Re: Trailer boats

It is all a compromise.
No Keel = hull sits low on trailer and weight is down low which gives good
trailering.
= easy to get on and off trailer because trailer does not need to go
deep into the water. No wheel bearing problems too as they don't need to be
immersed.
= problems with a cross wind when retrieving. Side bars on the
trailer help for this problem.
Keel = could be a bit top heavy as hull sits higher on trailer.
= care when retrieving to get keel in right place on trailer.
= keel helps in cross winds, but makes thing interesting when you
have a cross current.
But as already stated, the retrieving and launching part is the smallest
part of trailering a yacht. Setup time and ease of stepping the mast, boom,
sails, outboard, etc. takes up most of the time. Being organized by using
the same system, putting things in the same place, etc. helps. But it is
here where weight and length of masts, booms, rudders and outboards can
hinder one. No use having a boat that goes on and off it's trailer real
easy, but takes an hour and a half to set up. When I get to the water, I
want to get on it, so the quicker the better, 15 min. max!! When I get back
and tired, I don't want to fight a trailer.
Paul (NZ)
- Hartley TS16 "Just Fun"

Pippo and all,

By far the best trailer-sailor I have seen is the Sea Pearl 21, and it sells
pretty briskly at a premium price here in the US. It's a water-ballasted
longboat-style fiberglass hull with leeboards and and unstayed cat ketch
rig, about 600 lb empty, sneaky fast. Round bottom, straight keel like a
big canoe, and sails which furl around the masts. You can be sailing away
in 15 minutes after arriving at a launch ramp. The down side is no cabin
and it can be a fairly wet ride for the crew in a chop. The spray doesn't
seem to reach back to the helmsman until it really is too sloppy to enjoy
sailing much anyway.

Don Hodges
www.ECoastLife.com
Your Emerald Coast Cyber-Vacation
Small-Boat Building, Fishing, Cruising

> Dumb question: what makes a sailboat an ideal trailer boat.

Excellent question, Pippo.

1) The ease with which the rig can be stepped and struck.

2) Flat sections under the bow. If the boat is steeply v-shaped in
the bow, then it tends to flop to one side when the bow is pulled up
on the roller. Then it gets out of alignment. Flat stern sections
help mitigate. So, either flat bow sections or flat stern sections.

It helps enormously to put a little thought and energy to adapting
your trailer to the boat you have, rather than just using it the way
it came from the dealer.

Peter

Pippo:

It's not a dumb question, but it is a matter of compromise. It seems to me
that the easiest boat to launch has no keel at all, but rather a center,
dagger, or lee board. Of course, this means perhaps somewhat poorer
stability.

Chuck

> Dumb question: what makes a sailboat an ideal trailer boat other then
> weight and size considerations?
> I'm referring to a boat which could be winched on and off a trailer
> directly on the beach or on a ramp (shallow water!).
> >From my limited trailering experience, I think that one such boat
> should have a shallow, straight keel, more than a flat bottom, to be
> easily lifted and unloaded on a central rows of rollers using a
> winch. Lateral rollers would be there only to prevent the boat from
> tipping over, but the weight should be on the keel. Is that true, or
> am I missing something?
> Of course I'm not considering craneing as an option here: I've seen
> pretty big keel boats on a trailer (J24's and bigger ones) but in
> this case one needs a crane equipped harbor to launch it: that's
> another story.
> Best, Pippo
>
>

Pippo

Easy launching IMHO makes a good trailer boat. Easy launching is mostly
based on how far the trailer has to go down the ramp before the boat floats
off. This distance is based on how high the boat is from the ground when on
it's trailer. One of the best selling trailer boats is the MacGregor. The
MacGregor web site gives an interesting if onesided discussion of this.

http//www.macgregor26.com

Michael Surface

>From:giuseppe.bianco@...
>Reply-To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
>To:bolger@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [bolger] Trailer boats
>Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 08:43:37 -0000
>
>Dumb question: what makes a sailboat an ideal trailer boat other then
>weight and size considerations?
>I'm referring to a boat which could be winched on and off a trailer
>directly on the beach or on a ramp (shallow water!).
>From my limited trailering experience, I think that one such boat
>should have a shallow, straight keel, more than a flat bottom, to be
>easily lifted and unloaded on a central rows of rollers using a
>winch. Lateral rollers would be there only to prevent the boat from
>tipping over, but the weight should be on the keel. Is that true, or
>am I missing something?
>Of course I'm not considering craneing as an option here: I've seen
>pretty big keel boats on a trailer (J24's and bigger ones) but in
>this case one needs a crane equipped harbor to launch it: that's
>another story.
>Best, Pippo
>

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer athttp://explorer.msn.com

Dumb question: what makes a sailboat an ideal trailer boat other then
weight and size considerations?
I'm referring to a boat which could be winched on and off a trailer
directly on the beach or on a ramp (shallow water!).
From my limited trailering experience, I think that one such boat
should have a shallow, straight keel, more than a flat bottom, to be
easily lifted and unloaded on a central rows of rollers using a
winch. Lateral rollers would be there only to prevent the boat from
tipping over, but the weight should be on the keel. Is that true, or
am I missing something?
Of course I'm not considering craneing as an option here: I've seen
pretty big keel boats on a trailer (J24's and bigger ones) but in
this case one needs a crane equipped harbor to launch it: that's
another story.
Best, Pippo