I need a boat

I wouldn't recommend carbon/foam boat to a new builder/sailor. And unless you are building a 100% race boat you won't benefit from the huge extra cost and complexity over say, 3/16in plywood. Carbon boats tend to be fairly delicate. Definitely not for a family with kids to play on.

Most people starting off playing tennis or golf don't buy the equipment Tiger Woods or Nadal use, they buy something at the bottom end, in part because if they don't like the sport they haven't lost much. Also they know they won't benefit from the extra sophistication.

Even the Olympic Tornados were originally built in wood. You can build a 16ft beach cat (like my Quattro 16) in plywood from 6 sheets of 4mm plywood and 6kgs of epoxy. You can cost that easily. The big cost will be in the rig, which is why I suggested first buying a cheap used beach cat. There is a Hobie 16 on craigs list near me for sale right now for USD125, if not sold by this weekend he cuts it up.

Later you could always use the beach cat to go with my Strike 18 trimaran main hull. Which would be an ideal boat for you except it cannot be cartopped

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

$125 for Hobie sounds like a steal. Good to know that carbon fiber is too delicate.

After some more research I seam to like Weta, Hobie and Windrider type models. They seem be very expensive compared to Frank's DIY solution. Wow, $1000 bux for diy is very appealing vs 10K retail solution.

Why do you say Strike 18 can't be cartopped? Does it come apart? Can I throw it on top of a truck bed rack? How heavy is the heaviest piece?

 

The Strike 18 main hull is the heaviest part. I guess 4 men can lift it but you won't get it on a truck roof, and certainly not by throwing it up!! (BG). The outriggers are a different matter.

Have a look at my videos on my website and you'll see more of the Strike and understand it a bit better. There is also a Windrider shown sailing there. Our Strike cost under USD2000

In general terms the largest dinghy you can sensible car top is something like the Laser or a Sunfish. Say 100lbs hull weight max. They just get too heavy and awkward if bigger than that. Even then most Laser sailors trail their boats, not cartop them (in part because its a singlehander so obviously you have to get on the roof alone)

You can cartop a beach cat once you've taken it apart (I've done that) because each hull is only about 40lbs. But a 16ft beach cat will typically have a 26ft long mast. That's why Hobie do a two piece mast (as I wrote before)

I am working on a 15ft trimaran that could be cartopped, but it is a racing boat, a bit like a home builders Weta. And whatever the sales people say I don't think a Weta or its equivalent is the right boat for a first time sailor

I would suggest that if you want to discuss my designs further that you email me direct using the address on my website, rather than through this forum

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

I sailed a Windrider 16 once and will not do it again. The lack of a real centerboard or dagger board or even a lee board made it poor going to weather and underpowered due to small sail area. The Windrider 17 also does not have a real board.

 

I would suggest just renting a boat where you are camping.
Most lakes of any size rent boats. pick camp spots with rentals.
then you will be able to try different ones, sailboats of different kinds, powerboats of different kinds, and determine what is best if you want to buy, or just keep renting.

 

Carbon fiber is really expensive for the savings you will get. The hull and deck are only a small percentage of the total weight. Inflatables have several chambers and it would be really hard to cut open all of them. A fish hook may puncture it, however, the fabric is pretty tough. Also, a small hole will no suddenly deflate a chamber. You can easily keep up with the foot pump by putting air in occasionally.

 

Consider this system of loading and unloading and get a boat that works with the system.http://boatloader.com/boatloader.html

 

I like nimble's solution. Just rent one. So many more advantages:

1) Better RV gas mileage
2) No boat to lauch
3) No boat maintenance
4) Always have a new boat
5) Boat will already be appropriate for the body of water

Failing that, I still think the Hobie from my first post might be the way to go.

 

In the 70's when I was a kid, my dad had one of these setups and we put a boat on top of our Suburban, which towed our trailer. It made sense not to rent because we spent the entire summer in one place, we never used that boat after that summer. Today, I think I'd just buy a bigger boat when we got there and sold it when we left.