Advice on our short list of boats?

[montanasailors]

Hello all,
   I recently wrote for advice on a trailerable boat that will handle both Montana lakes as well as occasional (once a year for 1 month in length) trips to Bellingham, WA for sailing in the San Juans.  We have some other limitations, namely a ~3000lb towing limit.  We've narrowed the list from ~150 towable boats in our towing range to the following 7 based on additional criteria of size, cabin and cockpit size and other features.  Any thoughts on pros and cons of each would be appreciated! 

1)  ODay 20
2)  Santana 21
3)  Sirius 21
4)  Catalina 22
5)  Balboa 20
6)  South Coast 22
7)  ComPac 19

[Frank]

My 2 cents on what I've seen with these
1)  ODay 20...nice interior,reportedly sound and fairly stiff,
2)  Santana 21....fast
3)  Sirius 21...true centerboard makes for shallow draft but with inside trunk
4)  Catalina 22...lots out there...lots of owners opinions
5)  Balboa 20.. Lyle designed them. Owners say not too fast.
6)  South Coast 22. I've never ran into one.
7)  ComPac 19...compac cabin, not too fast but nice look

There are 3 Oday 20's at a nearby yacht club. Not fancy but I was impressed with their layout etc.
The sirius 21 was later changed to a 22 with a reverse transum molded on for the final run.Nice look and a bit faster.Some22's  had fixed shallow keels which would leave the floor flat inside (no trunk)

[Captain Smollett]

I think that any of those boats would suit your purpose, or could be 'made to.'

You might want to keep that as your working list and just look for an affordable deal...unless one makes your heart go pitter patter more than the others, the differences become more academic than practical at some point.

For my money, though, I'm partial to the ComPac 19...I just LIKE ComPac's boats - they are well made and generally seem to be highly thought of by their owners.  The 19 is a good compromise for your two stated goals of lake-based trailer sailing and more extended cruising the PNW.  The ComPac 19's I've seen have just been "shippy" to me, and I get that pitter factor whenever I see one.  It packs a lot of 'sailing character' into a small boat; some would argue too small to be comfortable for a longish cruise, but that is a matter of approach/attitude as much as anything else.

[Tim]

I would have to agree with Captain Smollett. Though I have never sailed any of them I have seen quite a few ComPacs and like them to the point of thinking about buying one when I was looking. The Compac is one that is more likely to come on the market in good shape also.

[Oldrig]

Of your listed boats, I'd agree with Tim and Smollett: The Compac is the best looking and probably the best-built. But you wouldn't go wrong with any of the boats on that list, IMHO.

--Joe

[Tim]

I am curious why the Potter 19 did not make the short list?

[Tim]

I am curious why the Potter 19 did not make the short list?

The reason I asked is because I have a Potter 19 that I have sailed on mountain lakes, San Fransisco and Monterey bays and have done annual trips to the San Jauns, Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound. Though admittedly it is like camping in an old VW bus, it worked well for the two of us.  I have a desire to travel up the B.C. coast into less protected waters hence the Ariel, but for protected waters with good seamanship the Potter would be fine.

Tim

[montanasailors]

Hi Tim,
   The Potter 19 was actually our first choice at one point.  Ultimately, the arrangement of the cabin and the small cockpit size made us look elsewhere.  We're not too keen on the head at the middle of the cabin under the vee berth.  Also, the side berths seem fairly claustrophobic and the cockpit seems too small to sleep in (I think ~4' 8").  We really like the look, quality and other qualities though. 

[Tim]

Well I can't disagree with you on sizes, but of course there is only so much that can be done with 19'  :)

There were only two of us so the vberth worked fine. Of course I think that any 19' boat would be cramped for more than two on extended stays.

Here are a couple of comparison pics of the interior of the two most likely choices from your list IMHO

Oday 20


courtesy of "sailing texas"

Compac 19


coutesy of "sailboat listings"