# Pros and cons of trailering...



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I am considering buying a Ranger 22 in a couple of weeks. The marina that is "home port" to the sailing club I joined (Percy Priest Yacht Club, Nashville TN) has a waiting list of 3.5 years for a slip. The commodore of the yacht club says that trailering is a BIG hassle. I was wondering what the thoughts were on the pros and cons of trailering. Would it be better to wait (and share the club boat with about 10-15 other people) or find out ALL about owning a boat by trailering from the beginning?


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

It depends. Trailering a properly designed trailer sailer is not all that much of a pain. Doing it with a boat that is designed to be moved on a trailer once in a while, is a different story. A good trailer sailer will have an easy to use, reliable and simple mast raising system, which a trailerable boat will not. 

If you have a boat on a trailer, and it takes you two hours to rig it every time you put it in the water, I doubt you'll be sailing it much. If you have a proper trailer sailer, and it takes you twenty minutes to rig it each time you drop it in the water...then you'll probably be sailing it a lot more. 

The better trailer sailers tend to have a trailer design that allows them to be easily launched from a variety of launch ramps. The sort of trailerable sailboats generally need a fairly deep and steep ramp to be launched, and will have problems on some other types of ramps. 

I don't know enough about the Ranger 22 that you are interested in. Does it have a swing keel or a fixed one? Etc..

Then there is the whole issue of a proper tow vehicle for a trailered boat. Do you have one that would work? Is it worth it to you to have one that will work, especially given that the gas prices are heading north of $3.00 per gallon and likely to stay there for some time.


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## edtolman (Jul 12, 2006)

*Good Useable Info*

Thanks for that answer...useful info, I think.


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## toastchee (Mar 8, 2006)

Wow! Small world.

I also sail out of Hamilton Creek on Percy Priest! I am a trailor sailer and have a 13' keelboat and a 14' dingy. Rusty and Russell are great guys.

If you get your routine down, I don't think trailering is that big of a deal. I wouldn't call it 'fun' every time, but worth it. Make sure your vehicle can tow that weight and you have a helper to raise the mast. 

I can come crew with you if you like, I am there darn near every weekend. That would be fun. Private message me if you are interested.

Trailering offers an advantage of storing your boat out of the water. You can keep an eye on your bottom and it will stay cleaner. You can also do what I do and put in on Friday, tie it up on the dock Fri/Sat, and pull it out Sunday. Transient fees are $7/night plus you get power. 

Also take a look at Elm Hill Marina and Nashville Shores. Last I checked, there were slips available under $150/mo. Those may not be as quiet or nice and HC, but I would put a boat there. 

Best,
Dan


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Thanks guys. I had already started looking at a newer vehicle, my wife is embarassed by my $800 Jeep Cherokee POS. I was going to try and stick with a Jeep Cherokee but move up to an V6 instead of the salvaged 4 cylinder currently _trying_ to carry just me and my dog.

toastachee - small world indeed. Thank you for the Elm Hill thought. I had thought about it, but had heard it was 2x the cost of HC. Not true. They have an immediate slip for $130/month. That may be the way I go. Thanks. You should come out on Wednesday nights to HC. PPYC has club races every Wed night weather permitting. They don't leave anyone on the docks. They are really a great bunch.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Does the YC allow you to leave the boat there and on a trailer? I had a S2 &.9, 6,lbs of great trailerable sailboat but I wouldn't want to do it every weekend. It went in and out of the water very easily. For a number of years I left it where I could keep it rigged and just put it in when I wanted to sail. Was pretty cheep. I now have a 38 Morgan 384 and there are times I wished I was trailerable again.

Good Luck,

John


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

that sure did not come out right. Shouldl be a 7.9 S2 6,000lbs of fun


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The YC does not actually have their own place. They use the city's sailboat marina. Probably 3/4 of the boats there are YC members. So I couldn't leave the boat rigged at the marina. They do have dry storage, but the waiting list is 2 years. This marina is sailboats only, so it's nice and quiet, everyone on the lake with a sailboat is trying to get in.


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## craigimass (Feb 23, 2009)

I am speaking only for myself, but if I had to trailer I would not have bought a boat (which, BTW, I just hauled home yesterday). It's a bit like skiing (which I also do)....when you are a distance away from the mountain, it becomes much more of a PITA.

Since I live near the coast, I have other options if I didn't own a boat. For instance, there is a non-profit sailing center in Newport where I can rent 19's and 22's dirt cheap (at least compared to ownership).

IMHO, murphys law comes into play very quickly when there are more actions standing between you and the water. 

But, like anything else, it depends. If you are going to trailer and then lauch and spend 1 or more full days out on the way, it might be worth while. Or, if you got a smaller boat which could be launched and rigged in 1/2 hour, then a 2 or 3 hour day sail might be fun.

I'd go for the slip if at all possible!


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## lillia28 (Aug 12, 2011)

Looking at Ranger 22 on sailboat data, it looks like it has a fixed keel and spade rudder. A fixed keel makes launching and retrieving from a trailer a bit more challenging, enough more where I would second getting the slip at the second place you mentioned. You will need deep water and a good ramp.
If the boat has a swing keel, ignore this post.


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## filterme (Sep 23, 2018)

hi, Siren 17' trailer sailor here. I have no problem at all trailering this girl. I built a mast crutch to help me single hand stepping the mast, and it also has a design intended to use jib halyard on the bow chain plate to aid the mast raise.

I invested in some fast adjusters so I can set the stays fast and still adjust tension. rigging and getting the boat in the water takes about 30-40 minutes to start hoisting sails on the water. 

The most important part for me, and maybe you depending on the launch ramps or locations you sail, is that I have a swing keel, so it retracts into the hull giving me a 9" draft, which allows me to get onto the beach. Also there's enough cabin to keep the wife happy, which always helps to get more time on the water (and wine)

I live in a land of lakes, so going to various bodies of water is also a great time.


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