trailer sailboats

My Cruiser Life Magazine

7 Best Trailerable Sailboats for Cruising

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

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

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

Table of Contents

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

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

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

What Is a Trailerable Sailboat, Exactly?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7 Best Trailerable Cruising Sailboats

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

View this post on Instagram A post shared by @marshallmarinecat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Do You Want Your Trailer Sailer To Do?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What size sailboat is trailerable?

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

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

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

Is a Hunter 27 trailerable?

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

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

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

Is a Catalina 22 trailerable?

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

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

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

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

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

MacGregor put pop tops on many of its trailerables

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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  

• More: pocket cruiser , print March 2023 , Sailboats , trailerable
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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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Better Sailing

Best Small and Trailerable Sailboats

Cruising with a trailerable sailboat means that you can voyage in a small and comfy sailboat with the advantage of saving some serious costs. Having a trailerable sailboat saves you money for storage fees, boatyard haulout, and boat insurance, among others. There are two main categories of trailerable sailboats; performance-oriented boats and all-round pocket cruisers.   So, if you’re a part-time sailor but still want to experience the joys of sailing continue reading this article so as to find out which are the best small and trailerable sailboats on today’s market. Know that there are many decent trailerable sailboats that managed both offshore and coastal cruising. So, keep reading and find the one that suits you best!

Catalina 22 Sport – The Best Trailerable Sailboat

Catalina brand is one of the most constructed sailboats in the US and has manufactured a great deal of capable and robust sailboats. The Catalina 22 Sport is one of the most preferred pocket and race cruisers since 2004. The model pioneers for the one-piece hull liner that has become standard in most high volume small boats. Furthermore, it has enough trim along with a well-proportioned rig and a hand-laid fiberglass hull construction. Other great features include a retractable lead keel, a roomy cabin, a spacious cockpit, and a fractional rig with a mainsail and a roller-furling jib. You can get a used Catalina 22 for as low as $5,000 and a brand spanking new one for around $40,000.

>>Also Read: Beneteau vs. Catalina: Which Is a Better Sailboat?

West Wight Potter 15

The West Wight Potter 15 is one of the best small trailerable and seaworthy 15-foot sailboats of all time. It’s easy to handle and great for both coastal and offshore cruising. She has an aluminum mast and tiller, a small cabin that comfortably sleeps a couple and also we can’t miss referring to her elegant design. Furthermore, it can be easily stored, it’s relatively cheap to buy and can be purchased both as a new or used boat, as many sailors prefer it for stepping up from a dinghy to a pocket cruiser.

>>Also Read: Best Pocket Cruisers Under 20 Feet

This small trailerable boat features a modern design and can be a top choice for many sailors, both for beginners or even for experienced ones. She surprisingly manages well in different weather conditions and she’s also relatively easy to handle. As a result, she has earned by right the title of a truly seaworthy small cruising vessel. Moreover, her robust design from the masthead to keel design is proven to be highly durable and comes with a mainsail and 110% genoa. A great feature of this model is the comfy and interior layout that offers a great amount of space for her size.

And that’s why the Hunter 27 is a great liveable sailboat having enough storage space, 6ft of standing headroom, berths, as well as plenty of counter space and seatings. Lastly, as a true trailer sailor, she has a shoal draft of under 4ft and a displacement of less than 8,000lbs. You can find her in today’s market as a used or brand-new model with a price ranging from $20,000 to $45,000.

>>Also Read: Best Sailboats Under 100k

BayRaider 

The BayRaider from UK’s Swallow boats is a somehow newcomer to the small trailerable boat market in the US. She features a large and open cockpit, is ketch-rigged, and has a gunter-style mainmast. As for the topmast and mizzen, they’re both carbon-fiber; you can also apply this to the mainmast. This model can be sailed with a dry hull in lighter weather conditions or if you want to maximize its stability you can do so by removing the 300lbs of water ballast. The water ballast offers great performance in light to medium winds and makes the boat suitable for different sailing or weather conditions and levels of experience. Lastly, as she has the centerboard and hinged rudder raised she can be maneuvered even in the thinnest water. She has a self-tacking rig and is easy to trailer; all these features make her a great choice for novices.

>>Also Read: Most Popular Sailboats

Contessa 26

The Contessa 26 is an all-time-classic and small trailerable sailboat. Even if this vessel is quite small she has proven her seaworthiness and is still preferred as an ideal pocket cruiser. She has a roomy cabin and comfortable cockpit, so there’s no need to worry about below deck space. As for the rigging, it’s quite easy to handle and is rigged as a masthead sloop. Also, her construction comprises of a deep keel and hull-mounted rudder; and that’s why she was also used as a racer. The main downside is her narrow beam which contributes to heeling although she stiffens up quickly and becomes easy to sail. In any case, there are many who admit that she’s one of the most reliable sailboats in the mid-size category.

The Hunter 22 is a great daysailer and features an open-transom cockpit and sloop rig, making her the ideal choice for friends and family outings. Moreover, the considerable amount of below-deck space has twin bunks, a roomy cabin, and a portable toilet. Rigging also includes an asymmetric spinnaker and a mainsheet traveler in case you’re keen on racing. Her construction is made out of laminated fiberglass hull and deck, molded-in nonskid, and a hydraulic lifting centerboard. Last but not least, she’s fast, stable, responsive, and is, therefore, an ideal starter-boat for novices.

Islander 24

The 24-foot Islander is a classic choice in the small trailerable sailboat market. This fiberglass model features a sturdy design and has proven her seaworthiness for coastal and family-day cruising. This model was first built in 1961 but is still available on the used market. She has a masthead sloop rig, simple overall rigging, and is appropriate for single-handing. As for below-deck space, she has a spacious cabin for two with a V-berth, and space for a head. Last but not least, many sailors admit that she’s a lot more capable than many of the later model boats in this size range.

>>Also Read: Best Sailboats Under 30 Feet

Macgregor 25

This trailerable cruising sloop is a safe, easy-handling, and robust sailboat for 2 persons; perfectly suitable for coastal cruising. The boat has a spacious cabin and great safety features like foam flotation as well as the ability to self-right. Its innovative design features a retracting keel, pop-up rudder, and an easy mast-stepping system that enhances its cruising performance. Moreover, it has a large foredeck and cockpit and its lifelines and shrouds are equipped with handholds. You can easily find a Macgregor 25 on the used market with just $9,500.

>>Also Read: Best Small Sailboats To Sail Around The World

Cape Dory 28

The Cape Dory 28 is a popular trailerable sailboat known for its great performance both offshore and inland. Even though it has a small size it offers comfortable living spaces below the deck. In addition, she has proven to be more capable than other larger sailboats. It’s designed with a well-balanced deck arrangement along with a full-length keel with an attached rudder, a low freeboard, and a well-proportioned traditional trunk cabin. These sailboats were originally rigged as sloops with self-tending and club-footed jibs. This sail plan is really great for stiff weather conditions. Lastly, it can be easily hauled-out and transported regardless of its 28ft size. Ideal for salt-water cruising and for tighter coastal waters you can find a used model for $12,900.

>>Also Read: How Much Do Sailboats Weigh?

The Newport 27 is an all-time-classic that was first built in 1971 and is still considered a common choice for small sailboats amongst sailors. Although it has a small size it doesn’t lack interior space. The standing headroom is just over 6ft, there’s a V-berth, a head, and a hanging locker forward of the bulkhead. Also, settees measure 6ft in length and extend to either side of the saloon. Some variations include a fixed dinette with raised seating fore and aft, a starboard quarter berth, and an aft-placed head. You can find them on the used market from $10,000 to $18,000, depending on their condition and any possible upgrades. Even though it’s not a really robust offshore cruiser, the Newport 27 is still a capable trailerable sailboat and if upgraded and equipped accordingly it can definitely offer decent coastal cruising to a singlehander or a couple.

>>Also Read: What Are The Best Beginner Sailboats?

Trailerable sailboats are a great choice for beginner sailors as well as for couple and family outings. Keep in mind that the aforementioned boats are not the only options on today’s market. I recommend these boats because they’re easy to handle, small but roomy, easy to trailer, and have an overall robust design. Generally, a trailer sailor will save you costs for purchasing but also for marina fees. Keep in mind that many sailors choose to sail overseas with a trailerable sailboat, so there are suitable models for a long-passage voyage. Lastly, small sailboats can offer different kinds of sailing adventures; weekend cruising, coastal cruising, island hopping, and sometimes an offshore voyage. I hope that you enjoyed reading this article and that it will help you out in order to pick the right trailerable sailboat for your needs.

Peter is the editor of Better Sailing. He has sailed for countless hours and has maintained his own boats and sailboats for years. After years of trial and error, he decided to start this website to share the knowledge.

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Practical Boat Owner

• Digital edition

The best trailer sailer boats for weekend cruising… or longer

• Duncan Kent
• July 12, 2023

Duncan Kent reviews a selection of new and used trailer sailer boats that are large enough to accommodate crew for a weekend, but small enough to launch and recover single-handed

The Beneteau first 20 has a roomy cockpit and is spacious below. Credit: Jean Marie Liot/Beneteau Credit: Jean Marie Liot/Beneteau

The best trailer sailer boats for weekend cruising

If you’re happy just day sailing in fair weather then you won’t really need more than a sprayhood to duck in out of the odd shower or to make a brew.

But many more enthusiasts, especially those with young families or grandchildren, like to get involved in more than just the sailing.

To some, especially youngsters, the ‘camping’ element is crucial to the whole experience.

Yes, many dayboats could support a full cockpit tent for the occasional night on board in the summer, but it soon gets tedious if you try to spend more than one night under canvas without at least some of the basics of home living such as a cooker, running water, electricity, a proper toilet and enough room to stow a few changes of clothes.

Take a step up from the 16-18-footers into a weekender-size boat, say 19-21ft, and you get a lot, lot more to make life not just bearable on board, but in some cases positively comfortable.

New trailer sailer boats

Beneteau first 20.

The Beneteau First 20 is a trailable, modern, mini cruiser race. Credit: Jean Marie Liot/Beneteau

Finot-Conq’s Beneteau First has been around in various guises (210, 211, 21.7 and currently the First 20) for a while.

A modern mini-cruiser/racer, the F20 sports a 7⁄8ths fractional sloop rig with option for a furling asymmetric.

Having no backstay allows the mainsail to be flat-topped, thereby increasing the sail area.

It has also enabled the mast to be shortened, lowering the centre of effort on the sails and resulting in her being noticeably stiffer.

Beneath the waterline sporty, shallow sections extend out to a wide, flat stern.

Twin rudders keep a bite on the water when heeled and windward ability is hugely assisted by her 6ft (1.83m) deep, lifting fin keel.

She has a well-arranged and roomy cockpit and, though she’ll accommodate four adults, the position of the sheets enables her to be easily single-handed.

The F20 only has provision for an outboard but, thanks to the twin rudders, this is positioned centrally on the transom .

While you won’t get any useful prop wash, the outboard can be steered for manoeuvring into tight spaces.

Below she has a spacious and practical open-plan layout with a structural inner moulding creating the furniture, as well as providing enough hull rigidity to do away with bulkheads.

There are bunks for four adults on a vee-berth and settees, and basic facilities for living aboard such as dry stowage, a small galley cabinet and an optional loo.

Headroom is 1.45m (4ft 9in) maximum and there’s a privacy curtain across the forepeak.

Although not as easy to launch and recover as some, due to her keel protrusion when lifted, she is trailerable.

Having fixed ballast adds to the gross towing weight, however, which is a hefty 1,500kg (3,307lb) all up.

Beneteau First 20 specifications:

LOD: 6.25m/20.5ft Beam: 2.48m/8.1ft Draught: 0.70-1.78m/2.2ft-5.8ft Dry weight: 1,245kg/2,744lbs Ballast: 300kg/661lbs SA: 25.50m2/274 sq ft Keel: Lifting Motor: 10hp outboard Sail plan: Bermudan sloop RCD category: C New price: From £29,350 Used price: From around £20,000 Contact: Beneteau Yachts, www.beneteau.com

Windhunter 19

The Windhunter 19 is inspired by Bristol Channel working boats

Built in Poland, the design of the gaff-rigged , GRP Windhunter 19 was inspired by the old Bristol Channel working boats.

Though most compact trailer-sailers have gone the swing-, or lifting-keel route, usually with added water ballast, the WH19 has a long, fixed shoal keel containing 400kg (881lb) of lead ballast.

This, plus the additional stability created by her ample beam, results in a stiff boat that is easily capable of cruising northern European coastal waters safely and in comfort.

Being a long keel also adds to her directional stability too, something some of the centre-boarders can lack, and deep bilge-boards mean she can take the ground safely and remain level – in fact she’s pretty much a triple-keeler.

The downside of fixed ballast is extra towing weight which, at around 1.5 tonnes calls for a fairly powerful towing vehicle.

Her deep, self-draining cockpit isn’t huge, but it’s secure with high coamings and all sails can be easily controlled from here with coaming-mounted jib sheet winches and main sheet horse astern.

She has a transom-hung rudder and an outboard well, into which a 5hp motor mounts.

Although the prop is ahead of the rudder, being offset from the centreline does mean you lose the benefit of propwash over the rudder when close- quarter manoeuvring.

Her rig is a simple sloop with a high-peaked gaff mainsail and a smallish jib tacked down on a wooden bowsprit.

Her sail area isn’t huge, but this is ideal for those who want easy control when single-handing. Spars can be of either wood or aluminium.

Having a long cabin might reduce cockpit space, but the payback is below, where she feels like a 22-footer at least.

There’s a large vee-berth, a good galley area with a GRP moulding containing sink, hob and stowage and two lengthy quarter berths.

However, if you choose the 3-berth model you get something that is very rare in a boat of this size – a separate, private heads compartment.

Windhunter 19 specifications:

LOD: 5.80m/19.02ft Beam: 2.20m/7.21ft Draught: 0.55m/1.80ft Dry weight: 1,100kg/2,425lbs Ballast: 450kg/992lbs SA: 21.50m2/231.42 sq ft Keel: Fixed Motor: 5hp outboard Sail plan: Gaff sloop RCD category: C New price: From £27,900 Used price: From £18,000 Contact: Character Boats UK, 07976 406768, www.characterboats.co.uk

Cape Cutter 19

Cape Cutter 19: classic looks with all the mod cons

In 2001 Dudley Dix created this traditional, lapstrake-hulled pocket cruiser to be sound enough to take on an ocean passage with confidence.

Though she looks like a classic working gaffer, she boasts all the mod-cons of a modern cruising yacht in a package small enough to trail.

First built in South Africa, she was given a plumb stem and transom to provide the longest waterline possible, while still fitting into a 20ft (6.10m)-long shipping container.

Her hull is a solid GRP laminate, reinforced with stringers, and her balsa-cored deck is bolted to the hull and glassed over.

Three-quarters of her ballast is lead shot, bonded into the bilges. The remainder is provided by her cast-iron centreplate, which hinges up into the saloon using a 6:1 tackle.

Her mast and spars are wood, and she comes with either a high-peaked gaff or Bermudan cutter rig, to keep her sails manageable.

A tabernacle supports the mast safely for rigging and provides a rigid mounting for the boom gooseneck.

Her genoa/yankee is on a furler, anchored to the tip of her 1.40m-long bowsprit, while her hanked-on staysail tack terminates at the stem head .

All lines, including throat and peak halyards , can be controlled using jammers and winches in the deep cockpit.

Below, she is basic, but surprisingly spacious and comfortable. There’s a 1.92m (6ft 3in)-long forepeak vee-berth, under which is a portable toilet .

Then there’s a small GRP moulding each side – one containing the galley sink, the other a small hob.

Aft of these are two 1.90m (6ft 3in)-long settees.

Her performance under sail is impressive for a small boat, thanks to a sleek underwater profile, long waterline and generous sail area.

Her deep centreplate reduces leeway to a minimum and she tacks nimbly.

She can also be motored easily using a 4-6hp outboard in the well, which is positioned forward of the rudder.

Cape Cutter 19 specifications:

LOD: 5.80m/19.02ft Beam: 2.20m/7.21ft Draught: 0.45-1.22m/1.47ft-4ft Dry weight: 1,150kg/2,535lbs Ballast: 400kg/881lbs SA: 27.40m2/294.93lbs Keel: Pivoting centreboard Motor: 6hp outboard Sail plan: Gaff or Berm cutter RCD category: C New price: From £30,250 Used price: From £16,000 Contact: Cape Cutter Marine, 01377 538110, www.capecutter19.com

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Norfolk Gypsy 20

The Norfolk Gypsy 20 has a deep cockpit which can seat six. Credit: Neil Foster/Waterfront Yachting

The Norfolk Gypsy is a classic 20ft (6.10m) gunter-rigged micro-cruiser with a high-peaked gaff, spruce spars, bronze fittings and hardwood trimmings.

Her hull is hand-laid GRP, and for stability combines internal ballast with firm bilges.

A shallow draught and bilge runners enable her to be beached comfortably.

The modest gaff rig offers a fair performance in light airs and strong winds, and she’s easy to handle, even in rough weather.

In gusts, the lightweight, flexible gaff tends to bow around the mast, automatically flattening the sail.

Tweaking the peak halyard also allows you to make useful sail shape adjustments, while the slab-reefed mainsail and genoa furler make reefing easier and safer.

The centreboard is lowered and raised by a winch, with the control rope led into the cockpit for the helmsman.

Her deep cockpit is roomy enough for six, although four is more sensible.

Everything is to hand for the helmsman, with the mainsheet aft and jib cam cleats atop each coaming.

Being below the waterline it isn’t self-draining, but a manual bilge pump is supplied.

Decks are moulded non-slip, while the cabin top has Treadmaster. The foredeck is lowered to provide a safe working area and there is a stout Samson post .

Below, her sitting room-only interior is cosy with plenty of nice wood, although white deckhead and hull sides plus several portholes brighten it up.

A GRP furniture moulding incorporates the berths, galley and lockers, and a child-size vee-berth adjoins the two adult-length saloon settees.

The centreboard intrudes into the footwell a little, but there’s a swing-out table around the kingpost and a small chart table aft, below which is the optional loo.

There are outboard (6-8hp) and inboard (Yanmar 10hp) motor options. The former in a well ahead of the rudder, the latter situated under the bridge deck.

Norfolk Gypsy 20 specifications:

LOD: 6.10m/20.01ft Beam: 2.30m/7.5ft Draught: 0.51-1.20m/1.6ft-3.93ft Dry weight: 1,300kg/2,866lbs Ballast: 420kg/925lbs SA: 19.70m2/212 sq ft Keel: Pivoting centreboard Motor: 6hp outboard/10hp inboard Sail plan: Gaff sloop RCD category: C New price: From £50,090 Used price: Around £29,000 Contact: Neil Thompson Boats, 01263 741172, www.neilthompsonboats.co.uk

Bay Cruiser 20

The Bay Cruiser 20 features high tech construction

Apparently, the initial plan was to fit a cabin to the Bay Raider 20, but it quickly transpired it would require a taller cabin for sufficient headroom, making her less attractive and, more importantly, less stable.

So instead a brand-new hull was developed with a wider beam and higher freeboard.

Construction is an epoxy composite of ply, GRP and Airex polymer foam to produce a very strong, yet very lightweight (451kg dry) boat that can be towed by a saloon car on an unbraked trailer.

Like the BR20 she is water ballasted, storing 400kg of water in two tanks beneath the waterline, which fill automatically when launched. A high- capacity hand pump allows them to be emptied afloat, or they drain by gravity when recovered to the trailer.

The ketch rig enables her to sail in windier conditions under mizzen and jib alone, and means the sails are small and easy to handle.

Unlike the BR20 she comes with a one-piece carbon mast and a conventional boom for easy reefing .

All sail controls lead into the cockpit, which has angled coamings for comfort and is sized to allow the crew to brace against the seat opposite.

An optional sprayhood covers half the cockpit, providing shelter for crew and helmsman alike.

She will accommodate a 6hp outboard in her centreline well, which can be tilted up out of the water when sailing.

On the foredeck raised bulwarks offer security and there are two lockers plus a stout Samson post.

Below, she has a large vee-berth forward and one quarter berth under the cockpit seating to port.

A small galley unit sits between the two, while to starboard is a short settee, allowing for a deep cockpit locker.

The centreboard is disguised by a folding saloon table and there’s room for a portable toilet under the bridge deck.

Storage is underneath the seats and berths, and behind backrests.

A 40-litre, hand-pumped freshwater system is optional, as is cabin lighting, and the layout can be customised to a degree.

Bay Cruiser 20 specifications:

LOD: 6.17m/20.24ft Beam: 2.32m/7.6ft Draught: 0.25-1.20m/0.82ft-3.93ft Dry weight: 451kg/914lbs Ballast: 380kg/837lbs SA: 20.60m2/221.7 sq ft Keel: Pivoting centreboard Motor: 6hp outboard Sail plan: Bermudan ketch RCD category: C New price: From £40,895 Contact: Swallow Yachts, 01239 615482, www.swallowyachts.com

Cornish Shrimper 19

The popular Cornish Shrimper 19, which has a planking style GRP hull

The Roger Dongray-designed Shrimper 19 has the classic multiple chine with lapstrake planking style GRP hull which, together with her gaff rig, wooden spars, low-profile coachroof, gentle sheer line and raked transom make her a very pretty little boat indeed.

Beneath her waterline is a long, very shallow keel, which is just deep enough to keep her on the straight and narrow downwind.

She has encapsulated internal iron ballast beneath the sole plus a heavy galvanised steel centreplate to keep her powering to windward with the minimum of heel and leeway.

As standard, she has an offset well for a 5-6hp outboard motor, although unusually for a 19ft (5.79m) boat, the Shrimper 19 offers the option of having an inboard 9hp Yanmar diesel engine and shaft driven prop – though this increases the towing weight.

She has a long and deep, self-draining cockpit with tall seat backs and all the sheets and centreplate tackle are within easy reach of the helm for single-handing. Below she offers two layout choices –classic, with two quarter berths and a large galley in the forepeak, or 4-berth vee-berth and a smaller galley.

The latter has space for a portaloo under the vee-berth.

She is available as the traditional Shrimper, with a high-peaked gaff mainsail and spruce mast and spars.

Alternatively, there’s the Adventure 19 with alloy spars and a modern Bermudan sloop rig.

Cornish Shrimper 19 specifications:

LOD: 5.86m/19.22ft Beam: 2.18m/7.15ft Draught: 0.45-1.20m/1.47ft-3.93ft Dry weight: 1,500kg/3,306lbs Ballast: 440kg/970lbs SA: 18.02m2/193.96 sq ft Keel: Pivoting centreboard Motor: 6hp outboard/9hp inboard Sail plan: Gaff sloop RCD category: C New price: From £32,1200 Used price: From £9,000 Contact: Cornish Crabbers, 01208 862666, www.cornishcrabbers.co.uk

Secondhand trailer sailer boats

Red fox 200.

Red Fox was a David Thomas design. Credit: David Lewin

The 1993 David Thomas -designed Red Fox 200 was available as the RF200/200E (cruising version), the RF200S (sport, larger cockpit, lower coachroof, twin rudders), the RF200T (twin fixed keels) and, after Select Yachts took it over, the Hunter 20.

The twin daggerboard design was the same in all except the 200T and greatly simplified launching and recovering, as did the mast A-frame.

She had a solid GRP hull and a sheathed plywood deck , later changed to a GRP/foam sandwich. Internal ballast is bonded in beneath the floor.

A vertical stem and transom gives her the volume of a 25-footer, further boosted by the lack of a keel box.

The open-plan layout has a small vee-berth and two adult settee berths.

Headroom is a generous 1.83m (6ft) under the hatch and she even boasts a private heads.

She has a modern fractional sloop rig with alloy mast and boom. Under sail she’s quick, with minimal leeway.

The boards are asymmetric, providing lift and allowing her to point higher. Downwind you can lift both halfway to reduce drag.

While swapping boards adds another procedure to tacking, the reward is worth it.

Depending on model the outboard is either mounted off-centre on the transom, or in an outboard well ahead of the rudder.

Red Fox 200 specifications:

LOD: 6.17m/20.24ft Beam: 2.50m/8.2ft Draught: 0.20-0.89m/0.65ft-2.91ft Dry weight: 1,160kg/2,557lbs Ballast: 400kg/881lbs SA: 18.70 m2/201.2 sq ft Keel: Twin daggerboard Motor: 6hp outboard /9hp inboard Sail plan: Bermudan sloop RCD category: C Used price: £7,500-£12,500

Jeanneau Sun 2000

No frills, but fast – the Jeanneau Sun 2000. Credit: David Harding

This modern, ‘no frills’ centreboarder had a sailing performance to match many racing yachts in her time.

Just under 22ft (6.71m) and 1,150kg (2,535lb), she is trailerable with a large car, but you might need help at the slipway.

Though good value, the standard spec was rudimentary.

Owners wanting to race usually bought better sails than the standard Dacron wardrobe, but skimped on an outboard.

She’s so slippery, however, that just 4hp is enough to reach hull speed.

Below she has just 1.3m (4ft 3in) headroom, a child-sized vee-berth and two adult quarterberths.

Between the two there’s a small sink and a galley unit, but stowage is limited to beneath the berths.

The ‘Comfort Pack’ included ‘luxuries’ such as water tank, portable loo, battery, lights, saloon table, etc.

A large forehatch lets in light and air, and is also ideal for quickly dumping the spinnaker .

Her self-draining cockpit is 2.4m (7ft 10in) long, with stowage under the seats. Side decks are wide, and she even has an anchor locker and bow roller.

With her 7⁄8ths fractional sloop rig, swept-back spreaders, adjustable backstay and removable bowsprit, she’s well set up for sailing.

The mainsheet is easily reached by the helm, but the genoa winches are on the coachroof , which isn’t ideal.

Under sail, speeds of over 6 knots are common, planing downwind at 10 knots not unheard of!

Jeanneau Sun 2000 specifications:

LOD: 6.64m/21.7ft Beam: 2.55m/8.36ft Draught: 0.30-1.60m/0.9ft-5.24ft Dry weight: 1,150kg/2,535lbs Ballast: 390kg/859lbs SA: 23.10 m2/227.1 sq ft Keel: Pivoting centreboard Motor: 6hp outboard/9hp inboard Sail plan: Bermudan sloop RCD category: C Used price: £7,500 -£15,000

Others trailer sailer boats to consider

• Caravela 22
• Jaguar 21/22
• Hunter Sonata 21
• Mirror Offshore (19)
• Westerly Nimrod 18

Towing laws

Apart from the legal regulations you must adhere to there’s a good deal more to towing a large load than just knowing the figures add up.

Some vehicles tow well, others don’t, even though they might look the part. Thought should also be given to launching and recovering the boat.

Your large saloon might be able to tow her without problems on the highway but could well be useless down a steep and slippery launch ramp.

Many of these boats weigh up to 1,500kg (3,306lb) when they’ve got everything strapped onto them.

Choose your tow vehicle wisely – not all are up to the job. Credit: Roy Procter

Then there’s the extra gear you’ll have in the car, such as fuel tanks, outboard, provisions, etc.

In all, you’ll be driving a pretty heavy load along the highway and if you’ve never tried it before then a little bit of training might be in order.

There are trailer-training schools all over the UK that’ll give invaluable advice and safety tips.

Take your own trailer fully loaded and they’ll advise you on how best it should be balanced.

License notes

The rules on what you can tow are different depending on when you passed your driving test.

In England, Scotland and Wales, if you passed your car driving test before 1 January 1997 you can:

• Drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8,250kg maximum authorised mass (MAM). View your driving licence information to check.
• You’re also allowed to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kg MAM

If you passed your car driving test from 1 January 1997 onwards you can:

• tow trailers up to 3,500kg MAM.

The law on towing was updated on 16 December 2021. Details here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-rules-for-towing-a-trailer-or-caravan-with-a-car-from-autumn-2021

There are different rule for towing if you live in Northern Ireland

Important rules for towing trailer sailer boats

There are myriad rules and regulations regarding the towing of trailers in the UK and Europe.

A typical single axle braked trailer

Here is a summary of the most important rules you must heed and the commonly used acronyms referring to them:

• MAM – Maximum Authorised Mass is the maximum weight a vehicle or trailer is designed to carry. It includes the vehicle or trailer weight plus its load.
• MGW – Maximum Gross Weight is the maximum total weight as set by the manufacturer.
• GTW – Gross Train Weight is the maximum weight a vehicle can move on a road and should be engraved on the vehicle’s VIN plate.
• MTL – Maximum Towing Limit is the total weight the vehicle can move from a 12% hill start. The vehicle must be able to repeat this procedure five times in five minutes. This limit must never be exceeded and should not be used as a guide to your vehicle’s towing ability. GVW – Gross Vehicle Weight is the total weight (load and trailer all-up) a vehicle is designed to carry.
• KW – Kerbside Weight is the weight of the towing vehicle without passengers, but with 90% fuel and oil. In the EU this includes the weight of the driver plus 7kg of luggage.
• Nose weight – the maximum downward pressure on your trailer’s tow-hitch. The maximum must be no greater than that stated in your vehicle’s handbook and is usually between 50-100kg (typically 75kg).
• Car to Caravan weight ratio – It is strongly recommended that you do not exceed an 85% trailer to car weight ratio, ie. your fully-loaded trailer should not be more than 85% of your car’s KW (or maximum tow weight if this is lower).
• Maximum Trailer Width for any towing vehicle is 2.55m.
• Maximum Trailer Length (not including the A-frame) when towed by a vehicle weighing up to 3,500kg is 7m.
• Towing Mirrors must be fitted if your trailer is wider than the rear of your car.
• Brakes – Your trailer must have a working brake system if the fully-loaded trailer weighs over 750kg.

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Com-Pac Yachts Home Sun Cat Daysailer Horizon Cat Horizon Day Cat Com-Pac Legacy Com-Pac Legacy Sport Com-Pac Eclipse CP 23 Pilothouse Com-Pac 23/IV Com-Pac 27/3 Click here for more info See the 23 Pilothouse Welcome to the Com-Pac Idea Com-Pac Yachts began business in 1974 with our first boat, the Com-Pac 16. The idea then was to build a seaworthy yacht with a strong commitment to value. (For the full story, see Hutchins Company Profile .) Since then we have expanded our line and today we have twelve models, six cat-rigged sailboats, five sloop rigged sailboats and one power launch. The Com-Pac line covers a wide range of sizes from a 14' day sailor to the Com-Pac 27/3 cruising yacht . Each model, regardless of size, is built with the same exacting attention to detail and that same commitment to value. All the convenience of our cat boats in a sloop-rigged daysailer with a 9' cockpit --> --> The Launch is a comfortable, multiuse yacht for a leisurely cruise for sightseeing, to dinner or, even, the occasional overnighter. --> --> Our line of modern cat-rigged models (dubbed “A New Breed of Catboat”) offer the ultimate in trailer-sailing ease and rig set up. All come with the Mastendr™ quick-rig sailing system that allows for the boom, sail, and gaff to be left installed on the boat while the mast is folded or raised. The shrouds stay attached and the head stay disconnects with the flip of the pre-adjusted forestay self-locking lever. This system, unique to Com-Pac, adds an ease and convenience to trailer sailing that is really astounding. Your mast is up and you are ready to go in seconds, not minutes. Our newest sloop-rigged models are the Eclipse SL , the Legacy , and the Legacy Sport daysailer. We consider these yachts “crossover” models. We have taken all of the convenience and features of our cat boat line and applied them to these new exciting sloops. Features include the Mastendr™ (Eclipse), Boomtendr™ (Legacy & Sport), keel centerboard hull configuration and low riding trailers for ease of launching and retrieval. See the Horizon Day Cat The three traditionally rigged sloops ( 23/IV , 23 Pilothouse , and 27/3 ) have full masthead, eight stay rigs and fixed keels. As such they can be sailed in areas and conditions that lesser sloops would be wise to avoid. Many of our sloops have long cruises to their credit. Coastal cruising, Gulf of Mexico crossings, and long term Bahamas cruises are a few that are recorded. The 23/IV and 23 Pilothouse are trailerable but they are still full fledged cruising yachts. We did not compromise sea-worthiness or comfort. When the 23/IV or 23 Pilothouse is fitted with the available custom trailer, they can easily be taken over the road for vacation or winter storage. See the Com-Pac 35 The new launch with the available electric propulsion is perfect for an evening of touring the harbor, canals and waterways or even more varied areas of interest with the standard 2 cylinder diesel engine. All of our models come with an extraordinary list of amenities and standard equipment. From the 14' Picnic Cat to the 27' cruiser, you will find everything you need for that day sail, day cruise, weekend getaway or extended cruise. If you are looking for something other than an “off the shelf” yacht, then Com-Pac is for you. Many builders today do not give you any more choices than cushion fabric and canvas colors. Whether your yacht is 14' or 27', nowhere else will you find the freedom of involvement and creativity you will find by sitting down with us and discussing your dream yacht. Our answer to 95% of requests for personalization is “we can do that.” | | | | | | | | | Com-Pac Yachts / Hutchins Co., Inc. 1195 Kapp Dr., Clearwater, Florida 33765 USA Call Us: 727-443-4408 E-mail Us: 7 Trailerable Sailboats That Have Standing Headroom Trailering your boat is a great way to sail in a lot of different places while keeping your boat budget in control. You can take a smaller boat a long way to launch it somewhere new, and you don't get saddled with a lot of mooring and dockage fees while your boat sits around unused. That sounds great, but one key word in about trailerable sailboats is small . To move a boat on a street legal trailer without special permits and problems, it has to stay within certain size limits. You may struggle to find a trailer sailer with head room when you're down below. But there are some out there that an average person doesn't have to sit to work in the galley, and we've put together a list of seven great pocket cruisers you can stand up in (if you're not too tall!). On this page: Standing headroom and trailering, westerly pageant, catalina 25, grampian 26, beneteau first 27, macgregor 26m / tattoo 26, corsair 760. Our list includes some old classics dating back to the 70s, new boats in production today, and even a high performance multihull. The range of trailer sailers to pick from is enormous, but if you want something you can stand up in, here's a good place to start. Catalina 25 (poptop) MacGregor 26 The terms "trailerable" and "standing headroom" are both a little vague. Many boats can be moved by trailer, but you wouldn't want to move them that way every weekend. Bigger boats require heavier trucks and trailers, and once they get past eight feet of beam, you may need permits, special routing, and commercial equipment. Just because you can get it on a trailer doesn't mean it's "trailerable" in this context. And standing headroom means something very different to different people. It's not just tall and short people who need different space, but what space in the boat you can stand in. Most people can stand up inside a small boat with the companionway open, but can you cook standing up with your head out in the cockpit? Or stand and stretch on a rainy day? For our purposes, we're going to use the following definitions: A trailerable boat is one you can launched, rig, and recover with the crew which sails it, an move on normal roads with no special permits or commercial tow vehicles. Many boats will fit on a trailer, but to be "trailerable" it needs to be reasonable to use for a trip on a long weekend, starting from and ending on a trailer. Most roads in North America have a vehicle width limit of a little over eight feet without special permits. This eliminates any boat with a beam much over eight and a half feet. Standing headroom for this discussion means a person of average height (5'10" or 178 cm for men) can stand inside the main saloon, out of the elements. It doesn't mean you can stand everywhere down below, but you should be able to stand and move around a bit, get dressed and undressed without doing calisthenics, and hopefully work in the galley if there is one. "Headroom" on a boat is a very fuzzy measurement, and is distorted by marketing hype and wishful thinking. There isn't a standardized measurement for it, so we'll work with our own. Within these parameters, there are many boats. If you can deal with some inconvenience in your trailering, or you only plan to move your boat by trailer once or twice a season, you can get more boat and still get the headroom you want. But that's not what's on our list. Built by Westerly Marine in the 1970s, the Pageant is a 23' bilge keeled cruiser with full standing headroom in the saloon. At 4,300 pounds, it's heavy for its size and is known more for comfort than speed. The bilge keels may make getting onto a trailer interesting and require modifications to accommodate its under water layout. There is a fin keeled version marketed as the Kendal 23/24, with a four-foot draft and two hundred pounds less displacement. They built only a few, so they're difficult to find. Hull Type: Twin Keel LOA: 23.00 ft / 7.01 m LWL: 19.00 ft / 5.79 m Beam: 8.00 ft / 2.44 m Draft (max): 2.83 ft / 0.86 m Displacement: 4,300 lb / 1,950 kg Ballast: 2,094 lb / 950 kg The Catalina 25 is one of the most popular pocket cruisers built, with almost 6,000 hulls built between 1978 and 1994. A variety of keel styles and rigs were built, including a fin keel, swing keel, winged keel, and a tall rig. But the most distinctive feature of these boats is the "pop top" over the companionway, which enabled the entire area in the saloon under the companionway to lift for standing headroom. Some owners built covers and sides, enclosing this area into a true part of the belowdecks space. The pop top was an option prior to 1987, but became standard after that through the end of the production run. It's important to know the build year for any Catalina 25 you consider, since the features varied considerably. Always check pictures for the pop top! Hull Type: Fin w/transom hung rudder LOA: 25.00 ft / 7.62 m LWL: 22.17 ft / 6.76 m Beam: 8.00 ft / 2.44 m Draft (max): 4.00 ft / 1.22 m Displacement: 4,550 lb / 2,064 kg Ballast: 1,900 lb / 862 kg This trimaran is fast, but still has six feet of headroom. With the amas folded, the boat is narrow enough to trailer and with a 3,000 displacement is light and easy to move. While you won't have the interior beam of an eight-foot wide monohull in the living space, you will have quite a comfortable space with room to stand. But unlike most of the shallow draft, trailerable monohulls on this list, this one can hit fifteen knots under sail. Hull Type: Trimaran w/ centerboard Rig Type: Fractional Sloop LOA: 27.49 ft / 8.38 m LWL: 26.51 ft / 8.08 m Beam: 18.01 ft / 5.49 m (8.6' folded amas) Displacement: 3,000 lb / 1,361 kg Draft (max): 4.27 ft / 1.30 m Draft (min): 0.98 ft / 0.30 m The Canadian-built Grampian 26 was built from the late sixties through the late seventies, and many of the almost 1,000 boats that were built are still around. It has six feet of headroom inside, an enclosed head, and a galley. It's an ideal weekender for a couple, or even a couple with a small child. Some boats had inboard engines, others had outboards. Additional options were for a keel or a centerboard model; with 4'3" of draft, the keel model is still easy to trailer. Hull Type: Fin w/spade rudder Rigging Type: Masthead Sloop LOA: 26.00 ft / 7.92 m LWL: 21.75 ft / 6.63 m Beam: 8.33 ft / 2.54 m Draft (max): 4.25 ft / 1.30 m Displacement: 5,600 lb / 2,540 kg Ballast: 2,600 lb / 1,179 kg One of the few new and in production boats in this list, the Beneteau First 27 is a fraction of an inch under our 5'10" qualifier (technically 5′9 5/16"), but it's such a roomy and quick boat that it seems appropriate to waive a few millimeters. This lightweight boat has sleeping space for up to six, and has a galley, fridge, and a proper marine head. Don't confuse this boat with the earlier First 27 from 1978 or the First 27 SE (for "Seascape"), sold as the First 27 from 2018 to 2020 after Beneteau acquired Seascape. Those were quite different boats, though they had their own merits and strengths. They didn't have quite the headroom or interior volume as the newest model, and the earlier boat had too much beam for easy trailering. Finds specs here Hull Type: Fin w/bulb & dual rudders Rigging Type: Fractional Sloop LOA: 26.21 ft / 7.99 m Beam: 8.33 ft / 2.54 m Draft (max): 5.58 ft / 1.70 m Displacement: 3,902 lb / 1,770 kg Ballast: 1,345 lb / 610 kg The MacGregor 26 series of boats is the most popular trailer sailor ever built. The first "Mac 26" was built in 1986, and went through several design upgrades and enhancements, including the 25D (dagger board), 26S (centerboard), 26X (dual rudder, motor sailing) culminating in the 26M (motorsailor with a rotating spar) built from 2002 though 2013. Earlier models have less headroom, but all are water ballasted, lightweight trailerable boats. The later 26X and 26M models can be equipped with rather large outboards (for sailboats) which could hit almost 20 knots under power. Though the rigs on these boats are undersized and they're lightly built, they're spacious near shore and inland cruisers you can easily rig and de-rig for a weekend of sailing. The founder of MacGregor Boats, Roger MacGregor, retired in 2013, and his daughter Laura founded Tattoo Yachts and bought the tooling for the 26M. Tattoo continues to build the Tattoo 26, which is a Macgregor 26M with a few modernizations and enhancements. Hull Type: Daggerboard Rigging Type: Frac. Sloop (Rotating Spar) LOA: 25.83 ft / 7.87 m LWL: 23.17 ft / 7.06 m Beam: 7.75 ft / 2.36 m Sail Area (reported): 300.00 ft2 / 27.87 m2 Draft (max): 5.75 ft / 1.75 m Draft (min): 1.00 ft / 0.30 m Displacement: 4,000 lb / 1,814 kg Ballast: 1,450 lb / 658 kg Corsair Trimarans offers several trailerable tris which meet the headroom test. The Corsair 760 is the smallest current production model, and like the Catalina 25, this 24' trimaran uses a clever pop-top over the companionway to get more headroom. It's sleeps two in the default configuration, though a foldable table can convert to sleep four. Corsair designs their trimarans for easy setup and breakdown of the amas, and can be setup and launched in under an hour. The very shallow draft allows for anchoring in areas many boats can not, and even beaching. The larger Corsair 970 is also trailerable with standing headroom, as is the older F-31. Hull Type: Trimaran Daggerboard. Rigging Type: Frac. Sloop (Rotating Spar) LOA: 24.25 ft / 7.39 m Beam: 17.91 ft / 5.46 m S.A. (reported): 410.10 ft2 / 38.10 m2 Beam (folded): 8.17 ft / 2.5 m Draft (max): 5.25 ft / 1.60 m Draft (min): 0.98 ft / 0.30 m Displacement: 2,094 lb / 950 kg Leave a comment You may also like, what's the largest sailboat you can trailer. Trailer sailing has a lot of advantages for some people. Whether you live away from the ocean near a lot of different lakes, you want to move up and down a long … 13 Popular Trailerable Sailboats with Lifting Keels The Difference Between Freshwater and Saltwater Boats     Beam:  8'6'    Draft:  18'     Beam:  6.75'    Draft:  2.5'     Beam:  8'    Draft:  2.5'     Beam:  9.50'    Draft:  5.00'     Beam:  8'    Draft:  3'     Beam:  8'    Draft:  4'     Draft:  9'     Beam:  6'    Draft:  4'     Beam:  8'    Draft:  2'     Beam:  8.3'    Draft:  8'     Beam:  8'    Draft:  2'     Beam:  4'6'    Draft:  1'5'     Beam:  8.2'    Draft:  1.7'     Beam:  8'    Draft:  4.5'     Beam:  4'     Beam:  7'    Draft:  3'3'     Beam:  8'     Beam:  6'    Draft:  3.6'     Beam:  7.38'    Draft:  4.76'     Beam:  8'    Draft:  2'6'     Beam:  5'     Beam:  7.17''    Draft:  1.30''     Beam:  7.0'    Draft:  2.8'     Beam:  6'     Beam:  6''    Draft:  2''     Beam:  5.5'    Draft:  1'     Beam:  5'    Draft:  4'     Beam:  10'    Draft:  4'     Beam:  8'    Draft:  2'4'     Beam:  5.1'    Draft:  2.5'     Beam:  8.30'    Draft:  4.90'     Beam:  7.08'    Draft:  4.75'     Beam:  9.5'    Draft:  6'     Beam:  7'    Draft:  4.5'     Beam:  6'9'     Beam:  7'    Draft:  3'     Beam:  5.12'    Draft:  3.8'     Beam:  6'    Draft:  3'     Beam:  4.11'    Draft:  2.10'     Beam:  7'11'     Beam:  8'6"'    Draft:  4''     Beam:  7'9'    Draft:  1'1"'     Beam:  5'6'    Draft:  3'4'     Beam:  4.5'    Draft:  1'     Beam:  8'    Draft:  5'     Beam:  6'    Draft:  .58'     Beam:  8'    Draft:  6'     Beam:  6' 9'    Draft:  1''     Beam:  6'.6'    Draft:  5'.6'     Beam:  10''    Draft:  4.5'     Beam:  9.5'    Draft:  4.5' © 2001-2024 ./)   . . ./)   . . Sail Far Live Free Camping on a keel - trailer sailers for cruisers. Here's a throwback to , our Helms 25 and very first boat The end! Great compendium Kevin. Also a sensible choice for those who've done the conventional cruising and are looking at phase 2 options. All the best. While I'm not sure how old this post is, Ill add another boat to consider using your criteria above. We have a S2 7.9 Gran Slam which we cruise locally in Milwaukee and also take a few weeks out of the summer and trailer to better cruising grounds. We pull it with a Chevy Suburban and are quite please with having a performance boat that is straight forward to launch and rig. The beam is actually over legal limit at 9', but these boats have been trailered extensively to one design regattas over many years and I have never heard of anyone being stopped by the hi way revenuers. Post a Comment Popular posts from this blog, top 10 favorite affordable bluewater sailboats, go small and go now 5 pocket cruisers to take you anywhere. Escape to the Sea: How to get from the Great Lakes to the Caribbean Best Trailerable Sailboats Under 30 Feet Trailerable sailboats are the perfect solution for weekend or day cruisers. They're easy to store, transport, and set up, which gets you on the water fast. Trailerable sailboats come in many different shapes and sizes. Many trailerable sailboats even have retractable keels, which not only comes in handy for towing, but also for sailing around shallower waters. Depending on how you plan on sailing, there's sure to be a trailerable sailboat that suits you and your family. Below are the best trailerable sailboats under 20 feet, separated into their best use: day sailing and cruising. Table of contents Best Sailboats Under 30' for Day Sailing Small, trailerable sailboats are great for daily use because they're easy to set up, and you can take them anywhere within driving distance and explore new areas. This category of sailboat won't have a cabin, instead, these sailboats have plenty of room on deck for the whole family to enjoy a sailing adventure together. Many of these sailboats are faster and have less amenities than a cruising boat, which makes them easy to set up for a day use and offer a fun, sporty day activity. {{boat-info="/boats/hunter-15"}} The Hunter 15 is designed for safety and versatility. Without a cabin, it can fit up to four people on its benches. The Hunter 15' features high sides and a self-bailing cockpit, which makes it a great option for novices and kids. The sailboat tows at 750 lbs, which means most vehicles can tow it. The retractable keel makes it so even lower vehicles can tow the boat. The retractable keel also makes it so you can beach the sailboat, something you can't do with a bigger sailboat. That makes sailing the Hunter 15 around coves and islands even more enjoyable. Explore hidden beaches by yourself or with friends and family.  {{boat-info="/boats/laserperformance-laser-13"}} The Laser sailboat has been a favorite among dinghy racers for years. That's because it's super lightweight, really fast, and fun. Not only is the laser a fun craft, but it's also very easy to use and transport. Its lightweight is due to the fiberglass hull construction and lack of a keel. You can either tow the Laser, or you can even strap it to the top of a vehicle. While going fast is fun, you don't have to race the Laser to have fun. The Laser is great for leisure sailing. Thankfully, since it is so light, you don't need much wind to have a great sailing day. Since it is so small, it fits one to two people in its cockpit. Also, it's lack of keel means it is very easy to tip over . But, it's also very easy to flip back. If you're someone who doesn't want to get soaked, the Laser might not be for you. But if you're looking for a way to get on the water without much fuss and special towing equipment, the Laser is perfect for you. Catalina 16.5 {{boat-info="/boats/catalina-16-5"}} Catalina has been a popular sailboat brand for decades, and there's no question that their larger crafts are some of the most common sailboats you see at any marina. They're popular for good reason. Catalina sailboats are made with lightweight fiberglass and include standard, good quality rigging. They're affordable sailboats to buy new and easy to find used. The Catalina 16.5 came into existence in 1994 and has remained on the market ever since. It comes in at under 500 lbs, which makes it easy to tow with just about any vehicle, so don't worry about adding a massive truck to your purchase. This trailerable sailboat has a storage compartment in the front (great for packing a picnic and extra supplies) and can accommodate up to four adults. If you're looking for a boat you can spend all day sailing comfortably and not break the bank to purchase, the Catalina 16.5 might be the one for you. {{boat-info="/boats/hobie-16"}} Chances are, you've seen a Hobbie 16 on a beach somewhere. They're popular anywhere there's a body of water because they're fast and easy to operate. They're one of the most popular small crafts for youth sailing and racing. They're so popular that they were recently inducted into the Sailing Hall of Fame. Hobbie 16s are recognizable because of their "banana-shaped" hulls and often colorful sails. Unlike the previously listed sailboats, these are catamarans. So, you get two hulls and a trampoline in between them. They also hold 1-4 people in their cockpits. As a trailerable catamaran, you can't get much better. It's super lightweight, it has no keel, and it's easy to set up. Because of the catamaran style, you'll often see people having fun on these ocean beaches. The two-hull design makes it less likely to capsize, and it's sturdy enough that you can take on bigger waves and stronger winds than some other trailerable sailboats . Norseman 17.5 {{boat-info="/boats/norseboat-17-5"}} The Norseman 17.5 is one of the more attractive boats on this list. It's not a racing boat-in fact, it's an ideal day cruiser. It's a handcrafted cruiser, and it's designers nicknamed it the swiss army knife of sailboats because it's a sailboat and a rowboat all in one. If you want something that looks and feels seaworthy but is still trailerable, the Norseman 17.5 hits the spot. It's low maintenance and expertly designed to be as efficient as possible. Because it's designed to mimic a more traditional, larger sailboat, it does have a fixed keel. But, that doesn't mean you can't trailer it still. The dual purpose of the Norseman 17.5 is appealing because no matter what setting you're in, the Norseman 17.5 can perform, not unlike a swiss army knife. First and foremost, this boat is for sailing, and it gives a great sailing experience, not unlike any larger sailboat. Best Trailerable Sailboats Under 30' for Cruising Sailboats for camping come with a few more amenities. Many people prefer this kind of sailboat because it offers more freedom to stay overnight on the boat and make longer trips. Most of the time, they come equipped with a cabin for sleeping and cabin lights for a comfortable sleeping experience. Most trailerable sailboats for cruising and camping are over 20' and cost more than a daysailer. They also typically weigh more and require a towing vehicle and special trailer because of their larger cabin space and equipment. Many people opt to put a trolling motor on the back of their pocket cruiser for getting in and out of slips and docks. Even though they're tiny, many people spend their entire weekends or days on a small cruiser. Since they're more equipped for extended trips, you can sail along the coasts comfortably. Catalina 22 Sport {{boat-info="/boats/catalina-22-sport"}} The Catalina 22 is one of the most popular sailboats in the United States. No matter where you are, you'll find a fleet of Catalina 22s at just about any marina. After they stopped making the original Catalina 22, the only way to find one (if you wanted to join a racing fleet) was to buy one used. After years of demand, the sailboat manufacturer finally came out with the 22' Sport. It's just about the same as the original 22, so much so that you can join a Catalina 22 fleet among the original sailboats. Catalina 22 Sport is a racing boat and a pocket cruiser. It's easy to trailer, easy to rig, and a great family sailboat. {{boat-info="/boats/hunter-22"}} Like its smaller relative, the Hunter 22 is known for being safe and sturdy, ready for adventure. It makes for an ideal daysailer or weekend tripper. Even though it's family-friendly, it's still capable of going fast. You can enter in a race or beach hop. The Hunter 22 features a small cabin that's very comfortable for camping. It comes with a small stove, cooler, and toilet. There's a small dinette that converts to a bed, so you can go from breakfast to bed easily within the boat cabin. The original Hunter 22 stopped production in 1985, but Hunter has since recently started making a new Hunter 22 that's even better than the original. Still, you'll find plenty of used Hunter 22s. {{boat-info="/boats/sage-marine-sage-15"}} The Sage 15' is a good looking compact, abstract-style sailboat. It's almost identical to its bigger counterpart, the Sage 17, but this model has a retractable keel. On the water, you wouldn't guess the Sage 15 was a trailer sailer . It's got all the charm of a classic sailboat, with many of the amenities desirable in a pocket cruiser. One thing to note is the mast and its rigging only weighs 20 pounds, which makes it easy to raise and lower by yourself. When you're towing to and from your location, you want the set up to be as easy as possible, so this is a huge plus. This boat has room for two people on the deck and in the cockpit. It's perfect for people who enjoy a solo voyage here and there or for couples looking to have a day on the water every once in a while. West Wight Potter 19 {{boat-info="/boats/west-wight-potter-19"}} According to the West Wight Potter website, it only takes 45 minutes to rig a simple setup and get on the water. As far as trailerable sailboats go, the Potter 19' has all the amenities you could want for comfortable weekend getaways on the water. Like almost all the boats on this list, the Potter 19 has a retractable keel and a self-bailing cockpit. It's stable and very unlikely to heel over too far. The Potter 19 is one of the most responsive sailboats in its class. What makes the Potter 19 a great trailerable sailboat for camping is the spacious cabin. The cabin features two berths that can sleep four and seating for up to five people. The cabin also comes with a burner stove and a cooler. Depending on what your plans are, you can get the boat customized to your needs. The West Wight Potter 19 makes the most out of its compact space, which makes it versatile. Also, with the trailer, the Potter 19 fits inside the standard garage. So, don't worry about paying marina fees when you can store your boat right in your garage. {{boat-info="/boats/moore-24"}} The last boat on this list is a trailerable sailboat that's proven seaworthy. The Moor 24 was famously sailed from Santa Cruz, California to Honolulu, Hawaii in 17 days. Not only is it seaworthy, but it's fast. The Moor 24 is a prime racing boat, and it's won many Cups. The Moor 24 sailboat is not only a performance vessel. It also offers comfortable cruising with a cushioned v-berth for overnight or weekend trips. The Moore 24 is easy to handle and one of the smoothest sails. Experienced sailors will appreciate how it sails, and novice sailors will appreciate how easy it is to master. It's such a gem of a sailboat, it's hard to believe it fits on a trailer. Which Sailboat is Right for You? Choosing to buy a trailerable sailboat is a good choice for people who don't want to break the bank or worry about marina fees and docking fees. For people who want to go on the occasional weekend sailing trip or day trip, there is no more affordable option. To choose the right trailerable sailboat, consider what kind of sailing you want to do. A day sailor offers you a smaller boat that's easy to tow and that's more affordable. These boats are great for training kids to sail or learning how to sail yourself. But, likely, you'll eventually want to graduate to a slightly more capable sailboat. That's because a trailerable cruising sailboat gives more of a traditional sailing experience, including overnight trips and more seaworthiness. Thankfully, sailboats are easy to find used and cheaper than brand new. Trailer sailors especially are easy to come by and get a good deal on. Whether you're just starting out or just looking for some fun on the weekends, finding the right trailerable sailboat under 30 feet is a breeze. Related Articles Daniel Wade I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing. by this author Best Sailboats Most Recent What Does "Sailing By The Lee" Mean? 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Top Rated Posts © 2024 Life of Sailing Email: [email protected] Address: 11816 Inwood Rd #3024 Dallas, TX 75244 Disclaimer Privacy Policy Pickup towing boat goes into Big Sioux River after mechanical failure LE MARS, Iowa (KTIV) - Two people had to swim out of their pickup after it went into a river in Plymouth County, Iowa. The local county sheriff’s office says at about 7:15 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13 they got a report of a vehicle going into the Big Sioux River. According to the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office, a Ford pickup was at the Millsite River Access on Highway 3 and was backing down to launch a fishing boat. During this, the sheriff’s office says the pickup had a mechanical failure, causing the vehicle, the trailer and boat to enter the river. The sheriff’s office says the pickup’s two occupants got out of the vehicle by swimming out the windows. Authorities did not identify the two occupants. At about 8:45 p.m., a diver located the pickup about 8 to 10 feet underwater. By 9:15 p.m. the sheriff’s office says the pickup and trailer were removed from the river. Copyright 2024 KTIV. All rights reserved. 15-year-old excited about homecoming ends up in a coma after car surfing accident Trump was the subject of an apparent assassination attempt at his Florida golf club, the FBI says Mental health counselor facing allegations of insurance fraud South Dakota authorities locate 15-year-old Former Northwest Iowa city clerk ordered to pay $151,000 for theft charge Suspect in apparent assassination attempt on Trump was near golf course for 12 hours, records show A homeless man taken into custody for alleged robbery involving a cinderblock in Sioux City Latest news. Bishop Heelan High School celebrated its 75th graduating class Nebraska, Iowa Secretary of State offices receive suspicious mail Under the new absenteeism policy, how many days of school can you miss in Iowa? An Iowa shootout leaves a fleeing suspect dead and 2 police officers injured Suspicious package at Secretary of State’s Office determined to pose no threat Papillion man who used drone to film woman, girl sentenced UNI celebrates high percentage of first-generation college students Boaters reminded to clean, drain and dry watercrafts after invasive plant found for 1st time in Ontario 'these plants are extremely good at dispersal, and humans are extremely good dispersal agents,' prof says. Social Sharing As people with boats and other watercrafts get ready to pack them away for the season this fall, experts are reminding them to properly clean, drain and dry their equipment. It's particularly important after an invasive aquatic plant called Hydrilla verticillata  was discovered for the first time in the wild in Ontario. The Essex Region Conservation Authority said hydrilla was found at the Hillman Marsh Conservation Area  in Leamington, Ont., at the end of June. The authority says the plant can grow up to 2.5 cm per day and to lengths of 7.5 metres, and can choke native species, clog water intake pipes and impact recreational activities like swimming or boating. Hydrilla is a prohibited invasive species under Ontario's Invasive Species Act. Rebecca Rooney is an associate professor at the University of Waterloo who does research in wetland ecology and is a world expert on biomonitoring and wetland assessment. She and her team were in Hillman Marsh this summer when they discovered the hydrilla.  It's unknown how the plant, believed to have made its way to North America for aquariums, got into the marsh. Rooney says the plant can spread seeds. It also produces tubers, similar to really tiny potatoes, that a new plant can grow from. "If you're walking through the wetland and you get mud on your boots, you can spread it that way by picking up tubers," she said. "If you're boating through there and you break up the plant, the little plant fragments can actually grow whole new plants. And so it's really important to not come into contact with hydrilla and that if you do that, you really thoroughly clean, drain and dry your equipment to make sure that we're not accidentally spreading it." Hydrilla invasive species found in Canada for 1st time Clean, drain, dry responsibilities. That's a message Rick Layzell, CEO of the Boating Ontario Association, said they've worked to actively promote  "We have distributed over 100 educational and informative signs that have been installed at launch ramps across the province," he said of telling people about their "clean, drain, dry responsibilities." He said they also share resources through their website and social media accounts. "For close to 30 years we have also led and managed the Clean Marine program, offering guidance and best practices to marinas and boat dealers throughout the province." The Ontario government said that before people transport a boat overland, they must clean mud, vegetation, algae, mussels or any animals from the boat, motor, trailer, vehicle or equipment. "Some aquatic invasive species can survive up to two weeks out of water and not every invader attached to your boat can be seen with the naked eye," said the provincial website about invasive species action plans. It said people should dry their boat in the sunlight and/or clean the boat with hot or pressurized water. The federal department of fisheries and oceans also says "in some cases, decontamination may also be needed." Rooney said her team used bleach on their equipment after being in the water. Plants 'extremely good' at spreading Joe Ackerman, a professor of physical ecology and aquatic sciences at the University of Guelph, has studied invasive species including zebra mussels. He said he was "saddened" to hear about hydrilla in an Ontario marsh, "but I wasn't surprised." Hydrilla does exist in some waterways in the U.S., including in the Finger Lakes region of New York state and the Niagara River south of the border. "It's just across the river to get to Ontario, so it's not very far," he said.  The MNR has confirmed the presence of the aquatic invasive plant hydrilla in a contained wetland at Hillman Marsh Conservation Area in Essex County. This is the first detection of hydrilla in Ontario and Canada. Read the media release here: <a href="https://t.co/dmKaCNI5KX">https://t.co/dmKaCNI5KX</a> <a href="https://t.co/Z1yDJfvKup">pic.twitter.com/Z1yDJfvKup</a> &mdash; @InvSp "How it got into the marsh itself, I don't know. These plants are extremely good at dispersal, and humans are extremely good dispersal agents, which is a fancy way to say that people spread them." He said it could be something as simple as the plant being wrapped around a prop on a boat or a trailer or sticking to a paddle. It's not just boats and watercrafts that can spread them. Ackerman said it's believed hydrilla was first introduced to water in North America in Florida in the 1950s when someone dumped aquarium water and plants into a canal and the plants spread to the wild. "You just need a small piece and that's good enough to get stuff started." He said it's important people don't dump aquarium water or plants into any local ponds or waterways to prevent these kinds of plants from entering the ecosystem. Costly clean-up Tim Byrne of the Essex Region Conservation Authority said a single herbicide treatment against hydrilla will cost $125,000. The process will be complicated and could take five to 10 years, Byrne said earlier this month. Rooney said the area covered by the hydrilla is equivalent in size to about 64 football fields.  Rapidly growing invasive plant discovered for 1st time in Canada in Leamington, Ont. Moderate levels of algae blooms expected in Lake Erie this summer, but scientist still concerned Rooney said it appears the hydrilla is fully contained in the marsh, which is not directly connected to Lake Erie. Efforts are now underway to remove it, but comprehensive monitoring will be required to make sure it doesn't reappear. Her research will continue to look at hydrilla in this area. "There's the hope that we can eliminate it and go back to being a hydrilla-free Ontario," she said. People who spot what they believe might be hydrilla can report it on environmental monitoring apps like iNaturalist and report it to the ministry. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Content producer Kate has been covering issues in southern Ontario for more than 20 years. She is currently the content producer for CBC Kitchener-Waterloo. Email: [email protected] Related Stories Have you spotted this plant in Windsor? It's invasive — and the city is trying to reduce its impact Video Ontario scientists are using caterpillars to combat an invasive aquatic plant Wild 'superpigs' from Canada could soon invade some U.S. states, study suggests Video This voracious U.S. catfish species is now in Ontario, possibly due to climate change Q&A: Worms are showing up in Ontario with hammerheads. What exactly are they? 356 COMMENTS 9 Best Trailerable Sailboats A trailerable sailboat is a perfect option for part-time sailors and people with busy lives. Trailer sailors are some of the most popular boats in the country, and they're not limited to light winds and calm seas. Many trailerable sailboats have made some impressive passages both offshore and coastal. In this article, we'll go over some of ... 7 Best Trailerable Sailboats for Cruising Learn about the pros and cons of different trailerable sailboats for cruising, from daysailers to long-range cruisers. Compare features, sizes, weights, and prices of 7 popular models, such as Catalina 22/25, Horizon Cat, and Corsair F-24 Trimaran. Best Small Sailboats, Beginner and Trailerable Sailboats The boat is designed with positive flotation and offers good load-carrying capacity, which you could put to use if you added the available canvas work and camping tent. NorseBoats offers a smaller sibling, the 12.5, as well; both are available in kit form. $19,000, (902) 659-2790, norseboat.com. 13 Biggest Trailerable Sailboats: Cheap But Good The Size of Sailboat You Can Trailer. You can trailer sailboats that are around 30 feet or less in length and have a beam (width) of 8.5 feet or less, with a standard trailer and towed by a vehicle with a towing capacity of 3,500 to 5,000 pounds. Sailboats that are trailerable typically range in size from 14 feet to 30 feet in length. 13 Popular Trailerable Sailboats with Lifting Keels MacGregor 26. 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. Biggest Trailerable Sailboats The final trailerable sailboat on our list is also the most capable. The Nor'Sea 27 is a true offshore sailboat with accommodations that rival any mid-size cruising sailboat. the Nor'Sea 27 is a full-keel displacement sailboat that's designed for stability and motion comfort. It's one of the beefiest sailboats that still fits on a trailer. Trailerable Cruisers Com-Pac's range of trailer sailers with accommodations starts with the 16-feet 6-inch Legacy, an entry-level trailer sailer that can sleep a couple plus a small child or two, but is otherwise devoid of amenities, and moves up through the 21-feet Eclipse, the CP23 Pilothouse and the 23/IV. Aside from their well-thought-out rig-raising systems ... Best trailer sailboats: Our trailer sailing expert offers his Reality may well see the boat weighing more. "Steel-built trailers typically weigh about 40% of the weight of the boat they carry, suggesting you're looking at towing something like 1,750kg, perilously close to the 1,800kg limit for a single axle trailer. "However, having personally towed a similar weight for many thousands of miles ... Trailerable Sailboat Reviews: Small Boats, Big Adventures The NorseBoat 17.5 Classic is an innovative trailer-sailer with a legendary pedigree. David Thoreson. 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. Best Trailerable Sailboat Brands to Cruise or Race The Best Trailerable Cruising Sailboat Brands. Catalina Yachts: As one of North America's best-known sailboat brands of sailboats, Catalina has a long history of building trailerable models. Their entire Sport line cruising boats—except for the 275—can easily be trailered, and the 22 and 22 Sport, in particular, make for a great step up ... Trailerable Sailboats Comparison 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. Pocket Cruisers and Trailer-sailers for Every Sailing Style The Voyager 20 measures in at 19ft 10in overall, with a trailer-friendly beam of 7ft 6in, and its base price is $29,995. Pulse 600. Speaking of trailer-friendly, nothing else comes with as potent a blend of portability and punch as a trailerable trimaran. Alliteration aside, Corsair Marine's new Pulse 600 looks like an extremely enjoyable ride. Best Small and Trailerable Sailboats West Wight Potter 15. The West Wight Potter 15 is one of the best small trailerable and seaworthy 15-foot sailboats of all time. It's easy to handle and great for both coastal and offshore cruising. She has an aluminum mast and tiller, a small cabin that comfortably sleeps a couple and also we can't miss referring to her elegant design. Trailerable Boats with Comfort and Speed Farrier, who passed away in 2017, created the F-22 as a kind of culmination of all he'd continued to learn about small, trailerable multihulls in the years since he penned the F-27 trimaran, a true trail-blazer and now part of the "Sailboat Hall of Fame.". Another F-22 sidles up alongside a pier in Malta with amas folded in. 13 Popular Trailerable Sailboats with Lifting Keels Luckily, there are models designed with precisely this issue in mind - so without further ado, here are 13 sailboats that you can easily put on a trailer and drive to a body of water of your choice. 13 popular sailboats with lifting keels that can be trailered. Hunter 22. Beneteau First 18. The best trailer sailer boats for weekend cruising… or longer Built in Poland, the design of the gaff-rigged, GRP Windhunter 19 was inspired by the old Bristol Channel working boats. Though most compact trailer-sailers have gone the swing-, or lifting-keel route, usually with added water ballast, the WH19 has a long, fixed shoal keel containing 400kg (881lb) of lead ballast. Com-Pac Yachts: Trailerable Cat Boats, Trailerable Cruisers, and 1195 Kapp Dr., Clearwater, Florida 33765 USA. Call Us: 727-443-4408. E-mail Us: [email protected]. The Com-Pac line of sailboats covers a wide range of sizes from a 14-foot day sailer to a 35-foot bluewater sailing cruiser. Each sailboat, regardless of size, is built with the same exacting attention to detail and that same commitment to value. Trailer sailboats for sale by owner. Trailer preowned sailboats for sale by owner. Trailer used sailboats for sale by owner. 7 Trailerable Sailboats That Have Standing Headroom Many boats will fit on a trailer, but to be "trailerable" it needs to be reasonable to use for a trip on a long weekend, starting from and ending on a trailer. Most roads in North America have a vehicle width limit of a little over eight feet without special permits. This eliminates any boat with a beam much over eight and a half feet. The Working Man's Guide to Trailer Sailing Let me introduce you to the Trailer Sailer. A trailerable sailboat is in many ways better than a keel boat or a dinghy. You can get a trailer down a boat ramp, it stores for free in your backyard, and it has many of the benefits of a keel boat or dinghy, with fewer drawbacks. Some might argue that the perfect sailboat is the trailer sailer. trailer sailboats for sale by owner. trailer preowned sailboats for sale by owner. trailer used sailboats for sale by owner. Home. Register & Post. View All Sailboats. Search. ... Featured Sailboats (all): 28.42' Hunter Hunter 28.5 Kemah Boadwalk TX, Texas Asking $9,900. 19.6'' Bristol Yachts Bristol Corinthian 19 Pocasset, Massachusetts Camping on a Keel Camping on a Keel - Trailer Sailers for Cruisers. When I think of the cruising lifestyle, I generally picture a sturdy 35'+ sailboat capable of serving as a liveaboard and hopping among idyllic anchorages sprinkled with a few marina days in between to recharge and restock. But my myopic view neglects a whole other niche of cruisers who can load ... Best Trailerable Sailboats Under 30 Feet Like almost all the boats on this list, the Potter 19 has a retractable keel and a self-bailing cockpit. It's stable and very unlikely to heel over too far. The Potter 19 is one of the most responsive sailboats in its class. What makes the Potter 19 a great trailerable sailboat for camping is the spacious cabin. Pickup, trailer and boat go into Big Sioux River During this, the sheriff's office says the pickup had a mechanical failure, causing the vehicle, the trailer and boat to enter the river. Boaters reminded to clean, drain and dry watercrafts after invasive The Ontario government said that before people transport a boat overland, they must clean mud, vegetation, algae, mussels or any animals from the boat, motor, trailer, vehicle or equipment. catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat sailboat trimaran yacht