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Old 02-08-2019, 11:35 AM   #1
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Trailerable or HomePort for Couples Cruiser

Looking on some input on pros/cons; decision factors; and personal experience on choosing a cruising boat for a couple (I'll define this as two folks that get along and enjoy each others company).

Specifically, choosing between a trailerable couple's cruiser (I'll define this as 24-28ft boat towable with F-150/250. Has a place to sleep, cook, and poop. Has good enough sea-keeping to cruise rivers, lakes, ICW, Salish Sea, Great Loop and Inside Passage) OR a homeported couple's cruiser (I'll define this as 30-36ft boat based at a homepot marina. Has a place to sleep, cook, and poop. Has good enough sea-keeping to cruise rivers, lakes, ICW, Salish Sea, Great Loop and Inside Passage).

Not really looking for boat suggestions. More interested in input on choosing between style of cruising. That being said, the most obvious tradeoff between the two would be giving up personal space on the smaller boats for the ability to make it more mobile over land.

What do you see as other tradeoffs and issues in choosing between the two?
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Old 02-08-2019, 11:52 AM   #2
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It’s a question of time. Back in the late 80’s I had a 26’ trailerable sailboat. With my two week vacation I could make it halfway to Alaska from Seattle. When I bought a 34’ sailboat I never made it past Nanaimo. Both had their pros and cons. Would call it pretty even. If I had kept the trailer boat I would have made it to Mexico but I never would have become a liveaboard.

If you have a very limited amount of time to boat then maybe the trailerable. If you have nothing but time to boat then maybe the home port option.
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Old 02-08-2019, 01:07 PM   #3
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It takes at least 24' to have a trailerable trawler that has the interior systems that you require. Any bigger than about 26' becomes quite a handful to trailer. The 24-26' size is pretty limiting for personal space as well as cruising supplies.

There are lots and lots of trawlers in the 30-36' range. The question is where you want to home port it. Your profile on the left says Albuquerque and Tennessee. I presume that Albuquerque is out and you probably know the Tennessee lakes pretty well and may not want to home port there.

In my experience from cruising the entire east coast, most areas have their cruising season and it varies from 3+ months to 6 months. The Keys and south Florida is probably the longest- Nov thru April. Maine is the shortest- mid June through September. Others in between those extremes have nice spring and fall cruising seasons but winter and summer are not so fun.

So I think a lot depends on when you want to do your cruising from your home port, and how far and how long you want to go. For pure beauty and variety you can't beat Maine. S Florida and the Keys have lots of places to go and a unique lifestyle down there. The Chesapeake probably rivals Maine for variety.

But I would pick one, try it for a few years and if you get tired then spend a few weeks and move north or south to another area. Think of it as trailerable but at 6-7 kts.

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Old 02-08-2019, 02:46 PM   #4
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We have had pretty much all sizes and types under 40 feet and the one thing we found was that some days it was just too much trouble to haul the boat to the launch and wait in line etc. and therefore did not use the boat as much. When we bought our 33 we had to get a slip and we stayed on the boat more and went out on the water more. I don't think I could go back to a trailerable.
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Old 02-08-2019, 04:02 PM   #5
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I can not speak to the 30' and larger vessel.
As to trailerable, I have had 3 cruisers that were at the top end of trailerable definition with out permits. (8 1/2 feet wide) All of them weighed in the seven to eight thousand pound range on a trailer. All of them had a single gas engines, (two 350 GM and one was a 460 Ford) a head, V berth plus mid-berth, a galley of sorts and a cockpit. One had a radar arch. None of these in my opinion would fit the trawler definition as they would move rather fast if one wanted to. (And I usually wanted to)

The limiting factors for extended cruising are the size of the fridge, fuel tank and comfort level. (in that order) Two of these I have spent 14/15 days per trip on a single cruise. Had a blast. Fridge was 6 cu ft that sucked lots of power. Fuel tanks were from 80 to 100 gallons

On this type of vessel I have been all over the Puget Sound, up and down Lake Powell, Mexico and out to Catalina and back. (not to mention lots of inland lakes in Washington and Arizona) This type of vessel isn't that great when the weather kicks up. (waves and swells) Wind will blow but there is enough power to push the boat anywhere.

On the flip side, traveling by land to other water is extremely easy. Never found it an issue to tow anywhere. Always had a TV that would dump and retrieve the vessel. I prefer a roller trailer to a bunk trailer and have had both. IMO it is a boat that can get in and out of lot of situations. Had full canvas over the cockpit to stay out of the sun and rain. And with the boat on a trailer the expenses and wear and tear of the water are cut down to very low. One can do repairs and clean top and bottom on land that is far easier to do than in the water. Plus pump gas is a lot cheaper than marina gas.


The biggest keys to low expenses were single engine, doing my own maintenance and keeping on a trailer so no bottom paint needed.
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Old 02-08-2019, 04:37 PM   #6
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I would suggest you expand your cruising description a little more. As an example, a trip around the Great Loop will probably never have you more than 3 days without being able to stop, buy groceries, empty and fill tanks. To make suggestions on which category makes more sense, it would seem to me to be important to understand number of days between stops, fuel travel range, and freshwater requirements.

My tongue in cheek comment would be to ask if you have or are planning to obtain a prenuptial agreement.

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Old 02-08-2019, 04:43 PM   #7
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My tongue in cheek comment would be to ask if you have or are planning to obtain a prenuptial agreement.

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Or drink a lot.
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Old 02-09-2019, 12:29 AM   #8
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You kind of need to decide one or the other before you consider which boat to get. If you want to travel to different places a trailerable boat is what you want. Being able to readily transfer the boat from one body of water to another at 60 mph is great. If you are going to be happy cruising the same bit of water again and again and again, then go with the bigger boat and realize that moving it to another body of water is not going to be something that happens much (or at all).

I think that unless you are on the Inside Passage, you are never going to be that far from anywhere in your boat. The ability for your boat to support you for long periods is not really necessary. I have a 22 C-Dory. We have spent up to 13 days at a time on it. However, even when we anchored out overnight, we spent part (could be the majority) of each day off the boat visiting some town or something. So in addition to being able to sightsee, we also could access marina facilities (restrooms, showers, etc.), restaurants, stores, etc. It's not like we spent long periods of time (i.e. days) "stuck" on the boat.

Where we live, going to the water is a decent drive. It would be the same if the boat was slipped. Bringing the boat with us isn't that big of a deal. Further, having the boat on a trailer lets me work on it at my house where all my tools and stuff are. It also more convenient for us to prepare and load the boat for a trip, and to unload and clean the boat after when I can park it in front of my house.

Based on where we live and what we like to do with our boat, having a trailerable boat is what we much prefer. Having a boat that is relatively confined to one place would get old fast (IMO). In our case, I think that having a boat in a slip would result in it getting used less, not more because you can't readily go anywhere new.
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Old 02-09-2019, 01:59 AM   #9
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We used to tow large trailerable boats all over the west. Loved it but as I got older the towing became less fun and more work. We wanted to walk onto the boat and get underway without all the prep days and launching. Both are only great just have to figure out which is for you. Good luck.
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Old 02-09-2019, 01:12 PM   #10
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Wife and I took our 22 C-Dory to big lakes all over the West, and the Inside Passage up to Glacier Bay. No marine head, a porta-potty. Two burner Wallas stove/heater. Max cruise length 2 months, mostly just the two of us, but occasionally three.

Cruised 18 summers on big lakes and the Inside Passage in our 26-footer, with a head, fridge, warm shower, even a water maker. 2 or 3 on board, max length 3.5 months and 4,000 nm.

We loved the trailer boats flexibility, and being able to keep them right here at home in Utah. Now we're spoiled in a 37-foot Nordic Tug which lives in Washington when not out cruising.

All good.
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Old 02-10-2019, 05:50 AM   #11
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There are thousands more trailer boats than larger big buck boats.

I would suggest you do the smaller boat first , and try that style of cruising.

IF you decide you need more interior space the trailer boat will be far faster/ easier to sell.

The goal should be a "Zero Round Trip", you sell the package for what you paid for it.

The initial cruise destinations might be rivers and lakes where a 15-20K speed might be useful.
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Old 02-14-2019, 10:13 AM   #12
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So after some discussion we have decided to go the trailered route for a couple of years before getting a slipped boat.

We both like the Albin 25 and the Nimble Kodiak.

We like the 22 C-dory but not sure about the porta-potie location. One of us will typically get up to "go" during the night and it looks like you would have to unmake the bed to get to the porta-potie on the 22 C- Dory.

Also, like the layout of the gas 24ft Bayliner Hardtops but not sure about the range or if I like the fuel usage numbers.
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Old 02-14-2019, 10:45 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IronZebra View Post
...
We both like the Albin 25 and the Nimble Kodiak.

We like the 22 C-dory but not sure about the porta-potie location. One of us will typically get up to "go" during the night and it looks like you would have to unmake the bed to get to the porta-potie on the 22 C- Dory.
....
I believe that the Nimbles have head compartments. Don't know about the Albin.

When we use our C-Dory 22, the porta-potti is outside in the cockpit when we are not close to other boats or in inclement weather. If it is inside at night, it is moved from under the v-berth to the back of the cabin near the entry door. The porta-potti is normally only under the v-berth while the boat is in transit on the trailer.
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Old 02-14-2019, 11:00 AM   #14
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Island,

Personally, I couldn't be GIVEN a trailerable boat and enjoy it for that mission. Just way too much hassle, and you have a boat that's too small for 4 people for any amount of extended overnights.

First, if you really want to spend time with 4 doing overnighters, get a boat that will be comfortable and enjoyable for all 4. I couldn't imagine much smaller than 35 to 40 feet.

If you really need speed, get a fast boat, not a trailer. Keep a bigger boat for the comfort (unless you're college kids).

If you're doing a long trip, let one couple motor the boat up and the other couple meet at the destination.... play as long as you want, and let the second couple motor home.

If you're doing the great loop.... think closer to 42 to 45 feet for a minimum. And plan some time away from each other so you don't kill each other. One couple flies home for a week and the second couple takes the boat on a side trip. Heck, some guys have to do that with their wives just to get her out of your hair for a week.

Trailer.... NO WAY. BTDT

One guys opinion
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Old 02-14-2019, 11:07 AM   #15
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Island,

Personally, I couldn't be GIVEN a trailerable boat and enjoy it for that mission. Just way too much hassle, and you have a boat that's too small for 4 people for any amount of extended overnights.

First, if you really want to spend time with 4 doing overnighters, get a boat that will be comfortable and enjoyable for all 4. I couldn't imagine much smaller than 35 to 40 feet.

If you really need speed, get a fast boat, not a trailer. Keep a bigger boat for the comfort (unless you're college kids).

If you're doing a long trip, let one couple motor the boat up and the other couple meet at the destination.... play as long as you want, and let the second couple motor home.

If you're doing the great loop.... think closer to 42 to 45 feet for a minimum. And plan some time away from each other so you don't kill each other. One couple flies home for a week and the second couple takes the boat on a side trip. Heck, some guys have to do that with their wives just to get her out of your hair for a week.

Trailer.... NO WAY. BTDT

One guys opinion
We are talking one couple (2 people). But if it was 4 people I would agree on not using a trailerable.
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Old 02-15-2019, 05:31 AM   #16
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In the smaller sizes the builds are about the same ,weather they are configured as baby tugs , trawlers or motor yachts.

AS the MY configuration is probably 10x or 20x as common , their interiors tend to be more refined.

Input from customers over many years is important on smaller boats where every inch counts.


Look a lot!
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Old 02-15-2019, 10:17 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IronZebra View Post
So after some discussion we have decided to go the trailered route for a couple of years before getting a slipped boat.

We both like the Albin 25 and the Nimble Kodiak.

We like the 22 C-dory but not sure about the porta-potie location. One of us will typically get up to "go" during the night and it looks like you would have to unmake the bed to get to the porta-potie on the 22 C- Dory.

Also, like the layout of the gas 24ft Bayliner Hardtops but not sure about the range or if I like the fuel usage numbers.
Have you considered a CD 25 Cruiser? They have a marine head in its own compartment.
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Old 02-15-2019, 11:34 AM   #18
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Have you considered a CD 25 Cruiser? They have a marine head in its own compartment.

The C Dory 25 Cruiser, the Rosborough 246, the Atlas Acadia 25.... all have flushing heads and a shower compartment. But they are quite a bit heavier and would take a 3/4-1 ton pickup to safely tow long distances.


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Old 02-15-2019, 11:49 AM   #19
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I would decide how big a boat I'm going to be comfortable with first. We had a 28foot express for 10 years. It was fine at first, but started to get very small. As you mentioned, over 28 starts to get challenging to tow.

Then I'd decide where I want the boat to be used and whether it is reasonable to tow that far on a regular basis.

The further you have to travel, the more you want the boat in the water and ready when you get there.
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Old 02-15-2019, 11:56 PM   #20
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...
The further you have to travel, the more you want the boat in the water and ready when you get there.
The problem with that is if the boat is far away, it likely doesn't get used that often and probably isn't ready when you get there. Every time you go out you have to haul a lot of stuff from your car to the boat before you can depart. When you return, you'll probably have to haul a lot of stuff off the boat back to your car to take home.

My trailerable boat can be parked right in front of my house for loading and unloading (not to mention cleaning and maintenance).

Different strokes for different folks.
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