New mooring

I managed to locate someone who was willing to sell me his mooring. I will spare all the boring details, the negotiations, etc, but at the end it came down to Marblehead approving the transaction. To much of my surprise they sure did. They didn't even blink. It is like in the chinese communist joke, under communism everyone is equal but some are more equal than the others. I am not complaining, I am perfectly happy with the mooring.

(The photo is courtesy of Sheldon Brown)

Next, getting the boat...

Trailerable sailboats reference point

Just a reference for comparisons between various trailerable boats that I am considering:

Constraints:

1) Maximum weight is 4,000 lbs, my truck will not do more than that

2) Maximum width is 8.6'. This is because many state laws require you get a permit if you trailer a wider load. The permits are a hassle to get and although they generally don't enforce them if the boat is not that much wider but if you were to get into accident and the lawyers get involved, well we all know how that story ends.

3) Good owners association: I would love to get a "Class Zero" 6.5 meter (21 feet) boat. I love those things. They race Atlantic in them, the famous mini-transat race, 4000 miles from France to Brasil. Single handed no less. Brest-Tenerife-Martinique. One of the most reliable, versatile boats ever built. And it is trailerable. Where do I sign up? Not so fast, it is a "European" thing mostly, there is no association in the United States. I don't understand why, but the reality is if I ever need spare parts or advice I need to stick around with what has been selling in this country for a while.

4) Trailerable means no 7 feet fixed keels, period. It is either a shallow keel of sorts, or a centerboard, or a swing or a combination thereof. Catalina 27 is out.

5) Realistic size given the weight and width limitations are probably between 22 and 26 feet, less is too small and more is too heavy.

Potential trailerables:

J/22
J/24 - Old spec ( new ones are too wide)
Benetau 23.5
Macgregor 26
Precision 21 or P-23
Hunter 23
Hunter 25
Catalina 25 Swing keel




J/22 One design spec:


LOA 22.5'
LWL 19.0'
Beam 8.0'
Draft 3.8'
Displacement 1790 lbs
Lead Keel 700 lbs
Sail Area (100%) 223 sq ft

J/24 Specs
Length overall 24' 0'' Length at Waterline 20' 0'' Beam 8' 11'' Draft 4' 0'' Displacement 3,100 (lbs) Ballast 950 (lbs) Sail Area 261 (sqft)

Precision 23

P-23 Specifications

LOA 23' 5"
LWL 20' 0"
BEAM 8' 6"
DRAFT, Board up - 1' 11"
DRAFT, Board down - 5' 4"
Displacement - 2,450 lbs.
Ballast - 850 lbs. (Internal fixed lead)
Sail area - 248 sq. ft.
Mast height above DWL - 35' 4"