What kind of sailboat should I get?

Question

I sail out of Fire Island off the south coast of Long Island on the Great South Bay. Most of the bay is 1 to 2 feet deep.

I've owned a small sailboat (Zuma and Hobie14) for many years, but don't have any experience with anything larger. I now want a sailboat for day tripping around the Bay, with up to 4 adults and 3 kids on board. I've no real interest in racing, just day sailing for fun.

Thanks for your advice.

Phil

Answer 1

You're pretty much limited by the depth of the bay to a centreboard vessel. A MacGregor 26 with its retractable keel draws about 12" with keel up. Their water ballast feature would at least give you some stability, although leeway under sail would be unbelievably prevalent.

Their website can be found at:
http://www.macgregorsailboats.com/sailing-specifications.html

(Edit)
Sorry science teacher, although I almost always agree with your answers, the Precision 23 has a draft (board up) of 1'11" which according to the parameters given by Phil, puts it aground most of the time. Ditto with stacy's answer of O'Day23, draft 2'3" (board up) according to the manufacturer's specs.

Good Luck

Answer 2

Are you sure that it is not meters deep, because I don't know of any yachts that could go in water 2 feet deep, even a 20 foot etchell needs more than that.

I would suggest looking at the smaller Beneteau makes, probably the First 21 and 25 foot long models. The Oceans Clipper series are the crusing series, but they have deeper keels, But you can get them with a shortened keel, look at the Beneteau Oceans Clipper 343 it is 34 foot and it could easily sleep 4 adults and 3 kids, it has a bathroom with a shower, as well as a great fridge, pleanty of space for a TV, solar panels to charge your batteries and you could get a power inverter fitted to run household appliances fitted. I sail on a 47 foot beneteau and they are beautiful yachts

You could also look at a multi hull. Lightwave cats are great boats that don't draw much water. Look at the lightwave 38, although a multi hull is more expensive than a mono hull. I prefer mono hulls to sail because they heal and they rock less than multi hulls

Answer 3

Phil.....sounds like what you want to do is a blast...and I too wish to do that one day. Own a sail boat that will sleep at least two. Anyway I have a question. If the bay is mostly 1-2ft deep where are you going to find a boat like you want that will only draw a foot or so and have room for the keel also? Seems to me to be a risky proposition sailing a larger boat with that many people aboard in shallow water....What ya think? I think you have plenty of sailing behind you so the ship you choose will just probably take a little more thought. Basics are the same though.

Answer 4

I think the biggest part of the equation is budget. Many sailboats are available that only draw between 12 and 24 inches. Mono hull, cat, or tri all have options. I would recommend that you give great consideration to cockpit length. I have had boats with very spacious cabins and small cockpits that are not comfortable for 7 people to day sail. The best boat I ever had was an old O'day tempest 23. We often had 7 or 8 people in the cockpit with room for all to sit.

Answer 5

Look at the smaller Beneteau range because they are great boats. They are stable and Very comfortable.Beneteau is the only make of yacht that I would buy. All of the beneteaus 25 foot and up have toilets and they are very easy boats to sail, as well as a very safe boat which is important when kids are around

Answer 6

We had a Precision 23, which is a keel centerboard. You need the keel for stability and the centerboard coming out of it gives you better performance with a little bit of depth You can sleep 4 on the Precision and there is plenty of cockpit room. It sails well and can handle the weathe that can come up on the Bay.( I would not go with a MacGregor, they are not a boat for open water. The cat boat is a good idea. )

Answer 7

Catalina 25

Answer 8

I was a Captain over at Fire Island for many years. Why don't you try looking for a catboat (not a catamaran), originally designed for the Great South Bay. You can look in Newsday, take a ride along the south shore especially sayville (check the marine museum there) and go online to:
www.yachtworld.com and type in a size range you are looking for. besides a catboat you could try Oday, Catalina and Hunter.

Answer 9

http://www.mcscow.org/ I suggest you check out the MC SCOW
family of boats. There is a size for your needs. They have dual retractable bilge boards ( not much draft), are fast & easy to sail & mantain. Also there is a great advantage to owning actively raced One-design boats. They market is usually always hot for up/down trades. Also racing in a one-design fleet hones sailing skills very quickly. Check out the website & get a check ride from a scow owner.

Answer 10

If you really need to cross a body of water that is only one foot or two feet deep, I'm not really sure if you should waste your money on a boat. You'll probably be pretty safe travelling on foot, unless you're very short. If it makes you feel more comfortable, you could wear a life jacket.