I've talked to a few designers about working on a simple design that would be for "Old Salts" specifically. Focusing on super simple mast raising and rigging, easy launch and retrieval, excellent stability, comfortable seating, easy-to-board and exit, a simple form of auxiliary propulsion, etc. It would be interesting to see what a boat would look like if designed from the start with those goals. It also looks like we could get reader feedback here for another article with another long list of suggested boats.
With the success of your SCAMP design Iām sure that you would come up with something perfect for those criteria, Josh. I hope you pursue that idea. Maybe it could be called a GRAMP! š
If someone is designing a "geezer" boat, I would strongly encourage whoever markets it to not limit yourself to geezers. An easy to rig, easy to launch, stable, dry, safe small boat, at a fair price, is going to have appeal for a number of us well younger than the geezer line.
I sail a Crawford Melonseed right now, which almost qualifies as geezer, except that it's a little damp when it gets choppy and might be a little harder for old knees to get in and out of than a deeper boat would be. I can foresee a day when I'd like something with more freeboard and a bit drier. So far I haven't found anything simpler or more fun however.
I'm enjoying the suggestions here, and someone who's not in the market yet but who always reads the "swallowing the anchor" letters in SCA, Good OB, and (now defunct) MAIB. When you think of the long history of traditional and purpose-built boats, custom to the needs of fishermen or shadow water sailing areas etc, it's interesting to evaluate the adaptability or suitability of current votes but also to think of what such design brief would look like. Maybe, Joshua, when the top trailerables showdown finishes, you might consider a Geezer boat showdown. I often see older and rusty sailors defeated at the launch ramp when trying to dust off there favorite, non-adapted good old boat for a single Labor Day sail etc. Given the aging of the sailing demographic, one cautiously imagines there might even be a market for such a thing!
We do think there's a market for another boat designed especially for this demographic. Maybe we'll harass a designer or two and see what we can come up with.
Arch Davis 13 foot Sand Dollar looks like a contender. Easy construction methods with its hard chine compared to the curvy Penobscot 14 we built (which we love) and the 120 ish pound weight puts it in a category that makes it easy to dolly on and off of a beach. Along those lines we recently began using a 6x12 Carry On Trailer to move our fleet of dolly boats from the yard to to our muck about spots. Dolly rolls on and off the trailer and we never have to lift the boat. 3 rigs are available, gunter, balanced lug and sprit, we'd choose a boomless sprit, being that's what we chose on the 14. One stick one string like the Sunfish :) Arch provides phenomenal support for builders with plans, patterns, build guides, DVD and telephone/email support. Plus the 13 and 14 look great. I think I just talked myself into building one, now that our Nutshell Pram is finished.
Open boats that are not self righting just donāt fit my criteria for what is safe to sail on the extremely cold Salish Sea. A capsize can be life threatening here! At 58 I just bought a Montgomery 15 which I plan to be my geezer sailboat until I canāt really safely sail anymore. At that point Iām sure Iāll still want to at least stay on the water, so Iām planning on a C Dory mobo as my final geezer boat.
I am glad to read that you found your Scaffie. Without thinking I have reached the geezer status in my mid-70ās, my latest boat seems close to your Scaffie - a Clint Chase Deer Isle Koster. The length is a little shorter at 14 feet and the beam is 5ā 10ā. The weight is 250 pounds fully rigged. There were decisions made by the builder and prior owners, but I changed some running rigging, added a furling jib and spinnaker, and took out the removable ballast. Time will tell how this geezer is able to keep up with more spirited performance. Reefing is always an option. Enjoy those Social Security funded outings.
I am 73yr old, 5ft 7ā and 275Lbs. I feel very safe in my West Wight Potter 19 doing single-handed sailing because it has built in foam floatation and hard chines that makes it so stable that I can stand on the gunnel without falling overboard. I once had two teenagers jumping off the gunwale while I sat in the cockpit and the boat barely wobbled and my potato chips and drink did not spill.
If I had the chance to change my boat it would be for the last production runs that replaced the dagger board center trunk with an offset swing keel. The last owner and builder for the Potter was Ken Lang, who incorporated my design for more seating on the port side, which I called the captains bunk. My favorite accessory was to add an auto Tiller just steer the boat during long transits so I can cook or read a book while underway.
For me and many others in the Mariner Class Association, the 19 foot O'Day Mariner is a perfect "geezer" boat. Easy to rig (with proper technique), super shoal draft, uncomplicated sail plan, large cockpit, small but very usable cabin to just get out of a storm or overnight in, all in a boat that can be easily trailered by a small to mid-sized vehicle. Mariners are tough boats capable of standing up to a blow! These boats are plentiful on the east coast and won't bust your budget. I've had two. My current little beauty I purchased very well found with nice trailer for only $2K. A true bargain for what it is. Join us on the Mariner Class Association Facebook page or at www.usmariner.org. and see what you are missing!
Please keep up the discussion on āGeezer ā boats. Given my age and the occasional hurricane Iām thinking trailer sailer other than my beloved Daysailer 11.
Requirements are easy setup , stability and comfortable rowing.
Judging by the age of people still sailing S.F. Bay Pelicans in the Puget Sound Pelican Fleet 3 (many between 70 and 90 years old), I would say it qualifies as a Geezer Boat.
I would also include the West Wight Potter 14/15, the S.F. Bay Pelican, as well as boats by John Welsford and Jim Michalak. The Welsford Scamp would work well for a senior sailor.
I've talked to a few designers about working on a simple design that would be for "Old Salts" specifically. Focusing on super simple mast raising and rigging, easy launch and retrieval, excellent stability, comfortable seating, easy-to-board and exit, a simple form of auxiliary propulsion, etc. It would be interesting to see what a boat would look like if designed from the start with those goals. It also looks like we could get reader feedback here for another article with another long list of suggested boats.
With the success of your SCAMP design Iām sure that you would come up with something perfect for those criteria, Josh. I hope you pursue that idea. Maybe it could be called a GRAMP! š
If someone is designing a "geezer" boat, I would strongly encourage whoever markets it to not limit yourself to geezers. An easy to rig, easy to launch, stable, dry, safe small boat, at a fair price, is going to have appeal for a number of us well younger than the geezer line.
I sail a Crawford Melonseed right now, which almost qualifies as geezer, except that it's a little damp when it gets choppy and might be a little harder for old knees to get in and out of than a deeper boat would be. I can foresee a day when I'd like something with more freeboard and a bit drier. So far I haven't found anything simpler or more fun however.
I'm enjoying the suggestions here, and someone who's not in the market yet but who always reads the "swallowing the anchor" letters in SCA, Good OB, and (now defunct) MAIB. When you think of the long history of traditional and purpose-built boats, custom to the needs of fishermen or shadow water sailing areas etc, it's interesting to evaluate the adaptability or suitability of current votes but also to think of what such design brief would look like. Maybe, Joshua, when the top trailerables showdown finishes, you might consider a Geezer boat showdown. I often see older and rusty sailors defeated at the launch ramp when trying to dust off there favorite, non-adapted good old boat for a single Labor Day sail etc. Given the aging of the sailing demographic, one cautiously imagines there might even be a market for such a thing!
We do think there's a market for another boat designed especially for this demographic. Maybe we'll harass a designer or two and see what we can come up with.
Arch Davis 13 foot Sand Dollar looks like a contender. Easy construction methods with its hard chine compared to the curvy Penobscot 14 we built (which we love) and the 120 ish pound weight puts it in a category that makes it easy to dolly on and off of a beach. Along those lines we recently began using a 6x12 Carry On Trailer to move our fleet of dolly boats from the yard to to our muck about spots. Dolly rolls on and off the trailer and we never have to lift the boat. 3 rigs are available, gunter, balanced lug and sprit, we'd choose a boomless sprit, being that's what we chose on the 14. One stick one string like the Sunfish :) Arch provides phenomenal support for builders with plans, patterns, build guides, DVD and telephone/email support. Plus the 13 and 14 look great. I think I just talked myself into building one, now that our Nutshell Pram is finished.
Cheers, Clark and SKipper
I vouch for Arch Davis designs and I'm an old lassie with a Penobscot 17. I always say, she sails with grace, even when reefed down in heavy air~
Open boats that are not self righting just donāt fit my criteria for what is safe to sail on the extremely cold Salish Sea. A capsize can be life threatening here! At 58 I just bought a Montgomery 15 which I plan to be my geezer sailboat until I canāt really safely sail anymore. At that point Iām sure Iāll still want to at least stay on the water, so Iām planning on a C Dory mobo as my final geezer boat.
Bolger designed the Old Shoe to basically meet those parameters.
I am glad to read that you found your Scaffie. Without thinking I have reached the geezer status in my mid-70ās, my latest boat seems close to your Scaffie - a Clint Chase Deer Isle Koster. The length is a little shorter at 14 feet and the beam is 5ā 10ā. The weight is 250 pounds fully rigged. There were decisions made by the builder and prior owners, but I changed some running rigging, added a furling jib and spinnaker, and took out the removable ballast. Time will tell how this geezer is able to keep up with more spirited performance. Reefing is always an option. Enjoy those Social Security funded outings.
I am 73yr old, 5ft 7ā and 275Lbs. I feel very safe in my West Wight Potter 19 doing single-handed sailing because it has built in foam floatation and hard chines that makes it so stable that I can stand on the gunnel without falling overboard. I once had two teenagers jumping off the gunwale while I sat in the cockpit and the boat barely wobbled and my potato chips and drink did not spill.
If I had the chance to change my boat it would be for the last production runs that replaced the dagger board center trunk with an offset swing keel. The last owner and builder for the Potter was Ken Lang, who incorporated my design for more seating on the port side, which I called the captains bunk. My favorite accessory was to add an auto Tiller just steer the boat during long transits so I can cook or read a book while underway.
For me and many others in the Mariner Class Association, the 19 foot O'Day Mariner is a perfect "geezer" boat. Easy to rig (with proper technique), super shoal draft, uncomplicated sail plan, large cockpit, small but very usable cabin to just get out of a storm or overnight in, all in a boat that can be easily trailered by a small to mid-sized vehicle. Mariners are tough boats capable of standing up to a blow! These boats are plentiful on the east coast and won't bust your budget. I've had two. My current little beauty I purchased very well found with nice trailer for only $2K. A true bargain for what it is. Join us on the Mariner Class Association Facebook page or at www.usmariner.org. and see what you are missing!
Please keep up the discussion on āGeezer ā boats. Given my age and the occasional hurricane Iām thinking trailer sailer other than my beloved Daysailer 11.
Requirements are easy setup , stability and comfortable rowing.
Jim W
Judging by the age of people still sailing S.F. Bay Pelicans in the Puget Sound Pelican Fleet 3 (many between 70 and 90 years old), I would say it qualifies as a Geezer Boat.
I would also include the West Wight Potter 14/15, the S.F. Bay Pelican, as well as boats by John Welsford and Jim Michalak. The Welsford Scamp would work well for a senior sailor.