Opinions/Advice/Constructive Criticism on our next boat?

[Ed]

So, we sold the Sea Pearl Tri.  Oddly enough it was our 3rd one (club dynamics/sailing area) and the new owner's 3rd one too.  Delivering the boat to Chiefland, FL Saturday and plan to start tire kicking next week. We are going to slip the boat at Harbor Town Marina on Lake Allatoona and trailer sail once or twice a year for 5 - 10 days at a time. Two strong candidates out there on the market.  A 1993 Hunter 23.5, yes we owned one of those years ago (Saint Somewhere), did a BEER Cruise on it and pulled it up and down the Gulf Coast of Florida for 5 or 6 years.  Problem is the PO and the PO, PO.  Neither were sailors, the current owners kept the mast and boom in their barn and original sails in the house.  They kept it at. marina the first year and just sat on it to drink, eat, and listen to music from the band playing in the marina bar on Lake Hartwell, GA.  They know nothing about the trailer/boat/rigging/etc.  The Previous, previous owner was a doctor who they said did a lot of motoring, but at least he had the mast on it. It also has the original single axle Hunter trailer with the painted axle that rusts from the inside out, as I found out with my Hunter trailer and replaced it with a nice double axle trailer with brakes. The second boat is in the water at Harbor Town, 2003 Catalina 250 WB.  The british couple that own it are the second owners, they bought it in 2006 and have had it since.  Trailered it a few times and had the bottom done quarterly until the last couple of years when health/lethargy/travel kept them away.  It's got a double axle trailer with brakes that has been sitting outside for a while. I'm leaning toward the Catalina.  We were sitting in one at the St Pete Boat Show in 03/04/05, I can't remember, and liked the boat.  I think the price scared us off.  We still like them, but the 23.5 is like a favorite pair of boat shoes, comfortable.  Looking at the specs there doesn't seem to be a lot of differences in them except ballast; 1000 Hunter and 1200 Catalina. Prices are $6500 for the Hunter and $9000 for the Catalina.  I've owned a fixed keel boat and did not like the way it sailed, maybe it was me, but I prefer water ballast for numerous reasons.

[Chris Muthig]

Just reading your post it sounds like you are tending heavily towards the Hunter.  Catalina makes great boats.  If the Hunter's rigging and sails are up to snuff, and the hull hasn't been abused, sounds like you want someone to reinforce what you already know.  As for the price difference, you may be able to replace the trailer with another new one for about that, maybe a little more.

[Charles Brennan]

Ed, Practical Sailor had a review on the Catalina 25, mostly favorable.
https://www.practical-sailor.com/sailboat-reviews/sailboats-21-30ft/catalina-250

One criticism I noted was:
"However, he discovered it's a nuisance to tack by himself, since the jib sheet winches are nowhere near the tiller. To tack, he has to abandon the tiller, move to the forward end of the cockpit, uncleat the lazy sheet, pull it off the winch, then move back to the helm before the boat strays too far. When it has passed through the eye of the wind, he again leaves the helm, grabs the new sheet, gives it a couple of turns around the new sheet winch, then trims. This activity isn't helped by the fact that (A) neither winch handle can be cranked through 360 degrees without crushing your knuckles against the nearby lifeline stanchion (which is less than 9″ away from the winch centerline), (B) the jib sheet lead runs from its winch to a Harken cam cleat, mounted very close to the winch drum, and (C) the lead from the cleat runs across the boat, rather than aft."

Work around that and you should be OK.

They also had a review of the Hunter 23.5:
https://www.practical-sailor.com/sailboat-reviews/hunter-23-5

Seems to me, your REAL decision is: the Devil You Know, versus the Devil You Don't Know! 

Hope this helps,
Charles Brennan

[Captain Kidd]

Decisions, decisions... Not sure I can help much. I'm selling my Hunter shoal draft 18.5 for a Hunter 19 WB. Funny - we looked at a 19 in '04 and liked it but thought it was too much money. Hope it's not too late to enjoy. I bought a Mac 26 instead so I have experience with WB. We'll see how it turns out.

BTW: thought of you this past weekend. I passed within a few miles of Ball Ground on the way over to Lanier. I decided to take the scenic route from Chattanooga rather than deal with Atlanta traffic. Was a little wet but I enjoyed the drive.

[Ed]

Going to look at the Hunter 23.5 in Hartwell, Ga.  Wish us luck.

[Ed]

Hunter definitely did not work out!  Sellers refused my request/offer to take the mast out of their garage/barn, raise mast, attach sails, lower mast, stow for travel, fill water ballast tank with hose to check for leaks inside and out, and jack up trailer to check wheel bearings and repack if needed.  They did not know anything about anything.  Scratch that one.
Looking at a well outfitted Macgregor 26S in Ft Myers, a 600 mile journey each way.  Seems like a nice boat: completely overhauled trailer, just needs tires; new sails; extensive interior wood and head door removed; etc.  Shot him a few questions: bottom paint condition/age, trailer wheel bearings, road trip ready. 
I sailed on a 26S years ago on a Cayo Costa trip with the WCTSS and thought is was fast and about as stable as my Hunter 23.5 although the Hunter had more freeboard and cockpit seating was higher above the water.  Mast is a little lighter than the Hunter's, some hulls have been known to oil can, but few dismasting/sinking stories around.  Opinions?  Thinking about making the run down this Friday? 

https://sbo.sailboatowners.com/classified2/adsmanager.php?task=showad&adid=24514

[Norm L.]

The first boat sounded like a swift run-away.
The second boat sounds pretty amazing. It would not be a boat for me but if I could find a boat type I like with that description, I'd take a serious look.
A 25-year-old boat at $8k could sound crazy but reading his list he has certainly put more than half of that in new.
The look on an old boat sounds like one good look at everything plastic. Then the mast and boom. His list covers all the bits and pieces in detail but not the hull and mast/boom.
It may have been my error, but his electrical system is amazing, but I didn't see anything on the batteries.   

[Ed]

We talked about all kinds of stuff when I called the seller.  The boat has new standing and running rigging and mast was inspected by local spar company in Ft Myers when standing rigging was done.  He said he had two golf cart batteries but switched to a deep cell group 27 that he moved up under the Vberth to offset the weight of the Honda.  I'll be putting a Ruddercraft rudder, tiller, and mast crutch on as my Christmas present this year, if we get the boat.  He said there were no leaks or soft spots on deck(s), but I'll walk all of it and whack the butt of a screwdriver around the stays and other deck fittings. This guy sounds like me, dump a bunch of money into the boat that you know you'll never get out of it when you sell it.

[Captain Kidd]

I sailed a Mac26S for 8 years. Easy to launch and retrieve. I'd blow the ballast before retrieving. Head is a little small. My wife chose to sleep on the settee rather than the queen birth under the cockpit. I had a roller furling genoa which I loved. The mast raising system worked great. I installed a Johnson lever on the forestay. Helped a lot. My trailer had a built in ladder. Very convenient. I'm not an expert sailor but I was happy with her sailing characteristics. The lifting hatchcover with the vinyl enclosure was a bonus that made the cabin very comfortable. Some of you will remember Francois. He sailed a 26S. I copied his stern board which we hung from the stern pulpit and used as a backrest. Only reason I sold her was to downsize. Not sure that was a great decision.

Oh yeah, I also modified the rudder. Rather than spring for the expense of an aftermarket rudder, I added a piece of sheet metal to the leading edge, a mod I learned from someone else.

[Ed]

Another strike out!  Called the local sailing marina to confirm availability of a slip with the rest of the club on E and F docks (F8 has been open a month or two) and was told a Mac 26 could not be put there.  They on had one slip for a 26 foot boat, but it was on the end of I dock, so one sided mooring, with the breakwall to the lake with tons of power boats screaming by was 60 feet away.  To top it off the rate of $2400 for the 10/22 foot slips didn't apply so the bigger one was $3800 a year!  So in two years I would have paid for the boat, again ($8K)!  My son pointed out that the gardener (before my son fired him and I took over) was scraping the back of his trailer for three feet due to the sharp upward angle of the driveway from the road, so a 26' boat would have to be kept at a boat storage place.  The only one close was $120 a month with limited access window.  We live north of Atlanta, and leave at 3am when going to Florida.
So, we started talking about what we could get, with what we wanted, at a price we were willing to pay, would fit up the driveway, and into My Harbor Freight Garage for the winter.  Wouldn't you know it, a WWP 19 that had been left out for a while popped up on FB Marketplace 30 minutes away. Most of you will remember our first and only new boat, Minnow, a 2003 West Wight Potter without a lot of options, but a fun first boat for us.  Sent the guy a message, hoping to hear something positive.  It needs work, but my ballpark list, looks like $5K or so should bring it up to our standards.  Sweat equity is coming for me, again, I hope!

[Doug SC]

I was at the Lake Keowee Sailing club this last weekend for their Grits and Haggis Regatta for Flying Scots. There were a number of folks from the Atlanta area. Lake Lanier is where their club is located. You might want to check out a sailing club for boat storage. My club storage is on the hard with the mast up and cost $5 a month and dues are $600 a year. So, for $660 a year I have boat storage plus club ramp and activities and lots of people who are into sailing.

[Ed]

Good idea Doug, but the club I'm in is on Lake Allatoona.  Not sure of the mast up storage sailing club on Lanier, I've met a few of the big boat people, 28' and up with no trailer in sight, and they are nice but I'm not a marina aficionado.  Harbor Town has no mast up storage and very little flat land.
Checked with Harbor Town Marina on Allatoona and the biggest boat they allow in a 10x22 slip is a Hunter 23.5, although there are bigger boats in the same size slip.  Started looking at Hunter 23.5/240 since they are the same hull with different cockpits and found out I sold Strange Bird waaaaaaayyyyyyyy too cheap!  Original sails, rudders, keels, standing/running rigging, the horrible Hunter factory trailer with the painted axle that rusts from the inside out, etc.  I did some basic math on each one and repairs/upkeep/safety improvements were more than the exorbitant prices they wanted for each one.  Case in point: 1998 Hunter 240 with factory sails/5hp 2stroke outboard, and splotches of bottom paint all over the hull.  Priced sails: $3K/Tohatsu Propane outboard: $1800/bottom job with fairing the hull smooth $4k - 5K depending on how bad it really is.  No idea of when, if ever, the double axle trailer hubs/brakes had been serviced, but there were two new tires!
Fed up with the chase and expense.
Becky pointed out that we aren't getting any younger and that whatever we get will end up in a slip at a marina in the next 5 - 10 years when we can't trailer sail anymore, maybe sooner, who knows.  If we bought a boat and put twice the purchase price into it, we would never get close to breaking even if we sold it.  Not even a Potter 19 since the same thing was happening with the ones for sale, they all need a lot of work.  The question became, "What boat(s) have we ever owned that we at least broke even on when we sold them?"  The only ones we have had were our "his and hers" Hobie Adventure Islands (we did them twice) and we could get exercise! Instead of his/hers the TI seems a better choice. Started looking and found 4 possibilities ranging from $2.4K to $4K but 4 - 8 hours away from us.   There is even a retired Air Force guy that did the FL 120 on his Tandem AI a few times. We're going kayaking/paddle boarding this weekend to see how my back/shoulders do and then it may be TI time!

[Doug SC]

I have a very positive view of the Hobie Tandem Island as a versatile sailing craft. The pedal drive system is excellent.

[Riley Smith]

Congratulations? Or is it condolences? Good luck on which boat you decide though. I got interested in a Catalina 25 but it had a leaking issue. It was a very nice boat though! And then there was the Pilot Cutter that ALMOST made me a poor man with her seductive spell. And a Pearson owned by two different co-workers. Diesel powered! So many boats! All of 'em wonderful in one way or another. Oh well, at least it ain't women or alcohol.

[Roland of Macatawa]

Ed,

You may find some options within the Classified Postings page of the Com-Pac Owners' bulletin board.

https://cpyoa.com/forum/index.php?board=29.0

Regards, Roland