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My Cruiser Life Magazine

7 Best Trailerable Sailboats for Cruising

Many sailors balk at the idea of leaving their boat in the water at a marina. Slip fees are expensive, and maintenance bills get bigger the longer you leave a boat in the water. However, if you want a boat under 30 feet long, there are trailerable sailboats that will fit the bill.

Like any boat purchase, you’ll need to analyze precisely what kind of trailer sailer you want. Will a simple weekend sailboat suffice, or do you really need the best trailerable cruising sailboat you can find? 

Here’s a look at some of the pros and cons of the best trailerable sailboat. Plus, we’ll look at how to compare them for your purposes.

trailerable sailboat

Table of Contents

Best trailerable sailboats, easy to launch trailerable sailboats, quick setup time, towing weight, catalina 22/25 “pop-top”, com-pac horizon cat for classic coastal cruising, marshall sanderling — small, portable, classy, west wight potter 19 — the tiny go-anywhere sailboat, seaward 26rk with retractable lead keel, corsair f-24 trimaran – sporty sailing, macgregor 26m — maximum speed meets maximum living space, long-range cruising boats, 7 best trailerable boats – a recap, what’s the best trailerable sailboat for a cruise, trailerable sailboats faqs.

  • Catalina 22/25
  • Com-Pac Horizon Cat
  • Marshall Sanderling
  • West Wight Potter 19
  • Seaward 26RK
  • Corsair F-24 Trimaran
  • MacGregor 26M

We’ll get into more detail about each brand in my post today, so hang tight!

What Is a Trailerable Sailboat, Exactly?

For this article, the priorities for a trailerable sailboat are:

  • Easy to launch
  • Require minimum setup to launch and store
  • Lightweight enough to be towed by the average vehicle

Before you can really classify a sailboat as trailerable, you need to evaluate and narrow your search criteria. Truthfully, 50-plus-foot ocean-going sailboats are regularly put on trailers. But that’s done commercially, on a big rig, with special permits for oversized loads, and even led cars.  

That probably isn’t what most people mean when they think of a trailerable sailboat. But what is the priority here, the trailerable part or the sailboat part? Compromises are going to have to be made somewhere. 

If you’re looking at the 20-foot-and-under sailboat crowd, finding a trailerable example should not be hard. Most sailboats this size are designed for trailers anyway since they aren’t the sort of boats people want to pay to leave in a slip year-round.

Things get more interesting when you look at the 20 to 30-foot boats. In this class, there are stout ocean-going cruisers with deep keels and lightweight centerboard trailer sailboats designed from the get-go to be trailered by the average car or SUV. The differences between these boats are night and day.

Sailboats often have a hard time at boat ramps. First, deep keels mean that the trailer must extend farther into the water than the average boat ramp allows. This means the ramp needs to go back far enough, and the trailer tongue needs to be long enough not to swamp the car. 

If you have a boat like this, you’ll need to find the right boat ramps. Unfortunately, not all ramps are created equally. If your boat draws more than two or three feet on the trailer, you’re going to be limited to steep, paved, and high-quality boat ramps. Unfortunately, those aren’t standard features, so your cruising grounds are going to be limited.

Usually, ramps aren’t built steeply because they are often slippery. Your tow vehicle will need excellent traction and torque to pull your fully loaded boat out of a steep ramp. The steeper the ramp, the more trouble you’ll have. 

The alternative to finding steep ramps is to use a trailer tongue extender. This lets you get the trailer into deeper water without swamping the tow vehicle. But it also means that the ramp needs to extend deep enough. Many ramps end abruptly. Allowing your trailer to sink off the edge is an excellent way to get stuck or pop a tire.

Pick a boat as easy to launch and retrieve as a similarly sized powerboat to remove all of these boat ramp problems. The soft chines of most sailboats will always require a little more water, but a swing keel and the hinged rudder raised mean that the boat can sit low on the trailer bunks. That way, you only need one or two feet of water to launch, an easy feat at nearly every boat ramp you can find.

The next consideration for a sailboat to be portable enough to call it “trailerable” is the amount of time it takes to step the mast and get it ready to cruise. 

To accomplish this, you need a mast that can be stepped by a two-person team–maximum. Ideally, it will have some tabernacle hardware to enable one person to do the task for solo sailing.

There is an entire family of pocket cruisers that could ideally fit on trailers. But you won’t find the Fickas or the Falmouth cutters on my list, simply because they aren’t easy to launch or easy to rig. But, of course, they’re also too heavy for most vehicles to tow, which leads us to the final point of excluding them this trailable pocket cruiser’s list.

One of the most significant financial burdens the trailer sailer faces is their tow vehicle. You are all set if you already drive a two-ton dually diesel pickup truck. But if your daily driver is an SUV or light pickup, you need to think long and hard about the math of the towing equation. 

Whatever boat you buy cannot exceed the towing rating limits of your tow vehicle. If you don’t have a tow vehicle, you’ll need to buy one. This will double or triple the cost of getting a trailer sailer in most cases. For the same money, you may want to look at a boat that stays in the water at a traditional boat slip. For the cost of a trailer sailer and a tow vehicle, you can probably step into a nice boat that is larger and more comfortable than any towable.

If you have a tow vehicle, you need a light enough vessel for it to tow. Most modern SUVs tow less than 2,500 pounds. Anything more than 5,000 will require a full-size pickup. Remember that the tow weight isn’t just the boat’s displacement—it’s the empty hull weight, plus the weight of the trailer and any extra gear you need to pack into the boat. 

Finding a vessel that fits these limitations on weight isn’t easy. If the manufacturer’s goal is to make it towable, immediate limits are placed on the materials they can use. This means less seaworthiness since boats are built light and thin. As far as stability goes, lead keels are generally out, and water ballast systems or centerboards might be used instead. It doesn’t mean these boats aren’t safe and fun, but they aren’t designed for rough conditions, crossing oceans, or living on in the water full-time .

Trailerable sailboats are usually limited to the best paved ramps

7 Best Trailerable Cruising Sailboats

There are more trailerable sailboats out there than you might imagine. Here’s a look at seven popular options of all shapes and sizes to give you a taste of what you might want to take to sea.

The boats here are selected for their storage and living space. With these boats and a little outfitting, you can spend weeks gunk-holing in the Chesapeake Bay or island hopping the Bahamas. If you broaden your scope to include daysailers with no cabin space, there are countless more options.

One of the worst parts of a small trailerable sailboat or pocket cruiser is the lack of stand-up headroom. One clever solution that you’ll find on some weekend sailboat types is the pop-top. 

The pop-top is simply an area around the companionway hatch that extends upward on struts. So when you’re at the dock or anchor, you get standing headroom down below—at least right inside the pop-top.

You can build a canvas enclosure for your pop-top to use it in all weather. A pop-top makes your boat feel much larger than it is and allows you to move freely to cook or get changed down below or even do a nice boat bed area. 

Later models of the Catalina Sport 22 and Capri 22s lacked this cool pop-top feature, so if you want it, you’ll need to seek out an older model on the used market.

Com-Pac has been building small sailboats since the early 1970s. They currently sell two lines, each with various-sized boats. All are well built, and a majority of their boats are trailerable. 

Most interesting at the Com-Pac traditional catboats . The rigging is more straightforward than modern sloops, with only one large mainsail. Com-Pac boats come with a unique quick-rig system to make getting on the water fast and simple.

The Horizon Cat Coastal Cruising has a displacement of 2,500 pounds with a 2’2″ draft when the board is up. She has a separate head forward and space to lounge either topside or down below. The smaller Sun Cat has slightly few amenities but shaves off a few feet and pounds, making it easier to tow and it is one of these amazing small sailboats. Com-Pacs features stub keels, so their centerboard and hinged rudder do not take up space in the cabin.

On the sloop rig side, the Com-Pac 23 comes in a 3,000-pound traditional sailboat or a very interesting pilothouse. Both are incredibly livable for their size , with shallow two-foot-long fixed keels and high-quality construction.

Another option if you like catboats is the Marshall Sanderling. This salty 18-footer oozes traditional charm , all while being easy to sail and easier to tow. And while she has wooden boat lines, she has a modern laminated fiberglass hull.

The Sanderling has a 2,200-pound displacement, so tow weights will be around 3,000 pounds. At only 18-feet, she’s on the small side for cruising. The cuddy cabin has no galley, and the portable toilet is not enclosed. But that small size means a simple boat that’s easy to maintain and take anywhere. 

An electric motor package is an exciting option on this weekend sailboat!

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You can’t mention tiny trailer sailers without touching on the famous West Wight Potter . These 15 and 19-foot pocket cruisers have earned a worldwide reputation as the ultimate go-anywhere coastal cruiser.

The West Wight Potter 19 offers the most living space for staying aboard and cruising. So even though its dimensions are diminutive, this little boat packs a lot in. There’s a single burner hotplate and sink and a porta-potty tucked under a cushion. Yes, it’s tight—but the company claims the little boat can sleep five people. Any more than two will feel pretty crowded, however.

The boat comes standard with a mast-raising system that a single person can manage alone. It has a daggerboard for a shallow draft of a half-foot when the board is up. The total towing weight is around 1,500 pounds, which means nearly any car can tow a West Wight Potter.

This little-known trailer sailer is produced at the same Florida factory that makes Island Packet Yachts. That should give you a little bit of an idea of what sort of boat it is—trailerable, yes, but also high-quality, beautiful, and built for cruising. In other words, it’s one of the nicest all round pocket cruisers and it feels like a much larger boat.

The Seaward is easily the saltiest boat on this list . It’s beefy and seaworthy. Instead of a lightweight centerboard, Seaward fits the RK with a bulb-shaped retracting keel. Other big-boat items include a Yanmar diesel inboard motor and an enclosed head. The spacious cabin of the boat features a double berth and is ready for salt water cruising.

According to sailboatdata.com , the tow weight of the 26RK is 6,000 pounds. With the keel up, the draft is 1.25 feet.

Multihull sailors need not feel left out from the trailer sailer club and the pocket cruiser. Beyond the ubiquitous beach Hobie Cat, there are not many options for catamarans. But trimarans are uniquely suited to be towed.

Why? For one thing, performance oriented boats like trimarans are based on it being built light. There is no ballast—a trimaran’s stability comes from its two outer hulls. Additionally, the living space is entirely housed in the central hull–the outer floats are small and sometimes foldable. Finally, there are no keels on tris, so they are extremely shallow draft and perfect for trailering.

If you’re looking for adrenaline-pumping sporty and fun sailing, it’s impossible to beat what a trimaran will offer. Let’s not beat around the bush—most of the trailer sailers on this list have hull speeds around five knots. The Corsair has no such limits, routinely sailing at 15 knots or more .

The new Corsair 880 trimaran has an unloaded weight of 3,659 pounds. It is trailerable behind a big SUV or small pickup and is probably the most fun sailing option that is trailerable at all.

An even more portable option is the older Corsair F-24. It has a light displacement of under 2,000 pounds—so nearly any SUV can tow it.

MacGregor owns the market on trailerable motor sailers since they more or less created the product to fit the bill. The MacGregor 26 is not like other boats. The design combines a planing powerboat with a centerboard sailboat. Imagine scooting along at 20 knots or more when the wind is down or enjoying a sporty sail on a breezy day–in the same boat.

The entire boat is built from the ground up for towing and long-range sailing. So if you want a big sailboat that you can tow behind pretty much any SUV, the MacGregor has to be on your list. 

Depending on the model, the 26-foot-long boats have incredibly light dry weights of between 1,650 and 2,350 pounds. Considering the massive volume of the roomy cabin, the ability to tow such a large vessel opens up an entire world of opportunities for owners. 

It’s not all good news, of course. MacGregor owners love their boats, but they are built light and are not ideally suited for offshore cruising or rough weather. But in bays and for coastal sailing on nice days, few boats can get as much use as a MacGregor. 

The motorboat capability of the 26M and 26X might not appeal to hardcore sailors, but for those looking to maximize their use of the boat depending on the weather, their mood, or location, it makes a lot of sense. 

MacGregor shut down in 2015, but the daughter and son-in-law of the original owners took over production and renamed the boat the Tattoo 26 . The company will soon release a smaller version, the Tattoo 22 .

If the 26 is a bit big to make your list of best trailerable small sailboats, consider the smaller Powersailer 19. It’s nearly identical to the 26, just smaller and lighter.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dale Roddick (@droddick33)

What Do You Want Your Trailer Sailer To Do?

After you’ve settled on how you will tow and launch your trailer sailer, now it’s time to dream about what you want it to do. Where will it take you? 

The beauty of a towable boat is that you can travel anywhere. A boat in the water might take weeks or months to move a few hundred miles. But if you can attach it to your car and do 65 mph on the interstate, you could sail on the Pacific on Monday, the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, and the Atlantic on Friday.

We can divide our trailerable sailboats into three groups – daysailers, weekenders, and cruisers.

These are designed with open cockpits and no space to sleep. This is a majority of the sub-22-foot boats on the market. They are designed to be launched, play for the day, and return to the ramp or dock.

A weekender will have rudimentary sleeping facilities. Think of it as a floating tent—it’s not a five-star hotel, but you can sleep under the stars or get out of the rain. Conceivably you could stay aboard indefinitely, but it doesn’t have much room for gear. So most people are ready to get off after a day or two. 

A cruising boat has sleeping, cooking, and toilet facilities built-in. These might be small and simple, but in any quantity, they mean you can disconnect from shore for a long time. Unfortunately, squeezing all of this into a tow-friendly package isn’t easy, and very few boats do it well. 

Trailer sailer adventures

The best trailer sailor for your adventures will depend on many factors. Like any boat, whatever you decide on will be a compromise – boats always are. But there are plenty of choices out there, no matter what size your tow vehicle is and no matter what sailing adventures you have in mind.

What size sailboat is trailerable?

Even large yachts are routinely transported by towing across land, so the question is more of how big a sailboat can you tow? Your tow vehicle will be the limiting factor. The upper limit for most large SUVs and trucks is usually a sailboat around 26 feet long.

Sailboats are generally very heavily built, with ballast and lead keels. Sailboats specifically made to be trailer sailers are lighter. They may use drainable water ballast tanks instead of fixed ballast and have fewer fixtures and amenities.

To find the best trailer sailer, you need to balance the total tow weight, the ease of rig setup at the boat ramp, and the boat’s draft. Shallow draft boats with centerboards are the easiest to launch and retrieve.

Is a Hunter 27 trailerable?

No. The Hunter 27 is a one of those fixed-keel larger boats built from 1974 to 1984. The boat’s displacement is 7,000 pounds, not including trailer and gear. That alone makes it too heavy to tow by all but the beefiest diesel trucks. 

Furthermore, the fixed keels had drafts between 3.25 and 5 feet, all of which are too much for most boat ramps. In short, the standard Hunter Marine 27 is too big to tow for most people.

On the other hand, Hunter has made several good trailer sailers over the years. For example, the Hunter 240 and 260 were explicitly designed for trailering. They have drainable water ballast and shallow keel/centerboard drafts less than two feet. 

Is a Catalina 22 trailerable?

Yes, the Catalina 22 is easily trailerable and makes a wonderful weekend sailboat. In fact, there were over 15,000 Catalina 22s made and sold over the years. 

The boat’s displacement is 2,250 pounds, which means your total tow weight with trailer and gear will be under 3,000 pounds. This is within the capabilities of most mid to full-size SUVs and light trucks. Be sure to check your vehicle’s towing capacity, of course.

The centerboard on the Catalina 22 is another factor in its easy towing. With the board up, the boat draws only two feet. This makes it easy to float off the trailer at nearly any boat ramp. You should avoid fixed keel versions of the 22 for towing unless you have access to extra deep ramps. 

best beachable sailboat

Matt has been boating around Florida for over 25 years in everything from small powerboats to large cruising catamarans. He currently lives aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico sailboat with his wife Lucy and adventure dog Chelsea. Together, they cruise between winters in The Bahamas and summers in the Chesapeake Bay.

Can someone tell me why no other manufacturer makes pop tops? Those who have them, love them. Makes sense for head space with a trailerable boat too. Catalina stopped making them decades ago, yet people still swear by them. So, why isn’t there any newer models?

MacGregor put pop tops on many of its trailerables

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6 Best Trailerable Trimarans For Bluewater and Coastal Sailing

best beachable sailboat

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Having a boat costs a lot of money, even when you are not using it, marina fees, etc. And once it is in the water most sailors never go very far from their “home marina” and sailing will be somewhat restricted. However, what if you could fold your trimaran and put it on a trailer, store it at your house, and go to a new sailing spot the next time?

Here are 6 of the best trailerable trimaran:

  • The Dragonfly series
  • Corsair Series
  • Windrider 17

Choosing the best trailerable trimaran (a multi-hull with three “hulls”) will depend on crucial factors like speed, durability, design, and ease of transportation. This article is here to help you get started with your research and hopefully help you on the way towards your dream boat!

Table of Contents

Cruising Trimarans That Can Be Transported

Cruising boats are made for multiday sailing either on the coast of your favorite sailing area or full-out blue-water ocean crossings. Extended living should be a priority in these designs.

1. The Dragonfly 25 and 28 (Dragon Fly Series)

Dragonfly is in the business of making the “best foldable trimarans on the planet” many would agree with this statement. Dragonfly is known for its commitment to easy trailering and ease of use, shown in designs for the Dragonfly 25 and Dragonfly 28.

The “Swing Wing” system on the linchpins is one of the key features of the dragonfly series. The system’s application makes it possible for the trimaran to narrow its beam as much as 50%.

Attesting to its Scandinavian manufacturing, most parts of the trimaran are made in-house. This guarantees quality and ensures that all used parts are above standard.

You don’t need to look further than the Dragonfly 25. Its centerboard slightly offset to port. Extra space is created in the main hull’s interior with a trunk buried under a settee. Performance-wise, the low drag and narrow hull shape allow the boat to reach blistering speeds.

Dragonfly 28 In Numbers

  • Length: 8.75m
  • Beam folded: 2.54m
  • Max crew: 5-7 people
  • Max Speed: 22+knots

Dragonfly 25 In Numbers

  • Length: 7.65m
  • Beam folded: 2.30m
  • Max crew: 4-6 people
  • Max Speed: 21+knots

2. Farrier F-22

New Zealand enters the trimaran manufacturing race with this premium sea goer. The vessel comes in two different versions: a performance variation with more horsepower and a full cabin cruising version. 

Compared to the dragon series the F-22 has the biggest allowance for space.

The F-22 is known for being one of the easiest trimarans to fold and load.

The sports version of the F-22 has some really good performance to offer. It has an aggressive spirit: you can mount a sail while leaving plenty of space for the boat’s fine entry and flared forward sections. The build quality is also topnotch—a lasting memorial to a principle that Ian Farrier always worked by: excellence.

Farrier F-22 In Numbers

  • Length: 7.0m
  • Beam folded: 2.5m
  • Max crew: 3-5 people
  • Max Speed: 20+knots

3. Corsair Series

This boat series has an exciting history. Farrier created it to promote his trailerable tri concept. However, the series is now independent with a top-class vehicle to its name.

The Corsair 760 is listed as providing some of the best performance and safety benefits to sailors.

Building off the spirit of excellence of the founder, the Corsair 760 has created a boat with comfort and racing potential. The boat can be tricky to handle at first, but it will be a breeze once you get the hang of it.

It is also worth noting that the corsair 37 is the largest trailerable trimaran on the market today.

Daysail Trimarans That Can Be Transported

Boats that are made for dayssailing are usually smaller, cheaper and more easily handled. They are perfect for those looking to enjoy a full day on the water in calm weather, but are usually less suitable for multiday events or rough sea sailing.

4. The Astus Models (20ft, 22.5ft, and 24ft)

If you’re looking for something small but still capable of doing day sailing, this 22.5-foot trimaran is for you. Built for speed and maneuverability, the Astus 22.5 has optional foils to optimize speed.

The modern design, coupled with the spacious interior, can fit up to four beds. Accordingly, this trimaran is suited for family outings. 

The Astus brand specializes in transportable trimarans, worth noting is that some models need a specific trailer whilst the smaller boats use a standard trailer.

5. Weta 14.5

The 2019 Weta trimaran is a 14.5-foot (4.4-meter) trimaran featuring a carbon frame, centerboard, rudder foil, and rudder shock. The hull is made from fiberglass and foam. The Weta is built for strength and speed based on these lightweight materials. 

The 2019 Weta trimaran is easy to sail and is worth considering whether you want to take a quiet sail, race with your friends, or take kids to a sailing lesson. It has a simple design and is easy to set up independently.

The small size makes it more suitable for daysailing in good weather rather than multiday cruising, although more experienced sailors will of course push the limits of this boat.

6. WindRider 17

The 17.4-foot (5.3-meter) WindRider 17 is one of the more versatile trimarans in the market. It packs high performance for a low cost. This trimaran has a light rotating mast to boost performance, and a full-battened mainsail optimizes visibility. 

This sailboat is made from rotomolded polyethylene, which is more durable than fiberglass and demands less maintenance.

The WindRider 17 has a comfortable interior and can fit six adults. This is an ideal choice for social sailing for a couple or a family and friends. It’s easy to ride, and a shallow draft allows easy maneuverability. 

What’s the Largest Trailerable Trimaran?

The largest trailerable trimaran is the Corsair 37 , this multihull is built for single-handed cruising while still maintaining the ability to comfortably seat 6 people.

The Corsair 37 provides comfort, speed, and safety. It also contains just enough space to accommodate amenities like a propane stove, a sink, and other equipment.

The vessel is designed to be a performance cruiser. It features an aluminum rotating wing mast, carbon fiber bowsprit, and premium deck hardware. The corsair can still cut through the water with ease despite its size, putting the wind in your sails.

What Is a Catamaran?

best beachable sailboat

A catamaran is a boat with two hulls (a trimaran has three) connected by a bridge deck. Catamarans usually offer more space than both monohulls and trimarans of the same length. The catamaran is usually somewhat slower than a trimaran but faster than a monohull. They are usually made of fiberglass or carbon fiber.

Catamarans come in all shapes and sizes. You can find straightforward sailing catamarans, perfect for those who are only starting their sailing journey. Larger sailing catamarans have become extremely popular for long-distance sailing.

There are also power catamarans, they have huge diesel-powered engines (sometimes electric) and no sails. Also called “power cats”, these boats can reach 30+kts.

Can a Trimaran Be Trailerable?

As discussed above, some trimarans are possible to put on a trailer and move to another sailing area or to be stored at home. This is usually not possible with catamarans but is sometimes possible with the trimarans that are fitted with foldable amas (the two outer “floats” or “hulls”).

Some trimarans can be trailerable, this is mainly due to the ability to drastically decrease the vessels beam, sometimes as much as 50%. This allows the trailer plus trimaran to be below the legal requirements of the road.

Final Thoughts

It has proven difficult to beat the trimaran in terms of speed. Through the ages, this type of vessel has proven to be immensely enjoyable in all kinds of sailing activities. These can range from sea adventures to waterborne relaxation in your free time.

Trimarans come in various types, foldable, for cruising or racing, etc. However, there is a common factor: many of the small ones are trailerable. This makes them easier to move than most other types of boats.

Owner of CatamaranFreedom.com. A minimalist that has lived in a caravan in Sweden, 35ft Monohull in the Bahamas, and right now in his self-built Van. He just started the next adventure, to circumnavigate the world on a Catamaran!

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Home » Blog » Bluewater sailboats » The best bluewater sailboats (we analyzed 2,000 boats to find out)

The best bluewater sailboats (we analyzed 2,000 boats to find out)

By Author Fiona McGlynn

Posted on Last updated: May 16, 2023

We analyzed two-thousand bluewater sailboats to bring you a list of proven offshore designs

BEST BLUEWATER SAILBOATS

What are the best bluewater sailboats?

This was a question we asked a lot of experienced cruisers when we decided to sail across the Pacific. We needed a boat after all, and we wanted to buy the best bluewater sailboat we could afford.

We heard a lot of strong opinions.

Some sailors thought it was reckless to go offshore in any boat that didn’t have a full keel.

Others prioritized performance, and wouldn’t dream of going anywhere in a slow boat like the Westsail 32 (a.k.a. a “Wet Snail 32”).

Opinions like these left us feeling confused like we had to choose between safety and performance.  

If we learned anything from these conversations, it’s that what makes a bluewater boat is a hotly debated topic!

However, there’s a way to cut through all the opinions and get to the bottom of it. The solution is….

We analyzed just under 2,000 boats embarking on ocean crossings (over a 12 year time period) and came up with a list of the ten best bluewater sailboats.

Where did we get our data?

The data for our best bluewater sailboats list comes from 12 years of entries in the Pacific Puddle Jump (PPJ), an annual cross-Pacific rally. We took part in 2017 and had a ball!

You can read about the methodology we used to analyze this data at the bottom of the post.

What do we mean by “best”?

We know, that word is overused on the internet!

Simply, based on our data set, these were the most common makes and models entered in the PPJ cross-Pacific rally. There were at least 10 PPJ rally entries for every make of boat on our top 10 list.

So, these boats are 100% good to go?

No! A bluewater boat isn’t necessarily a seaworthy boat. Almost every cruiser we know made substantial repairs and additions to get their offshore boat ready, adding watermakers , life rafts, solar panels, and more.

Also, you should always have a boat inspected by a professional and accredited marine surveyor before buying it or taking it offshore.

But my bluewater baby boat isn’t on this list!?

There are hundreds of excellent bluewater yachts that are not on this list. For instance, we sailed across the Pacific in a Dufour 35, which didn’t even come close to making our top 10 list.

Choosing the right boat is very much an individual journey.

Where can I find these bluewater boats for sale?

We recognize that a top 10 list won’t get you very far if you’re shopping for a bluewater boat (especially if you’re looking in the used market).

So, to help you find your perfect boat, we’re going to create a big list of bluewater boats that you can use to refine your search on Yachtworld, Craigslist, or any other places to buy a used boat .

Sign up for our newsletter to get our big list of bluewater boats list as soon as it comes out.

We’re also working on a series of posts by size class. For example, if you’re looking for a smaller boat, you can narrow it down to the best bluewater sailboats under 40 feet .

Takeaways from our analysis

There were no big surprises on an individual boat level. All of these makes are considered good cruisers, some of them are even best-selling designs! However, there were a few things that caught our eye.

“Go simple, go small, go now” still holds water

We were thrilled to see the smallest boat in our roundup at the very top of the list! Westsail 32 owners can take pride in their small but mighty yachts (and ignore all those snail-sayers).

While undoubtedly there’s been a trend towards bigger bluewater cruisers in recent years, small cruising sailboats seem to be holding their own. 60% of the monohulls on this list were under 40 feet (if you count the Valiant 40 which sneaks just under at 39.92 feet).

Cat got our tongue

So, we knew catamarans were a thing, but we didn’t fully appreciate HOW popular they’d become!

50% of our top 10 bluewater boat list consists of catamarans—a good fact to toss out the next time you’re trying to garner a happy hour invite on the party boat next door (which will undoubtedly be a catamaran).

Still got it!

We’ve got good news for all you good old boat lovers! 60% of the boats on our list were first built before 2000.

While these older models are less performance-oriented than modern designs, cruisers value these boats for their ability to stand up to rough seas and heavy weather. It just goes to show that solid bones and classic looks never go out of style.

Alright, without further ado, let’s dive into our list of the 10 best bluewater boats!

The 10 best bluewater boats

best bluewater sailboats

1. Westsail 32

The Westsail 32 is an iconic bluewater sailboat

The Westsail 32 is one of the most iconic bluewater cruisers and 19 have set out to cross the Pacific in the PPJ rally since 2009.

In 1973, this small cruising sailboat garnered a 4-page spread in Time magazine. The article inspired many Americans to set sail and the Westsail 32, with its double-ender design, set the standard for what a real bluewater cruiser should look like.

There were approximately 830 built between 1971 and 1980.

This small boat has taken sailors on ocean crossings and circumnavigations. Though considered “slow” by some, the heavily-built Westsail 32 has developed a loyal following for her other excellent offshore cruising characteristics.

If you’re interested in small bluewater sailboats, check out our post on the best small sailboats for sailing around the world .

2. Lagoon 380

Lagoon 380

The Lagoon 380 is a reliable, solidly built catamaran and considered roomy for its size. We counted 18 of them in our data set. With over 800 boats built , it may be one of the best-selling catamarans in the world. Like the other boats on this list, the Lagoon 380 has proven itself on long passages and ocean crossings, winning it many loyal fans.

3. Lagoon 440

Lagoon 440 is a bluewater catamaran

18 Lagoon 440s have set out to cross the Pacific in the PPJ rally since 2009.

Why leave the comforts of home, when you can take them with you? The Lagoon 440 is a luxurious long-range cruiser, offering beautiful wood joinery, spacious accommodations, and a deluxe galley. Oh, and you have the option of an electric boat motor !

SAIL and Sailing Magazine have both done in-depth reviews of the Lagoon 440 if you want to learn more.

4. Amel Super Maramu (incl. SM 2000)

Amel Super Maramu is a popular bluewater sailboat

If you follow the adventures of SV Delos on YouTube, you probably know that the star of the show (SV Delos— in case the title didn’t give it away ) is an Amel Super Maramu. These classic bluewater sailboats can be found all over the world, proof they can go the distance.

We counted 16 Amel Super Maramus and Super Maramu 2000s in our list of PPJ entries.

Ready to join the cult of Amel? Read more about the iconic brand in Yachting World.

5. Valiant 40

The Valiant 40 is an iconic bluewater cruiser

When I interviewed legendary yacht designer, Bob Perry, for Good Old Boat in 2019, he told me that the Valiant 40 was one of the boats that most defined him and marked the real start of his career.

At the time, heavy displacement cruisers were considered sluggish and slow, especially in light winds.

Perry’s innovation with the Valiant 40 was to combine a classic double ender above the waterline, with an IOR racing hull shape below the waterline. The result was the first “performance cruiser”, a blockbuster hit, with over 200 boats built in the 1970s.

It’s no surprise we counted 16 Valiant 40s in our data set.

Cruising World magazine dubbed it “a fast, comfortable, and safe cruising yacht,” and there’s no doubt it’s covered some serious nautical miles.

It’s worth noting that there were blistering problems with hull numbers 120-249 (boats built between 1976 and 1981). Later models did not have this problem. Despite the blistering issues, the Valiant 40 remains one of the most highly thought of bluewater designs.

6. TAYANA 37

The Tayana 37 is a top bluewater boat

The Tayana 37 is another hugely popular Perry design. The first boat rolled off the production line in 1976 and since then, nearly 600 boats have been built. Beautiful classic lines and a proven track record have won the Tayana 37 a devoted following of offshore enthusiasts.

12 Tayana 37s have set out to cross the Pacific in the PPJ rally since 2009. Read more about the Tayana 37 in this Practical Sailor review .

7. Lagoon 450

The Lagoon 450 is one of the best bluewater sailboats

If this list is starting to sound like a paid advertisement, I swear we’re not on Lagoon’s payroll! This is the third Lagoon on our list, but the data doesn’t lie. Lagoon is making some of the best cruising sailboats.

The 450 has been a hot seller for Lagoon, with over 800 built since its launch in 2014. While not a performance cat, the Lagoon 450 travels at a reasonable speed and is brimming with luxury amenities.

At least 12 owners in the PPJ rally chose the Lagoon 450 to take them across the Pacific. It’s no wonder SAIL had so many good things to say about it.

8. Fountaine Pajot Bahia 46

Fountaine Pajot Bahia 46 Bluewater Sailboat

There were 11 Fountaine Pajot Bahia 46s in our data set.

Fountaine Pajot released the Bahia 46 in 1997, a sleek design for traveling long distances. Its generously-sized water and fuel tanks along with ample storage for cruising gear are a real plus for the self-sufficient sailor.

According to Cruising World , “Cruising-cat aficionados should put the Bahia 46 on their “must-see” list.”

9. Catalina 42 (MKI, MKII)

Catalina 42 bluewater boat

10 Catalina 42s (MKI and MKII) have set out to cross the Pacific in the PPJ rally since 2009.

The Catalina 42 was designed under the guidance of the legendary yacht designer and Catalina’s chief engineer, Gerry Douglas.

One of Catalina’s philosophies is to offer “as much boat for the money as possible,” and the Catalina 42 is no exception. According to Practical Sailor , Catalina aims to price its boats 15% to 20% below major production boats like Hunter and Beneteau.

Practical Sailor has a great in-depth review of the Catalina 42 .

10. Leopard 46

Leopard 46 bluewater sailboat

Since 2009, 10 Leopard 46s have embarked on Pacific crossings in the PPJ rally.

Leopards have won legions of fans for their high build quality, robust engineering, and excellent performance.

The Leopard 46 also boasts something of a racing pedigree. It was built in South Africa by Robertson and Caine and designed by Gino Morelli and Pete Melvin, who came up with the record-breaking catamaran Playstation / Cheyenne 125 .

Read more about the Leopard 46 in this Cruising World review .

Methodology

What the data is and isn’t.

The PPJ data was a real boon because it reflects a wide range of cruising boats: small, big, old, new, expensive, and affordable. We think this may be because the PPJ is a very financially accessible rally—the standard entry cost is $125 or $100 if you’re under 35 (age or boat length!).

We did look at data from other (pricier) rallies but found that the results skewed towards more expensive boats.

Needless to say, the data we used is just a sample of the bluewater boats that crossed the Pacific over the last 10+ years. Many cruisers cross oceans without participating in a rally!

Entries vs. completions

The data we used is a list of the PPJ entries, not necessarily the boats that completed the rally. In instances where we saw the same boat entered multiple years in a row, we assumed they’d postponed their crossing and deleted all but the latest entry to avoid double counting.

Boat make variations

The world of boat building and naming can get pretty complicated. Sometimes a manufacturer changes a boat’s name a year or two into production, other times the name remains the same but the boat undergoes a dramatic update.

For the most part, we’ve used SailboatData.com’s classification system (if they list the boats separately, then we have also), except where there are two separately listed models that have the same LOA, beam, and displacement.

Fiona McGlynn

Fiona McGlynn is an award-winning boating writer who created Waterborne as a place to learn about living aboard and traveling the world by sailboat. She has written for boating magazines including BoatUS, SAIL, Cruising World, and Good Old Boat. She’s also a contributing editor at Good Old Boat and BoatUS Magazine. In 2017, Fiona and her husband completed a 3-year, 13,000-mile voyage from Vancouver to Mexico to Australia on their 35-foot sailboat.

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  • Sailboat Reviews

Shannon Shoalsailer 35

With just 30 inches of draft, this model simplifies the fine art of gunkhole cruising..

best beachable sailboat

Sequestered in a warren of buildings in the heart of Rhode Island’s boatbuilding capital — Bristol — Shannon Yachts is a semi-custom boatbuilder that has established a reputation over the past 30 years for solidly constructed, traditional cruising vessels. To date, the company has built over 250 sailboats (and 100 powerboats) from 28 to 51 feet.

Founded in 1975 by Walter Schulz, Shannon Yachts has since maintained a firm grip on this niche of the market. Schulz’s formal training in fine arts — he earned a master’s degree from Parson’s School of Design — is not what he credits for the company’s refined products, but instead the 15 or so years he spent working in New England boatyards repairing boats. His hands-on involvement as the principal designer and an active presence on the building floor is and always has been a Shannon hallmark.

Shannon Shoalsailer 35

In 2004, the company gained new investors as a means of diversifying the business and branching out into new realms, which now include brokerage. Bruce Brown, a seasoned cruising sailor, boatbuilder, and large yacht project manager, came on-board as the CEO, effectively freeing Schulz up to concentrate his energies on design and execution. It was shortly after that juncture that the company unveiled the Shoalsailer 35, which it markets as the ultimate coastal cruiser.

This model, which is an evolution of the Shoalsailer 32 introduced in 2001, represents a distinct departure for Shannon Yachts. In essence, the design melds both power and sailboat elements, yet the 35 is decidedly not a motorsailer. And most notably — drawing just 30 inches — it’s not deemed an offshore cruiser.

The 32-foot version came to life after years of research and prototyping by Schulz, and was spurred in part by the request of a client who wanted to sail the shallow waters of New Jersey’s Barnegat Bay, yet have the speed under power to return home quickly. Of course the customary response to those parameters is “you’re talking about a multihull.” But on-the-water research led Schulz to dismiss that approach, principally due to the inevitable requirement of daggerboards for upwind sailing. “To get a cat — and most trimarans — to sail satisfactorily into the wind you have to drop daggerboards down about six feet, and then you wipe out the shoal draft advantage,” explained Schulz. So, he devised a different scheme based principally on hull shape.

The Shoalsailer 35 comes standard with a 40-hp engine, but Shannon offers the option of what it calls the High Speed Package with a 125-hp engine and a hydraulically operated trim tab just beneath the swim platform. The company advertises that this combination makes the boat capable of 11 knots under power.

PS spent five days aboard Hull No. 2, which is equipped with Shannon’s High Speed Package as well as a bow thruster.

Design In profile, the Shoalsailer 35 resembles many mid-size cruising auxiliaries, except for its rig, which is situated well forward and has two headstays, what Schulz and company began calling the “scutter” rig back in 1997. The J measurement on this boat is 10 feet, which means that almost 70 percent of the boat is aft of the mast partners. Schulz explained that this is a simple solution for the most manageable sail plan: “The easiest sail to handle on a boat is the mainsail.” He also wanted as much drive as possible with the mainsail, hence the large roach.

The scutter rig — derived from Schulz’s amalgamation of the words “sloop” and “cutter” — uses a 125-percent, roller-furled inner headsail tacked on the bow for light and moderate winds. When the breeze gets above 20 knots, that sail is furled and the 150-square-foot, high-clewed jib, which is tacked to a furling unit on the bowsprit, comes into play.

This rig, says Schulz, offers more flexibility than a standard genoa. “No matter what you do with sail design, furling a genoa more than 30 percent makes it into a bed sheet, not a jib,” he asserts. “The sail you need the most when you’re clawing off a lee shore is a jib.” For the lightest wind conditions, he says, you simply turn on the engine. “I’ve been cruising on sailboats for more than 40 years, and a third of that time has been spent under power. Everybody has a schedule to meet.”

To fulfill his self-imposed shallow-draft mandate, Schulz designed a keel that extends just 30 inches below the waterline. Unlike almost every other monohull, it’s not the keel or the twin rudders on this vessel that produce the lift under sail, but the shape of the hull itself, which Shannon has patented. According to Schulz, it’s primarily the twist in the hull, and how that directs the laminar flow of water over it that develops lift.

The Shoalsailer has a very fine entry at the bow, and full sections in the stern, which might equate to too much weather helm when heeled, but the cutback in her forefoot alleviates this problem. The other aspect that Schulz likes to point out about the hull is the stability it offers due primarily to its exceptional beam. “The hull shape is where the initial and ultimate stability come from,” says Schulz, “and the beam has a lot to do with it.” He likens the boat’s heeling tendency to that of a cruising multihull.

Like some cruising multihulls — and a few monohulls — the Shoalsailers are built to withstand groundings. In fact a principal benefit of this design is that it’s intended to be beached. PS put this aspect to the test numerous times.

One of the most remarkable characteristics of the Shoalsailer 35 is the breadth of its cockpit. Max beam on this craft (12’9”) is situated well aft, 60 percent of the way back from the waterline entry at the bow. That girth extends another 25 percent of the way aft and then tapers only slightly near the transom. The effect of this is a voluminous cockpit, one we’d expect to see aboard a sailboat at least 10 feet longer.

On Deck The Shoalsailer’s deck layout is primarily clean and functional. A stainless steel bowsprit (the aft portion is filled with a welded stainless plate, the forward section with a panel of Starboard) serves to support a single bow roller as well as the stainless pulpit. We’d prefer two bow rollers, which would be an easy option because these are semi-custom boats. Extending down from the bowsprit to the stem is a stainless rod bobstay, which transfers the load of the forward-most stay. The deck is framed by an anodized aluminum toerail running from stem to stern on either side.

Just in front of the cabin trunk on the foredeck is a low-profile, midsize Scanvik hatch — one of five on the boat — which offers good ventilation and access to the forward cabin. Forward of this, there’s sufficient deck space for one person to comfortably handle the ground tackle using the Maxwell windlass mounted on the bowsprit’s stainless plate. Deploying a second anchor would be somewhat less convenient because there’s no on-deck access to the chain locker (it can be reached via an opening in the bulkhead at the forward end of the V-berth down below). We also noted that the anchor rode does not have a fair lead from either of the twin cleats on deck forward to the bow roller.

The diamond-patterned non-skid molded into the deck offers good, secure footing. But on the sloped cabin house leading to the foredeck, where you’re most apt to need nonskid, there is none. This can be resolved by installing textured strips or some other form of traction to ensure good footing.

Moving aft, sections of aluminum track fitted with leads for the inner headsail are mounted well inboard, at the base of the cabin house on either side. This not only makes for relatively tight sheeting angles on the genoa, but also leaves the side decks uncluttered.

On either side of the cabin house, a stainless steel grab rail runs fore and aft nearly the full length of the house. And just aft of the mast partners, on either side of the house, is another pair of Scanvik hatches that open to the main saloon. Between them, running all the way aft to the companionway, is a seahood that houses the run of halyards, reefing lines, and other sail controls, which are led aft to a pair of Lewmar two-speed, self-tailing winches.

The Shoalsailer’s cockpit is protected by high, broad coamings that flare out from the aft end of the cabin trunk. Atop each, within easy reach of the helm, a Lewmar 40 two-speed, self-tailing winch is mounted. This hardware is secured only with washers and nuts, not backing plates, but Schulz affirmed that the coaming top is cored with ¾-inch marine plywood expressly for this purpose. (The winches on the cabin top are fastened through a solid glass laminate.)

Shielding the aft end of the cockpit overhead is a fixed, fiberglass panel supported by a stout anodized aluminum frame (optional) that also serves as the aft pulpit. At the forward end of this is a collapsible vinyl bimini that covers the rest of the cockpit. Plexiglass viewports above each steering station let the helmsman check mainsail trim.

Beneath this wide cockpit, there’s room for a very large locker (accessed via a hatch in the portside seat) that contains the boat’s many support systems (generator, inverter, steering quadrants, autopilot, holding tank and macerator, refrigerator-freezer, and air conditioning), and the aft cabin’s double berth to starboard.

Apart from its unusual breadth, the cockpit’s most notable feature is its twin steering stations. Each is fitted with a 30-inch Edson wheel, dual Morse controls for the engine, an analog steering compass, autopilot controls, and controls for the bow thruster. There’s enough room behind each helm that you don’t feel at all crowded.

Shannon Shoalsailer 35

Standing at the wheel on either side, you can easily lean forward and reach the primary winch or either of the two cleats mounted there to secure the headsail sheets. If you’re at the weather side helm and you need to move to leeward to tend the headsail sheet, it’s just a few steps away. However, the mainsheet winch and controls for the Schaefer mid-boom traveler are situated forward on the cabin top, far out of reach from the helm. The controls for raising and lowering the rudders are located on the transom, just aft of the helmsperson’s stations. We found it difficult to get the rudders to drop consistently when we released the lines from the horn cleats. The problem persisted even after we cleaned the lower section of the rudders of all marine growth.

All instrument readouts are mounted on a pivoting display panel that’s situated just aft of the centerline cockpit table, between the steering stations. We found that the panel would be more functional if it were extended another 20 inches higher so that the user didn’t have to look so far down and thereby be distracted from his or her course. Also, the remote VHF mic installation restricted the panel’s rotation, but that could be readily corrected.

The cockpit has a broad, centerline opening just aft of the steering stations where one step down takes you to the wide swim platform. In the center of the platform is a flush hatch that opens to the interior space beneath the cockpit where the majority of the boat’s support systems are housed. We’d rather this were a separate compartment with its own drainage. To get to the stern ladder, you have to duck under the port section of the boat’s split backstays. If the stays were given a wider base, the rig geometry wouldn’t be affected but access to the ladder would be improved.

The Shoalsailer’s two-spreader mast, which is stepped on the keel, is stayed by four shrouds on either side of the mast, the two headstays, and the aforementioned split backstay. This might seem like overkill, but this boat is built to go aground and keeping the rig in place in those situations requires an additional degree of safety. The only issue we see here that one set of lower shrouds terminates well forward of the mast on the cabin trunk, meaning that the clew and lower leech area of the inner headsail will brush past these stays on every tack and most jibes when the sail is fully unfurled.

Accommodations The Shoalsailer 35 comes standard with a two-cabin layout, but calling the area that houses the quarterberth to starboard a “cabin” is a stretch. (The double berth here is just long enough to accommodate two people who are no taller than 6 feet, and personal stowage is limited to a large compartment outboard of the berth, one small hanging locker, and one drawer.) Despite a small overhead hatch and a portlight that opens to the cockpit footwell, ventilation here is less than ideal, which is why a small fan has been mounted on the aft bulkhead. Also, the hinged teak panel that sections off this area is more of a privacy screen than an actual door. Elsewhere down below, this boat is much more accommodating, particularly the personal stowage capacity in the V-berth cabin.

The interior layout is quite traditional, as is the styling. The saloon is arranged around a large teak table fixed on centerline, which has drop leaves ample enough to seat six people in relative comfort. To port and starboard are full-length settees that can be used as berths if required. Outboard of these are storage compartments and shelves.

The saloon is well lit and well ventilated. There are two deck hatches located over the settees and four ports on either side of the cabin trunk (two opening and two fixed), as well as two small fans mounted on the main bulkhead.

There is no nav station on the Shoalsailer 35, a reflection of the designer’s preference for what he calls “laptop navigating.” “The reasons for going below to look at a chart or radar have all gone the way of the carrier pigeon,” says Schulz. However, he says he still carries paper charts when voyaging, and these would be spread out on the broad teak countertop to port in which the door to the large refrigerator and freezer compartments is recessed. Just outboard of that is the boat’s nerve center, where the electrical panel is mounted. There’s room here for instrument repeaters, a VHF, stereo, and nav light, as well as other accessories.

Opposite that area, to starboard, is the small, L-shaped galley, which features a single stainless steel sink, a double-burner propane stove, a microwave oven, and sufficient cabinet space to stow food and cooking implements for a weeklong cruise. The counterspace is limited, but what truly demands creativity on the part of the cook is the location of the microwave. On the boat we tested, it was mounted outboard of the propane stove. To open the door on the former, you must first remove pots from the latter and turn down the flame. Again, this is a semi-custom boat and microwave location is something that could be changed.

The boat’s head, to port of the companionway steps, uses space well. The shower and toilet share the same compartment, segmented from the sink area by a curtain and a clear plastic panel. The interior surfaces other than the plastic panel, the sink, and the cabinet faces, are made of easy-to-clean gelcoated fiberglass. And all the mechanicals (macerator pump and holding tank) are situated aft beneath the cockpit.

Access to the forward section of the engine is managed by removing the structure around the companionway steps. There is also a small hatch in the shower stall for accessing the port side. To inspect the dripless shaft coupling, you must remove the cushions in the aft berth as well as a plywood panel, but space here is limited and working with large wrenches would be cumbersome. The boat’s other systems — batteries, water valves, bilge pump, etc. — are more easily accessed.

Performance The Shoalsailer is an easy boat to operate, whether under power or sail. Because it draws only 30 inches and has a fair amount of freeboard, the bow is susceptible to being blown around when maneuvering at low speeds under power. Because of this, a bow thruster is now standard equipment, and we quickly grew to appreciate its use, despite the noise it produces.

Under sail, the boat heels very little, at least in the moderate breezes we experienced. The steering system was somewhat stiff, but the twin rudders still offered sufficient feedback for us to feel like we were getting the boat in a groove when sailing upwind in 10 knots or more. In lighter breezes, it was difficult to really get a feel for the helm. (The rudders are simple stainless-steel plates with little variation in chord thickness, except for the upper sections into which the lower portions retract.)

We were only briefly able to make the 35 we tested tack through 110 degrees true wind — Shannon says the 35 can sail 35 degrees relative to apparent wind — and we could not hit the projected boat speed of 11 knots under power.

Underwater photos taken during our test seemed to indicate that the starboard rudder was out of alignment, which could have adversely affected performance. Shannon wasn’t sure what might have caused the misalignment — we certainly didn’t hit anything ­— but suspected that a grounding shortly prior to or during the boat’s delivery to the Bahamas might have caused this. We intend to give the Shoalsailer another sea trial.

On one occasion, sailing in essentially flat water and an average wind of 9 knots, we managed a top speed of 5.8 knots over the ground, but couldn’t get the boat to tack through less than 140 degrees. (We confirmed this with the track on our GPS chartplotter.) A few days later, in 11 knots of wind, with the breeze occasionally surging to 14, we sustained almost 6 knots of boat speed and managed to tack through 110 degrees in very flat water.

We learned quickly that this boat needs at least 4 knots of speed to be tacked. It didn’t take much to develop a technique of bearing off slightly and easing the sheets somewhat before tacking to ensure that the boat was moving through the water fast enough to tack well. We had been forewarned that initially oversteering through tacks is commonplace due to the lack of a deep keel, so putting the boat over does take some getting used to. But the 35 accelerates out of a tack better than we had expected, particularly if you ease and trim the sails accordingly.

We also tested the boat under power. First, we raised each of the rudders. Then, with a 6-inch chop, we revved the 125-hp engine up to 3,500 rpm, but couldn’t achieve the 11 knots of boat speed that the company advertises. Instead, our top end was 9.1 knots (verified by the speedo and the GPS) despite trying various settings with the trim tab. At 3,000 rpm, we managed a comfortable 8 knots, and at a more seemly 2,600 rpm, the speed settled in at 7.8 knots. The boat turns easily and responds readily to the helm under power. From a standing position, the 35 gets underway quite quickly when the big four-blade Autoprop is engaged, but as expected, the engine is fairly loud at the higher rpm ranges.

Shannon Shoalsailer 35

Shannon’s scutter rig takes some getting used to. We initially tried sailing under both headsails with the main, but performance was always better with just one headsail flying. Which jib worked best depended on the wind conditions and point of sail. Both headsails did furl and unfurl easily and reliably on their Furlex systems. And the Doyle Stack Pak system for the mainsail made raising and lowering this sail very simple and convenient. The fixed windows in the rigid bimini offer a limited view of the main from either helm: You can only see the lower telltales on the headsail if you fold back the forward portion of the bimini.

What really takes getting used to is running this boat up on a beach on purpose, which we did numerous times. It would be a welcome aspect of cruising in many locations to know that you could do this, and then hop into three feet of water off the transom to walk forward and check the anchor out.

Conclusions The Shannon Shoalsailer 35 handles well under power, and is easily sailed by a shorthanded crew. In the sub-genre of beachable cruising sailboats, this boat is unique. The vessel’s interior isn’t compromised by keel-raising or housing mechanisms, and the generous cockpit is a true anomaly among monohulls this length. Additionally, this is the one single-hulled sailboat that we’re aware of that could safely venture across a large span of shoal water like the Grand Bahamas Banks, or certain reaches of the Chesapeake Bay under sail.

This boat truly redefines the term shoal draft, and it’s capable of a number of things that other shoal-draft boats aren’t. But this versatility comes at an exceedingly high base price — $368,000 — even for a semi-custom sailboat.

While we certainly applaud the designer’s efforts to wrest superior performance from a hull without the use of a conventional appendages, we were not able to verify the company’s claims regarding windward sailing ability, nor speed under power. But we came close enough to certify that this potential exists, and we will hold a second sea trial in the near future.

For sailors not deterred by price and who require a shallow draft vessel with reasonable creature comforts, superior speed under power, and acceptable sailing performance, this boat tops the list of candidates.

Contact- Shannon Yachts, 401/253-2441, www.shannonyachts.com .

Also With This Article “Hits and Misses” “Shannon Shoalsailer 35 In Context” “Critic’s Corner” “Construction Details” “Form Stability”

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Ventura Sport Boats

Pocket Cruising Sailboats

best beachable sailboat

A Fun, Affordable Pocket Cruiser

Hailed as a Modern Classic

The Malbec 18 has been hailed as a modern classic by the sailing press and small boat aficionados alike. Nominated as a Best Boat for 2018 by SAIL Magazine and praised as “charming…fun and responsive” by Cruising World, the Malbec 18 blends performance with comfort, stability, and versatility. It has twice appeared on CBS’ “The Price is Right.”

Great Performance

This lightweight, beachable cruiser offers a huge six-foot cockpit with seating for six adults, and features a spacious, airy cabin that sleeps a family of four. That makes the Malbec 18 the perfect boat for experienced sailors looking to right-size from larger or smaller boats, and its safe, forgiving sailing characteristics make it ideal for newbies, too.

As a spritely performer, the Malbec 18 would make a superb one-design club racer. As a first family boat, it’s easy to handle for the youngest hands.

Created by a leading marine architect and the former manufacturer of the wildly-popular West Wight Potter and Voyager 20, the Malbec 18 hull design features hard chines for great aquadynamics at heel, and semi-planing at higher speeds. The most experienced sailors will appreciate its excellent pointing ability, and zippy off-the-wind performance.

Control and Safety

Stability, control, and modern ergonomics are crucial to a good pocket cruising experience. The ballasted swing centerboard can be controlled from the cockpit for simple singlehanding, beaching, and trailering. An adjustable backstay enables performance tuning, and because most of the ballast is not in the centerboard, the boat offers high a stability ratio under all circumstances.

You can confidently take the Malbec 18 on any lake, wide river, or bay—then out onto the ocean for coastal cruising.

Comfortable and Airy Cabin

Decades of experience in designing pocket cruisers have gone into laying out a cabin which is surprisingly roomy for a compact, 18-foot boat. The oversized companionway hatch opens much of the cabin roof to standing room, the V-berth is bright and comfortable, and two additional sleeping berths double as cushioned bench seating for the convertible dinette table. A hideaway portable head comes standard, and a slide-away galley is available as an option. You will find lots of storage both fore and aft.

Easy Trailering and Setup

Trailering the Malbec 18 is a breeze with a four-cylinder automobile. The optional, custom trailer rides low into the water, and the boat draws just 10 inches with the swing centerboard raised. The mast-raising  and brand-name rigging systems can be handled in minutes by a single person. On the road, you can use the Malbec 18 as your own easily handled and easily parked RV!

Custom Tailored for You!

The Malbec 18 is entirely manufactured in the USA at our Oxnard, California factory, and each boat is tailored specifically to your needs, with a wide range of options. To make ordering easy, three options packages are available to suit any budget—making the Malbec 18 the new, affordable pocket cruising standard for easy “fun in the sun.”

Discover or re-discover the simple joy of sailing when wind fills the sails of this beautifully-designed and responsive boat. Find new adventures wherever a boat ramp awaits!

Contact us for pricing and more info!

best beachable sailboat

Malbec 18   2022 MSRP  “Sail Away” From:  $39,995.00  

  • Beachable Pocket Cruiser with sleeping accommodations for four
  • Complete  Sail Control fittings, Halyards and Lines
  • Featured Ronstan Hardware
  • 5oz White Mainsail and 100% Jib with Malbec Logo
  • Swing Ballasted Centerboard with Cockpit Mounted Lifting Control
  • Removable Rudder and Tiller with Mast Crutch
  • Spacious 6 Foot Cockpit with Room for Six Adults
  • 13×23 Transom Mounted Storage Hatch
  • Open and Airy Cabin with V Berth for Two and Two Quarter Berths
  • Forward Opening Hatch by Bomar
  • Premium Marine Vinyl Covered Cabin Cushions
  • Ample Storage Below
  • Optional Slide-out Porta-Potty tucks away for storage
  • Optional Slide-out Ice Chest tucks away
  • Custom Fitted Trailer Galvanized or Aluminum
  • Stainless Steel Bow Pulpit
  • Stainless Steel Cockpit Rails
  • Stainless Steel Boarding Ladder
  • Adjustable  Motor Mount Bracket
  • Single Handed Package

Make Your Boat Special, With Options from Trailer to Spinnaker! Click Here for the Complete Options List

Malbec 18 specifications.

Length Overall………………………. 18’

Length at Waterline…………….. 16’

Beam……………………………………….. 7’2”

Draft………………………………………… 10” to 3’6”

Cabin Height………………………… 4’6”

Mast length………………………….. 23’

Mast height………………………….. 26’

Boat Weight……………………….. 1500 lbs

Centerboard Weight………… 90 lbs

Additional Lead Ballast……350 lbs

Main Sail…………………………….. 102 SqFt

Jib………………………………………….. 55 SqFt

Optional Genoa…………………..98 SqFt

Optional Spinnaker…………….120SqFt

Power…………………………………. Up to 9HP Outboard

Electrical……………………………..See available options

best beachable sailboat

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Sail Universe

7 Bluewater Cruising Sailboats We Love

bluewater sailboats

Our editorial staff selected 7  bluewater cruising sailboats from 26 to 42 feet, from all over the world. Bluewater sailing is a type of ocean cruising: it refers to long-term open sea cruising, for example, passages (ocean crossings). Bluewater sailing implies a lack of support and requires a certain amount of self-sufficiency, since you’re away from land for long periods of time. An example is crossing the Atlantic. But you can’t just stock up any boat and go at it: not all boats can handle ‘blue water’. You need a different boat type and also some add-ons. Which is your preferred among these bluewater cruising sailboats?

Bluewater Sailboats cal 40

Designed by Bill Lapworth and built by Jensen Marine, the Cal 40 was nothing less than revolutionary, and displaced a mere 15,000 pounds, unheard of when first launched in 1964.

Contessa 26

Bluewater Sailboats

This cruiser was designed by David Sadler, built by J.J. Taylor & Sons of Toronto, Canada and a few other builders, and made forever famous by then 18-year-old Tania Aebi, who completed her solo circumnavigation aboard  Varuna  at the age of 21.

Dufour Arpège 30

Bluewater Sailboats dufour arpege 30

The Arpege 30 was introduced in 1966 and had a fairly long production run of approximately 1,500 boats. The Dufour Arpege hull is solid fiberglass and the deck may or may not have been cored.

Hinckley Bermuda 40

Bluewater Sailboats Hinckley Bermuda 40

This Bill Tripp -designed sailboat, produced in Maine by one of America’s greatest Builders, might just define elegance afloat. Production began in 1959 and continued into the 1990s with a few changes.

dufour-520-GL-sail-universe

Island Packet 420

Bluewater Sailboats island packet 420

Island Packet builds distinctive, full-keel bluewater sailboats that have almost a cult following. They’re solid glass, heavy cruisers that won’t set any speed records but will get you there in safety and comfort. Designed by Bob Johnson, it is not offered as a new build anymore.

Tartan 3700

Bluewater Sailboats tartan 3700

On-deck, the 3700 features details that deliver excellent aesthetics, comfort and security. Wide side decks provide safe and secure fore and aft movement, while abundant ventilation offerings include all-opening stainless steel house side portlights, cockpit portlights, stainless steel deck hatches and 2 stainless steel dorade ventilators with stainless guards.

Westsail 32

Bluewater Sailboats westsail 32

The Westsail 32 was a production fiberglass sailboat built between the years of 1971 and 1980. Approximately 830 were built, about half of them in kit form. The “W32”, as they are often referred to, was very heavily built and has taken many people on trouble-free voyages and several circumnavigations.

Three Sail Care Tips to Save You Money

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Hans Christian 41

Hinkley 40…wow!

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Michael R. Wing

Michael R. Wing

Daysailers, pocket cruisers and other small sailboats.

Daysailer Designs

I love small boats!  I always have, ever since I was a kid.  If you gave me a mega-rock star’s money I would not buy a bigger boat, although I might buy some nice waterfront real estate to sail from.  But even if you love the small boat you have, you might like the looks of some of the others and be curious about them.  (There’s a reason they call boats “she.”)  The following are my notes from a life of noticing and sailing small boats.  I am arbitrarily not considering anything longer than twenty feet or weighing over one ton, or sailboats used only for class racing. 

“Daysailer” can mean any sailboat that’s not in a race or on an overnight cruise.  It also means a specific 16’ 9” sloop designed by Uffa Fox which was mass-produced in fiberglass by the O’Day company in Fall River, Massachusetts and is still made today by Cape Cod Shipbuilding.  I own one of these, built in 1963.  So from now on DaySailer will mean the boat designed by Uffa Fox and “daysailer” will mean a boat you sail for a few hours at a time.  A pocket cruiser has a small cabin with berths for sleeping, which mine (kind of) does.

best beachable sailboat

A major division in these boats is between those with centerboards and those with keels.  You lose versatility when you put a fixed ballasted keel on a sailboat.  Keel boats are heavier, slower and more expensive than centerboard boats.  You can’t run up on a beach and step out onto the sand, which for me is part of the fun of sailing.  You avoid shallow water.  You need to tie up to a dock, or use a tender to get to and from the shore.  They may fit on a trailer, but because of their draft and weight it’s a chore to trailer-sail them.  However, they are safer in strong wind because they won’t capsize.  They have more room, and a steady motion.  Once a sailboat gets over 20’ long, rail meat isn’t enough to keep the boat upright.

Don’t buy a new boat unless you have to.  New boats are expensive compared to used ones, which sell for 10% – 50% of the price of new.  Any fiberglass boat can be restored to a “practically new” condition with a few weeks of work.  All fiberglass boats end up in landfills eventually, so by purchasing a used one you reduce waste as well as save money.  And the production boats designed years ago are at least as beautiful and functional as those being designed today.  Some of the most popular small sailboats ever were designed fifty or sixty years ago and have been made continuously for decades by more than one builder; the hull mold and production rights passing to a new company whenever the old company folds.

best beachable sailboat

The Alcort Sunfish and other popular “wet” boats:  The Sunfish and the Laser have a lot in common.  They are identical in length (13’ 9”) and nearly identical in beam, draft, weight, sail area, price, and popularity.  Today they’re even made by the same company, LaserPerformance , but that wasn’t always true.  The Sunfish was designed by Alcort, Inc. and produced by Alcort for decades.  With its colorful striped lateen sail, tiny footwell of a cockpit, and flat fish-shaped hull it didn’t look anything like any other boat.  The designers had previously build iceboats, then experimented with paddle boards.  The Sunfish has won many design awards.  It is the most-produced fiberglass sailboat ever.  The Laser is more of a performance boat.  Even though it is wider than the Sunfish, its round-bottomed hull and tall rig make it faster and tippier.  Both boats have been produced by the hundreds of thousands.  On both boats, you are just inches off the water with little protection from getting splashed.  They aren’t for winter sailing.  A third boat in the “wet and popular” category is the Hobie 16 catamaran.  There’s no cockpit; you sit on a fabric trampoline.  Multihulls are inherently fast but their width makes them awkward to handle at the dock or on a trailer. 

The DaySailer was marketed as the “boat that launched 10,000 weekends.”  I have not sailed mine that many times yet, but I’m closing in on 100.  For me, it’s a right-sized boat: small enough to single-hand, big enough to take a few guests comfortably, fast enough not to be boring, with good-looking curves.  The cuddy cabin deflects spray and provides a place for tired children to rest.  I sleep overnight sometimes, head-forward under the cuddy on some camping foam pads with my feet sticking out into the cockpit.  She draws only a few inches with the board raised so you can sail up onto a sandy beach.  When the tide falls while you are on shore, the boat is light enough to push back into the water.  The DaySailer’s 145 ft 2 of sail area are really too much for my northern California climate, where winds in the double digits are the norm.  When I sail alone or on windy days I reef the main before I go out and use a smaller-than-standard jib taken from a 14-foot O’Day Javelin.  Then when the wind gets really hairy I slacken the main sheet, leave the tiller, go up on the foredeck and drop the jib and secure it.  The boat naturally heaves to in this situation and is quite stable.  Jib secured, I go back to the tiller and sail under reefed main alone.  She’s fast and well balanced under all these sail configurations. 

One other caveat – I keep my boat on the shore with the mast stepped all the time.  I don’t trailer-sail it and if I did that 25’ keel-stepped aluminum mast would be a problem because I cannot raise and step it by myself.  Even with two people it’s tricky.  If I was going to trailer-sail I would get a boat with a shorter, lighter mast. 

The DaySailer was the model that made the O’Day Corporation prosper but they built smaller and larger boats too, up to 40 feet long.  The O’Day Javelin is the DaySailer’s 14-foot little sister; it looks different because it has no cuddy cabin but sails similarly.  Even smaller than that is the 12-foot O’Day Widgeon .  The DaySailer’s twin big sisters are the Rhodes 19 and the Mariner .  The Rhodes 19 looks a like a larger, two-and-a-half-foot-longer DaySailer with a cuddy cabin.  The Mariner has the same hull as the Rhodes 19 but it has a real cabin for overnight cruising with a bulkhead separating the cabin from the cockpit and a big V-berth below with storage space, room for a small camp stove, etc.  The Mariner and the Rhodes 19 are both available with either a centerboard or a fixed ballasted keel. 

There have been over ten thousand DaySailers built, and several thousand each of the Widgeon, Javelin, Rhodes 19 and Mariner models as well, so you see these boats everywhere.  A rarer cousin of these is the 15’ 8” O’Day Ospray (yes, that’s Ospray with an “a” not “Osprey”.)  This boat is only a foot shorter than a DaySailer and looks just like one except that the mast is stepped forward of the raised domed cuddy cabin instead of through it.  The cuddy cabin is smaller.  I don’t know why O’Day bothered to build a boat so similar to its best-seller and they only did it for a few years.  I have only ever seen one of these.  The Widgeon, Javelin and Ospray are no longer built but Cape Cod Shipbuilding still builds DaySailers and Stuart Marine in Maine builds new Mariners and Rhodes 19’s.

best beachable sailboat

West Wight Potter P-15 :  I had one of these boats when my kids were small.  It looked like a bathtub toy, but in a good way.  There are famous stories of people making long ocean passages in them, but really if you want to make a long ocean passage a 15-foot centerboard dingy is not the best way to do it.  A boat with a ballasted keel is.  If you absolutely have to go on a blue-water voyage in a dingy this is probably the one to use.  Most P-15 owners trailer-sail them on lakes and bays and they are very good for that because they don’t weigh much and the mast is stepped on deck and is only 15’ 6” tall and is thin also so it’s easy to put the mast up.  The mast is so short because the “simulated gaff”-rigged mainsail is compact and wide for its height.  The mainsail is in the shape of a gaff sail plus a gaff topsail, with a sturdy batten taking the place of the gaff boom.  Plus, the boat is under-canvased (main + working jib = 98 ft 2 ) compared to other boats of similar size and weight.  This was rarely a problem for me, sailing in windy northern California.  On the occasions when it was a problem I just put on a big genoa jib.  The reason the boat is under-canvassed is that it was originally designed to sail in the waters around the Isle of Wight, in English Channel, where it’s blowing a gale most of the time.  Strong winds and choppy conditions are built into this boat’s DNA, which is funny because today they are produced by International Marine in southern California where the wind is much lighter.

I miss sailing dry (the Potter deflects spray efficiently) and I sure do miss those two big 6 ½ foot-long berths down below.  The Potter is faster than she looks like she would be; I had no complaints about her speed.  I did find the cockpit uncomfortable.  The P-15 has a lot of big boat features and one of these is a self-bailing cockpit.  This means the floor of the cockpit is above the waterline, which makes the cockpit quite shallow.  I don’t have very long legs but I wished for more legroom.  It was like sitting in a bathtub.  And the cockpit coaming didn’t make it easy to sit on the rail.  As my kids grew there wasn’t room in the bathtub for four people anymore.  So I traded up to my O’Day DaySailer.  Then my kids lost interest in sailing.  Oh well, the DaySailer is a great boat too.  Some other “big boat” features I could have done without are the bow pulpit (what’s it for?) and the bulkhead between the cabin and the cockpit.  I like a more open arrangement.  But if I were a trailer-sailer I would go back to the Potter in a heartbeat because it’s so easy to wrangle on and off the trailer. 

The same company also builds the P-19 which is more than twice the boat even though it is only four feet longer.  One difference between them, besides size, is that while the P-15 has a typical centerboard that pivots backwards and up, the P-19 has a 300-lb. metal daggerboard that goes straight up and down.  So even though this boat only draws 6” with the board up, you can’t just sail towards the beach until the board bumps.  You have to slowly raise it using a winch.

West Wight Potters, especially the P-15’s, hold their resale value much better than most boats.  I sold mine for more than I paid for it.  Many owners keep them in their garages and polish them obsessively, so used Potters are often in Bristol condition. 

Some pocket cruisers similar to the Potters (but with deeper drafts) are the Montgomery 15 , the Montgomery 17 , the Com-Pac 16 and the Sage 17 . In the 1960s and 1970s the MacGregor Yacht Corporation produced thousands of Venture-21’s,and their little sisters the Venture-17’s .  These were inexpensively made trailer-sailers with ballasted swing keels, big cockpits, low headroom in the cabin, and very few frills.  They are not pretty by anyone’s standard (they look like skinny Clorox bottles with sails), but if your budget is tight they can be had for next to nothing. 

best beachable sailboat

The Herreshoff 12½ and its relatives: (12 ½ refers to the waterline length; the boat is almost 16’ long overall.)  Nathaniel Herreshoff, its designer, was a member of a prominent family of naval architects and yacht builders in Bristol, Rhode Island.  He designed many of the America’s Cup defenders of the Gilded Age and the early 20 th century.  Those elegant yachts were his inspiration for this charming little gaff-rigged sloop.  It was conceived as a safe and stable boat for beginners and children.  It has been in continuous production since 1914.  Today you can buy one from Cape Cod Shipbuilding or from Ballentine’s Boat Shop , also on Cape Cod (where they call it the Doughdish) but there are used ones, in wood or fiberglass, all over New England.  Warning: these boats aren’t cheap.  Expect to pay what you would for a car.  The Herreshoff 12½ has a fixed ballasted keel with 735 lbs. of lead in it that draws 2’ 6”.  It must be the smallest keel sailboat in common use.  There is no cabin, but some people have used it for overnight cruising by rigging a boom tent and making a bed on the cockpit sole, which of course has no centerboard trunk to divide it in half.  Of all of the boats I’ve never had or sailed, this is the one that most calls to me.

Two and a half feet of draft is too deep to land on beaches, so designer Joel White modified the design to make the Haven 12½ which is almost identical to the Herreshoff 12½ from the waterline up.  Down below it has a centerboard, but also a shallow keel.  The Haven 12 ½ draws a foot less than the Herreshoff 12 ½ but weighs about the same.  So it still draws 1’ 6” with the board up and weighs well over half a ton.  It’s not obvious that this is enough of an improvement to make it truly beachable.  The Bullseye has the same hull as the Herreshoff 12½ but has a more modern Marconi sloop rig and a cuddy cabin.  Cape Cod Shipbuilding produces the Bullseye.  The Paine 14 is a scaled-down version of the Herreshoff 12½ that looks similar above the waterline but has a carbon fiber mast and a modern fin keel and less wetted surface area, so it performs with more zip. 

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The Cape Dory Typhoon has been called “America’s Littlest Yacht” although maybe the Herreshoff 12 ½ deserves the title more, being even littler and being designed by a famous yachtsman.  But the Typhoon has a proper cabin complete with a bulkhead that separates it from the cockpit and a sliding hatch, sleeping berths below, round portholes in the cabin trunk, teak cockpit coamings, winches for the jib sheets, and all the other details of a much larger keel boat.  Plus, Carl Alberg designed it with elegant, understated lines.  Several thousand of these were made, a few as daysailers without the cabin, but Cape Dory no longer exists as a company.  My uncle Eddie had one of these on Lake Michigan. 

As long as we’re on the subject of keel boats, the Cal 20 is ubiquitous where I live on the west coast.  I learned to sail on a Cal 20 when I was seven years old, in San Diego Harbor, steering a course between the aircraft carriers and the Hobie cats.  The Cal 20 is a stocky little boat with a 7’ beam.  My father always said it developed a “vicious weather helm” when the wind got too strong but I’ll bet this problem can be solved by reefing the main – I don’t remember if he ever did that.  Used Cal 20s are easy to find and the seller is usually motivated to sell because the slip fees at a marina in the San Francisco Bay Area or Los Angeles are often more than the boat itself is worth.  You have to keep it at a marina; it’s no trailer-sailer. 

Traditional Catboats : These are heavy, wide, and slow with deep round cockpits, oval portholes on the cabin trunk and one huge gaff mainsail on an unstayed mast that’s right up at the bow.   They have their origins as utility boats for clamming and fishing on Cape Cod.  They look salty at the mooring but they are not as exciting to sail as more slender sloops.  They have a lot of room for their length, though.  No one model or manufacturer dominates this category.  The Marshall Marine Corporation on Cape Cod makes the 15-foot Sandpiper, the 18-foot Sanderling and the Marshall 22.  Arey’s Pond Boat Yard (also on Cape Cod) makes traditional catboats 12’ and up, with their 14-footer being the best-selling model.  Florida-based Com-Pac Yachts produces a line of trailerable gaff-rigged catboats 14-20’ with less wood trim that are more affordable then the high-end boats that Marshall and Arey’s Pond makes.

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Beetle Cats , however, are catboats that are nimble sailers.  The design of this lightweight (for a catboat) 12-footer goes back to 1921 and four thousand of them have been built.  There are plenty of used ones available but you can buy new ones in wood from Beetle, Inc. on Cape Cod and in fiberglass from Howard Boats , also on Cape Cod. 

best beachable sailboat

The Drascombe Lugger and its many relatives are triple-propulsion boats: they can be rowed, sailed or powered by an outboard motor in a built-in motor well.  It should go without saying that design compromises mean that they are not high-performance sailboats, rowboats or motorboats.   They are traditional looking open boats with a Gunter rigged mainsail and a small mizzen.  They are made in the United Kingdom so even though more than 2000 have been produced there are not a lot of used ones available in North America.  Expect to pay top dollar or even to have to buy a new one, unless you live in the UK.  There is no cabin on the Lugger but people use them for beach camping on extended cruises because they have plenty of storage space and shallow draft.  Their design is based on traditional English fishing boats that had to be beachable.  The Lugger is 18’ 9” but Drascombe makes many other models including the 15 ½ – foot Dabber and the 21’ 9” Longboat, all essentially the same except for the size.  The Norseboat 17.5 , “the Swiss Army Knife of boats”, made in Canada, is a modern alternative.  It is advertised as a sailing/rowing boat but with a beam of just 5’ 2”, round bilges and low freeboard it looks tender.  I would sail it in light air; I’m not sure how it would do in a gale. 

Cornish Crabbers and Shrimpers are also based on traditional fishing boats, and are also made in England.   However, most of these are heavy keelboats that violate my “not more than twenty feet and not over one ton” rule.  Even the popular 19’ Shrimper is really over 22’ with the bowsprit and weighs over a ton.  Also, since they are made in England there are not that many of them available in North America, unless you want to pay for a new one. 

best beachable sailboat

Flying Scot: I used to sail one of these.  I single-handed it and found that this boat is really too big and powerful to single-hand very well.  The mainsail was bigger than a barn door.  Mine had no reef points.  I would come screaming back to the dock at the end of the sail thinking “geez, I sure hope I can stop this beast…” It’s not tippy, just has a lot of power.  You could water ski from one.  The company that makes them, Flying Scot, Inc . is located on a small lake in western Maryland; maybe it’s not very windy there.  Also, there is no place in the cockpit or forepeak or even on deck to lay out a sleeping bag for an overnight; it’s strictly a daysailer and racer.  That’s unusual for a boat that is 19’ long and almost seven feet wide. 

Cape Cod Mercury Sloop: Don’t confuse this with the 18’ “Mercury Class” boats; this boat is 15’ long.  It is a favorite with camps, sailing schools and community boating programs but it looks kinda generic and institutional – I don’t think that many people buy these for their own personal use.  At least all the ones I’ve ever seen have been in institutional fleets.  Come to think of it, there are other sailboats like that, the Flying Junior for instance.  Cape Cod Shipbuilding makes Mercury Sloops. 

Whitehalls are rowing boats.   They were originally water taxis in New York City.  So they are light in weight, and have narrow beams and low freeboard.  Today you can get Whitehalls with sail rigs but these light, narrow, low hulls aren’t ideal for sailing.  I would only sail one in gentle conditions, and gentle conditions are uncommon where I live.  Whitehall Rowing & Sail and Gig Harbor Boat Works (both in the Pacific Northwest) are two companies that produce them with sail rigs. 

best beachable sailboat

So there you have it – every boat has a story that explains why it looks the way it does.  Many of the stories have happened on or near Cape Cod.  If you live there, you are lucky to be surrounded by all these pretty boats. 

Poem: Sailing Alone – by Michael Wing

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Author | Teacher | Scientist

Better Sailing

What Makes a Good Blue Water Cruising Sailboat

What Makes a Good Blue Water Cruising Sailboat

Before we get started, to analyze the features that make a good sailboat, I’d like to have you all take a seat please— and stop sharpening those knives! That includes you, sir, with the calloused hands and wood shavings in your beard! 

For some reason, boat talk can bring out the ogre in some people, which is too bad. One of the great things about sailing is the incredible diversity of sailboats to do it in: big sailboats, little sailboats, wide sailboats, skinny sailboats, monohulls, multihulls, wood sailboats, fiberglass sailboats, steel sailboats, aluminum sailboats—even sailboats made of cement! The number of sailboat types that continue to be built and sailed, even today, is truly incredible.

My own “breakthrough” in appreciating boat diversity came a few years ago on a bareboat charter cruise on Lake Erie with my wife. As I’ve intimated elsewhere, there was a time when I wanted nothing to do with any boat that wasn’t either a racer or an old classic with heartbreaking overhangs. Then along came this charter aboard a 34-footer of the type I had always dismissed as being the epitome of a soulless “plastic” cruiser.

In fact, I had barely set foot aboard that little trim vessel before I realized how wrong and even downright ignorant I’d been. The marina was as crowded as a shopping mall on the day after Thanksgiving, but we backed that handy little sloop out of her slip and turned toward the channel pretty as you please. A couple of hours later, a line of thunderheads rumbled in from the northwest, and we had to reef down for a bit of a squall, but again, there was no problem—despite some hail and about 35 knots of wind.

That night we relaxed in the comfortable cockpit, slowly working our way through a bottle of wine. Then we went below for a good night’s rest in the boat’s spacious aft stateroom. The next morning we awoke refreshed, had breakfast, and then headed back out onto the lake, ready and eager to do it all over again. In short, we had an absolutely fantastic time, and the boat performed splendidly in every way. It really was a revelation, both the quality of the boat and the realization of my own pig-headedness. 

This is not to say that all boats are good for all purposes. Deepwater cruisers need to meet certain criteria that make them markedly different from top-flight racers. The same goes for daysailers and coastal cruisers. The point is, each design has to be judged on its merits and in the context of the boat’s intended purpose. Assuming the builder has successfully executed the design, whether or not the boat is a good one ultimately depends on the sailor.

What Makes a Blue Water Sailboat

>>Also Read: Sailing Pre-Departure Checklist

What Makes a Good Blue Water Sailboat?

When it comes to crossing oceans with a sailboat, you obviously need a sturdy, reliable boat in the event you meet serious winds. The ideal bluewater cruiser, however, can’t be simply a waterborne tank—otherwise, it will take forever and a day to get anywhere, and you’ll be sitting duck for any storm heading your direction. In addition, the ideal cruising boat needs to take care of its crew on days when it isn’t blowing stink—days that far outnumber the stormy ones. It also needs to provide a comfortable place to rest and relax at the end of a day’s sail—not a trivial consideration, as even the most dedicated cruiser spends substantially more time at anchor or tied to the dock than out on the briny. Even an aggressive circumnavigation schedule will generally allow the crew two days in port for every day of sailing.

Finally, a bluewater cruiser needs to be both seaworthy and sea-kindly in its design and construction—that is, it must be able to both stand up to the rigors of heavy weather and spare the crew undue fatigue in the course of a typical passage. This is a boat that sails well but doesn’t require tremendous effort to keep it in trim. It’s a boat that tracks well—i.e., it’s steady on its helm—and has easy motion, so the crew doesn’t get banged up every time the weather starts kicking up some waves.

Here Is A Short List of Characteristics That Make a Good Offshore Sailboat

Structure and equipment installation.

To be truly seaworthy, a boat must be structurally sound and its equipment correctly installed. The hull-to-deck joint must be well made, and all bulkheads and other interior structural elements should be securely bonded to the underside of the deck and inside of the hull. Equally important, items like hatches, rudder bearings, and steering gear need to be robustly constructed and robustly installed, so they can withstand the force of a crashing sea.

On deck, a deepwater cruiser should have tall stanchions set in sturdy bases. It will often have bulwarks—or at the very least, toerails—to brace your feet against if you ever find yourself sliding down the deck when the boat is on its ear. There should be plenty of sturdy handrails along the cabintop so that you never have to make any kind of “leap of faith,” lunging from one handhold to the next when moving forward to the mast or foredeck. There should also be adequate side deck space between the cabin trunk and the bulwarks or toerail so that going forward isn’t a struggle. And, of course, the side decks and foredeck should be surfaced with aggressive nonskid. Beware of stylishly molded cabin trunks—their gracefully curved surfaces can be treacherous in rough weather.

What Makes a Good Offshore Sailboat

>>Also Read: Cruising Sailboats – Parts and Features

Hull Design

The hull of a good cruising sailboat should have relatively low freeboard (distance from the waterline to the upper edge of the deck) to minimize the impact of windage in extreme weather. It should also have a moderate beam, a bit of forefoot beneath the waterline, and a full keel or a moderately proportioned fin keel to help with heaving. The cockpit should be large enough to be comfortable in normal conditions but not overly large. If you’re ever pooped, a too-large cockpit will hold that much more water, the weight of which can depress your stern and make you vulnerable to being pooped again.

All deepwater boats should have a bridgedeck “step” of sorts between the front of the cockpit and the companionway leading below, so water from a flooded cockpit won’t slop into the cabin. The cockpit should also be equipped with large drains to allow water that comes aboard to leave as quickly as possible.

Finally, a blue water cruiser must have a safe limit of positive stability (LPS)—at least 120 degrees, although higher is better—to prevent it from capsizing in heavy seas. LPS is the heel angle at which the hull and keel stop resisting the capsizing forces of the wind and waves and actually abet them until the boat is completely inverted. In addition, the LPS dictates how stable a boat will be when it’s upside down—in other words, how easily the boat will re-right itself. As Calder explains, a sailboat with an LPS of 100 degrees will, in theory, remain inverted for about 5 minutes before it’s righted again by wave action.

A sailboat with an LPS of 120, on the other hand, should right itself in about 2 minutes. A sailboat with an LPS of 140 will theoretically pop right back up almost as soon as it goes over. Think about how long you can hold your breath—and about how long your hatches, hatchboards, vents, and portlights will hold when the boat is upside down in surging conditions. A couple of minutes could make all the difference in the world. For the record, many sailors believe that an LPS of 115 degrees is acceptable on an offshore boat.

What Makes a Good Cruising Sailboat - Cruising Sailboats Hull Type

>>Also Read: Full Vs Fin Keel On Sailboats

Comfort and Ease of Sailing

Many of the features that make for a seaworthy boat also make for a seakindly one. A sailboat with a moderate length-to-beam ratio, a bit of forefoot, and a full keel or moderately proportioned fi n, for example, not only heaves-to well but also tends to track better. Granted, the boat might not be the fastest thing on the water, but what cruising sailor wants to continually tweak and trim to eke out that last fraction of a knot of boat speed anyway? Likewise, a solid masthead rig with a moderate sail area will get you where you want to go without springing any nasty little surprises.

In Nigel Calder’s (sailing writer) words, “On a cruising boat, it is a fundamental mistake to gear the concept of fast passage making to maximizing the absolute speed potential of a boat at the expense of ease of handling, comfortable motion, stability, security, and other highly desirable attributes. Exhilarating performance can be fun in the short term but extremely fatiguing in the long term. Instead, the goal should be to achieve good sustained performance in all kinds of conditions in an environment that is as relaxing and as much fun as it can be.”

A deepwater boat should have V-shaped sections in the bow that will allow the hull to slice through the waves on a beat or close reach, instead of slapping and pounding. It should also be stiff enough to carry sail, but not so stiff that it has a “snappy” motion when coming off a swell—which calls for a moderate L/B to ensure adequate but not too much form stability. In this same vein, a boat with a moderate to heavy displacement-to-length ratio—unlike a featherweight speedster—tends to pass smoothly through the waves instead of bouncing over them or simply bobbing on top of them like an oversized cork.

Offshore Cruising Sailboat Example

>>Also Read: Must-Have Boat Safety Equipment For Sailing

Accommodations

The list in this category is pretty exhaustive. An ocean is a big place, but for the crew of a sailboat on passage, it’s essentially no bigger than the boat’s LOA (Length Overall). Nonetheless, the shortlist includes adequate sea berths, a galley that can be safely used in a seaway, plenty of storage, and a cockpit that’s comfortable and safe for watchkeeping.

When it comes to sea berths, simpler is better. Each berth needs to be a little more than 6 feet long and located no farther forward than around amidships. The motion in a forepeak berth in any kind of seaway will make sleeping impossible. Berths should also be parallel with the boat’s centerline, not angled dramatically inward. Otherwise, either your head or feet will be higher whenever the boat heels while you’re trying to sleep. Finally, sea berths should be straight to avoid cramped shoulders or feet. This consideration may seem obvious, but many modern cruising boats are equipped with curved or angled settees—those seats in the saloon that double as sea berths underway— which look great at boat shows but can be absolutely miserable for sleeping.

In the galley, you need a cooking area that not only includes the necessary equipment for preparing meals—stove, microwave, oven, cutting board, and the like—but a layout that will make cooking safe and as easy as possible when the boat is sailing on its ear. The key is a wraparound layout, in which the counters form a U or G shape, so you can brace yourself against an opposing counter or in a corner and free your hands for cooking.

Sinks should be deep and as close to the centerline as possible, where the motion is less severe. Fiddles—the little walls or barriers surrounding the countertops to stop things from sliding off —need to be tall and perpendicular, not low and artistically rounded. The galley should be located as close to the companionway as possible for ventilation and ease of passing snacks or coffee to crewmembers on deck. A location near the companionway also puts the galley well aft, where hull motion is easier.

Bluewater Sailboat

>>Also Read: What To Wear When Sailing

You can never have too much storage. Extended cruising requires a tremendous amount of storage space—for everything from charts to food to spare engine parts and toothpaste—and unless your boat is 50 feet or longer, there’s barely enough room for everything. Not only that, storage space can be surprisingly scarce even in larger cruisers, as designers struggle to shoehorn in more and more accommodations per foot of LOA. The double-size quarter berths tucked under the cockpits of many newer boats may look great. Still, the only way to fit them in is to eliminate a voluminous amount of storage that is otherwise available under the cockpit seats.

Large staterooms in the bow take away hull volume that could otherwise house wet lockers for storing damp foul-weather gear, and “sugar scoop” transoms with those oh-so-convenient swim steps leave no room for lazarettes—those wonderfully spacious lockers located aft of the cockpit. Next time you’re at a boat show, do a quick inventory of that 45-foot beauty with the multiple heads and staterooms. See what’s behind some of those lovely cherry-finished doors, and tally up the total storage area—including those “cabinets” that are so tiny they’re essentially useless. You may be surprised that a “big” boat can actually have remarkably little room for putting things away.

The cockpit should be the right size to “enclose” the on-watch crew—usually one person unless the boat and crew are very large—so they don’t have to worry about being washed around in heavy weather conditions. A cockpit’s width and length are key; there are few things in this life more reassuring than tucking yourself in where the cockpit seat meets the cabin trunk and having your feet braced against the cockpit seat or seat back to leeward— an unrealized comfort if the cockpit is too wide. In addition, all the necessary control lines should be close at hand. The helmsman shouldn’t have to let go of the wheel or tiller when trimming either the main or the jib sheets. The cockpit should also have several strong points where you can secure a safety harness and easy access to jacklines without having to expose yourself to the waves.

What a Good Sailboat Cockpit Looks Like

What Makes a Good Offshore Blue Water Sailboat? – Summary

To reiterate, these are just a few features of a good cruising sailboat—albeit critical ones.  The real key that makes a good offshore sailboat is to find one that’s functional and moderate in the areas of sailing and accommodations; fast but not too fast; roomy but not too roomy; and in which everything has a purpose.  After all, crossing an ocean in a tiny sailboat is serious business—tremendously satisfying, but serious nonetheless.

Peter

Peter is the editor of Better Sailing. He has sailed for countless hours and has maintained his own boats and sailboats for years. After years of trial and error, he decided to start this website to share the knowledge.

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7 Best Sailboats Under $20,000

Best Sailboats Under $20,000 | Life of Sailing

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

December 27, 2023

You can buy a fully-equipped and serviceable sailboat for less than $20,000 on the used market. Most of these vessels are fiberglass sloops.

Used sailboats between 20 and 30 feet in length can be found for between $10,000 and $20,000 nationwide, especially on the coast. Catalina, O'Day, and Islander sailboats are common in this price range and lots of fun to sail.

Table of contents

What to Look for When Buying a Used Sailboat

When buying a used sailboat, it's essential to carefully inspect the vessel and look for flaws and structural issues. Sailboats in this price range are often ready to sail or just need minor improvements.

For the price, an older fiberglass 20 to 30-foot sailboat should be in good to excellent condition. Here's what to look for when buying a used sailboat and what to expect in the sub-$20,000 range.

Overall Condition

The overall condition of the boat is important, as it gives you an idea of how well the vessel was maintained. A sailboat with a clean, glossy hull, a solid deck, fresh varnish, and polished brass is an excellent sign of a responsible owner.

However, a sailboat with rust, corroded aluminum parts, a filthy hull, and a moldy interior was likely neglected in more ways than one. The first impressions of a sailboat can give you a pretty good idea of what lies below the surface.

Hull and Deck

Fiberglass boats are quite impervious to weather and corrosion, but problems occur when water penetrates the hull. Soft spots form around areas where the fiberglass cracks and water permeates.

Look for 'dented' areas of the deck where water pools up, as deformities can be a sign of something worse going on underneath. Check the bilge for excessive water but be mindful that some boats came with 'wet' bilges.

Does the vessel have all of its standing rigging tightened and maintained? What about sails, halyards, and sheets? If the rigging is present and neatly organized, it's a good sign that you're getting your money's worth.

If the vessel has an inboard motor, check the condition and fire it up. Inboards can be an expensive nightmare if they're neglected, which is often the case on used sailboats. See how it runs and make sure it responds to forward and reverse.

Sailboats are notorious for poor wiring and electrical issues. Much of the time, sailboats were shoddily wired from the factory, and sometimes the issue is related to improper maintenance or water damage.

Check the switchboard and make sure everything works. Try the radio, cabin lights, engine starter, hydraulic systems, and bilge pumps. A few broken lights or dead outlets are acceptable, but an electrically-neglected vessel can be a nightmare and a navigational hazard.

Best Affordable Used Sailboats Under 20k

Owning a used sailboat is a great way to explore local waterways and occupy the weekends. Sailboats made by well-known manufacturers were produced in huge numbers in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

These vessels are seaworthy and affordable, which makes them an excellent choice for budget-friendly sailing. Here are seven of the best used sailboats for under $20,000.

7. West Wight Potter 19

{{boat-info="/boats/west-wight-potter-19"}}

It's difficult to omit the West Wight Potter 19 from a list of the best affordable sailboats for under $20,000, as this vessel is exceptional by almost every metric. The West Wight Potter 19 is the ultimate small trailer sailboat.

The vessel is a V-bottom sloop with a fiberglass hull and a centerboard. It was introduced in 1971 and has since become very popular from the United States all the way to Australia. It's a hardy coastal and inland cruising vessel that's made occasional offshore trips, including one from San Francisco to Hawaii.

It measures just under 19 feet overall and has a width of 7 feet 6 inches. With the keel up, it has a draft of only 6 inches, making it a beachable and trailerable cruising boat.

For its size, the West Wight Potter 19 has spacious accommodations below. It features a center-mounted split galley with a stove and a sink, along with space for a head below the stove.

A V-berth upfront offers sleeping quarters for two, and two additional berths aft bring the comfortable capacity up to four. The centerboard trunk in the center of the cabin features rigging to raise, lower, and lock the centerboard.

The West Wight Potter 19 features a fast-rigging system that allows one person to raise and rig the mast in just a few minutes. It's easy to sail, safe, and plenty of fun. Plus, the hull features positive floatation foam, which makes it quite literally unsinkable.

6. Contessa 26

{{boat-info="/boats/contessa-26"}}

The Contessa 26 is a unique and capable mid-sized sailboat. It's a fast boat and a common sight at long-range regattas like the singlehanded TransPac race from San Francisco to Hawaii.

The Contessa 26 was produced starting in 1966, but the design dates much further back. The basic hull shape of the Contessa 26 was based on a Nordic Folkboat designed in the late 1930s for speed and agility at sea. As it turned out, the design also proved to be quite seaworthy.

The Contessa 26 was produced up until the end of the 1970s. She measures 25.5 feet overall, with a waterline length of 20 feet. The Contessa 26 has a reasonable beam of 7.5 feet, giving it good stability and seakeeping characteristics without sacrificing speed or handling.

The Contessa 26 is not a trailerable sailboat by most definitions, as it weighs 5,400 lbs and has a 4-foot draft. It has a full ballast keel, which makes it a stout offshore sailing platform. That said, its relatively small draft makes it safe to operate in shallow inland waters.

The accommodations of the Contessa 26 are excellent for its size, and it comfortably sleeps between one and five adults. It features standing headroom, a basic galley, a head with shower, and a standard V-berth upfront.

Space below leaves much to be desired, as vessels like the Catalina 30 outshine it significantly. But overall, the Contessa 26 is an excellent cruising sailboat with a classic design and sharp performance.

5. Catalina 30

{{boat-info="/boats/catalina-30"}}

The Catalina 30 is one of the best used sailboats available for coastal and offshore cruising. If spacious accommodations are important to you, then you can't go wrong with this 30-foot Catalina sloop.

The vessel features a tall and stout Bermuda rig with an aluminum mast and standard rigging. The Catalina 30 measures 29.92 feet overall, with a length of 25 feet at the waterline. With a beam of 10.83 feet, the Catalina 30 is a wide and stable vessel.

Catalina 30 sailboats feature a long fin keel and a relatively deep 5.25-foot draft, which requires care when operating in shallow water. However, offshore the Catalina 30 has proven to be a seaworthy and well-handling vessel.

Overall, the Catalina 30 weighs just over 10,200 lbs. She's not exactly trailerable, but most marinas can haul out a Catalina 30 without too much trouble.

Interior accommodations on board are stellar. With sleeping room for seven adults, the Catalina 30 is a fantastic family boat. It features a full galley, a head and shower, a chart table, and a spacious dinette.

Over 6,000 Catalina 30 sailboats have been produced since 1972, making it one of the most popular sailboats ever built. A decent used Catalina 30 can be had for around $10,000 to $15,000 on the used market.

4. Islander 28

{{boat-info="/boats/islander-28"}}

Another popular and classic 1970s fiberglass sloop is the Islander 28. Launched in 1975, the Islander 28 is an affordable and well-handling sailboat with a reputation for durability and seaworthiness.

The Islander 28 is a masthead sloop with a spade rudder and a fin keel. It displaces 7,000 lbs and has a relatively wide 9.83-foot beam. The Islander 28 measures 27.92 feet overall with a waterline length of 23.08 feet.

Islander sailboats are some of the most common vessels of the 1970s and 1980s. And though not as numerous as the Catalina 30, the Islander 28 is still a popular boat on the used market.

Islander 28 sailboats aren't exactly shoal draft, but their moderate 5-foot draft means they're safe to operate in most harbors. And while not technically trailerable, the Islander 28 is small and light enough to be hauled out and repaired in most boatyards.

The Islander 28 sleeps six adults comfortably and features full accommodations below. These include two seats, a galley, a table, a head with shower, and a V-berth forward.

An Islander 28 is a wise choice for coastal and offshore cruising. It's a stout, safe, and fun boat for the family, and it's easy for moderately experienced sailors to handle. A decent used fully-equipped Islander 28 can be found for less than $20,000 on the used market.

3. Compac 23

{{boat-info="/boats/com-pac-23"}}

Compac is a well-known sailboat manufacturer with a long history of producing swift compact cruising boats. The Compac 23 is a large sailboat in a miniature package.

This vessel is ideal for those looking for a small and easy to handle sailboat with spacious accommodations. It features a fiberglass hull, an extensive cabin, and a shallow draft of just over 2 feet.

The Compac 23 has an overall length of just an inch shy of 24 feet, and a beam of 8 feet. Its dimensions make it stable and easy to handle, and it doesn't heel excessively. Overall, the Compac 23 displaces 3,000 lbs.

The interior accommodations of the Compac 23 set it apart from other vessels in its size category. The interior features a separated galley with a sink and a stove, seats, and a V-berth upfront. It also has plenty of well-thought-out storage space throughout the cabin.

The Compac 23 is also available with a pilothouse configuration, which features standing headroom and a clever table arrangement aft. The vessel features a skeg rudder and a long fixed fin keel, which removes the cumbersome centerboard trunk from the cabin.

{boat-info="/boats/cal-25"}}

The Cal 25 is a formidable cruiser for its size. While technically a fin- keel sailboat , the Cal 25 features a long ballast keel that offers superior stability and windward performance.

Some would consider the Cal 25 a "flush-deck" sailboat, as the top section of the cabin runs flush with the bow to the cockpit. This design increases cabin space and improves the lines of the boat.

The Cal 25 was produced between 1965 and 1976, making it one of the older fiberglass sloops on our list. That said, Cal Yachts build quality is excellent, and many serviceable examples of the 1,848 original Cal 25 sailboats still exist.

The vessel measures 25 feet overall, with a waterline length of 20 feet. She has a beam of exactly 8 feet and a relatively shallow draft of just 4 feet. The Cal 25 has a modest displacement of 4,000 lbs, making it a relatively practical trailer-sailer option.

The Cal 25 usually came with an outboard motor instead of an inboard to save space. The helm is controlled by a tiller, which maneuvers a skeg rudder located underneath the cockpit. With the mast collapsed, the Cal 25 is a great sailboat for winter storage and summer use.

The level of fit and finish varies between boats, as some were outfitted with finer wood and more premium features than others. The cockpit is spacious for its size, and the cabin headroom is excellent. The Compac 23 is an ideal used shoal-draft cruising sailboat in the sub-$20,000 category, and it's still produced today.

1. Catalina 22

{{boat-info="/boats/catalina-22"}}

The Catalina 22 was the first sailboat of countless families across the United States. This sleek 22-foot vessel was designed to be the perfect 'starter boat' for sailors who wanted to explore inland waterways and coastal areas.

The Catalina 22 was first introduced in 1969. It has an overall length of 21.5 feet and a beam of 7.67 feet. Catalina 22 sailboats are truly trailerable, as most come with a retractable swing keel. With the keel or centerboard down, the Catalina 22 has a draft of 5 feet.

The Catalina 22 is the most popular sailboat ever produced in its class. With over 15,000 built, this vessel is common on the used market, and parts are abundant. Overall, a standard Catalina 22 sloop weighs around 2,490 lbs, making it practical to tow behind most half-ton pickup trucks or V8 SUVs.

Fiberglass boats like the Catalina 22 are an excellent choice for first-time sailors looking for a fun and capable family boat with overnight accommodations. The Catalina 22 sleeps four adults comfortably, but five can fit if the crew are comfortable with a tighter arrangement.

The most unique feature of the Catalina 22 is its camper-like pop top. The top of the cabin, which normally provides sitting headroom, can be popped up several inches past the original height. This is an excellent feature for cooking at anchor, as it provides standing headroom over the galley and part of the settee.

Pre-owned Catalina 22 sailboats in ready-to-sail configuration run anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000. Fiberglass sailboats like the Catalina 22 make excellent freshwater or saltwater daysailers, and some have completed lengthier offshore voyages.

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7 Best Sailboats Under $20,000

I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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Catalina 12.5 Expo

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best beachable sailboat

The Catalina Expo 12.5 is a fun machine. Thanks to the SmartRig® and Hoyt boom, getting underway has never been this quick and easy! There are no stays, no chainplates, and no halyards. Putting the boat away is also a snap, as both mast and boom are deck-stepped and removable by hand, without any tools, in minutes. This is one boat every member of the family and friends will want to sail all day long.

The tapered one piece carbon fiber mast means more sail power, with less weight aloft. The rotating SmartRig mast acts as a reefing line and furling drum to shorten or increase sail effortlessly. The same line even rolls the sail completely around the mast for storage.

The Expo 12.5 has a seat across the cockpit, perfect for a crew member who is just learning to sail, or just wants a comfortable place to enjoy the ride. Best of all the Expo 12.5 is a Catalina and is built with the same quality materials and attention to detail as every other model we build. Standard items include a one-piece fiberglass deck with molded-in non-skid and hand laid fiberglass hull. Full flotation inside the hull means the 12.5 is virtually unsinkable. The Expo 12.5 is perfect for the new or experienced sailor who want a great handling sailboat that is non-technical.

Simple to rig, exciting to sail, the 12.5 is all about fun on the water.

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Photos, video show collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge after cargo ship collision

best beachable sailboat

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland collapsed Tuesday into the Patapsco River after it was struck by a large cargo ship.

The bridge's collapse has prompted huge emergency response, with the Baltimore City Fire Department describing the collapse as a mass-casualty incident, and rescue crews searching for seven people in the river. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has declared a state of emergency.

Baltimore  Mayor Brendon Scott  said on X that he was aware of the incident and was en route to the bridge. "Emergency personnel are on scene, and efforts are underway," he said.

The 1.6 mile, 4-lane bridge named for the author of the "Star-Spangled Banner," was the second-longest continuous-truss bridge span in the United States and third in the world.

Follow here for live updates → Baltimore's Key Bridge collapses after ship collision; rescue effort underway

Photos show collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore

Videos show francis scott key bridge's collapse.

The bridge's collapse, which came after it was struck by a container ship, was distributed on social media.

What did the Francis Scott Key Bridge look like before it was hit?

Contributing: Charles Ventura, Thao Nguyen and Susan Miller, USA TODAY .

Best Plunderstorm Skills for a Solo Victory in Patch 10.2.6

Best offensive skills for plunderstorm, storm archon, holy shield, best utility skills for plunderstorm, steel traps, fade to shadow, quaking leap, best skill combos for plunderstorm, best offensive skill combos for plunderstorm.

  • Fire Whirl + Rime Arrow
  • Fire Whirl + Storm Archon
  • Fire Whirl + Holy Shield

Best Utility Skill Combos for Plunderstorm

  • Steel Traps + Fade to Shadow
  • Steel Traps + Quaking Leap
  • Steel Traps + Repel
  • Repel + Quaking Leap
  • Repel + Fade to Shadow
  • Fade to Shadow + Windstorm
  • Quaking Leap + Windstorm
  • Repel + Windstorm

Comment by papatranq

Comment by tsuyoiayakashi.

cringe to support meta gaming, I would delete this article and write no more like it !

Comment by Daemer

min maxing a limited time event that isn't even yet available worldwide, the community is a clownfest

Comment by Kryonyx

Can't wait for the wowhead weekly "BIS Plunderstorm Abilities" list.

Comment by Gleem

Oh my god, gamers, notorious for optimizing the fun out of video games, have once again optimized the fun out of a video game. Who could have predicted this? Seriously though, the difference in quality between powers isn't even close. I literally had this exact setup by my third match, it was so obvious. The power imbalance is such that not playing optimally is a pretty huge disadvantage, lol. But yeah, if you guys don't want to play online games with min/maxers, sadly your only real choice is to... not play online games.

Comment by duffdog7576

Should write an article about controller player and how this is the beginning of WoW on consoles. Swear this is how the game is going to exist in the future.

Comment by Malruned

I just got my first win with a rank 4 fire whirl, it let me get so many double kills by jumping people busy dueling. Will probably be nerfed but hey I got the achievement, exploit early and often boys.

Comment by SinR

Can't wait for the wowhead weekly "BIS Plunderstorm Abilities" list. Coming Soon: WoWHead Article showing the coolest 1v1 victories. and the same article the next week. and the week after that. And that. AND THEN ANOTHER ONE THE NEXT WEEK. Gotta get that Ad Revenue somehow :)

Comment by HeBeard

min maxing a limited time event that isn't even yet available worldwide, the community is a clownfest The rep is a huge grind and winning gives substantially more than placing even close to top.

Comment by Vyvian

Is it really necessary to min/max day 1 of a casual event?

Comment by Kalados

whining in these comments is unbelievable and hilarious, touch grass, i'm having a blast. Skill issue

Comment by BustingBrig

I'm going to wait until the increase the reputation earned on these events. It's not fun to wait for the game to start to only get bad RNG and get killed by someone else who got the good ability. There needs to be a minimum reward payout to those who participate.

Comment by WolfQueen

min maxing a limited time event that isn't even yet available worldwide, the community is a clownfest The rep is a huge grind and winning gives substantially more than placing even close to top. This. I've been at it for 2 hours now and barely out of Renown 3.

Comment by leeroy1010

Comment by razz0r65.

min maxing a limited time event that isn't even yet available worldwide, the community is a clownfest What did you expect? This is how it's been since TBC, only reason we did not do it earlier is cause of lack of info classic is evidence of that get used to it or leave for another game. This game will always be min maxed to high hell, all this constant &*!@#ing about min maxing or add-ons or whatever. Just quit playing it's never ever going away just constant moaning go out touch some grass. Or don't just accept the game is not for you and move on with your life

Comment by takasinners

Predictable.

min maxing a limited time event that isn't even yet available worldwide, the community is a clownfest The rep is a huge grind and winning gives substantially more than placing even close to top. I can get around 500 rep with a pretty efficient spawn as long as there's no competition (something that's... surprisingly easy to do). I can hit 500 rep in about 3 minutes. If I push through the rest of the match which can take a while (people hide until the last minute when there's nowhere to go), I'll get around 800 rep. It's FAR easier to intentionally throw after you blitz collecting gold, and it's way more time efficient. You leave after about 3 minutes and re-queue (another 2 minutes), getting around 1k per 10 minutes of farming, vs trying to win which it itself can cost over 10 minutes not including re-queues, and you likely won't get 1k rep for it. It's legit faster to play this event as a pve speedrun than it is to treat it as a pvp battle royal.

Comment by Razzileth

Putting renown into this was probably a mistake especially since they made it an oldschool blizzard grind.

Comment by Kerathras

min maxing a limited time event that isn't even yet available worldwide, the community is a clownfest The rep is a huge grind and winning gives substantially more than placing even close to top. This. I've been at it for 2 hours now and barely out of Renown 3. Oh geez, so we’re looking at something like 40 hours? If you do this for 2 hours a day that’s 3 weeks! Count me out, lol!

Comment by Oritaku77

Here is a build I went with: - lvl 10 by the end of it - Rime Arrow (lvl 4) - Divine Shield (lvl 1); if I had it higher level it would've been even smoother - That pulsing AoE frost ability around you (lvl 4) - The Blink+Vanish ability (lvl 4) - For utility I had was one of them camouflaged stealth bushes. If I found a motorcycle I would drop the bush, spawn the bike, then grab the bush to again to hold onto it. Same with other disposables like summoning a parrot to fight alongside you. IMO, a decent strat is to acquire levels quickly to outpace other players. Focus on clearing elite and normal NPCs and opening treasures. Avoid big fights unless you're at least 2 levels above your enemies. If it's a 1v1 try and be equal level at least. You'll also need to get lucky and find a good combo of abilities to use and then level it all up. Easier said than done, of course. The build I won with had just about all I needed at the moment. Spamming Rime Arrow on cooldown chips away HP at range. Followed up by the Divine Shield's explosion does good damage. Frost AoE if in a melee scuffle and vanish out when you see the enemy waste a cooldown like Fire Whirl. Played safe. As for the Stealth Bush, I got toward the middle of where the storm was approaching toward the final minute of the game and used it on top of some others. I was impossible to notice. Although, it was really luck on my side. The storm closed on the golden large altar within Stormgarde toward the main garrison. Everyone had to enter the city from the eastern gate and loop around through the storm to get there. I did so first before anyone else and that essentially is what sealed my win. Anyone around me trying to evade the storm I'd hit with an ability then ensure I broke line of sight by stealthing. So I waited in stealth and... a lvl 3 tauren shows up. It's me, lvl 10, versus a lvl 3 that was seeking to win by attrition. Turned 'em into a pile hamburger and got the W.

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2022 Boat of the Year: Best Full-Size Cruiser

  • By Cruising World Editors
  • December 15, 2021

During and in the four days immediately following the US Sailboat show in Annapolis, Maryland, the  Cruising World  judges inspected and sailed on 27 boats vying for recognition. Learn more about the boats in our  2022 Boat of the Year  »

It’s fitting that the category of uncompromising world cruisers comes from different corners of the world: the Far East, Sweden, France. On top of that, the three vessels vying for victory in this Full-Size category are testaments to the fact that there are many ways, in both systems and construction, to skin the proverbial cat. Electric propulsion (Salona 46); metal construction (Cigale 16); twin rudders, and advanced onboard power storage and distribution (Hylas H57). In different aspects, each of these nominees are state-of-the-art. They collectively prove that if you wish to sail far, you can go your own way.

French boatbuilder Alubat has a long and impressive history of building aluminum sailboats that have taken adventurous sailors far into the high latitudes. The yard’s range of Ovnis date back to 1974, and feature a centerboard design that allows them to cross oceans, then slip into thin waters where other cruisers might not venture. In 1994, the yard began to build keel yachts under the Cigale range. The company also offers the Ovnicat, a 48-foot aluminum multihull.

Evidence of how the company has evolved over time is exhibited by the Cigale 16 , the boat our judges inspected and sailed during the 2022 Boat of the Year contest. “It’s a Marc Lombard design, so more performance-oriented than earlier boats,” judge Tim Murphy said. “There’s more luxury here; it’s a new direction. 

“The Cigale’s layout down below is really intriguing, with the saloon and dinette situated below the cockpit, where there’s also a series of berths, including a couple of pilot berths. The very experienced owner said, on passage, that they never went forward at sea. It’s smart and well-proven.” Forward of the saloon, a passage leads to a double berth and cabin forward, with two additional cabins, one to either side.

The boat features a versatile cutter rig. Tacking upwind, the staysail is easy to manage. Crack off to a reach and roll out the genoa and you can shift gears a bit. Then further off the wind, hoist the colored sail set on a continuous-line furler and you have yet another option for how to get from here to there.

The judges had two reasons to look forward to a sea trial of the Salona 46 , the latest model to be sent Stateside from the company’s yard in Slovenia. First, in fit, finish and gear the flagship of the range promised to be a fine sailing boat, created in collaboration with the team at J&J Design. Secondly, with its twin Oceanvolt ServoProp variable-pitch saildrive units, the 46, imported by San Francisco’s Green Yachts, is definitely one of the leading proponents for electric propulsion in the United States. 

Judge Murphy noted, “There are a lot of things to say about the Salona that are very strong. They’ve got a galvanized grid structure, and that’s a fine way to build a sailboat. It ties all the loads from the rig and keel together and makes for a really stiff boat. And our sail trial was superb. This boat lit up under sail, and was a joy to steer and tweak.”

Indeed. In 8 to 10 knots of breeze, we sailed along closehauled in the 6-knot range and gained another half knot as we cracked off to a reach. The single rudder/twin wheel steering was light and smooth, and the boat responded immediately to any tug or ease on the traveler.

The all-electric propulsion system was equally intriguing. In place of an engine below the companionway steps, Salona installed a sizeable bank of lithium batteries, all controlled by a battery management system that monitors charging and battery health to avoid any potentially dangerous problems. The batteries in turn power two Oceanvolt sail drive units, mounted to the hull under each of the aft-cabin berths. Each drive is capable of regeneration while the boat is sailing, and the theory behind having two is that the batteries can be recharged twice as fast, at a cost of about half a knot of boat speed.

The importer said that in long-range power mode, the 46 should be able to travel approximately 70 miles at a speed of 3 to 3.5 knots. Want to get home quick? You could cruise at 6.6 knots for about 15 miles. In all likelihood an owner with cruising aspiration would install a diesel generator for auxiliary charging.

And added benefit of the twin drives is that you have twin propellers and greater maneuverability. The importer demonstrated in open water how this might be employed in tight quarters and it seemed to work well.

Even with two strong sailing boats in the hunt for top honors, the Hylas H57 still managed to kick things up a notch or two, both dockside and sailing. As the judges reviewed their notes and deliberated over the Full-Size Cruiser entries, there were many reasons that it rose to the top of this highly competitive category.

Judge Gerry Douglas summed things up well: “The Hylas 57 is clearly driven by experienced builders with a vision of what a modern cruising boat can be. This is a new design and a departure from the traditional Hylas look, but it retains the construction and build quality for which the company is renowned. From the Bill Dixon design, integrated sailhandling systems, deck styling and interior finishes, the H57 is a fresh approach that indicates nothing has been taken for granted, but analyzed by experienced sailors to facilitate safe passages and comfortable life aboard.”

Hylas Yachts has had a good track record with previous Boat of the Year judging teams, who in the past have often also cited the systems and workmanship that go into these long-range cruisers, all built in the Queen Long Marine shipyard in Taiwan. It’s a family-owned boatbuilder that’s just recently been handed over to the next generation, and the H57 in part marks the transition.

The boat is packed with systems designed to enable a cruising couple or short-handed crew to handle its power-packed and versatile cutter rig. Sails are set and furled mechanically, and a camera system can monitor their trim (as well as numerous other areas of the boat) and send the video feed to the multifunction displays at either helm and down below at the nav station. This, plus a cockpit that has a hard Bimini overhead and side panels that can enclose it, takes watch keeping in challenging weather to a whole new level.

Judge Ed Sherman noted the thought that went in to how various technologies were used to make handling the boat easier. “I thought they did a great job, actually, in designing the sailing and handling controls. It’s all right there near the helm. And it worked pretty well. I liked that.” And so did his colleagues, which is just one of several reasons they named the H57 Best Full-Size Cruiser.

See even more details on the H57 with our new StoryStream interactive experience by clicking here .

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Best Cruise Insurance Companies of April 2024

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate insurance products to write unbiased product reviews.

A cruise vacation can take much of the stress out of planning a vacation. With a pre-set itinerary on the high seas, you don't have to worry about how you're getting to your destination and what you're going to do there. However, an unexpected emergency can take the wind out of your sails and money out of your travel budget. So you'll want to ensure you have the best travel insurance coverage that won't leave you high and dry in an emergency.

Best Cruise Insurance Companies

  • Nationwide Travel Insurance : Best Overall
  • AXA Assistance USA : Best for Affordability
  • Seven Corners Travel Insurance : Best for Seniors
  • HTH Worldwide Travel Insurance : Best for Expensive Trips
  • World Nomads Travel Insurance : Best for Exotic Locations

Compare the Top Cruise Insurance Offers

Nationwide Nationwide Travel Insurance

  • Trip cancellation coverage of up to 100% of trip costs (for cruises) or up to $30,000 (for single-trip plans)
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Three cruise-specific plans to choose from
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Annual travel insurance plans available
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Strong trip cancellation coverage
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Cancel for any reason coverage available
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. CFAR insurance not available with every single plan
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Medical coverage is lower than what some competitors offer

Nationwide Travel Insurance offers many of the standard benefits you might see with a travel insurance policy. This can include things like trip cancellation coverage, so you can recover pre-paid costs or trip interruption in the event your vacation is interrupted by an unexpected event. There's also baggage delay coverage and medical coverage.

  • Cancel for any reason coverage available

AXA AXA Assistance USA

  • Trip cancellation coverage of up to 100% of the trip cost
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Generous medical evacuation coverage
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Up to $1,500 per person coverage for missed connections on cruises and tours
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Covers loss of ski, sports and golf equipment
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Generous baggage delay, loss and trip delay coverage ceilings per person
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Cancel for any reason (CFAR) coverage only available for most expensive Platinum plan
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. CFAR coverage ceiling only reaches $50,000 maximum despite going up to 75%

AXA Assistance USA keeps travel insurance simple with gold, silver, and platinum plans. Emergency medical and CFAR are a couple of the options you can expect. Read on to learn more about AXA.

  • Silver, Gold, and Platinum plans available
  • Trip interruption coverage of up to 150% of the trip cost
  • Emergency medical coverage of up to $250,000

Seven Corners Seven Corners Travel Insurance

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Diverse coverage options such as CFAR, optional sports equipment coverage, etc.
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Available in all 50 states
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Prices are higher than many competitors
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Reviews around claims processing are mixed
  • Trip cancellation insurance of up to 100% of the trip cost
  • Trip interruption insurance of up to 150% of the trip cost
  • Cancel for any reason (CFAR) insurance available

HTH Worldwide HTH Worldwide Travel Insurance

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Three plans to choose from
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Reasonable premiums
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. CFAR coverage available with some plans
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. High medical emergency and evacuation coverage
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Special coverages for pets, sports equipment, etc not available
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Limited reviews with complaints about claims not being paid
  • Trip cancellation of up to $5,000 with the Economy plan and up to $50,000 with the Preferred plan
  • Cancel for any reason insurance and missed connection insurance available with the Preferred plan
  • Baggage delay insurance starting after 24 or 12 hours depending on the plan

World Nomads World Nomads Travel Insurance

  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Coverage for 200+ activities like skiing, surfing, and rock climbing
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Only two plans to choose from, making it simple to find the right option
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. You can purchase coverage even after your trip has started
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. If your trip costs more than $10,000, you may want to choose other insurance because trip protection is capped at up to $10,000 (for the Explorer plan)
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Doesn't offer coverage for travelers older than 70
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) option
  • Coverage for 150+ activities and sports
  • 2 plans: Standard and Explorer
  • Trip protection for up to $10,000
  • Emergency medical insurance of up to $100,000
  • Emergency evacuation coverage for up to $500,000
  • Coverage to protect your items (up to $3,000)

Cruise Insurance Reviews

Best cruise insurance overall: nationwide travel insurance.

Nationwide Travel Insurance  is a long-standing and reputable brand within the insurance marketplace that offers cruise insurance plans with solid coverage and reasonable rates.

It has three cruise insurance options: Universal, Choice, and Luxury. The Nationwide Choice plan, for example, offers $100,000 in emergency medical coverage and $500,000 in emergency medical evacuation coverage.

The right plan for you depends on your budget and coverage needs. But each plan offers cruise-specific coverages like ship-based mechanical breakdowns, coverage for missed prepaid excursions if your cruise itinerary changes, and covered service disruptions aboard the cruise ship.

Read our Nationwide Travel Insurance review here.

Best Cruise Insurance for Affordability: AXA Travel Insurance

AXA Assistance USA  offers three comprehensive coverage plans: Gold, Silver, and Platinum. Each of these plans offers coverage for issues like missed flights, medical emergencies, lost luggage, and more.

The highest-tier Platinum plan provides $250,000 in medical emergency coverage and $1 million in medical evacuation coverage. The baggage loss coverage is $3,000 per person, and their missed connection coverage is $1,500 per person for cruises and tours.

In addition, travelers can take advantage of AXA's concierge service, which provides an extensive network of international service providers. They'll be able to assist you with things like restaurant reservations and referrals, golf course information, and more. This service could come in handy if you're stopping at a variety of unfamiliar destinations during your cruise.

The coverage limits on AXA's policies are on the higher end compared to other providers. And you can buy coverage for a little as 4% of your trip cost depending on your age, travel destination, and state of residence.

Read our AXA Travel Insurance review here.

Best Cruise Insurance for Seniors: Seven Corners Travel Insurance

Seven Corners Travel Insurance lets cruisers enjoy traveling in their golden years with the knowledge they're covered in the event of an accident or emergency. While other providers do offer coverage to those 80+ years old, Seven Corners is known for its affordable premiums while offering above-average medical expenses and medical evacuation coverage limits — two areas of travel insurance coverage that are even more important as we get older.

Seven Corners also offers the option of a preexisting conditions waiver and CFAR insurance at an additional cost, plus "Trip Interruption for Any Reason" coverage, which you won't find on many policies.

You can choose between the Trip Protection Basic or Trip Protection Choice plans, with the higher-tier Choice plan costing more but providing more coverage.

Read our Seven Corners Travel Insurance review here. 

Best Cruise Insurance for Expensive Trips: HTH Worldwide Travel Insurance

HTH Worldwide Travel Insurance  offers three levels of trip protection: TripProtector Economy, Classic, and Preferred. The higher the tier, the more coverage you'll get for things like baggage delays, trip delays & cancellations, and medical expenses. But their premiums remain reasonable even at the highest tier of coverage.

Not only does the HTH Worldwide Trip Protector Preferred plan offer higher-than-average medical emergency and evacuation coverage limits ($500,000 and $1 million, respectively), but you'll also get a baggage loss coverage limit of $2,000 per person and coverage for trip interruption of up to 200% of the trip cost. You also have the option to add CFAR coverage for an additional cost.

Read our HTH Worldwide Travel Insurance review here.

Best Cruise Insurance for Exotic Locations: World Nomads Travel Insurance

World Nomads Travel Insurance  has been a top choice for comprehensive travel insurance for many years now. And it's a great option when it comes to cruise coverage, too.

Even the most basic Standard Plan comes with $100,000 in medical emergency coverage and $300,000 in emergency evacuation coverage. And you'll get higher coverage limits with their Premium Plan. Plus, unlike many other providers, World Nomads trip cancellation and emergency medical coverage include COVID-19-related issues.

What sets World Nomads apart from many other insurance companies is that its policies cover 200+ adventure sports. This can be important for adventurous cruisers who plan to take part in activities like jet skiing, scuba diving, or parasailing during their cruise.

Read our World Nomads Travel Insurance review here.

Introduction to Cruise Insurance

Cruise insurance may offer unique coverage like missed port of call and medical evacuation coverage. You might not need the flight protections of a regular travel insurance plan if you're catching a cruise at a port near you, but medical and cancel for any reason coverage could be critical.

Understanding the Basics of Cruise Insurance

At its core, cruise insurance is your financial lifeboat, designed to protect you from unforeseen events that could disrupt your sea voyage. Whether it's a sudden illness, adverse weather, or other unexpected occurrences, having the right insurance can make a world of difference.

Why Cruise Insurance is Important

Picture this: You're all set for your dream cruise, but a sudden family emergency means you can't set sail. Or worse, you fall ill in the middle of the ocean. Without cruise insurance, you're not just missing out on an adventure, but also facing potentially huge financial losses. That's why securing cruise insurance isn't just recommended; it's a crucial part of your cruise planning.

Types of Cruise Insurance Coverage

Cruise insurance isn't a one-size-fits-all life jacket. There are various types of coverage, each tailored to protect different aspects of your cruise experience.

Trip Cancellation and Interruption Coverage

This coverage is like your safety net, catching you financially if you need to cancel your trip last minute or cut it short due to emergencies, be it due to personal, health-related, or even certain work conflicts.

Medical Coverage

Being on a cruise shouldn't mean being adrift from medical care. Medical coverage ensures that if you fall ill or get injured, your medical expenses won't sink your finances.

Emergency Evacuation Coverage

In the rare case that you need to be evacuated from the ship due to a medical emergency or severe weather, this coverage ensures you're not left adrift in a sea of expenses.

Baggage and Personal Effects Coverage

Imagine reaching your dream destination only to find your luggage lost at sea. This coverage ensures that lost, stolen, or damaged baggage doesn't dampen your cruise experience.

Buying Cruise Insurance

Securing the best cruise insurance isn't just about finding the best price; it's about ensuring it covers all your potential needs.

When to Purchase Cruise Insurance

Timing is everything. Purchasing your insurance soon after booking your cruise can often provide additional benefits and ensure you're covered for any early surprises. As you get closer to your trip your coverage options may get more expensive, and certain providers may not be able to offer you coverage.

How to Find the Best Deals on Cruise Insurance

Keep a lookout for deals, but remember, the cheapest option isn't always the best. Balance cost with coverage, and ensure you're getting the protection you need at a price that doesn't rock your financial boat. A travel insurance comparison site like SquareMouth is a good place to compare multiple quotes from all of the major carriers at once.

How to Pick The Best Cruise Insurance for You

When buying travel insurance for a cruise, consider the additional risks that are specific to cruising. These include hurricanes and other weather-related concerns, strict cancellation terms, high pre-paid costs of a cruise, and the distance to emergency medical assistance.

To find the policy that's right for you, it's best to compare several different cruise insurance policies based on the pricing and coverage they provide. Remember too that all reputable insurance providers will offer a "free-look period." This allows you to return the policy you've purchased for any reason, within a specific time period, for a full refund.

The most important coverages to look for in cruise insurance are:

  • Medical coverage — This coverage will pay for medical bills outside the US. But because treatment can be more expensive while onboard, make sure your policy offers sufficient coverage ($100,000+).
  • Medical evacuation coverage — This coverage will transport you to the nearest hospital or even back home if you become sick or injured during your journey. But an evacuation from sea will be more expensive than one from land. So you'll want to make sure your coverage has sufficiently high limits ($250,000+).
  • Missed connection (missed port of call) coverage — This type of coverage will help you catch up to your itinerary if you miss your port of call for a covered reason, like a delayed flight on the way to the airport.
  • Coverage for hurricane warnings — With this type of coverage, you don't actually need to be affected by the hurricane. You can cancel and be reimbursed for your trip if the NOAA issues a hurricane warning. If you're cruising anywhere during (or on the tail ends) of hurricane season, this can come in handy. Just note: You can't buy travel insurance to cover a weather event once a storm or hurricane has been named.
  • Cancel for any reason (CFAR) — This is the most comprehensive coverage you can get, as it allows cancellations and reimbursement for pre-paid expenses for any reason. This can be a wise add-on for cruise coverage given the often higher prepaid expenses associated with cruising. See our guide to the best CFAR travel insurance options to learn more.
  • Preexisting conditions — This coverage ensures that no known health conditions are excluded from coverage. Obtaining a preexisting condition waiver usually requires purchasing your travel insurance soon after booking your trip.
  • Personal possessions insurance — Because of the events and fancy dinners cruise ships hold, you might take more valuable clothing or jewelry with you on a cruise. This type of coverage will insure your belongings against loss or theft while cruising.
  • Baggage loss and delay — This coverage will reimburse you up to a specified amount for essentials if your bags are delayed or if your bags get lost en route.

As a rule of thumb, you can expect to pay between 5% and 10% of your prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses for cruise insurance coverage. The price will vary depending on factors like your age, your travel destination, and whether you require additional coverage.

If you're booking a cruise, we recommend purchasing travel insurance when you make your first trip payment. That could be for the cruise itself or an expense like airfare to get you to your cruising destination. This way, if you have to cancel your trip, you'll have the most extended coverage period possible.

You can buy your own cruise insurance that isn't offered directly through the cruise line operator. In fact, this could be a better option if you want coverage for your travel to the cruise's departure point, not just for the cruise itself.

The difference between traditional travel insurance and cruise insurance is that cruise insurance offers more specialized coverage, for situations such as missing a departure port and more coverage for medical evacuations, since it's more expensive to evacuate someone at sea than on land. 

Most cruise insurance includes coverage for missing a departure port, so you should be able to claim for a missed port. Just make sure you check the details of your policy before you file a claim, and before you travel so you know what compensation you're entitled to.

Why You Should Trust Us: How We Chose the Best Cruise Travel Insurance

When comparing cruise travel insurance providers, we evaluated them based on the following criteria to come up with our list of top picks:

Customer Satisfaction

We look at ratings from JD Power and other industry giants to see where a company ranks in customer satisfaction. We also look at customer review sites like Trustpilot and SquareMouth.

Policy Types

We look at policy types and offerings, from standard travel protections to adventure sports coverage. We look at the amount of insurance offered

Average Premiums

We compare average premiums per trip. Some companies also offer annual plans, and we compare policies accordingly.

Claims Paid

How frequently do companies pay claims easily and quickly? We check customer reviews and other resources to see which companies honor policies most effectively.

We look at the company's overall behavior. Is it operating ethically? Companies can earn additional points for such behaviors.

You can read more about how Business Insider rates insurance here.

best beachable sailboat

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

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COMMENTS

  1. Best Sailboats You Can Beach

    The Catalina 22, Fountaine Pajot Lucia 40, Hunter 22, and Lagoon 39 are great examples of sailboats you can beach. Others include Nautitech 40, Hobie 16, and the Hunter 15. Essentially, every catamaran trimaran, and full keel sailboats are capable of being beached as long as you use caution. The beauty of beaching a sailboat can help save you ...

  2. Shallow-water Beach Cruising in a Small Sailboat

    Another day, another adventure for this thin-water sailor. Beach-cruising or sailing-camping boats come in all shapes and styles, ranging from one-design sail trainers like the Flying Scot, Hobie 16 and Wayfarer 16 to more cruising-oriented craft, like the Hobie Mirage trimaran series, the NorseBoat line or the UK-built Cornish Shrimperseries.

  3. 7 Best Trailerable Sailboats for Cruising

    Quick Setup Time. Towing Weight. 7 Best Trailerable Cruising Sailboats. Catalina 22/25 "Pop-Top". Com-Pac Horizon Cat for Classic Coastal Cruising. Marshall Sanderling — Small, Portable, Classy. West Wight Potter 19 — The Tiny Go-Anywhere Sailboat. Seaward 26RK with Retractable Lead Keel.

  4. 9 Best Trailerable Sailboats

    2) West Wight Potter 19. We thought it fitting to include the Potter 15's big brother, the West Wight Potter 19, on this list of the best trailerable sailboats. West Wight Potter boats are well known for their robust design and easy handling, and the Potter 19 is no exception. The West Wight Potter 19 boasts the seaworthiness and ease-of ...

  5. 20 Best Small Sailboats for the Weekender

    The boat is designed with positive flotation and offers good load-carrying capacity, which you could put to use if you added the available canvas work and camping tent. NorseBoats offers a smaller sibling, the 12.5, as well; both are available in kit form. $19,000, (902) 659-2790, norseboat.com.

  6. Best Small Sailboats and Daysailers

    Catalina 16.5. The Catalina 16.5 sits right in the middle of Catalina Yachts' line of small sailboats, which range from the 12.5 to the 22 Capri and Sport, and it comes in both an easy-to-trailer centerboard model and a shoal-draft fixed-keel configuration. www.catalinayachts.com. With the fiberglass board up, the 17-foot-2-inch boat draws ...

  7. 6 Best Trailerable Trimarans For Bluewater and Coastal Sailing

    The small size makes it more suitable for daysailing in good weather rather than multiday cruising, although more experienced sailors will of course push the limits of this boat. 6. WindRider 17. The 17.4-foot (5.3-meter) WindRider 17 is one of the more versatile trimarans in the market.

  8. Trailerable Cruisers

    The Sage 15 is a high-quality micro-cruiser. The Sage 15 shares many of the same features as its big sister, but in lieu of a centerboard, it has a daggerboard tipped with a 225lb lead bulb and also has positive flotation. Belowdecks, it's like the 17, just more compact, with seating for two and a large V-berth.

  9. Trailerable Boats with Comfort and Speed

    Farrier, who passed away in 2017, created the F-22 as a kind of culmination of all he'd continued to learn about small, trailerable multihulls in the years since he penned the F-27 trimaran, a true trail-blazer and now part of the "Sailboat Hall of Fame.". Another F-22 sidles up alongside a pier in Malta with amas folded in.

  10. 5 great lifting keel cruising yachts

    The Southerly 42 RST offers 2.72 metres' draught with the keel down enabling plenty of sail area and good overall performance. A step change came at the end of the 1990s, with introduction of the Rob Humphreys designed Southerly 110. This had a softer, more rounded pilot house design, but the most important changes were below the waterline.

  11. The best bluewater sailboats (we analyzed 2,000 boats to find out)

    The 10 best bluewater boats. 1. Westsail 32. Photo credit: SailboatData.com. The Westsail 32 is one of the most iconic bluewater cruisers and 19 have set out to cross the Pacific in the PPJ rally since 2009. In 1973, this small cruising sailboat garnered a 4-page spread in Time magazine.

  12. Shannon Shoalsailer 35

    The Shannon Shoalsailer 35 handles well under power, and is easily sailed by a shorthanded crew. In the sub-genre of beachable cruising sailboats, this boat is unique. The vessel's interior isn't compromised by keel-raising or housing mechanisms, and the generous cockpit is a true anomaly among monohulls this length.

  13. 40 Best Sailboats, Types of Sailboats & Manufacturers

    30. Swan 44. A strong, robust cruising boat built for high-seas, blue water adventures, the Swan 44 was designed by Sparkman & Stephens, and the yacht's well-known Finnish manufacturers, Nautor Swan, produced 76 boats in a production run that lasted from 1972-1975.

  14. Malbec 18

    Malbec 18 2022 MSRP "Sail Away" From: $39,995.00. Beachable Pocket Cruiser with sleeping accommodations for four. Sloop Rig. Complete Sail Control fittings, Halyards and Lines. Featured Ronstan Hardware. 5oz White Mainsail and 100% Jib with Malbec Logo. Swing Ballasted Centerboard with Cockpit Mounted Lifting Control.

  15. 7 Bluewater Cruising Sailboats We Love

    Our editorial staff selected 7 bluewater cruising sailboats from 26 to 42 feet, from all over the world. Bluewater sailing is a type of ocean cruising: it refers to long-term open sea cruising, for example, passages (ocean crossings). Bluewater sailing implies a lack of support and requires a certain amount of self-sufficiency, since you're ...

  16. Daysailers, Pocket Cruisers and other small sailboats

    Alcort Sunfish. The Alcort Sunfish and other popular "wet" boats: The Sunfish and the Laser have a lot in common. They are identical in length (13' 9") and nearly identical in beam, draft, weight, sail area, price, and popularity. Today they're even made by the same company, LaserPerformance, but that wasn't always true.

  17. Biggest Trailerable Sailboats

    These vessels feature comfortable cabins, excellent sailing characteristics, and they all meet the requirements for towing on U.S. highways. The best and largest trailerable sailboats are the Cal 20, the Catalina 22, the O'Day 240, The Islander 24, the Moore 24, the Cal 25, the Helms 25, the MacGregor 26, and the Nor'Sea 27.

  18. Best Boats 2021

    Best of all, the boat is a pleasure to sail, with a self-tacking jib for ease of handling and a Code 0 for downwind performance. Our judges lucked out, and for their test sail they had a solid 20-plus knots of breeze play with. ... An unusual feature is the boat's retractable rudders, which make the big cat easily beachable. With the boards ...

  19. What Makes a Good Blue Water Cruising Sailboat

    The hull of a good cruising sailboat should have relatively low freeboard (distance from the waterline to the upper edge of the deck) to minimize the impact of windage in extreme weather. It should also have a moderate beam, a bit of forefoot beneath the waterline, and a full keel or a moderately proportioned fin keel to help with heaving.

  20. 7 Best Sailboats Under $20,000

    Best Affordable Used Sailboats Under 20k. Owning a used sailboat is a great way to explore local waterways and occupy the weekends. Sailboats made by well-known manufacturers were produced in huge numbers in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. These vessels are seaworthy and affordable, which makes them an excellent choice for budget-friendly sailing.

  21. Catalina 12.5 Expo

    Best of all the Expo 12.5 is a Catalina and is built with the same quality materials and attention to detail as every other model we build. Standard items include a one-piece fiberglass deck with molded-in non-skid and hand laid fiberglass hull. Full flotation inside the hull means the 12.5 is virtually unsinkable.

  22. 10 Affordable Cruising Catamarans

    For this reason, the best 431 is a boat that someone else had rewired at some point along the way. Lagoon 470 Billy Black. 3. Lagoon 470. If you need a larger escape pod, the Lagoon 470 is one of our favorites. This model of older Lagoons was built at CNB's yard in Bordeaux, France, and the build quality was high.

  23. Photos, video show collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge

    The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland collapsed Tuesday into the Patapsco River after it was struck by a large cargo ship.. The bridge's collapse has prompted huge emergency response ...

  24. Best Plunderstorm Skills for a Solo Victory in Patch 10.2.6

    The best disengage spell in the game as it provides a 90% damage reduction while active. Best Skill Combos for Plunderstorm Here are some of the best combos for Plunderstorm. Best Offensive Skill Combos for Plunderstorm Here are some of the best offensive skill combos for Plunderstorm. Fire Whirl + Rime Arrow; Fire Whirl + Storm Archon

  25. 2022 Boat of the Year: Best Full-Size Cruiser

    2022 Boat of the Year: Best Full-Size Cruiser. Stocked with sophisticated systems and upscale accommodations, the Hylas H57 is a bluewater winner. By Cruising World Editors. December 15, 2021. During and in the four days immediately following the US Sailboat show in Annapolis, Maryland, the Cruising World judges inspected and sailed on 27 boats ...

  26. Best Cruise Insurance Guide 2024: Sail Securely With Top ...

    Best Cruise Insurance for Expensive Trips: HTH Worldwide Travel Insurance HTH Worldwide Travel Insurance offers three levels of trip protection: TripProtector Economy, Classic, and Preferred.