone I know who had dreams of even 26-27' trailer boats, have ended up with slips. You can move them around and launch/retreive them, but it just turns into a bit of a hassle, especially after a long day of boating, when the kids/wife are tired and your beat and ready to go home.  

Fleet Admiral

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style Here's one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6tbABRT1sA&feature=related ... but you aren't going to tow it with a CAR! ... nor do I think you'll be towing it long distances either. If you get one like this, please video and post your first launch for us here at iboats.  

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style And as you can see in the vid of the G-W, trailers and ramp styles can be a real determining factor. If the ramp is steep and the transition sharp (hear that grating noise in the vid?), it can really put a damper on where exactly you can put in and pull out. That G-W launch, she had gravity on her side. When they go to retrieve, there may be a bit more effort to drag that girl over the hump...  

Chief Petty Officer

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style yah, the person backing that boat up was a tad slow compared to me but i also dont drag trailer like him. i like how his back axle lifted up putting all the wieght on 4 tires. i cant imagine there much left on the trailer after he does that a dozen times. also love that bow thruster, something to look for in your boat if you go that big. and to that 1/2 ton comment your better off with a 2000 1 ton then a 07 1/2 ton. i have a 23 foot cuddy that weighs in at 6,300 with a full tank on the trailer so 25-28 foot will be much heavier esspesially if you get twins. anything is trailerable, its just what you feel comfertable pulling. i've seen quite a bit of older carvers for sale lately in the 26-28 foot range with flybridge on a trailer i wouldnt know about newer models. anything with radar arch/flybridge you run the risk of slamming a bridge just be carefull and maybe take note of powerlines or anything over the road before you buy.  

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style I have a Sea Ray 268. With fuel, gear, water, trailer etc, it probably weighs in between 8000 to 9000lbs. I tow it twice a year with a 1/2 ton pickup, other than that, it sits in a slip for the summer. I would not want to haul it every weekend back and forth; while it's doable, it would get old very fast. Bigger would be even more of a pain.  

Home Cookin'

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style what exactly do you and your family of 4 want to do? Week-long overnight cruises? daytime recreation? You don't usually consider trailering with boats that size.  

Grand Larsony said: Generally, trailering a boat with more than 8.5' of beam will require a permit (you can get per-trip or annual). Much larger issue is the tow vehicle... anything above 25' will usually require an F150 class truck (or better) with full tow package. That, plus the pure hassle of driving such a large trailer\boat around -- and finding good spots to launch -- makes it pretty difficult in most areas. Gas costs money, too. You'll need to think carefully about your usage pattern, availability of water \ marinas nearby, and the expense (and hassle) you're willing to take on. Forget trailering a bridge boat, and even a radar arch can force you to be very careful with your routes. For me there is no question... my boat gets moved by the boat-man when necessary, and it sits in my slip for the season. This allows me to use it MUCH more frequently than I could ever do if it were on a trailer. It's WAY CHEAPER too (vs. maintaining a tow vehicle, permits, trailer, registration, insurance, etc.). Virtually nobody trailers a large boat on a regular basis. Forgive the question, but do you have any experience with boats, trailering, etc.? It's hard to tell from your post, but you seem sorta new to boating in general. Starting out with that size boat (potentially on a trailer) is a big step. Click to expand...

Attachments

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style Agreed w/above. I wouldn't even bother towing 8Klbs with a 1/2 ton pickup. I'd be finding a 3/4-1 ton diesel for a tow vehicle, so figure that in with boat pricing. The wide-load permits would be a pain for the boat with over 8'6" beam, which will be common around 28-30' cruisers. I'd guess 28' is about the maximum trailerable cruiser for most to handle if you are only dragging it out once or twice a month. If you were putting in every weekend, I'd pick your favorite lake and get a slip or at least have it dry-docked. As was mentioned, you need to describe what you and your family are looking to do. Do you want to stay the entire weekend on the boat with no cabin/hotel rental or is this just a one day trip? Do you want to pull tubes/skiers or is anchoring/swimming the only activity? Lots of variables.  

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style Duh... get two boats !!!! Interstate transport will require VERY careful planning and MULTIPLE permits (one per state?).  

Vice Admiral

Tahorover said: My next door neighbor pulls his 35' around and it's a huge PITA. Just pulling out of the driveway and moving around the neighborhood is stressful. Most of are local launch ramps are not big boat friendly. Truck and trailer is close to fifty feet. Click to expand...

25thmustang said: This question is very open ended. The largest reletively easily trailerable cruiser would probably be a Sea Ray, Wellcraft, Bayliner... with an 8.5' beam. These will most likely fall in the 25-28' range. Figure a minimum of 5000-6000 lbs for the boats dry weight. Add toys, gear, fuel, trailer and your at a 9000+ lb rig. A newer 1/2 or 3/4-1 ton truck would be in order. If your talking with permits you can step up into a higher 20s to 30'+ boats. These will be wider, roomier, but heavier. Forget the half ton once your at or above 28-30'. Some people actually do trailer these types of a boats around, most just trailer to and from the marina, and wet slip the boat. I have seen 33-36' cruisers on trailers. 11-13' wide. 10000+ lb dry weights etc... It can be done, and even legally. Would I recommend it, no. Nearly everyone I know who had dreams of even 26-27' trailer boats, have ended up with slips. You can move them around and launch/retreive them, but it just turns into a bit of a hassle, especially after a long day of boating, when the kids/wife are tired and your beat and ready to go home. Click to expand...

Home Cookin' said: what exactly do you and your family of 4 want to do? Week-long overnight cruises? daytime recreation? You don't usually consider trailering with boats that size. Click to expand...

smokingcrater said: Nice looking boat, hate to fuel that thing up though! Anyway, he is well past 50 ft. 35 for a boat which doesn't include the running gear sticking out the back, or the tongue, so it might be close to 45 total length of the trailer itself, plus 20 ft or so for truck. Its well past 60. Click to expand...

smokeonthewater

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style sure you can tow big boats (30' plus)... you need a 1 ton dually minimum and some real skill as pulling oversize loads is an art..... nothing like having to go left of center 20 times in 10 miles to miss trees while dodging oncoming drivers and just guessing what crazy thing they will do..... legally width is not a huge problem but permits are in order .... height on the other hand is a BIG deal.... when you say a boat with a bridge I assume you mean a FLYING bridge.... Getting on the interstate and most other roads will require removing the flying bridge on anything much over about 26'.... my 26' carver flybridge without a windshield was about 12' tall on the trailer and my 28' wellcraft in my sig is about 13' with the radar arch.... Removing the flybridge can be an all day job on some boats and could be nearly impossible for an individual esp if you don't have much help or a good way to hoist it onto the deck and back.... Btw I trailer the boat in my sig every time I use it  

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style Years back I had a 28' flybridge on a triple axle trailer. The rig was 35' sittin on the trailer. Scared the crap out of me goin down relatively flat highways. Slightest gust of wind or getting passed by a semi would increase the pucker factor by the power of 10.  

Re: whats the largest trailer-able boat available- cruiser style As long as the truck stays in the lane, the boat will follow... The absolute best truck I towed with? '05 GMC 1 ton dually, Duramax, Allison...damn thing would pull a house...  

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…

Trailer-sailing? Tow your boat safely

Simple stop and check technique

What is a lugger? And why they make great trailer-sailers – answered!

Compulsive boat owner Clive Marsh explains why little luggers make perfect trailer-sailers

“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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Trailerable Sailboat Reviews: Small Boats, Big Adventures

• By Herb McCormick
• Updated: May 24, 2024

We were approaching the trickiest, most hazardous stretch of the Northwest Passage , high in the Canadian Arctic, when we happened upon a sight more wondrous in its own way than all the ice, polar bears and other assorted wildlife that preceded it. Tucked up against a barren shoreline, its anchor embedded in a handy ice floe, was a nifty little trailer-sailer, what we soon discovered was a NorseBoat 17.5 Classic. 

Hopping in the dinghy from our rather cushy 64-foot steel cutter, we pulled alongside and were greeted by a pair of strapping Royal Marines named Kevin Oliver and Tony Lancaster. They were on military leave for a busman’s holiday of sorts: sailing, rowing and occasionally dragging their open boat, with a simple cuddy for accommodations, through the notoriously challenging high northern latitudes. One thing was clear: If these dudes were running the British Empire, there’d still be one.

Those chaps, and that boat, captured my imagination. I thought about them again late last fall on a road trip from New England to Florida with my daughter as we passed one compact camper after another. We both love camping, and we were debating the merits of one mini Gulf Stream to another tiny Winnebago when she said something profound: “Why not have a trailerable sailboat as your RV? You could sleep in it while traveling, then when you reached your destination, you could go sailing.” Why not indeed?

I’ve owned many fully found, systems-rich cruising boats but have always been enamored with the simplicity and versatility of something small and trailerable that you could tow and launch from just about anywhere: the Florida Keys, the coast of Maine, the Sea of Cortez, the Pacific Northwest. (The closest I’ve personally come is a J/24, which can be trailered anywhere, but which is more of a dedicated racer than a pocket cruiser.) There’s something seriously appealing about the idea. Which is why, over the years, I’ve kept a short list of the boats I think could fill the bill, having sailed them to test their potential. What follows are a few of my favorites. 

– TOW LIKE A PRO – Remember to leave extra stopping room when trailering your boat. At the ramp, be considerate of others but take the time you need to launch and recover your boat safely. Always check tie-downs, safety chains, lights – and the drain plug. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard

For the Hearty at Heart 

I’ll always relate to those ­hardened Brit lads in the Arctic when I think of the NorseBoat 17.5 Classic. (Perhaps to underscore their no-nonsense attitude, they co-authored a book about their adventure entitled—what else?— Blokes Up North. ) The boat’s Canadian builder has an appropriate nickname for its vessels, which include 12.5 and 21.5 models: the “Swiss Army knife of boats.” The 17.5 Classic is one salty-looking craft, with a pronounced bow, sweeping sheerline, lapstrake fiberglass hull, pivoting carbon-fiber gaff-rigged spar, fully battened mainsail, kick-up rudder, and a pair of rowing stations with a set of 9-foot oars. Options include a full-size tent that encapsulates the entire open boat, though the cuddy works well for most outings, and motor mounts for a 2 or 4 hp outboard. Talk about distinctive. NorseBoat says that the boat can be towed by a midsize car, fits in a standard garage, and is ideal for “cruising sailors who want to downsize, sea kayakers who are moving up, and daysailors who want a high-performance boat with lovely traditional lines.” I agree with that assessment. It will also work, ahem, for grizzled soldiers looking for a “relaxing” break from the front lines. norseboat.com

The Trailerable “Legend”

My lasting memory of the Catalina 22 is a visit I paid to the Southern California plant where they were built some four decades ago. From a balcony overlooking the factory floor, I saw four production lines knocking out the classic little 22-footer, each line producing a boat per day (another facility on the East Coast also churned out one daily). It was the Golden Age of American boatbuilding, and I’ve always considered this compact craft to be the gold standard of trailerables (longtime Catalina designer Gerry Douglas prefers to call it “the Miller Genuine Draft of sailboats: cheap and cheerful”). Seeing that almost 16,000 have been launched over the years, “ubiquitous” also works. The early models were bare bones: no winches, lifelines, nothing. But over the years, Douglas says, “the options grew, and it morphed into a cruiser,” with galleys, heads, holding tanks and other accoutrements. The trouble with all the stuff was that many sailors liked racing their 22s, and the extra gear made the boats heavier and noncompetitive. Douglas eventually went back to the drawing board and designed a lighter version, the Catalina 22 Sport. It was competitive with the older, original boats—and is still produced today. “If you opened up a dictionary with a picture of a sailboat, it would be the Catalina 22,” Douglas says. “I think it has a place in the history of our sport. It was simple, with no bad habits. It introduced a lot of people to sailing and provided a lot of pleasure over the years.” And continues to do so. I’ll take one anytime. catalinayachts.com

Fast and Fun

My first exposure to the Seascape line of quick and trim racers/cruisers—a brand built and launched from Slovenia, which is a rather sailing-crazed nation—came from my colleagues at our sister publication Sailing World , a dedicated racing magazine. They raved about the quality of construction and sailing experience. Then, in 2018, Seascape was acquired by Groupe Beneteau, and all previous Seascape models were integrated into the Beneteau First product range. It provided the line with the sort of widespread, mainstream marketing punch that it deserved. I’ve since sailed a pair of larger models produced by their collaborative effort, but if I were inclined to go the trailer-sailer route, my choice would definitely be the Beneteau First 24 SE (the SE standing for Seascape Edition). It’s a high-tech version of the previous First 24 with a serious boost in performance. The SE line’s sweet spot, in the company’s own assessment, is as a dual-threat boat aimed at competitive one-design racing and adventure sailing. I reckon that 24 feet is an ideal size for both, and the 24SE delivers on the promise with a carbon rig; swing keel with lead bulb; laminate sails; and light, high-tech, infused-­vinylester construction. With ­removable crew bags and modular components that can also be stored ashore when racing, the 24 SE can be set up quickly and easily for cruising or competition. beneteau.com  

– LEARN THE NAVIGATION RULES – Know the “Rules of the Road” that govern all boat traffic. Be courteous and never assume other boaters can see you. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard

One Sharp Sharpie

The late Rodger Martin was a South Africa-born naval architect who is probably best known for the robust ­round-the-world racers he conceived for solo legend Mike Plant, which is when I first met him. Tellingly, ­however, when it came to ­designing his own personal boat, he produced the very cool Presto 30. The 30-­footer was an offshoot of the Outward Bound Hurricane Island 30 that he designed for the wilderness program based in Maine, but that was a hybrid sailing/rowing boat. To upgrade it for cruising, Martin basically designed a sharpie, based on the straight-sided 18th-­century fishing boats with a hard chine, flat bottom and centerboard for access to shallow water. With a beam of 8 feet, 6 inches, the boat is eminently trailerable, and Martin regularly towed it south from New England in the wintertime for cruising forays across the Gulf Stream and into the Bahamas. Due to that shallow draft and minimal freeboard, the rig required a low center of effort, which Martin addressed with a simple cat-ketch rig. With the addition of a slightly raised cabin top, he was able to insert basic interior accommodations (which were also somewhat compromised by the centerboard trunk). For a couple who can embrace camper-style cruising, ­however, it fit the bill. In recent years, a couple of Presto fans have tried to put the boat back into production, which has yet to happen. But if you can find a used one, you’ll have a boat with a fine and unusual pedigree. ­ rodgermartindesign.com

An Upgraded Ensign

A couple of years ago, I got myself a 1963 Pearson Ensign, a venerable daysailer designed by the great Carl Alberg that measures in at a smidgen under 23 feet with a full keel and a spacious cockpit. I quite enjoy my Ensign, 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. Conceived as an ideal tool for teaching sailing, the 245 replaces that massive keel with a lifting one that has 900 pounds of ballast, which makes it just as stiff as the old-timer. With the board down, it draws 4 feet, 6 inches, but once raised, the draft is just 1 foot, 8 inches—and with its kick-up rudder, you can nudge into the shallows that the Ensign could only dream about. Like the full-size members of the Tartan clan, the 245 has a carbon-fiber spar that’s stepped on deck and is easily raised and lowered. A retractable bowsprit is ideal for flying off-wind reachers; for working sail, there’s a choice of an overlapping headsail or a self-tacking jib. The little cuddy space forward is another feature reminiscent of the Ensign; it can be employed, along with the handy tiller, for camper-style cruising. You may be able to have more kicks on a little sailboat, but I’m not sure how. tartanyachts.com

– LOWER YOUR RATES – Taking a boating safety course won’t just make you a better skipper. It could also help you save big on insurance. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard

Happy Little Girl

And now for something completely different: the Pacific Seacraft Flicka (Swedish for “happy little girl”). It’s a 20-foot, heavy-displacement, full-keel pocket cruiser that, yes, you can pop on a trailer and wheel to destinations of your heart’s content. Designed by Bruce Bingham—an illustrator and sailor who, for many years, penned this magazine’s Workbench column—the boat was originally offered in kit form, and then bounced around to a couple of builders before finding a permanent home at Pacific Seacraft, which produced the grand majority of them (reportedly, roughly 400 Flickas were ultimately produced). Bingham loved his, sailing his pretty Sabrina all over creation, which is when I became enamored with the boat. The Flicka certainly fits the definition of a cult boat, and these days, if you look hard enough, you can find one in almost any configuration: sloop, cutter, yawl, schooner, even gaff-rigged. With a startlingly roomy interior, the Flicka is cozy but certainly not the fastest 20-footer you can find. You might not get where you’re going quickly, but you will get there. flicka20.com

To the Third Power

Talk about a boat that was ahead of its time. Any list of good trailerable boats has to include a multihull, and few have reached the overall popularity of the Corsair F-27, the prototype for which was originally launched way back in 1985. It’s designed by Kiwi Ian Farrier, based on another little trimaran he’d created a decade earlier. The signature feature of the three-hulled 27-footer is the folding outrigger system—better known as the Farrier Folding System—which reduces the beam from a significant 19 feet to a mere 8 feet, 2 inches, which makes it eminently trailerable. You can still see (and find) F-27s just about everywhere. They have active one-design racing fleets all over the place, and they make for tidy pocket cruisers when they’re not zipping around the racecourse. From a pure sailing point of view, there’s nothing more enjoyable than finding yourself perched out on an ama of an F-27, coursing along at double-digit boatspeeds, with a light touch on a long tiller extension. We’re talking joy, cubed. corsairmarine.com  

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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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Regal 28 Express

• By Pete McDonald
• Updated: August 11, 2012

Two boating terms that typically don’t go hand in hand are cruiser and trailerable. That’s because putting a livable cabin on board usually means adding weight and extending the beam beyond what are acceptable parameters for towing behind a pickup truck or SUV. But builders have long tried. A generation of “pocket cruisers” came and went, pushed aside a few years ago by the desire for bigger, better and roomier. But now, with people looking to scale down, the trailerable cruiser is making a comeback. And, as the Regal 28 Express illustrates, builders are doing it better than ever.

The Regal 28 Express actually has a waterline length closer to 26 feet — the 28-foot-10-inch length overall comes from the extended swim platform — and possesses the 8-foot-6-inch beam required to trailer boats in most states without a special permit. As stated, getting a livable cabin into those dimensions is a tall order. Regal engineers met the challenge first by shedding weight. They started by redesigning the cored stringer grid, making it leaner and lighter while fortifying it in areas where the boat endures the most structural stress. They also designed lighter cabinets and storage spaces and used resin transfer molding on hatches, which reduces the amount of heavy resin and improves the strength-to-weight ratio. The result is a boat tipping the scale at an estimated 7,585 pounds. That’s still a bit on the heavy side compared with the listed dry weights of other trailerable cruisers, most of which are a bit smaller.

For example, Four Winns builds the V265 ($98,362 with a 300 hp Volvo GiCDP), which tapes a 26-foot length overall, an 8-foot-6-inch beam and a 6,270-pound dry weight. And Chaparral has the 270 Signature Cruiser ($95,952 with the 300 hp Volvo GiCDP), listing at 6,900 pounds dry. The 270 has a 27-foot length overall with its swim platform.

What the Regal does have over its competition is a brighter interior, thanks to a window design that allows a better flow of natural light. While other builders rely on the traditional oval ports, Regal uses larger, more stylish triangle-shape windows in its hull sides. Those, in combination with the three deck hatches overhead, really help illuminate the space belowdecks. Even the midcabin berth has two circle-shape ports to bring natural light inside. On a small cruiser, this greatly improves the livability below. The ports are all screened, and when open, there is excellent cross-ventilation, a good thing since cramming a 110-volt genset into the engine compartment is an $11,685 option and the air-conditioning unit adds $3,100.

There’s a standard forward V-berth that doubles as a dinette, but the owners will want to leave that for the kids or guests and bunk in the midcabin berth, which sports a full queen mattress. The cabin sole is covered by lightweight yet durable bamboo. The galley to starboard has a fiddled Corian counter with a single electric burner, and the sink has a Corian hatch cover.

The head employs the full 6 feet of cabin headroom and also features a Corian countertop. I liked the electric toilet and really liked that Regal installed a separate shower head on the bulkhead. It’s more like a real shower than a spritz with one of those nozzles you find in a kitchen.

Stepping outside, the cockpit is well done too. The best place to start is at the helm, which features an adjustable double-wide captain’s bench that truly has room for two. Grabbing the reins at the helm, I noted that the 28 Express climbed onto plane respectably and easily settled into its optimum cruising speed. Top end was not blistering, but it did exceed 40 mph, fast enough for an express cruiser.

To port of the helm, passengers can sit side-to and face the captain or kick back on the rear-facing recliner and watch the wake. Or keep an eye on the activity aft. Abaft the port lounge there’s a molded-in entertainment center with the obligatory freshwater sink and removable cooler underneath.

My favorite part of the cockpit is what Regal calls the Ultra Lounge, a plush sun pad on the transom that has a four-position backrest, so it serves double duty as either a full tanning bed or additional seating. On a small cruiser, such versatility is a major plus. The optional Power Tower ($7,692) adds sportiness; it’s an arch that can be raised or lowered forward with the push of a button, which helps with bridge clearance, rack storage or highway towing.

Arch or no, one problem recurrent in all pocket cruisers is that their short length and tall height make them susceptible to wind around the dock or the launch ramp. The counterrotating-propeller Duoprop system found in the Volvo Penta sterndrive offset this, and I felt comfortable in tight handling situations. But if you’re not, Regal offers a $3,000 bow thruster option. It will help make docking this boat — or loading it on a trailer — as easy as pie. This type of option shows you can buy a small express cruiser and take it anywhere, be it by land or sea.

Comparable models: Four Winns V265, Chaparral 270 Signature Cruiser

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LULU, the Biggest, Baddest Trailer Sailer

A home-built water-ballasted trailer sailer, by brad c. frederick.

I’ve always wondered if LuLu wasn’t the largest trailer sailer on record. I’ve been sailing this 35′, self-designed and homebuilt trailerable sailer since launching her out of Morro Bay, California in 2010. I laid the keel in 1993 after three years of testing on a half-scale model I’d built. Her construction consists of ¾” planks bent over bulkheads on a strongback and closely fitted, layered joints held together with a lot of West System® Epoxy. I also used West System® when I sheathed her with fiberglass.

LULU under sail.

Because LuLu is water-ballasted, she’s easily towed with my ¾-ton 2015 GMC pickup. We now sail her exclusively out of Marina Del Rey, California, and will cruise to Catalina. Lulu’s flood hatches total 3’2″ of bottom area, allowing her to morph into a 14,800 lb. cruiser just five minutes after launch. The 540.17 sq. ft. of sail she carries on her 30′ mast will drive her at near hull-speed easily in a calm sea. Her two 25 hp Hondas can add a knot or so to that.

LuLu’s rudder was a proud boat-building achievement for me, I’ll admit. Its inner structure is bent stainless steel ribs stacked vertically and welded horizontally to the post. This is covered by 3/8″ plywood cheeks. It’s very strong but at over 200 lbs., it’s a little heavier than it needed to be.

I chose the name LuLu because it was the nickname of my cat, Lucretia, and because I knew it would symmetrically span the rudderpost.

When I designed the boat, I used Excel as my basic computational and drawing tool. It turns out that by treating cells as pixels you can draft and even animate with Excel. I’d traced her lines from a full-keel Herreshoff design I saw in a book. It took me 17 years to finish the boat because it was a soup-to-nuts development rather than a conventional build. It wasn’t just her hull that I had to develop. Her water ballasting system was a challenge, going from 7,000 lbs. to 14,800 lbs. on launch while keeping her floating on her lines. I went through four different designs of her mast erection system—each taking about a year to build and test—before I found one that satisfied. Her trailering system is large enough to carry LuLu dry, low-slung enough to launch from a 1:7 ramp and get under 14′ overpasses, and still light enough for my pickup truck to tow. I worked on the entire project alone while working my day job. It’s nice having LuLu to sail.

Trailer sailer LULU in erectus.

Interior of the cockpit, looking forward.

Interior of LULU’s cabin shot from mid bulkhead looking aft.

Interior ceiling ribs

Specifications

• Construction – ¾” plywood sheathed with fiberglass and WEST SYSTEM Epoxy
• LOA – 35′
• Beam – 8.5′
• Draft – 2.7′
• Mast – 30′
• Displacement – 7,000 lbs. dry, 14,800 lbs. with
• water ballast
• Trailer Weight – 3,000 lbs.
• Sail Area – 540.17 sq. ft.
• Engines – Two 25 hp Hondas

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Largest Trailerable Sailboat

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Hello Everyone, I was just wondering what is the biggest baddest most seaworthy, safest, unsinkable thick haul overbuilt like a tank if you hit rocks, sail around the world boat that is still easy to haul around and launch at the boat ramp? Are the old 70's hulls built tougher with the hand laid fiberglass? I see a guy down the street from me has a 30 ft on a trailer, is that the biggest size limit for easy trailering? It weighs 7,000 pounds, I've got a 10,000 pound hitch so I can go bigger, I would like to go as big as possible. We also need something easy to learn how to sail on, my wife and I are gonna buy a boat, I already bought Sailing for Dummies at Amazon.com for 28 cents plus 3.99 shipping, in Very Good Condition with "No Visible wear marks" lol and we are gonna go for it on our own, take it out and float around in circles until we learn how to sail. I guess it's not that hard to learn and many others have done it this way? I always thought it was hard to learn. I want to get something we will not outgrow, I want a hard core boat because we do indeed intend to sail it around the world someday. But she works all the time and I have more time off so I need something that is easy to sail by myself as well. Also what was the largest model sailboat that Boston Whaler ever made? I see a 22 ft Harpoon for sale on ebay but it is in Califorina and I am in Tampa Florida. What all years did Boston Whaler make sailboats and how can I find one? Where is the best place for me to find boats for sale? So a boat like I am describing, what would be the pick for $20,000 what would be the pick for $10,000 and what would be the pick for $5,000? Thanks  

Well this topic should garner as many opinions as there are skippers I am sure. Rather than trying to answer all your questions, there is much to consider and will in due course once those of experience feel ambition to share, I will start the commentary by saying you are, in my opinion on the right track with considering older boats to begin your first sailing endeavours. I would like to offer my opinion before we enter a discourse on boats, is it is vital to gain the necessary training and experience before committing to a boat. Bring safe on the water is paramount not only for yourself but others as well. Operating a boat takes coordination of effort and the rules for navigation are complicated. Sailing looks simple but it is not. Not a first anyway. Take some basic sail and navigation courses before embarking on the adventure. Join a yacht club, get involved, get to know other sailors, pick their brain we love taking boats, and get out on as many different boats as you can. In this way gaining knowledge and experience is key to prepare so the dream does not become a nightmare.  

If you want a big sailboat that is easy to launch at the local boat ramp, most likely, you will be looking at a boat with a swing keel. Just so you know, for sailing around the world, among other things, you want a heavy, fixed keel. When I say heavy, I'm talking something in the range of the keel weight being at least 35-40% or more of the total boat weight. So a 10,000# boat would have a keel of at least 3500#'s. Some years ago, I had a Catalina 30 with a 5' draft fin keel. Nice coastal cruiser boat, not built to cross oceans, although I've read it has been done. With that deep draft, the boat is obviously not going to be easy to launch from a trailer. If memory serves me, my boat was a little over 10,000 #'s with a keel weight exceeding 4000 #'s In other words, a boat light enough to be easily trailerable isn't going to have the guts made to cross oceans  

The only unsinkable boat I know of was the Titanic. There is no such thing as a trailerable easy to launch blue water sailboat. A few popular boats that can be put on a trailer are the Nor'sea 27 Falmouth Cutter 22 Dana 24. They are a fairly big nightmare to rig and launch and you wouldn't want to do it often. Of the three I would suggest the Dana 24 for many reasons but all are excellent boats and VERY small. Whats your Budget?  

First, considering the nature of boats and the nature of highways the limitations are more likely to be imposed by the various state highway commissions than by boating parameters. First figure out how big (actually wide) you can handle. This varies somewhat by state and due to the costs and aggravations of over width permits effectively puts a limit on your beam width. Weight and length are limits that are tied to beam width and won't be a problem. (I know of no 60 ft boats with a beam less than 8 ft.) As far as weight it has to weigh less than water. That's a pretty easy hurdle as most roads allow about 90,000 lbs. First then find out what you can tow and go from there. I suspect that you will be limited to a few narrow boats in the 28-32 ft range and a gross weight of 7,500- 10,000 lbs. That's pretty tight for passage making (you run out of space pretty quick.) However they would be towable. Ya pays yer money and takes yer choice.  

How much do you want to spend? Something like a Carkeek 40 would certainly meet the design brief, but frankly buy a boat now to learn to sail on, then when you are ready to sail the world buy a different boat. The Carkeek by the way is trailerable thanks to a hydrolic tilt trailor and can be launched at any yacht club dinghy hoist.  

there is a great article on this months good old boat about the c and c mega 30 http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=732 people either love or hate that design...I for one love it as it looks like a mini open 60 with the bulb cabin top and open transom and fin bulb keel right at 8 feet beam for legal trailering(unless you get a trucking permit) and around 6k(gear and all) or so displacement plus trailer its about as big as you can go without getting into trouble I found the article real interesting especially regarding performance and fun factor as well as $$$ compared to a new boat or something... anywhoo I plan on trailer sailing my merit 25 down to the florida coast and dream of taking it down there for a season then coming back or whatnot to georgia...or taking the boat to savannah and sailing there then coming back home etc...Ill be at 4,500 or so with trailer...  

Wow thanks for all of the responses. My budget is $5,000, and by keeping it on a trailer I am mainly trying to avoid slip fees and it will be nice to have it right in the yard to work on and fix up without having to drive to a marina, and I don't want to be stuck at any one marina. Plus the kids can climb on it and play pirates, my wife and I can practice raising and lowering the sails and what not, and I just want to sit up there, drink a beer, and look overtop of all the houses up and down the street, and be King of the Mountain! I know everything there is to know about powerboating, I've had US Power Squadrons School, Coast Guard Aux School, US Navy Watercraft Operator School and US Army Watercraft Operator School plus I've been on fishing boats all my life, for more years than I care to mention. I know that sailboats always have the right of way, powerboats will just go around me, I can't go fast enough or change course quick enough to hit anybody, So I fail to see how I could cause any problems anywhere. Being that I was an Army Combat Engineer the challenge is I want to prove to myself that I can figure it out myself, and plus my wife and I can say we learned ourselves from the dummy book lol we want those bragging rights so it is kind of a personal challenge for us, a teamwork thing. Taking lessons would be cheating, that makes it too easy, I wanna learn by the seat of my pants Old School style like a Viking! I read somewhere that sailing was relatively easy, that anybody can be taught the basics in two hours, and that there were three accepted ways to learn. One was taking lessons, one was doing ride alongs with other sailors, and the other was buying a boat and taking out yourself just like I am talking about and they said a lot of people have done it this way. Yes I thought about buying a trainer boat, and then getting a bluewater one later, that's the plan, but I just want to get the biggest baddest training boat there is so we do not outgrow it for a while. So I willing just be towing it down the street to the boatramp mainly, and our biggest trip will be between Tampa and Key West probably, so sounds like I am looking for a coastal cruiser you guys call it. And it sounds like I am looking for a swing-keel, whatever that is. Once again, Thanks for all the nice responses  

goarmyonem said: Wow thanks for all of the responses. My budget is $5,000, and by keeping it on a trailer I am mainly trying to avoid slip fees and it will be nice to have it right in the yard to work on and fix up without having to drive to a marina, and I don't want to be stuck at any one marina. Plus the kids can climb on it and play pirates, my wife and I can practice raising and lowering the sails and what not, and I just want to sit up there, drink a beer, and look overtop of all the houses up and down the street, and be King of the Mountain! I know everything there is to know about powerboating, I've had US Power Squadrons School, Coast Guard Aux School, US Navy Watercraft Operator School and US Army Watercraft Operator School plus I've been on fishing boats all my life, for more years than I care to mention. I know that sailboats always have the right of way, powerboats will just go around me, I can't go fast enough or change course quick enough to hit anybody, So I fail to see how I could cause any problems anywhere. Being that I was an Army Combat Engineer the challenge is I want to prove to myself that I can figure it out myself, and plus my wife and I can say we learned ourselves from the dummy book lol we want those bragging rights so it is kind of a personal challenge for us, a teamwork thing. Taking lessons would be cheating, that makes it too easy, I wanna learn by the seat of my pants Old School style like a Viking! I read somewhere that sailing was relatively easy, that anybody can be taught the basics in two hours, and that there were three accepted ways to learn. One was taking lessons, one was doing ride alongs with other sailors, and the other was buying a boat and taking out yourself just like I am talking about and they said a lot of people have done it this way. Yes I thought about buying a trainer boat, and then getting a bluewater one later, that's the plan, but I just want to get the biggest baddest training boat there is so we do not outgrow it for a while. So I willing just be towing it down the street to the boatramp mainly, and our biggest trip will be between Tampa and Key West probably, so sounds like I am looking for a coastal cruiser you guys call it. And it sounds like I am looking for a swing-keel, whatever that is. Once again, Thanks for all the nice responses Click to expand...

Welcome to SailNet! We are an opinionated folk here, and discussions can become .....boisterous....., but we mostly mean well. Ask as specific a question as you can, to help focus on *your* needs. To search the site, do this in your browser search window: "best anchor" site:http://www.sailnet.com/forums/ N.B. No [space] between 'site:' and 'http://www.sailnet.com/forums/ ' Use the quotes for multi-word search phrases to reduce irrelevant hits on individual words in the phrase. ******* About swing keels and centerboards: http://www.sailnet.com/forums/general-discussion-sailing-related/96250-swing-keels-good-bad.html Thoughts about swing keel boats. - SailboatOwners.com ******* When you want info about a particular model: Sailboatdata.com is the worlds largest sailboat database. ******* When you found one you're interested in: http://www.sailnet.com/forums/boat-review-purchase-forum/48177-boat-inspection-trip-tips.html ******* Potential candidates: Sailboats-20-27-feet | eBay ******* Good Luck and Happy Hunting!  

I would hope your "Sailing for Dummies" would have a section regarding different types of keels and a swing keel would be described. if not, google types of sailboat keels. you might want to also google blue water boats vs. coastal cruisers. There's a big difference, not only in design but $$$.  

Is this a Good Deal? Is that a swing keel? Offered is a Luger Voyager. It is a 30ft X 8 ft X3 ft draw @7000lb sloop. It is a 1980 model, I've owned it since 1992. Dont be trapped by dock fees or fear of hurricanes when your not sailing. "Designed by the well knownwest coast design firm of Edwin Monk & associates in collaboration with the luger staff and Eric White (designer of theMorgan Outisland series of crusing sailboats) she has a full keel that draws 3 feet and has a swing keel drawing 6 feet for stronger seas. She has some gelcoat cracks topside cockpit floor but nothing major. This was a kit boat, I built most of the inside. It has a V berth porta pot,dining set, love seat, galley nav station and bunk under cockpit. Blueprints, like new sails and cushions are included. It has $800 in new tires and rails on the trailer. I built a new rudder that needs sanding and paint. I also have an 18hp Nissan with a custom 45 watt alternator for charging a battery bank at sea. Someone could ready this boat in a week and be sailing in style and on budget the next.$4500 call Andy for more info show contact info  

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My Bad I see it has a swing keel in the ad. What does that mean? How does it work? Swings which way? Alas I do not have my Dummy book yet it is in the mail. Anybody like this boat?  

So wait a newb comes on here, and wants to buy the biggest trailerable sailboat he can, under 10,000lbs, so he can sail the high seas, and wants to do it under $5000... and nobody here has blasted him yet? I think there are people with 40+ footers that are proven bluewater cruisers that some here would STILL say isn't enough. Probably the best advice on sailboats I've ever heard I will share with you.... Sailboats can be: Fast Trailerable Seaworthy/comfortable you can only pick 2 from the above list. There are TONS of transportable sailboats... I would NOT call transportable, trailerable. Trailerable is usually limited to boats that are easily launched FROM the trailer. Transportable boats bring you to the edge of the water, and either a LIFT, specialized truck, or crane lifts the boat and puts it in the water... There are keel and deck stepped masts... Keel stepped masts are a BEAR to raise yourself (even with 4-5-6 people), they are generally considered to be the preferred configuration for larger "blue water," boats. Deck stepped is like it sounds, attached to the cabintop... those masts can easily (relatively speaking) be raised... with a gin pole or A-frame. Honestly if you are serious about what you are asking (and the question is a little to ripe with key points that I am leery its not a setup), and trailerable is one of your big criteria, you should consider the trailer sailing forum, over at tsbb. The boat that comes to mind for me to fit as best it can, your points... (at least 2 of them), is the Flicka 20.. Good luck finding one for under $5000 The Flicka 20 Sailboat : Bluewaterboats.org Taking this little tank for a long voyage would not be comfortable by any stretch of the description, but it might well do it. Slightly bigger and recommended on the same page the Contessa 26 might be a worthwhile choice... Welcome, and please learn to sail first... preferably on something small in protected waters... when you can calmly and easily handle 40 knot winds.. consider venturing on short coastal jaunts next, but only then.  

EDIT: Personal attack in violation of forum rules deleted. Jeff_H SailNet moderator In my original post I asked for a $20,000 pick, a $10,000 pick and a $5,000 pick then 2 guys respond and ask what my budget was after I had clearly stated it the first time, so I just said $5,000 when they asked to see what the cheapest option would be first. There was a point when you were new, Is that the point of this forum, To Blast people? Or is it to help people? If you do not want to help why are you even on here, EDIT: Personal attack in violation of forum rules deleted. Jeff_H SailNet moderator  

I said big and you come at me with a 20 footer? and the question is a little to ripe with key points that I am leery its not a setup), and trailerable is one of your big criteria, you should consider the trailer sailing Exsqueeze Me? What is ripe about my question? A Setup? What are you even talking about, and why would it be a setup.nd what do you even mean my setup? What are you some kind of paranoid half a Wack Job?  

Clipper Marine 32 C&C Mega 30 S2 8.0C shoal draft all are in the $5K-20K range, all are trailerable.  

Hey thanks bljones, Now we are getting somewhere, I like this clipper 32 of which you speak. I have been finding 30 footers for sale on trailers, and nothing bigger so I thought that was the limit but looks like 32 is. Are you talking about the sloop or the ketch? I am grooving on that aft cabin ketch, that's a lot of boat, can that be launched loaded fairly easily? I am very good at the boat ramp. Do they have blistering problems? One guy said he had steel keel rust problems but only because the previous owner did not keep up on the zincs. Somebody said they have a tendency to rot out towards the bow? Do you know of any problem areas on this boat? Somebody said it was slow, I don't care, and stable so easy to sail single handedly, but it has trouble keeping the bow high enough or something like that? Say I wanna buy an aft cabin 32 ketch, is that gonna be hard to find? Where should I look? Dude that might be me right there, I love this boat, nice lines too and an aft cabin would be awesone! I wonder if that model would be too heavy, wonder how much weight that aft cabin ads, I'm gonna go look at it some more. So now, thanks to you, my new question is gonna be what all trailerable 32's are out there? If that is the only one, Then sold! Thanks man!  

Before you do anything, check out local boat ramps where people may be launching sailboats. Talk to people who actually do it. I doubt you will ever find anyone launching anything bigger than 22', maybe 25'. See what is involved in launching, raising the mast and setting the standing rigging.. Once you see all That is involved and the time it takes, you will probably rethink your plans. launching and retrieving a 30-32 footer is something you only do once a year...not to go for an afternoon or even weekend sail.  

Thanks for your concern, but Dude I'm a CDL truck driver I back trailers all day long. I've got a 27ft Twin engine Flybridge Sportfisherman that weighs 8,500 pounds that I launch every weekend, I only live one mile away from the ramp that heads out to tampa bay. So's this sailboat ain't that much bigger, and I am only going one mile with it. Ive got a big motorhome with a hitch ball on the front so I drive down the ramp headfirst so I can see good. Ain't No Rookie's on THIS BUS! But yeah your right, it's not something for the inexperienced or puny wimpy girly-men like DROOL. It is looking like this Clipper 32 is the only trailerable 32 ever made so my choice was made easy, plus the wife and I both just LOVE it, What a sexy beast! An engineering marvel to be that big and still light enough to trailer like that. The slip fees here in Tampa are beyond ridiculous, No way I am throwing that kinda mass cash away. I'm gonna take that money and wine and dine my wife instead. I'm also tired of pouring gas into this Sportfisherman, so I'm gonna punt it for some free wind power, then the old lady can get some new clothes instead of wasting it on gas. How about That? And it will be nice to have it right next to the house to work on, Hmm maybe I'll make my Mother in Law sleep in it next time she comes to visit! My kids will have fun climbing all the way up there and camping overnight in it, Poof! Instant Tree house! I'll run em a zip line down to an oak tree for easy dismounts! They'll Love that! Plus I can pull it around and use it for a travel trailer as well. Can't wait to pull into Walmart with this Pirate Ship! I'll save money on hotel rooms. The only long haul is gonna be hauling it home, but hey I'll go to Seattle if I have to, that's what I do, That's How I Roll! Thanks for all the help everybody, EDIT: Personal attack in violation of forum rules deleted. Jeff_H SailNet moderator  

I ani't go'in on no afternoon sails, I'm go'in 40 miles out in the Gulf in the 100ft water where the good fish'in is, with Air-Con and an Ice machine, and I'm gonna hang out all week till I fill the boat full of fish! I just came back on because I forgot to thank bjones for finding my boat for me, God Bless Ya Brother!  

Goarmy... I said what others here said, they were less pointed about it... I don't think I deserve your pull back, and frankly attacks. The scathing comments were NOT directed at you... they were directed at the people at large here who normally wail on others that come on here asking what boat is right to circumnavigate the world... LOOK again for the bluewater bucket thread. You've obviously just started out... and are asking for the biggest trailerable sailboat... as an OTR you can trailer damned near anything, my RESPONSE to you was about "trailerable," versus "transportable." 3 others here have given you EXACTLY the same advice. The 33 is a great boat... So is a Hake Seaward 32RK! 32RK | Seaward Yachts If you don't care about tighter accomodations... a Hobbie 33 is probably more seaworthy than anyone here would like to admit... and frankly is ACTUALLY trailerable. Because it has a lifting keel. But no standing headroom, and it's a rocket ship. You've come onto a very experienced forum... lets use the example of a car racing forum... having asked the question of "what is the fastest car you can buy that gets 32mpg..." I answered the 32mpg question with my 20 footer, and you blasted me for not giving you the lambo. I've owned several trailerable sailboats... none of them would I consider to be "bluewater." I've launched them myself, and towed them with my 3500 dually diesel that I tow my 16,000lb LQ horse trailer with... granted it's not a CDL license, or YOUR obvious extensive OTR cred... but it's MORE than enough for me to be qualified to tell you that YOU don't know yet what you don't know. Launching a 27 foot powerboat, is a good start, add a large keel that draws another 2-4 feet, adds a dimension that I am quite sure you are NOT taking into your equation. What others here have said, and you have missed was the question of the local boat ramps... They legitimately were asking DEPTH, and LENGTH of ramps... because generally saltwater ramps aren't, and cannot be long enough to get a deep keel (see bluewater requirements) deep enough... you run out of RAMP LONG before you float the boat. NOW, if you took a little time to search the forums you'd realize that others have already SOLVED this problem for you... with hoists on the extreme side, tractor launches, extendable tongues, and strap launch methods. My comment to you was to start small... and learn sailing first... find out if it's right for you, become a great sailor, as I KNOW you will because of you passion for it, and work your way up... if you buy quality used, and learn boat maintenance you'll become not only a great sailor but also KNOW what you want in a larger boat... READ back through the posts here, and see if I am saying ANYTHING different than others. Now I'll do as you ask, and go drool on things... you know because I am totally unhelpful and all.  

Dude...I didn't say anything about actually driving your truck or backing a trailer down a ramp. That's the easy part. Putting up the mast, boom and setting up all the standing and running rigging....that's the issue. That's why I suggested talking to people who actually launch sailboats from a trailer on a regular basis. When you do find someone, most likely it will be something in the low 20 foot range. Tell them you want to do the same with a 30 footer on a regular basis. See what reaction you get.  

man this thread got heated hey for fun op go on youtube and look for sailboat launches on a ramp, youll see why some on here react the way they do. there are som god awful vids of boats taking the plunge...there is a merit 25 one that scared the hell out of me as I jave to haul my boat one of these days and the ramp os kind of steep, so I need to modify my trailer with an extension or tongue as they call it as well as weld on a t at the bow that serves as a holder for the deep angle of the ramp so it doesnt slide back... anywhoo...for now Im just going to sail the boat wet...and deal with that stuff in the summer or something. now back to trailerable boats...  

There is a great video of a guy who trailer sails his Grampian 26. long tongue extension to get it into deep water, and has a hinged deck step and uses a pole with a trailer winch to raise/lower the mast. brilliant. That is going to be the challenge, rigging the boat. we take about three hours. get the mast up, run all the lines, bend on sails, tune the rig. then getting the boat kit stored, rations loaded, water, fuel tankage. by the time all that is done about 5 hours. my boat is 28 feet. mast is 34 feet, weighs 170 lbs. It is possible to trailer sail my boat just would take some planning. As soldiers we make our bread and butter on planning right Bro?  

EDIT: Personal attack in violation of forum rules deleted. Jeff_H SailNet moderator Yes Christian.hess "Mobile Southern Sailor" I Love it, The first thing I ALWAYS do as soon as I get a new trailer, is take it to the trailer shop, and have them extend the tongue just as far as they possibly can. This makes your rig pull straighter and truer on the freeway, with WAY less of the wobbly back and forth that flips trailers causes wrecks and kills people. It also makes it WAY hrder to jack knife and bust out your tail lights. The big thing is now you don't have to back your car as far down the ramp before you boat floats, you don't EVER get your back tires in the slippery green moss that casues your car to slide backwards into the lake (seen it happen many times) now you can stay on dry ground all the time. The only down side is NOT A DAMN THING! It is a win win wni win win situation and I wish everybody would do it and stop cause fatal accidents on the freeway. The other thing is I will never haul a single axle trailer, THOSE are the ones that flip over when you blow a tire, and you are stuck on the side of the road putting on the spare. When you blow a tire with a double axle, you just slow down and keep driving to the tire shop. I watch my tires in the rear view mirror ALL the time. The other thing people ALWAYS do wrong is run their trailer tires ragged WAY past the point of wearing out, Then wonder why they blow. Not only do I make sure my tires are ALWAYS in newer condition, I get the heaviest load range available, even if I am hauling something light, just for the added safety margin. My answer to steep ramps is I don't launch at steep ramps.  

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Largest Trailerable Sailboats

• Thread starter Sail123
• Start date Jun 14, 2012
• Forums for All Owners
• Trailer Sailors

Know of Harstad 31, the couple of versions of Clipper Marine 32's & Hobbe 33, but what other big fish are out there in the Trailerable sailboat world? I own both versions of CM32's and really enjoy their value and contribution to the sailing community, but I often times wonder what lurks out there in the marinas across the globe. I know there are several folding multi hulls that are fascinating. Here is my pair of Clipper Marine 32's side by side on trailers. One going in and one just out of the water. They share slip time. I imported both to Nebraska from FAQ away waters. One the Great Lakes, the other LA. CM32's were once the largest trailer sailboats to be able to go down any public road without special permits because of their 8' beam. Their relative light weight made it possible for the family car to pull them around. Tell us a brief history of a boat you know about or own.  

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I have a Luger 30 I hope to foat this summer.  

I have seen a Tartan T10 on trailers, thats about 30 feet.  

Large trailerable boats While not really a sailboat, the Nimble Wanderer is 31' and road legal width in most all states. They made it in motor-sailer and power only version.  

Chris Blubaugh

they look to be very different boats...in what year were they manufactured?  

Check out the Seaward 32RK.  

watercolors II

NorSea 27 NorSea 27. http://www.norseayachts.com/norsea27.php check out site below these people have been sailing across oceans for years. http://www.enezacko.com/  

Merlin Clark

I think the definition of a trailer sailor is one that can be launched off the transport trailer, and I would add, by the vehicle that tows her and can be rigged by the operator without heavy equipment. Any boat under legal limit on lenght (overall with tow vehicle is 65 ft) can be moved by trailer but that does not make all of these boats trailer sailors.  

I only trailer it 9 miles to the marina and back spring and fall, but it works for my 85 C30TR. No brakes, lights or anything but we take the back way to the marina.  

merlinuxo said: I think the definition of a trailer sailor is one that can be launched off the transport trailer, and I would add, by the vehicle that tows her and can be rigged by the operator without heavy equipment. Any boat under legal limit on lenght (overall with tow vehicle is 65 ft) can be moved by trailer but that does not make all of these boats trailer sailors. Click to expand

anchorclanker

Some obviously have different ideas of what constitutes "Trailerable". To me it would require max 8.5 foot beam (legal width), requiring zero permits to haul, and be light enough you need a dually to pull it.  

I look at setup time. if it takes you more than 2 hours to launch its 'transportable'  

cephius (Dave)

Since Sail123 is not looking for recommendations, but stories, do we really need to define "trailer boat" again?  

I leave the mast up on the trailer at the marina and launch within 20 minutes... If I'm going to the same lake over and over anyway, might as well leave it there...  

Whats available in a blue water, legally trailerable, around 30 feet??  

Squidd said: I leave the mast up on the trailer at the marina and launch within 20 minutes... If I'm going to the same lake over and over anyway, might as well leave it there... Click to expand

Sail123 said: We tow, launch, recover with my pick up. We step the two masts by hand (we are 55) while in the water in her slip. Easier and safer than on a trailer way up in the air. For long trips, we use our toter home so we have somewhere to sleep. If we did not slip this sailboat, we would still be comfortable working from a trailer each time we use her. However, when we sailed a Mac 25 we also slipped that sailboat. Just so much more convenient to enjoy the sailboat. Click to expand

anchorclanker said: Whats available in a blue water, legally trailerable, around 30 feet?? Click to expand

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