Semi Liveaboard Trailer Sailer

[Grith]

Hi All New here and hoping to learn and teach. 
I have created a semi liveaboard capable trailer sailer using an Imexus 28 Powersailer as the basis.
Currently my partner and I are in our 8th week living aboard our in The Whitsundays in Northern Queensland Australia and have resupplied just twice during this period. First after only a week after hosting an old friend for that week and once after subsequent four weeks out cruising.
We are gearing up and testing equipment and supplies for a planned three month expedition without the availability of resupply.
Our yacht is shown here with a super moon rising above it in the middle of Hardy Lagoon which is on the outer Great Barrier Reef. The reef submerges at high tide leaving you feeling you are anchored in the middle of the ocean!  You cannot view this attachment.

[Timm R Oday25]

Welcome . Your boat stronger resembles a McGRegor 26 sold here.  Plerase keep us posted and include as many photos as possible ..for those of us unable to take weeks at a time off of work                                      

[Spot]

Hello and Welcome.
Looks like a nice boat.
https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/imexus-28/

[Norm L.]

G'day Graeme.
That looks like a suitable liveaboard particularly with your background,

My last boat before I aged out of sailing was a Hartley TS 16. I'm a Yank in New Orleans. Through it and this board I met another Aussie named Ged who spent some time on this board. We got together at his home outside of Ipswich and I'm in weekly contact with two retired mariners and some other colleagues around Sydney, Melbourne and Adalaide.
And my St. Kilda just got knocked out of the Finals in a match they should have won. I was at the Grand Final in 2011.

[Grith]

G'day Graeme.
That looks like a suitable liveaboard particularly with your background,

My last boat before I aged out of sailing was a Hartley TS 16. I'm a Yank in New Orleans. Through it and this board I met another Aussie named Ged who spent some time on this board. We got together at his home outside of Ipswich and I'm in weekly contact with two retired mariners and some other colleagues around Sydney, Melbourne and Adalaide.
And my St. Kilda just got knocked out of the Finals in a match they should have won. I was at the Grand Final in 2011.

My first experience in Trailer Sailers was in a Hartley 16 as a nine year old crewing for a friend of my mum's husband as she was pregnant. We became a very successful racing pair as mum's friend had a second daughter and I raced on with Geoff.
My first yacht was then a Hartley 16 which I raced in a state championship with a guy later to become my brother in law (for a while!) and we came third despite it being a heavy dog and due to our legitimate protest being dismissed!
Two 20year olds ( my soon to be brother in law a multiple state champion in cats and windsurfers ) pushing the rules to a bunch of old farts! They were in their 40's! 😂
My first "cruising" yacht many years later was also a Hartley 16 with many years of crewing and then skippering championship winning yachts (including some famous ones) in between.
My current large cruising trailer sailer also features a unweighted swing keel just like the little Hartleys.
 

[Grith]

Welcome . Your boat stronger resembles a McGRegor 26 sold here.  Plerase keep us posted and include as many photos as possible ..for those of us unable to take weeks at a time off of work                                      

Whilst resembling a MacX in concept execution is in another league altogether.
I have recently retired again to follow a trailer sailer based cruising dream having originally done so over 20 years ago.
My daughters mother and I retired early and I had a then recently designed improvement on the American Mac x/m designed here in Australia, a Mach 28, deposit paid and awaiting a building slot when my ex fell pregnant at 45!
Life changed as a deliberately childless adventuring couple suddenly had responsibilities combined with childbirth complications and severe post natal depression.
Years as a carer for both mother and daughter followed for me with all my adventuring completely halted by this  process.
After finally needing to return to work when my daughter reached school age I was then thrown out for working too long and hard (to rebuild some family wealth) and stripped of the lions share our remaining assets ( I had built)  by my daughters " disabled " mother.
My big win was a fabulous daughter who was dads sidekick for years (or was I hers!) and now finally as Annabel was ready to spread her wings she told dad to get a new adventure partner as she was going to be too busy to play anymore!
Mission spectacularly and immediately accomplished and my new partner now of 3.5 years and I retired together just over 18 months ago to restart our mutually agreed adventure travels and she agreed to include my trailer sailing cruising dream despite never having set foot on a boat previously.
Clare was however a very tough and capable wilderness backpacker and world traveller having commenced this primarily as soon as her daughter left home 8 years ago.
As a pair of divorcees who both were left with respectively little and less than nothing we had both rebuilt some wealth whilst each raising one successful independent daughter.
We joke one plus one equals three as two now modestly financially secure individuals needing some more years of work for a comfortable retirement when combined together could just do it now!
This was helped by both job losses through the pandemic response and both agreeing to downsize from our paid off mid range homes to a much cheaper waterfront home with jetty in a very cheap location to use as our travel base freeing substantial money to fund our travels and life. 🙂
 

[Norm L.]

That is a good tale, and in many ways similar to some tales posted here over the past 25 years.
Of course Oz is full of racing TS16's. But I only know of 3 here in the states, tho there may be more.

This is MANY MOONS in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina

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Six years later after more weather damage and a restoration. Here at a wooden boat show
Not many American boat shows with a didgeridoo in it. 

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[Grith]

I have created a liveaboard capable cruising yacht out of a larger trailer sailer and wonder if many others here have done so. I will now cruise the files looking.
It has been a dream of mine to follow in the footsteps of much older friends who have adventured via their Court 750 trailer sailer for around 6 months every year for over 30 years now.
Their smaller yacht has been to many locations unavailable to regular yachts and they have done many outstanding cruises to very remote and challenging inshore destinations.
Tragically being a generation or so older than me they are not at all tech savvy and their many adventures may never be made public and their photos, charts and endless stories will only live on on the memories of a few younger admirers like myself.
Their yacht Erflo and names Eric and Flo should live on in the annuals of trailer sailer history as should their remarkable achievements.
Last year I finally had the privilege of cruising in company with them for 6 weeks on The Murray River in South Australia on my vessels and new partners first ever extended shake down voyage.
Eric now frail in his late eighties hardly got off his yacht whilst Flo joined Clare and I on frequent onshore walks and explorations.
I had originally early retired over twenty years ago with the intention to join their small group of friends who sometimes accompanied them cruising in company to places like the remote and challenging Kimberley's in Western Australia.
My plan is that Clare and I will cruise The Kimberley's next year for 3/4 months without going back in for resupply and are testing systems and ourselves now in preparation.
The final photo of this group is Erflo beside Nexus last year on The Murray.
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[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

Welcome! 

I don't know if the old files from our old site have been attached to this new site yet.  There have certainly been a few here who have lived aboard their sailboats.

Sounds like you're heading for new adventures!

[Grith]

Welcome! 

I don't know if the old files from our old site have been attached to this new site yet.  There have certainly been a few here who have lived aboard their sailboats.

Sounds like you're heading for new adventures!

I couldn't find any so perhaps that's the issue. Thanks for the info and encouragement!🙂

[Grith]

I still am not finding other reports from those with long range cruising/liveaboard style trailer sailers here. Has anyone got any suggestions or links they can provide?
I have been involved with sailing and owning trailer sailers for over 50 years now and whilst on occasions dreamed of buying the larger yacht and sailing to distant shores my few offshore sailing experiences decided me on staying with trailer sailers.
I have raced on many larger yachts in my youth after my first few years learning in a Hartley 16 TS.
My first yacht I owned was also a Hartley 16 though I did have a moth for a season prior.
I owned and raced an early sports boat type TS with some success before another break from ownership.
I then went back to a Hartley 16 as a simple sailing camping platform as my partners back had given out precluding our backpacking, cycle and kayak touring adventures.
We did some years of what I now call camper sailing where the tiny TS acts as a rudimentary shelter, tent and gear storage whilst allowing extended exploration of a wide variety of river, dam, lake and very inshore type sailing locations.
On one of these trips we ran into a group of maxi trailer sailers cruising in company and we're kind of adopted and joined their 4 day cruise.
From my exposure there a dream grew to do longer more adventurous cruising by trailer sailer.
My daughters mother and I retired super early to go trailer sailing adventuring and I had a new TS commissioned a Mach28 for that when an unplanned daughter arrived in our lives and everything changed.
The couple who were leading that cruising in company trip are still friends nearly 25 years later and amazingly we were accompanied by them on my 6 week cruise of The Murray River last year which was my new partner then of 2.5 years first ever extended sailing adventure having only previously just done a week chartering with me and my 17 year old daughter in The Whitsundays just after we met.
My daughter and I had cruised together on quite a number of occasions despite my recent pre retirement intensely busy small business being hard to leave.
I have now spent some years developing a long range cruising platform around a Imexus 28 that remains entirely and for its size relatively easily trailerable and already have a few extended cruising adventures under my belt.
My now elderly friends ( their Court 750 shown below with my Imexus) have used their Court 750 for over 30 years for as much as six months every year until recently and are an ongoing inspiration.
The Imexus 28 has evolved into a highly flexible and comfortable cruising platform proving itself capable of being a viable alternative to owning a larger cruising yacht whilst retaining all the advantages of a trailerable craft.
I am currently skinny water cruising the unique Coorong here in Southern Australia with my daughter and we have racked up another list of adventures and near disasters along with wonderful experiences!
It's been unseasonably cold and windy and a big temperature contrast to Clare and I's recent over 8 weeks cruise in the tropical Whitsundays.

[pgandw]

Over 40 years ago, I lived in S Florida, and had a hankering for a sailboat, and cruising to the Bahamas.  Bought a trailered Venture 22 at the boat show, and though it was fine for sailing in and around the Florida Keys, I realized I didn't trust it enough for a trip to the Bahamas.  After a year, we traded the Venture in on an ODay 25 (also with trailer).  My tow vehicle at the time was not up to the double weight of the ODay 25, but I made do.

I had saved my vacation, so had 4 weeks to sail to the Bahamas and back again.  We had a great cruise, and we were the smallest cruising sailboat we saw during the 4 weeks.  We managed 2 trips to the North Channel of Lake Huron, and a trip to Dry Tortugas from Key West.

To be honest, that was all the boat I could handle both for trailering and finances.  Eventually got a Suburban to tow with which made a huge difference in towing comfort.  But still it was well over an hour from arrival at the launch ramp to getting underway, usually more like 2-3 hours.  I had to lift a lot of weights like the 80lb outboard.  Especially when we were cruising with 3 kids.  Then the divorce took it all away.

Decades later, I'm back into sailing with a minimal trailer sailor - a Mariner 19.  It's the right size for this point of my life - good for a couple of nights and that's about it.  But I can easily manage the Mariner by myself on the road, at the ramp, and on the water.  Just over an hour at the ramp by myself, less if I have help.  Even in my old age and reduced agility.  Would I take the Mariner to the Bahamas?  Not unless I had the company of another boat.  But there are so many places to sail that do not require ocean crossings of 50+ miles.  The many large lakes within the US and Canada are just as fascinating.

Fred W
Stuart Mariner 19 #4133  Sweet P
Yeopim Creek, Albemarle Sound, NC

[Grith]

20yo daughter at the helm whilst we sailed under asymmetrical spinnaker at 6-7knots in about 12knots of breeze.
We were crossing Lake Alexandrina which is about 30nm across and notorious for its shallow depth and short steep waves this produces in a decent wind.
Not bad for a fully laden trailable yacht heavily modified for extended liveaboard cruises.
We have we're on the way home after 5 nights cruising some unusual skinny water in the Unique Coorong here in South Australia.
My partner Clare of now 3.5 years and I have just returned from over 8 weeks cruising in the world class Whitsundays and driven a couple of thousand miles home in four daylight hour driving stints.
I can arrive and launch single handed within an hour for a day sail and a couple of hours if loading dingy and provisions for weeks out cruising.
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[pgandw]

Grith

You asked about experiences with what I'll call extended cruising on maxi-trailerable sailboats.

I still am not finding other reports from those with long range cruising/liveaboard style trailer sailers here. Has anyone got any suggestions or links they can provide?

I provided my experiences in response - both the good and the bad.  The bad being a lot of boat and financial investment to manage, particularly if the burden falls on one person.  The good being accomplishing trips I probably would not have made with a smaller trailable boat.

Times change and so have I.  Even if I had a hankering to own a boat like yours, I couldn't afford it.  Either initially, or the continuing maintenance and improvements.  And that's OK.  I am content with a smaller, less expensive world now, centered around daysailing and a max of 4-5 day trips (plus another 4-5  days of travel depending on location).

Each to their own cup of tea.

Fred W

[Grith]

Hi Fred Each to their own. Good on you for still being out there sailing.
As for affording a cruising trailerable yacht lifestyle however my much older friends Eric and Flo are inspirational.
For well over thirty years now they have existed primarily on the pension here in Australia using their Court 750 trailerable yacht as home, caravan, yacht, adventure platform for around six months of every year.
They have a modest home on the outskirts of Perth Western Australia and sometimes manage to rent this for the period of their travels.
A few old jobs here and there for extra cash on the road, a frugal life and a wide range of capabilities have seen them achieve so many outstanding adventures with their aged 25 foot swing keel trailer sailer towed by an aged 4x4.
I have had my financial ups and downs with separation from my daughters mother almost cleaning me out 10 years ago after at one time building a comfortable but not excessive nest egg allowing a shot at early retirement in my mid forties about twenty years ago.
Eric and Flo's life of adventure on the pension was my fallback position if I was unable to do more than just buy and pay off a home base, trailerable yacht and tow tug in my remaining working life.
I have again been both lucky and hard work makes its own luck in rebuilding some wealth quickly and now re-partnering up with a lady who also rebuilt her life and some wealth after her separation left her with less than nothing 20 years ago.
We joke 1 plus 1 equals 3 as two diligent hard workers both of whom worked in different ways to rebuild wealth combined together and then sold both our mid range homes in Australia's most expensive state and purchased together in a very cheap one have freed the capital for an adventuring/travelling life in retirement together.
Grey nomading is popular here in Australia but generally means buying the big caravan and or motorhome and touring the country either full time or part time from a home base.
My friends Eric and Flo proved it is possible to do this with a trailerable yacht and modest home on the pension whilst Clare and I have more funds freed from selling two homes and buying one for a sixth of the cost together.
I was just seeking others who had created and used their larger trailerable yacht in a similar format to share experiences and tips to learn from each other.🙂
I have been fortunate enough to have the funds to create for Clare and I a unique travelling/ adventuring package whilst we found a delightful remote cheap location with a home with its own waterfront and jetty for our home base. You cannot view this attachment. You cannot view this attachment.
The small AWD truck with slide on camper is the concession to my previously non sailing new partners love of wilderness trekking and remote travel. Sometimes we just go off in the truck and camper and sometimes both if combining cruising with camping.