GL: Trawler vs. sailboat

[LRZeitlin@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/12/06 12:00:35 AM, great-loop-request@lists.samurai.com 
writes:


> So, here's the question (and, yes, I have asked this before), when doing
> cruising such as I anticipate, what is the difference between a
> "trawler-type"
> boat and a shallow (shoal, less than 4') draft sailboat with all the
> standing
> rigging removed?
> 

Greg,

I've cruised the canals and ICW in both a trawler and small sailboat - and to 
be honest, there is not much difference. Speed is not a factor. In the canals 
you are limited to 10 mph, about 8 knots. Anything faster will get you a 
ticket from the NYS police or the Mounties. At speeds of 6 or 7 kts. fuel 
consumption will not be a major expense factor. For easy single handed cruising you 
should probably limit the boat size to about 30 feet. You can single hand bigger 
boats but problems and expenses increase significantly with boat size. 
Remember that the major concern in singlehanding through the canals is controlling 
the boat in the locks. One person can deal with the lines on a 30 foot boat but 
prudence dictates at least 2 people for bigger boats.

I agree that you can get more for your money in a used sailboat than with a 
used trawler. Not very many trawlers were made in the 30 foot or smaller size 
so their scarcity on the used boat market is understandable. An ideal boat for 
your purpose would be a clean, functional Willard 30 at about a $30,000 asking 
price. But most of these boats are a quarter of a century old or more and a 
careful prepurchase inspection is mandatory. You might find a good sedan 
cruiser for less but the gasoline engines in older boats might need some attention.

You can get great deals on sailboats in the 28 to 30 ft. range at about 
$20,000. If you know how to sail, these might just be the ticket. Keep the mast and 
standing rigging intact. There is plenty of sailing opportunity on the ICW. 
No mast lowering is necessary from the tip of Florida to the upper reaches of 
the Hudson River, a distance of 1600 miles. If you want to do the NYC Canals, I 
assume that you will also want to cruise in Lake Champlain, one of the best 
boating venues in the country. If the mast is in a deck mounted tabernacle, you 
can lower it yourself in less than an hour and reduce your clearance enough 
to pass under any bridge in the Erie and Canadian canals. Don't worry about the 
roll in the canals. There isn't any. With a draft of 4 feet or less, you can 
safely venture into any East coast waters, explore LI Sound and travel up the 
Maine coast.

Bob suggests that weather exposure and visibility in a sailboat might be a 
problem but in a small boat with a bimini you should not have much difficulty. 
Anyway the canals are closed from November to May and no sane person will sail 
off the Jersey shore in the dead of winter.

Whatever the boat, do it now. Even if it's only an outboard powered skiff.

Larry Z

Larry Z