# Which pocket cruiser is best for me ?



## dpcolohan (Mar 11, 2001)

I am hoping to switch from power boating to sailing and need advice on what kind of boat to consider. There are so many of them and I don''t know where to start. I would rate myself a novice to intermediate sailor, and much of my sailing experience has been in small boats [9-16 feet]. I plan to sail out of Charlottetown, PEI, mostly in shallow coastal waters [no rocks, sandy bottom]. Much of the time I will sail solo, occasionally accompanied by my wife, a fair-weather sailor at best. Occasionally we might be accompanied by one or two other couples, but only for day sailing. A long cruise for me would be through the Northumberland Straights to the Bras D''or Lakes of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. 
My priorities in a boat include ease of solo handling, stability in weather and reasonable comfort [I am 6 ft tall and weigh about 250 lbs].
I am looking at a Nonsuch 22, Jeanneau Tonic 23,O''Day 240 LE, and a Mirage 25. Are there others I should consider ? Am I in the right size range ?
Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Please E-mail me: "[email protected]" or respond to this bulletin board. Thank you.


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## henryvand (May 2, 2000)

Sailors are known to be susceptible to " Two Foot Disease " so you should go bigger if you can. You may get caught in the odd blow and a little bigger boat will be appreciated. Also an inboard engine is a big plus when your are in swells that will lift an outboard above water. You might consider looking at the Tanzers - the Tanzer 22 has a solid following and is considered quite seaworthy - the 26 and 28 would give you more live aboard room. Check out the Tanzer group website. Don''t worry about size too much for single handing. Other than when docking there is little difference in single handing between 22 ft and 32 feet. I just traded up from my Tanzer 8.5 (28 ft) to a Beneteau 331 (34 ft) and I spend much of my time solo.


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## dpcolohan (Mar 11, 2001)

Thank you for the advice on Tanzers. They look quite attractive. I had been wondering whetherI was looking at boats that are too small. Should I expand my search to include boats built in the 1970s ?


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Based on your listed priorities you might want to consider the 26 ft Westerly Centaur.., Its the boat I sail and I am 6ft and 200 lbs. Its twin keels will make it stable enough to satify your mate, it right on the edge regarding headroom for a 6ft person. The iron keels require a bit more maintenance and it is a slow boat but is easily single handed, very forgiving, and extremely stable. It is a more traditional design, closer to work boat than racing boat., so I don''t know what your preferences are in that regard. Most can be had for a very economical price. Best of luck in your search.


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## rbh1515 (Jul 7, 2000)

After much research, I am purchasing a Colgate 26. I have not sailed on one but everyone I have talked to that has one loves it. It has a very large cockpit, small cabin. It was voted the top pocket cruiser by Cruising World magazine I think in 1997. It is supposed to be very stable and easy to sail single handed. With a base price of around $26k (and that includes just about everything including sails, solar panel to charge the battery, roller furling, etc) I think its a pretty good deal. Only need to buy an outboard and sailcovers (and a trailer if you want one--it is trailerable). It has a solid hull (not cored). And its a very good looking boat. Also, its the boat that Steve Colgate uses for his Offshore Sailing School to teach. You could always try one out at one of their schools. To find their web site to see the boat and specs (sorry I don''t have it in front of me) search on Colgate 26 sailboat or Offshore Sailing School and you will find it.
Rob


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## dpcolohan (Mar 11, 2001)

Thanks for the recommendations on the Westerly Centaur and Colgate 26. I''ll check them out.


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## rbh1515 (Jul 7, 2000)

I found the web address for the Colgate 26.
http://www.colgate26.com/
Also of note, there is a shoal draft option if draft is of concern. Recently saw a used Colgate 26 for sale on a web site that was shoal draft, I think it was in New Jersy and it came with a trailer. There are not many used Colgates out there. Let me know if you want me to find the ad for you. Rob


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## dpcolohan (Mar 11, 2001)

Thanks, Rob;
I found the Colgate website. I don''t think the Colgate 26 has the cabin space I''m looking for. I think I''ll keep looking.


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## halyardz (Sep 2, 2000)

While we need more info, I''d submit the 
Beneteau 285 for your consideration. A bit big for the trailer crowd but a good mix of
what you might need. There are a number of them out there but they are often a bit pricey.


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## dpcolohan (Mar 11, 2001)

Thank''s for the Beneteau sugestion. I''ve read a lot about the mediocre quality of French boat construction and their failure to measure up to American safety standards. Is this really an issue ? Are Jenneaus built as well [? poorly] as Beneteaus ? I am looking at a Jenneau Tonic 23. Is it stable enough to take outside a sheltered bay ? Anyone out there with experience with these boats ?


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Actually, I do not think that French boats are inherently of poorer construction than US boats. I think that Beneteaus are about on a par with US builders Catalina or Hunter. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. 

I know there is a difference of opinion here, but I have generally found Jeaneaus to be one step down from the Beneteaus in terms of both design and build quality. Today, Jeaneau is actually owned by Beneteau and seems to be their ''value'' oriented division. 

Jeff


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## dpcolohan (Mar 11, 2001)

Thanks for the comment, Jeff.
I am going to look at a 1974 C&C 27 Mk III this weekend. Any trouble spots I should pay particular attention to ? This boat has an Atomic 4, wheel steering and a good selection of sails.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

We are just getting started in sailing. We live on a large river and are looking at a 1987 26'' Hunter with tiller steering. Does anyone have any input on this boat.
Thanks


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I am considering the Colgate 26 for myself...I live in NYC. How much should a used one cost and how do I find one?


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

The Colgate 26 is more of a daysailer, than a cruiser. 

The Yankee Dolphin is also a good choice, if you want a small, fairly capable coastal cruiser. Cape Dory 25 is also a good choice. The Pearson Triton or Ariel are also good choices.


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## capecodphyllis (Dec 7, 2006)

rbh1515 said:


> After much research, I am purchasing a Colgate 26. I have not sailed on one but everyone I have talked to that has one loves it. It has a very large cockpit, small cabin. ...Steve Colgate uses for his Offshore Sailing School to teach.


Better to have a small cockpit and a large cabin, since you won't have students.

How long does it take that very large cockpit to drain when swamped? Can the boat sail with a swamped cockpit? Will the very large cockpit drain into the small cabin if swamped, or overboard?


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## capecodphyllis (Dec 7, 2006)

WALKERS said:


> We are just getting started in sailing. We live on a large river and are looking at a 1987 26'' Hunter with tiller steering. Does anyone have any input on this boat.
> Thanks


My parents have a Hunter daysilar which the family enjoys on get-togethers very much. Nice and stable and sturdy. Lots of fun.

However, I would hate to be on ANY daysailer in rough weather. Even a large one like a 26 footer. The rudders I've seen are attached with a few screws. They don't last long unless you are very gentle - as in avoiding heeling as much as possible. In bad weather the rudder would probably snap right off.

I had a O'Day 22 back in the early 80s. I broke the rudder twice by putting too much pressure on it while heeling. That rudder was attached with 8 small stainless screws. It needed the kind of large Pintles and Gudgeons that you find on cruisers.


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## TejasSailer (Mar 21, 2004)

You might try the forum thread below for lots of discussion on pocket cruisers.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=11492


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

SD -- I hate to be the one to bring this up, but how did you manage to dig up a 5 year old thread?


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

jones2r said:


> SD -- I hate to be the one to bring this up, but how did you manage to dig up a 5 year old thread?


LOL

I was replying to a more recent entry about he Colgate 26... it seems to have vanished... HMMM... I don't dig up old threads...


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

look at the Pearson Triton. Ther are awsesome blue water cruisers.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Check out Paceships - they were built in Nova Scotia and are good for the seas there. The Westwind (24 Feet) would be just the ticket for you. You might also want to consider a Viking 28 - they are a little longer than the others, but tend to sell in the same price range. Also - give serious thought to driving up here to "Uppity Canada" and picking up a boat on a trailer - or better yet - drive down to Vermont and get one there - you'll save yourself a huge amount of money.


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## ccriders (Jul 8, 2006)

This last year I purchased a coastal cruiser. In deciding which boat to buy I read everything I could get my hands on. One book was a thorough discussion about yacht design and was organized by type of use, daysailing, racing, family cruising, ocean voyaging. It also had a huge matrix containing more variables than you would think existed, but also some very important ones for me and I incorporated them into my decision tree. I wanted a strongly built hull and deck with robust rigging, head room (6' minimum), medium displacement, good speed capability, a favorable capsize ratio (should I make a very big mistake at the wrong time) and a fairly high comfort factor for two on board. I wanted to be able to single hand and live aboard for a couple of weeks. No outboard, no deck stepped mast and no swinging keels/centerboards, etc. And it had to be available for $10,000. I ended up with a 1976 Pearson 28-1, have replaced rigging, and lots of other stuff, am still under $10,000 and have one hell of a boat with a lot of potential for coastal cruising. Everyone that comes aboard my boat is impressed with its size, its comfortable, airy and open cabin, the cockpit size, and I'm impressed with the way it sails. I used to have one of those really classic looking boats with a long keel and attached rudder and I've got to telll you that a fin keel and spade rudder is the way to go if you need to do more than make long straight runs in open water.
Hope this helps, and good luck


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Glad to read that you are leaving the "dark side". You didn't mention what your budget is? 
My first love was a swing keel Catalina22. Easy to rig, sail and trailer. Purchased for 9,000 US and sold 2 years later for 8,500 US. Lots of these abound and mine was in excellent condition. The one drawback was that it lacked privacy with the head. It's a great nearshore sailor with excellent aftermarket support.

Fair Winds.


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## SailinJay (Dec 6, 2002)

Cam--

Here's another one. First post and a non-sailing web link.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

And not even in English


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

xxx seems to be the same in German as English!


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

camaraderie said:


> xxx seems to be the same in German as English!


LOL, I think it is universal.


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## sidney777 (Jul 14, 2001)

You will get zillions of suggestions;here is one. (Opinion; All the boats you listed are too small for your size and- maybe- for your sailing destinations). Get at least a 27--30 ft boat or bigger, with INBOARD, if possible. Remember-usually-longer waterline means faster. *Inboard will help tremendously if/when you get in Bad Weather. That Westerly is great(I had one), but will take forever to get home.
Your wife will love the old Catalina 30 room and comfort. I did not say it was the best quality, but you can be proud to take your friends on a roomy comfortable boat. The other ones you listed will may make them question if they should go out at all. *In waves, the Outboard motor will go in & out of the water and little push results.


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## voodooacrobat (Jun 12, 2002)

*Pocket Cruiser Recommendation*

Three years ago I bought a 1970 Westly Cirrus. It's 22', but the cabin and cockpit are larger than many 24' boats I looked at. I singlehand most of the time, and it's an easy boat to sail, sturdy as they come (Lloyds of London certified to be ocean capable), safe and stable, and the only boat of it's size I found where I can stand up in the cabin.

I've got a v-berth large enough for two, an enclosed head with holding tank, dinette, electric sink, ice box, sail locker, a long pilot berth, and the table folds down to make another larger berth. The cockpit is very deep and gives you a feeling of safety and comfort - not sitting on a rail with your knees around your ears.

Another point for me is that marinas in my area charge more for larger slips, and shore storage in the off-season is also charged by the foot. For me, it's the perfect boat for my current needs.

That's my two cents (and I'll probably get change back).

Fair winds.


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## jackytdunaway (Sep 11, 2006)

Nice folks here. A thread is 6 years old and they still want to help.


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## SawWhet (Mar 1, 2008)

Tanzer 26' by all means.We have had ours for 26 years ,and still love it
Look for one with a diesel IB you won't regret the choice
SawWhet


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