Help choosing a trailerable daysailor

I am looking to buy a daysailor and could use some recommendations. When I was in college, I crewed on an M-16 and raced my Laser. Now some 40 years later and I am retired, I have gotten the bug to get back into sailing and am looking for some boat models to consider. I liked my Laser a lot, but now I don't really want to be hiking out when there is a stiff breeze. I still like the "go-fast" feeling but would prefer to stay dry while sailing. Most of my sailing will be on inland lakes and reservoirs. A couple of boats I have been looking at are the Hunter 170 (or the 18) and the Vanguard Nomad. I like their design but have read reviews that the Hunter has a tendency to develop cracks at various areas on the deck or at stress points. The Nomad looks a lot like what I would be interested in but they seem to be very rare to find for sale, and I don't even know if they make them anymore. At this point I am not really considering a cabin cruiser. All suggestions/recommendations would be appreciated!

 

Have you looked at O'Day Daysailer? They are stable, relatively dry and have a little cuddy.

 

Thanks for your response. I have looked at the O'Day Daysailer. It looks like a nice enough boat, but I am a bit gun-shy about boats with an open cuddy like that. I had the opportunity to use an older MC Scow a couple of years ago at a club that races them at a nearby lake. The wind was stronger out on the water than it seemed from shore, and long story short, I ended up capsizing it. With the help of a powerboat we got it upright but before I could get on board, the wind knocked it over again and finally ended up getting towed to shore with a nearly submerged boat. No damage to the boat or myself, but since then I am a little nervous about another experience like that. Probably could sail a Daysailer many times without having a similar incident, but I just don't want to have that as a worry out sailing. That's why I have been interested in the Hunter and Nomad type hulls.

 

Welcome to the forum.

Both the Hunter and the Vanguard Nomad are likely a bit more boat than you might enjoy. By this I mean they'll offer a level of performance that can get you good and wet again, particularly the Vanguard Nomad. I don't know if the Nomad is still in production, but Bob Ames is still alive and kicking, so maybe calling him would be the best route ( >BANA.com< ).

The Hunter will be the more stable boat and with its foam filled hull, it'll float, no matter what, though it still can capsize, just not as easily as the Nomad. The Hunter's cracking issues seem to have been addressed, just insure the boat was made after 2000. The Nomad is a little hot rod and you'll be hiking and spilling wind quite a bit to stay in control. In the event of a capsize on this boat, you have to flood one of the compartments to get it to be rightable (easily), because of the extreme beam.

You have to ask yourself, what type of sailing do you want to do. If stability and comfort are at the top of the priority list, consider a more wholesome day boat. If performance is what you're after, well both of these puppies will help you out, as well as many others.

 

Thanks, PAR, for your insight. Your assessment of the Hunter and Nomad is really helpful! The Hunter 170 was my initial "top of the list" boat, and your information on the cracking issue might put it back up on my list of boats to consider. I am not sure what you would mean by "a more wholesome day boat", but would be interested in other boats you think I might want to consider. I have looked online at a few other boats that might be options. The Laser Performance Bahia looks well built, but probably even more likely to get knocked down in a strong wind than the Nomad. The Catalina Capri 16.5 looks like another popular day sailer that I might want to get more information on including whether to get the fin keel or centerboard. I have looked at the Precision 165, but I would guess it brings in the trailerability concern with it's fixed keel. Any thoughts on these boats or any others in this class I might want to consider would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!