JeffM Posted July 15, 2004 Posted July 15, 2004 I would like an easily-trailerable beach cruiser/camper for my family (incl 3 youngish children). Roominess and speed argue for the CS20, but it weighs nearly twice what the CS17 does. Can anyone tell me what its like to handle trailering and launching/retrieving of boats of these weights? Thanks! Jeff Quote
Guest Posted July 15, 2004 Posted July 15, 2004 This comparison has been gone through in some previous posts. I don't have the time right now, but if you search in the previous page, I think you will find it. I will look around this evening if no one else has been able to search it out. Good luck and welcome to the place of insanity. :wink: Spoken with a wink.!! Quote
mustangermatt Posted July 15, 2004 Posted July 15, 2004 There have been a lot of good points made on the previous posts both ways. But for me it came down to my shop is 17' 4" long :-) Quote
Scott Dufour Posted July 16, 2004 Posted July 16, 2004 I can imagine sitting behind a 17 footer and manhandling it onto and off a trailer. For some reason a 20 footer just seems like a bit too much. Quote
Guest Posted July 16, 2004 Posted July 16, 2004 http://www.messing-about.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2096&highlight=cs17+versus+cs20 http://www.messing-about.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2103&highlight=cs17+versus+cs20 http://www.messing-about.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1880&highlight=cs17+versus+cs20 http://www.messing-about.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=992&highlight=cs17+versus+cs20 http://www.messing-about.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17&highlight=cs17+versus+cs20 Quote
JeffM Posted July 16, 2004 Author Posted July 16, 2004 Oyster: Thanks. I haven't found anything useful in other threads, yet. Maybe I'm not searching right. Jeff Quote
Guest Posted July 16, 2004 Posted July 16, 2004 I read your original post, and now your present one. I take it that you want to know if the size is worth the so called extra weight for trailering? One thing to keep in mind is that the cs 20 works well with outboard motor, in lieu of sailing for the family. Children have a really bad attention span. Room is important with a family of small ones, for extra equipment needed for changes of clothes, and provisions if you are attempting to spend a full day of a variety of events. Where will you be doing most of your boating? Quote
JeffM Posted July 16, 2004 Author Posted July 16, 2004 Oyster: Thanks for the advice. My trailer weight issue is really three: (1) whether our Toyota minivan can pull it easily, (2) how hard it will be manhandling it (single-handed) off and on the trailer, and (3) how hard it will be to step the masts (again, single-handed). I expect to sail it either in Narragansett Bay, RI (where I spent my teenage years adventuring in a sunfish), or around Boston Harbor and environs. --and if this boat is as seaworthy as I've read, maybe farther! My boys are now 9, 7 and 4. The older ones have been out with me a few times Cape Cod Mercury 15ft sloop with fixed keel) and liked it. They can follow directions fairly well, and have helped with the jib. The littlest I'm not willing to take yet until there're an extra pair of hands to keep him inboard. Jeff Quote
JeffM Posted July 16, 2004 Author Posted July 16, 2004 Oyster: P.S. I just discovered your helpful links right under my nose. Pete Birch's thread was right on target! I am going to order CS20 plans right now! Thanks again. Jeff Quote
Guest Posted July 16, 2004 Posted July 16, 2004 Well, you have around four years at least before your rugrats will loose interest, or have other things to do on the weekend. Depending on your time schedule, building of either boat, unless you are privilaged with a completely climate controlled enviroment, you will need a bit of time to complete this project, if you are about average in you attention span. :wink: So you may have a different vehicle too, at this time. Keep in mind one bit of advice. This may not be you last boat. Most folks own at least two boats, one being a small messing about single hander, and a multiple passenger one. The small one comes in handy when your 10 year old uses it to learn the ropes of the water, in protected places. SO the moral to the story, you will not be building the perfect boat, at this time, because there is no perfect boat, just one that will work for the time being, till you pass it along to someone else in your critical decision making process. Keep in mind of your distance to the boat ramps too, when worrying about your tow vehicle. DO NOT SCRIMP ON YOUR TRAILER!!!!! THE INVESTMENT OF TIME AND MONEY THAT GOES INTO THIS TYPE OF PROJECT, IS NOT WORTH ATTEMPTING TO SAVE A FEW BUCKS, AND HAVE IT LAYING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. Quote
Bruce Leonard Posted July 16, 2004 Posted July 16, 2004 I just this week launched a Core Sound 20. The boat was built for me by Ray Frechette in Lewiston Maine. I highly recommend Ray if you don't have the time or skill. I have sailed and occasionally raced many boats including a Thistle, Laser, Lightning , J-20, Bulleye, and most recently a Wayfarer-- all out of Bristol RI, ( Narragansett Bay). I liked all of these boats for diferent reasons. As a fit 62 year old guy who loves to singlehand, the Core Sound 20 is the right boat for me. It is a fast stable day sailor/beach boat. The boat sails upwing in good form, but it's off the wind that the Core Sound 20 really excels. When it gets up on a plane--which it does easily in 12 knots of wind-- it really moves! The cat/ketch rig is much easier for me to sail singlehanded than previous boats. It is a forgiving stable boat not a tender dinghy that produces stress. I love the sprits. The designers description of how well this boat performs and handles is very accurate. I chose the 20 footer because I wanted a fast boat that had the big boat feel that the CS 20 definitely has. And I wanted a boat that could be sailed in Casco Bay in Maine , even offshore. My boat has a reefing capability. It is also a pretty boat that has nice lines. Graham has good taste in boats, in my opinon. Although I was a bit woried about stepping the masts on my own, I have found it not to be a problem. I imagine every owner develops an approach to stepping the masts that works for him. I can step the masts. set up the sprits and put on the sails in about 20 minutes or so. I easilty trail the boat behind a 1998 4 cylinder Jetta Diesel that has 217,000 on it. The boat with trailer is about 900 lbs. I have had not problem launching and retrieving the CS 20 without assistance. I am, however, going to install some slides on the bunks to make it easier to push the boat off the trailer and into the water when the tide is lower. If the wind is screaming and coming from a difficult direction , retrieving any boat without assistance, regardless of length, can be an adventure. I try not to sail on those days. Of course, if you have a crew, You don't have to take this into account. I have never owned a boat that attracted so much attention. In a week, 5 people have come up to me while I'm rigging, to complement me on the boat. I like my Core Sound 20! Bruce Leonard Quote
Brent Posted July 16, 2004 Posted July 16, 2004 Cant resist putting my two cents worth in here. I have a CS20 that I pull behind a minivan. Just returned from a 2000 mile trip. The boat pulls great behind the vehicle. Allup the boat cant weigh more than 800 lbs. I hardly know its back there. Even my wife will drive with the trailer on. Putting up the masts is no problem, as others have said. Docking with any non-motorized boat can be challenging at times, but the CS is as easy as any, maybe better than most. Recently did a lee shore docking in a 12+ MPH sea breeze. Those sprit rigs allow the sails to go forward and keep the boat under control easily. My 14 year old sails the boat with out assistance. I have never regretted going with the 20 versus 17, although during contruction there were some tight times in the garage. On the water the boat is fast, planes easily, and is easy to handle. Quote
Steve Day Posted July 16, 2004 Posted July 16, 2004 What a great testimonial to both Ray and Graham! It is easy to see that you are a satisfied owner. If I was 'on the fence' about whether to build either the 17 or the 20, this would convince me to do the 20. Glad to hear that you and the boat are getting along so well. Steve Quote
JeffM Posted July 16, 2004 Author Posted July 16, 2004 Thanks to all! I was beginning to have some second thoughts after measuring my garage last night (20ft will fill it corner to corner with little or no room to walk around the ends), but your responses have helped me feel much more confident. I mailed the check this morning! Jeff Quote
Terry Dunn Posted July 17, 2004 Posted July 17, 2004 I decided between a 17 and 20 by measuring my garage. It is a double car garage 20' 7" long. So I built a CS 20. After all, there was 7" to spare. I also had my boat on a dolly so I could push it around. I cut most of my material on my deck and carried it around the house. I could push everything to one side of the garage and get a car with the boat. If I would have considered putting the boat in the garage on a trailer, I may have gone for the 17. I bought a 1987 galvanized trailer for $250. The trailer had a Bayliner 18 on it. 14" wheels. All I had to do was raise the back of the bunks to account for some deadrise and the boat sits on the trailer real well. I figure the trailer weighs about 550 lbs. A little overkill for the weight of the boat but the price was right. I tow the boat with a Chrysler minivan with 130K miles. This summer we drug the thing 3,000 miles on a trip from Denver to the North Shore of Lake Superior, North Dakota and home. About 3,000 miles. Sailed on 4 different lakes. We got lousy gas mileage but the van tows the boat real well. I made some small turnbuckle like things to assist stepping the masts. They are 3" by 5" triangular pieces with 3" PVC couplers between them. I stick the base of the mast in the PVC and raise them up and drop them down. 3" couplers are the right diameter for 3" tubing. I will have to take some pictures of them and post them. They are kind of ugly. But I like them. When it is windy, I feel more secure stepping the masts. It has taken me a while to come up with a name for the boat. I am calling her "Opps!". That is what I said most of the time during construction. I made lots of mistakes. Even so, the boat looks real nice and is a complement magnet everywhere we go. And besides, it does float. Good luck with your project. Quote
Guest Posted July 17, 2004 Posted July 17, 2004 Building on dolly wheels is a great way to build in a garage. Use large enough wheels, so when you get litter in and around the boat, it will pass over some of the scraps, without fighting the moving every and all of the time. The better wheels have locks on them and is highly recommended when doing the interior. We had one fellow on the board, that made a regular pully system for the boat, when not working on it, to pull it up to the overhead of his garage. This can be nerve racking as the process continues, if the wrong pulleys are use and the weight continues to increase. :wink: Quote
Rob Blackburn Posted July 18, 2004 Posted July 18, 2004 Get the 20. You won't regret it. I have a 9 and 11 yr old and with their obligatory 2 friends there is room for everyone. You can take 4 adults 4 kids easily. This keeps the little dears attention spans controllable. The weight/rigging/towing issue is a non issue. The boat looks right at 20 foot. Have put a couple of shots here that show the size of kid vs room in boat... http://homepage.mac.com/blackburns/filechute/KIDS%20IN%20CS20.zip I would put a chocolate locker in if we built again though. Rob Quote
Steve Day Posted July 20, 2004 Posted July 20, 2004 Rob, Great pictures of what appear to be great kids. Glad to see you take them out. They will remember this the rest of their lives. "Chocolate Locker?" Is that just a locker to store chocolate for the kids. (Does the word 'bribe' come to mind here?) Steve Quote
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