what to buy ?

[matt195583]

hello all , im new here . I have posted in the introductions thread .

I'm in australia 25 and heck bent on getting a trailer yacht , just curious if any of you can give me some info on a few that hve caught my eye , which are  , robb legg 24 , catalina/boomeroo 22, baroness 22and the boomerang 20 . I'm not to sure if all these trailer sailers were available in the US

http://www.boatbook.com.au/display.php?boatid=134   that is the boomeroo


http://www.boatpoint.com.au/boats-for-sale/details.aspx?R=2783800the barroness

http://www.boatpoint.com.au/boats-for-sale/details.aspx?R=2855301 the robb legg


http://www.boatpoint.com.au/boats-for-sale/details.aspx?R=2980269 and the boomerang

I'm new to sailing other than a 12ft calypso cat that i had for a while , although i have a family freind who is willing if not eager to show me the ropes he's in his late 40s and has sailed more than a dozen Sydney to Hobarts .so im not too worried about the learning curve .  :)

I more or less plan to spend several days at a time sailing in moreton bay which apparently stretches 160 kilometers along the south east coast working up to some coastal cruising .

[dnice]

Welcome aboard!

Of the boats you have listed I like that boomerang the best... just based on looks though.
I think all of them appear to fit your needs.

We have catalina's, but they are considered pretty poor quality. But then again, you are not talking about crossing oceans, so its safe to say, if its in good condition it should be fine.

It seems like you have your criteria narrowed down well enough.
Its just a matter of what fits your budget and what you think looks the best for you.
Its a trailer sailor, so make sure it fits your towing vehicle well, and comes with the trailer and all that...

other than that, I say you are on the right track. The only think I can recommend is going with the cheapest solution that fits all your needs.

[Lynx]

Good luck, There is a lot of trailerables. Factors that you need to look at is the water dept at ramps and towing weight of your car/truck/RV.

I have a MacGregor 26M that is being imported to Aus. Lighter and cheeper and showes it. But it does take a lot.

If you are just going to store it at a yard and have it launched via lift, you can get a better blue water boat like the older Pearson 26. Although towable, you need a lot of water at the dock to put it in.

[matt195583]

lynx , thats one option i hadn't considered . a keel boat with specialised trailer . i'm not to keen to store a boat in a yard at the marina as the cheapest place i could find was $60 a week , whilst that is well within my budget I have a few different places where i can store a trailerable at no cost other than taking a mate out for a sail every now and again .

The main quality that attracts me to a swing keel trailer sailor is the shallow draft , given the local bay has alot of sand bars . also im hoping to use my first one as a stepping stone into somthing bigger (28 odd ft ) maybe to venture further .

budget isnt really a big deal as im 25 single and earn $900 a week although  im of th opinion that nop debt is good debt so how much i would like to spend is really a matter of how long i think i can wait . my long tem plan is to own a decent 28 odd ft seaworthy yacht at the end of my apprenticeship abou 2.5 years ohhh and have a tidy enough stash of money to dissapear for a few months atleast .

thankyou very much for the reply's  :)

[matt195583]

another question regauring the drop keel or swing keel other than breakage does it alter the ride or sailing ?

[AdriftAtSea]

I wouldn't recommend a keel boat if you're planning on trailering it a lot.  Even a shoal draft keelboat is going to need a lot of water and ramps that will fit them are pretty rare generally speaking.

I prefer swing keels (or centerboards) as opposed to lifting keels/drop keels/dagger boards.  The main reason is that in a grounding a swing keel or centerboard will "kick" up and generally no damage will occur.  A lifting keel/drop keel or dagger board, which rises vertically as opposed to pivoting, will hit and may cause serious damage to the trunk the keel/board resides in as well as to the keel/board itself. 

IIRC, the Boomerangs and Boomeroos were actually Catalina designs that were brought over to Oz.... but I could be wrong on that. 

Another possibility, given that you're in OZ is looking at the sport trimarans that were invented there.  I'd imagine there are a fair number of Farrier designed trimarans, like the F27, F28, F9a, F82, over there.  These are pretty solid little boats and decent performers as well as being much more manageable as a trailerable than a keelboat ever would be. They also have the shoal draft and can deal with sandbars quite well. 

The F9a would be the best of the bunch, but it is about 31' LOA or so.  The cabins on the smaller ones aren't "standing headroom" IMHO, since I can't stand in them and I'm only 5'4" or so.  I don't know what pricing is like and the Farrier designs, other than the Corsairs, are generally home-built boats of variable quality.