| One of the best ways to enjoy sailing at low cost is to | | | | you sail. This way, you do not have to antifoul the hull, |
| get a trailerable sailboat - something you can cruise | | | | there is no danger of osmosis, and much of the |
| around in, or race, yet not have to worry about the | | | | maintenance needed on a boat kept in the water will |
| wear and tear a boat suffers on a mooring. You will | | | | not be needed. Also, of course, you will not have to |
| also save quite a lot of money in mooring fees. If you | | | | pay any marina fees. The alternative is to keep your |
| have enough room to keep a sailboat of, 20-27 feet at | | | | trailerable sailboat in the water for the season, and |
| home, you should consider a trailerable sailboat, as this | | | | keep her at home during the winter, where it is easy to |
| will save you a lot of money. Of course, you need a | | | | carry out maintenance. A lift keel is ideal for a |
| car that is capable of towing, launching and retrieving | | | | trailerable sailboat, and you will usually find that the |
| your boat, and you need a good trailer. For a trailerable | | | | trailer is designed to fit whatever boat you buy. |
| sailboat you also need a launching slip nearby. I | | | | Trimarans or narrow catamarans are also suitable as |
| recommend a 4x4 if you are going to launch the boat | | | | trailerable sailboats because they have little draft, and |
| every time you sail, although if the slipway is well | | | | so have a low center of gravity. The make of boat |
| maintained you might get away with a conventional | | | | depends where you live, but here are some suitable |
| car, but front-wheel drive is not recommended | | | | trailerable sailboats: Alberg 22 Balboas Cape Cutter 19 |
| because when the trailer is loaded and you are on a | | | | Com-Pac 19 Cornish Crabber 17 Corribee Enseneda |
| slope, a lot of weight is transferred to the back of the | | | | 20 Hartley 16 MacGregor 19 and 26 Montgomery 15 |
| car, leaving insufficient weight over the driving wheels | | | | and 17 Ranger 26 Red Fox 200 Sportina Swift 18. |
| to get good traction on a slippery surface. With a | | | | Good sailing! |
| trailerable sailboat you will save a lot of money, so long | | | | John Hartley, who runs Sail Boat started sailing sailing |
| as you don't leave it in the water fror more than a | | | | dinghies, but after a day in a keelboat decided that |
| month at a time. In other words, it is fine to use your | | | | was his type of sailing boat. He has been sailing |
| trailerable sailboat for an extended cruising holiday, but | | | | cruising sailboats for 16 years, first a Bermudan ketch |
| it is cheapest to trail it to and from home every time | | | | and latterly a junk rig schooner. |