jeff05 wrote:
The feedback I'm getting on the Getaway seems to be saying you all are sailing at 15+ knots and mostly keeping the boat flat. That is very interesting and could mean the boat will handle the higher wind I'm looking for.
Trailering is the other thing I'm thinking about. I would be mostly trailering whichever boat I get and sometimes taking it on 3 - 4 hour road trips.
How hard is it to put up the mast solo, I see there are some schemes to use the winch.
I had reef points put in my Getaways sail last winter, by North Sails. This way I can reduce sail with my littler grand kids aboard. I tried it out in some pretty stiff winds-25 and gusty-with 4 adults on board. No problem. I think it was actually faster, because I wasn't spilling all the wind.
I trailer my boat. I take off the rudders and bob, and it takes me, alone, about an hour to setup or take down. With my wife along, cut that to 30 minutes.
I use a maststepper 2 to winch up the mast. With the comp-tip and bob, it's pretty iffy for me to muscle it up. If there's another person with me, we just lift it, and setup time goes to 15 or 20 minutes.