An older couple is looking for the best trailerable sailboat for exploring various Midwest lakes, including the Great Lakes, and a possible cruise on the west coast of Florida.
The Compact Sun Cat is a great choice for anyone but even better for an older couple. I owned one for many years and enjoyed the ease of rigging and maintenance. It tows easily and is easy to launch. I had it built with end boom sheeting and was happy with the result. Also changed out the rudder blade for a better shaped foil. Oh, and it looks good too.
I'm 80 years old. I have a Nonsuch 22. It's the perfect old couple's sailboat. It has 6 foot headroom, a nice galley, an enclose head, and a 13 HP diesel engine. https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/nonsuch-22/
People are going to consign this older couple to a 17 foot boat for as long as week in all kinds of weather in the Great Lakes or off the Florida coast? Good recipe for a divorced older couple! I didn't read that they want to camp cruise, so I assume they will want to cook, sleep, eat and lounge aboard. Being one myself, I know that older folks often have creaky bodies with arthritis and get stiff and uncomfortable crammed into uncomfortable postures in cramped spaces. Add back pain and you're in for a memorable time. I never cease to be amazed by the obstinate bias against all things MacGregor that I encounter in the otherwise sane SCA world. How in the world did they sell thousands of boats? Here are the reasons this couple should get a Mac 26:
1. Boat sits low on trailer and is easy to trail, launch and recover. Mast raising system makes rigging easy. You can lower and raise it underway (gee, might there be a few bridges on the ICW in Florida?) Check out the innumerable videos on YouTube.
2. Self-righting with water ballast. Positive foam flotation. Does the Suncat have that? Stuff happens.
3. Fast under sail - the MAC 26 has a rotating mast that self aligns for optimal sail angle, like the fastest Hobie cats. Far less wind turbulence from the mast translates into speed, even under main alone. Ever had one heeled over flying a genoa blow right by you? Oh well, you can be consoled by those lovely traditional yachty Suncat looks. "Some people would rather to look good than to feel good."
4. The dirty little secret about sailboat cruising is that much of it is done under power. The MAC 26 will probably come equipped with a 50HP outboard and part of its design brief is to power well. Motor to where you want to sail. Plus, if a thunderstorm blows up, it will get you to more sheltered waters fast.
5. Standing headroom! Yes, your back will thanks you!
6. A very functional galley. Tons of storage. Pillows! Comfortable seating.
7. Private head. (Ladies of a certain age, care to weigh in? I know what my wife would say.)
8. Separate, very comfortable berths with far more personal space than the enforced V-Berth "intimacy" of the Suncat. "Honey, you're snoring again". "Honey, you have restless leg syndrome again". "Honey, I can hear your Grateful Dead through the headphones." "Honey, could you please turn down the display on your tablet?" "Honey, I want to go back and sleep in a motel." "Honey, I want a divorce." etc. On the other and, if you're up for real intimacy, "Not tonight, honey, it's so hot and I'm getting a cramp in this position...Oh, you bumped your head!"
9. A Jarcat? Really? With a telephone pole mast and amateur hour do it yourself plywood interior that looks like an abandoned Maine camp? Plus, how many are out there used? So you're going to build one? How many vacation weeks will that eat up? Sounds like a recipe for estrangement to me.
10. Any metro area near the Great Lakes or Fla will have a nice selection of well-equipped, competitively priced used MAC 26's to choose from. That's what a legacy of building thousands of boats does.
11. Don't get sucked into MDS (MacGregor Derangement Syndrome). GEt a MAC 26 and go cruising!
Good argument for choosing the Mac26, and I mostly agree. Especially on the point that power is nice when the wind dies, and/or a storm is on the horizon. However, getting the original mast up and down on my smaller Mac19 powersailer is challenging for this older, solo sailor -- in spite of the videos and crane. I've since replaced it with a much lighter (and I'll argue, safer) mast that I can handle out on the water without the extra lifting apparatus. I see many Mac26s with much more than 50hp outboards. On my Mac I've downsized from 40 to 20 hp, and can still get her up on plane as long as I keep the gear weight down.
So many lovely boats out there and I chose the Mac 26? I’ve had one for 25 years and the boat’s features have kept up with my changing needs. If I had to beach my boat bow first and scoot forward over the bow I’d have sold it years ago. Being able to step off the stern onto the shore is priceless!
if you're cruising for a week or more quick rigging is not a concern. I would be more worried about being able to launch easily at many ramps as well as living space. At swing keel Catalina 25 would check almost all of these boxes as long as you are using some kind of gin pole to raise the mast and is larger than most trailerable boats while still being relatively lightweight.
Cape Henry 21. Iain Oughtred Kotik or Grey Seal. Sail a beautiful capable craft for the ultimate enjoyment of the experience. Francois Vivier Pen Hir or Welsford Penguin. Have some imagination and think outside the plastic box!
My choice is/was the B&B design Mathew Flinders 246. See their website for photos. Cat ketch rig, free standing masts. Roomy cabin, electric pod drive, low sheet loads nice galley and (up to 60 gallons) water.
I would pick a Rhodes 22 - a highly developed short-handed cruiser with a decent turn of speed. The Suncat is just too slow for my taste. My own Mariner, although great fun to sail, is not well suited for week-long adventures (as built).
Not enough information on the Jarcat to give it a fair evaluation. There is a Jarcat 5 and a Jarcat 6, 6C, and 7 - not sure which is being evaluated here.
I built an 18foot Jarcat and sailed it on Monterey bay for 12 years and it now lives in Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island for the last 4 years. I am now widowed and single hand my Gig Harbor SCAMP
Jim Michalak's Caprice with the modification that if you can tow the weight replacing the water ballast with built-in steel bars. That will open up a lot of storage below the berths.
I would seriously tailor your sailing grounds to the existing weather you can endure. I sailed a 24 foot 6500 pound Bristol on Lake Erie for 27 years. Rough weather can come up very fast there or catch you when you are far from home base. The worst I encountered the Coast Guard said was 30 knot winds and 12 foot waves. With boats the size mentioned, you might not want to be out on such waters.
I'd go with a multihull. The extra speed give much more flexibility for getting around, and the better stability gives more comfort. Besides the Jarcat, there are good designs available from Bernd Kohler, Jeff Gilbert, Richard Woods, and no doubt others.
I went with the Mac of the three since it has standing headroom which would greatly add to comfort. The large outboard could provide some peace of mind too.
However, if the difficulty in rigging is important, then the Sun Cat wins hands down with the sacrifice of space.
I'd probably upgrade the standing rigging and anything iffy throughout the hull, but with standing headroom, water ballast, and a big outboard, this would be hard to beat for cruising inshore and in reasonable weather.
The Compact Sun Cat is a great choice for anyone but even better for an older couple. I owned one for many years and enjoyed the ease of rigging and maintenance. It tows easily and is easy to launch. I had it built with end boom sheeting and was happy with the result. Also changed out the rudder blade for a better shaped foil. Oh, and it looks good too.
I'm 80 years old. I have a Nonsuch 22. It's the perfect old couple's sailboat. It has 6 foot headroom, a nice galley, an enclose head, and a 13 HP diesel engine. https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/nonsuch-22/
People are going to consign this older couple to a 17 foot boat for as long as week in all kinds of weather in the Great Lakes or off the Florida coast? Good recipe for a divorced older couple! I didn't read that they want to camp cruise, so I assume they will want to cook, sleep, eat and lounge aboard. Being one myself, I know that older folks often have creaky bodies with arthritis and get stiff and uncomfortable crammed into uncomfortable postures in cramped spaces. Add back pain and you're in for a memorable time. I never cease to be amazed by the obstinate bias against all things MacGregor that I encounter in the otherwise sane SCA world. How in the world did they sell thousands of boats? Here are the reasons this couple should get a Mac 26:
1. Boat sits low on trailer and is easy to trail, launch and recover. Mast raising system makes rigging easy. You can lower and raise it underway (gee, might there be a few bridges on the ICW in Florida?) Check out the innumerable videos on YouTube.
2. Self-righting with water ballast. Positive foam flotation. Does the Suncat have that? Stuff happens.
3. Fast under sail - the MAC 26 has a rotating mast that self aligns for optimal sail angle, like the fastest Hobie cats. Far less wind turbulence from the mast translates into speed, even under main alone. Ever had one heeled over flying a genoa blow right by you? Oh well, you can be consoled by those lovely traditional yachty Suncat looks. "Some people would rather to look good than to feel good."
4. The dirty little secret about sailboat cruising is that much of it is done under power. The MAC 26 will probably come equipped with a 50HP outboard and part of its design brief is to power well. Motor to where you want to sail. Plus, if a thunderstorm blows up, it will get you to more sheltered waters fast.
5. Standing headroom! Yes, your back will thanks you!
6. A very functional galley. Tons of storage. Pillows! Comfortable seating.
7. Private head. (Ladies of a certain age, care to weigh in? I know what my wife would say.)
8. Separate, very comfortable berths with far more personal space than the enforced V-Berth "intimacy" of the Suncat. "Honey, you're snoring again". "Honey, you have restless leg syndrome again". "Honey, I can hear your Grateful Dead through the headphones." "Honey, could you please turn down the display on your tablet?" "Honey, I want to go back and sleep in a motel." "Honey, I want a divorce." etc. On the other and, if you're up for real intimacy, "Not tonight, honey, it's so hot and I'm getting a cramp in this position...Oh, you bumped your head!"
9. A Jarcat? Really? With a telephone pole mast and amateur hour do it yourself plywood interior that looks like an abandoned Maine camp? Plus, how many are out there used? So you're going to build one? How many vacation weeks will that eat up? Sounds like a recipe for estrangement to me.
10. Any metro area near the Great Lakes or Fla will have a nice selection of well-equipped, competitively priced used MAC 26's to choose from. That's what a legacy of building thousands of boats does.
11. Don't get sucked into MDS (MacGregor Derangement Syndrome). GEt a MAC 26 and go cruising!
Good argument for choosing the Mac26, and I mostly agree. Especially on the point that power is nice when the wind dies, and/or a storm is on the horizon. However, getting the original mast up and down on my smaller Mac19 powersailer is challenging for this older, solo sailor -- in spite of the videos and crane. I've since replaced it with a much lighter (and I'll argue, safer) mast that I can handle out on the water without the extra lifting apparatus. I see many Mac26s with much more than 50hp outboards. On my Mac I've downsized from 40 to 20 hp, and can still get her up on plane as long as I keep the gear weight down.
So many lovely boats out there and I chose the Mac 26? I’ve had one for 25 years and the boat’s features have kept up with my changing needs. If I had to beach my boat bow first and scoot forward over the bow I’d have sold it years ago. Being able to step off the stern onto the shore is priceless!
if you're cruising for a week or more quick rigging is not a concern. I would be more worried about being able to launch easily at many ramps as well as living space. At swing keel Catalina 25 would check almost all of these boxes as long as you are using some kind of gin pole to raise the mast and is larger than most trailerable boats while still being relatively lightweight.
Cape Henry 21. Iain Oughtred Kotik or Grey Seal. Sail a beautiful capable craft for the ultimate enjoyment of the experience. Francois Vivier Pen Hir or Welsford Penguin. Have some imagination and think outside the plastic box!
I would recommend a C-Dory. No it's not a sailboat, but a great trailer-able adventure boat for varied conditions.
And maybe tow a sailing dinghy for fun and getting to shore.
My choice is/was the B&B design Mathew Flinders 246. See their website for photos. Cat ketch rig, free standing masts. Roomy cabin, electric pod drive, low sheet loads nice galley and (up to 60 gallons) water.
I would pick a Rhodes 22 - a highly developed short-handed cruiser with a decent turn of speed. The Suncat is just too slow for my taste. My own Mariner, although great fun to sail, is not well suited for week-long adventures (as built).
Not enough information on the Jarcat to give it a fair evaluation. There is a Jarcat 5 and a Jarcat 6, 6C, and 7 - not sure which is being evaluated here.
I built an 18foot Jarcat and sailed it on Monterey bay for 12 years and it now lives in Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island for the last 4 years. I am now widowed and single hand my Gig Harbor SCAMP
Jim Michalak's Caprice with the modification that if you can tow the weight replacing the water ballast with built-in steel bars. That will open up a lot of storage below the berths.
I would seriously tailor your sailing grounds to the existing weather you can endure. I sailed a 24 foot 6500 pound Bristol on Lake Erie for 27 years. Rough weather can come up very fast there or catch you when you are far from home base. The worst I encountered the Coast Guard said was 30 knot winds and 12 foot waves. With boats the size mentioned, you might not want to be out on such waters.
I'd want something in the >35' LOA range such as a J-36, J-40, or one of the small S&S Swans.
I have crewed on a suncat on the Texas 200 and found it to be a great cruising platform. It's roomy and stable and easy to sail.
I'd go with a multihull. The extra speed give much more flexibility for getting around, and the better stability gives more comfort. Besides the Jarcat, there are good designs available from Bernd Kohler, Jeff Gilbert, Richard Woods, and no doubt others.
I went with the Mac of the three since it has standing headroom which would greatly add to comfort. The large outboard could provide some peace of mind too.
However, if the difficulty in rigging is important, then the Sun Cat wins hands down with the sacrifice of space.
I'd probably upgrade the standing rigging and anything iffy throughout the hull, but with standing headroom, water ballast, and a big outboard, this would be hard to beat for cruising inshore and in reasonable weather.