small double ended sailboats

THE LEVANT 15

Perhaps the single finest sailboat in the world—the LEVANT 15 . If you love sailing and want, and deserve, and can afford, the finest sailboat ever designed and built anywhere in the world, read on. First a few pictures to tantalize you.

The  LEVANT 15 fits neatly amid Chuck Paine’s growing fleet of elegant, hand-built in America, keel sailboats for the no-longer athletic sailor. Like his recent larger and smaller designs (the PAINE 14 and YORK 18 ) she is styled to honor her famous and gorgeous predecessor, the Herreshoff 12½. But with her fin keel and carbon fiber mast and separate, partially balanced rudder and anti-twistoff jib she is a bit faster and a lot more fun to sail. And far easier and cheaper to maintain. We believe Chuck Paine’s new family-sized keelboats are the finest sailboats of any size built anywhere in the world.

CHUCK PAINE’S FLEET OF ELEGANT NEW DESIGNS: THE LEVANT 15,           THE PAINE 14,            AND THE YORK 18

THE LEVANT 15 (No, this is not the same boat as the Paine 14 — its owner just chose the same topsides color.)

THE PAINE 14

THE YORK 18

Just as Nat Herreshoff would surely have done today, she has a seamless, leakproof and unsinkable hull built of lightweight but super strong epoxy cold molded construction. She is available now from French & Webb boatbuilders of Belfast, Maine. The first six boats have been launched, and two more are under construction. The LEVANT 15 is a floating work of art built by hard-working and hard-to-find American craftsmen who value the quality of your new yacht above all else, as anyone with any intelligence can easily discern from the accompanying photos and drawings.

Her balanced rudder and efficient fin keel combine with classic topside aesthetics. But the performance is wonderfully superior to all formerly available keel sailboats.

The LEVANT 15 is a yacht you will once again actually USE.  Just as you used and loved every summer weekend the Blue Jay or Lightning or Snipe or… (insert here) … that you absolutely cherished before the boat salesmen convinced you you’d be sailing off to Tahiti in your dotage. Many of us (including Chuck Paine) have owned a succession of ever larger yachts, but have discovered over time that they required ever greater available time to make use of, crews that were impossible to find, and rapidly inflating yearly expense for marina slips, insurance, maintenance and worst of all, because nobody wants them anymore, depreciation. The  LEVANT 15 is exquisitely designed, built and finished. Quite a few folks bought oceangoing yachts thinking they might owing to their size at least impress their neighbors. The reality is that nowadays you are looked at as a fool if you own a white-elephant that sits unused and fading all summer in a marina slip sucking money out of your pocket. Once you come to your senses and own your  LEVANT 15 your wisdom will be rewarded every time you go sailing, when virtually every person you encounter on the water goes out of his way to come over and shout…“What a beautiful boat!”

The LEVANT 15 is in every possible way optimized for trailering behind a standard-sized automobile. Her carbon fiber mast requires no stays and weighs with its halyards a mere 23 pounds, so it is as easy to deploy as that on a Laser dinghy. Easier, actually, as the sail need not be attached before stepping the mast, and is simply swung up into its authentic bronze Herreshoff-type mast ring, Iwo-Jima style. Chuck has invented a nifty way of using Velcro straps to attach the mainsail to the mast very quickly… no tedious fitting of little slides to little tracks, so the boat can be launched and gotten going in a matter of minutes.

Strap Closed

This boat’s construction and finish are in a word, exquisite. So it is far from cheap to build, to be honest. But it will retain its value far better than any boat you have ever owned before and will certainly rise in value owing to its rarity and waiting times for acquisition. As an intrinsically valuable hard asset whose cost of replication is rising at a rapid rate, it is a classically cogent hedge against inflation- but one that can be used to hugely enhance your quality of life no matter what the gov-mint does to trash the value of our currency.

In a single phrase, the  LEVANT 15 is “A TRAILERABLE MINI-YACHT.”  At 1000 pounds the yacht is light enough to be trailed behind the moderate sized automobile that you already own—no truck or SUV nor surge brakes are required. Or of course it can live on your mooring or in a marina slip. An optional custom-fitted highest quality galvanized trailer with integral tongue-extender makes launching and retrieving a snap. The carbon fiber mast requires no stays and is simply swung up into place just as is done on the original Herreshoff 12½, excepting that the rigging-less carbon fiber mast weighs only half as much! And in the off-season she fits right into your garage where you can perform the yearly maintenance yourself at near negligible expense, and proudly show her off to your dinner-guests.

The rare yachtsman who desires a daysailor of investment quality is finally blessed with a number of clear choices, all with splendid fit and finish (and commensurate pricetags, which will be soon forgotten as they inflate in value). The available fleet until the introduction of the  LEVANT 15  consisted of the PAINE 14 , Herreshoff and Doughdish 12 1/2, York 18 and Pisces 21.  The LEVANT 15 fills the obvious gap between the Paine 14 and the H12/Doughdish. Given her modern underbody, although she falls halfway between the Paine 14 and Herreshoff 12½  in size, she is the equal and more of the H12 in performance.

Want to see why people love the way this boat sails? Have a look at the following videos of the boat under sail in a light breeze. Turn your speakers on- there is sound.

The yacht is built to order in Belfast, Maine by French & Webb. They take between 6 and 9 months to complete. Six of them have been launched so far. Two more are under construction, and hull number 9 is now available to build. More information about the boat, from its builder’s perspective, may be found by going to www.frenchwebb.com. The demonstrator yacht will come up for sale this winter, at a price 15% less than it can be reproduced for, thanks to covidflation.

The full-height jib battens keep the jib from twisting off excessively- note the jib is working properly from top to bottom.  They also permit the jib to be roller-reefed without the jib losing its shape, unlike any jib ever made previously!   Norm Talbot photo.

Caught in the middle of a tack, granddad is proud of his lovely granddaughters. Hence Cecilie Zoey.                                                          Art Paine photo

In light airs… seven or eight knots of wind in this photo, the yacht will sail at hull speed—about five knots.

A day at a nearby lake. Why would anyone sail anything less lovely?

A LEVANT 15 for delivery in early 2024 will cost between $90,000 and $110,000 depending upon the specification of hardwoods, fittings and options.

A sailboat for Florida. Until now there were no sailboats both shallow enough and of sufficiently high performance to be usable on the many canals in Florida. So often the wind comes right down the canal, making sailing there either a beat straight to windward or a dead run. Anything can go downwind—even a Styrofoam cup—but tacking successfully to windward in a narrow channel is beyond the capability of most existing sailboats– until now. The LEVANT 15 can be short-tacked to windward in any canal in Florida without effort—no sheet needs to be trimmed.  From this day forward you will begin to see TWO boat lifts at the edge of every canal in Florida. One for your center console, and one for your LEVANT 15!

Appealing options may be easily added. A custom fitted galvanized trailer with a long tongue-extender is the first and perhaps only option most owners will want. A demonstrator exists and awaits your inspection.

For a couple of videos of her sailing, click below:

https://www.frenchwebb.com/levant

FOR QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE YACHT:

Further information may be obtained from:

Builder’s website: www.frenchwebb.com

Phone: (207)  323-2550

FOR QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE DESIGN:  CHUCKPAINE.COM LLC  

Phone: (207) 691-5195

Email: [email protected]

THE DEMONSTRATOR shown above and in all photos and videos will be put up for sale this Fall. Its price including all options (the bronze hardware package and the Triad brand trailer being the two most important ones with costs of over $6000 each) is $102,000 fob Belfast, Maine.  Contact Todd French or Chuck Paine  if interested.

This design is featured in the recent book; THE BOATS I’VE LOVED- 20 Classic Sailboat Designs by Chuck Paine.  This is a beautiful, full colored, first-class book which give you lots more information on this design, and can be purchased elsewhere on this website. It’s fun reading, and will teach you a lot about small boats of very high quality which are, and have always been, Chuck Paine’s stock in trade.

For those who own or have owned a Chuck Paine design, and those who aspire to owning one someday, here is a fun Facebook Group where you can meet and greet others with similar interests.

I have (with some help) created a Facebook group where people who like the boats I’ve designed over the years can meet and discuss. Take a look and consider joining and/or sharing with your boating friends. Just click the blue text and join.   https://www.facebook.com/groups/424532172574012/   “

I’ll be in the background serving as “moderator”. I’m hoping that many of the well- over- 1000 owners of a Paine design will enjoy belonging to this group.

Chuck Paine

Sail Far Live Free

Double enders according to perry (guest post by bob perry).

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I drove by Oceanus almost daily in a local yard. A very unique and beautiful boat. Unfortunately I was witness to her destruction by an excavator. The owner could not afford the insurance, yard fees, let alone the restoration. One of the most depressing sights I have ever witnessed.

Hi Bob, Loved the directness of your comments. Great to have you "de-mythologize" the double ender while making a point that I think is really important. Aesthetics matter: you own your boat to make you happy - and having the "prettiest fanny in the anchorage", the boldest bow or most elegant sheer or whatever turns your crank may just win out over the apparent logic of some other design choice. All the best from sailboat Wabi.

Well you have a point squatting at the stern slower etc etc. The way I see it the problem is getting the water flow to cleanly cleave off the stern not sucking the boat back or clinging on and climbing up the stern causing drag. My plans are doomed or are they. I remember seeing a valiant in a yachting magazine back in the day probably 1973 and thinking oh my God that is gorgeous one day I will have a boat like that. To find out that double enders are no good or in some way deficient is like discovering Santa (Saint Nicolas)isn't real. After seeing that boat I developed a disliking for transoms I don't like the way the lines of a boat flow beutifully and come that snap finnish. Here is my defence of a rounded stern: pionted structures whatever they are create stress pionts curved structures dissipate stresses eg. an egg. one good point. A lot of these boats are heavy full keel designs deep boats make deep waves, big drag but they don't have to be deep full keel jobs, if the stern runs flatter on the bottom I believe the water flow will cleave away better and the boat will be faster eg surfboards. I would also take issue with the idead that a boat should be pointy a the bow mayby and mayby not (complaints about V berths being small). I can't find the videos but have seen a skutsji being towed at 22 knotts, level and bolt upright in the water and I have also seen a tjalk being sailed at 11 knotts these things are fast. So what is my solution yet again the lemateraak.

Thanks for article. I'm no expert but canoe butts were built long ago when wood was fashioned; enabling strength of joins. I'm about to buy a canoe stern cruising yacht, for many reasons I'm going for a slower old girl design although she's of modern build. 1. We used to race Dragons and although the same weight, length and sail area of Etchell; Dragons loved the horsepower. Our last race was a rough one. Committee 40' power launch was with fear of capsize so start finish was routed to harbour Lee water. She was rough. Although we were juniors, we asked slip master if race cancellation suggestion was because of us and our open top sinkers if swamped but we're told race committee was with more concern regarding welfare of Etchell fleet, they'd be struggling. We didn't finish race. Only race we didn't finish. Collision at sea took out our shroud yet we launched without pop and hiked in on screaming reach with all colours. In a mad hurry because collision had paralyzed my forehand; lost muscle usage for 28 hrs. People that say long keelers don't plane don't understand high rythym and reflex. They plane gorgeously, just a bit loose and ready to spin like a ballerina. Without wide aft we have gone from balancing on a spear to balance upon a ball and turn can be substituted by yaw pitch. Ironic is sailing. Other choices of vessels included nice faster vessels with more volume aft. Eg 2 extra cabins and lots of extra space. Yet to stow brings slow whilst with older style of less volume, extra weight is loved as ballast. Some of my more or less experienced friends have never balanced an old bird, some have but went back to modern skiffing yachts. Way I see it is 100+ years ago there were no rescue boats, if you were caught out you battled for knots until blow had blown over or you rode something built for offshore and danced with a smile. We cruised a vertical tapered keel with spade for years. Almost outrun a 4 day 70 knot blow, were exhausted during 3 hours of ol' ship anyone spotted entrance yet. Yet with 1950s race boat, always full sail area. 2 mast positions; high and low. High during light wind, low during moderate, high again above 20knots because unlike modern designs, older designs usually have ability to discard excess horsepower and when she's blowing there's plenty of excess discard ratio to balance vessel with. Wider arts however want horsepower which is why they're are usually a lot faster but forcing horsepower is great during lesser conditions for lessons of less ons. Mother nature well above our strengths.. nice to feel our way sometimes.

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• Double-ender

What is a Double-ender?

A sail double-ender is a type of sailing vessel that has identical bow and stern sections and typically carries a lugsail rigged on both masts. These vessels are designed to be able to sail quickly and efficiently in both directions and often have a narrow, shallow hull shape with minimum stability. They are often used in coastal and inshore fishing but can also be employed in short-distance cruising or racing. Historical examples of sail double-enders include cutters, luggers, schooners, and wherries.

Which manufacturers build double-ender sail boats?

Manufacturers that produce double-ender sail boats include Lagoon , J W Miller & Sons Ltd , Hardanger Fartøyvernsenter , Dufour and Comar .

How much does a double-ender sail boat cost?

A used double-ender sail boat on TheYachtMarket.com ranges in price from £29,900 GBP to £1,010,000 GBP with an average price of £322,000 GBP . Factors including the condition, age, model and specification will affect the price of a double-ender.

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39′ Double-Ender

Heyman Yachts

Nothing ordinary

Why a double-ender? – Traditions behind the 39’ Pavane

This double-ender stems from a type of coastal fishing boats which were common in Scandinavian waters during the past centuries. It would be much too far-fetched to claim that they are all descendants to the long-boats of the Vikings, but in fact I guess this is where they have their roots. However, over the centuries, they have developed in different directions.

On the Swedish west coast and in Norway, the double-enders, called ‘koster’, had a dramatically full bow and a rather slender stern. The smaller boats were clinker built, had outboard rudders and were used as coastal fishing boats, later equipped with engines. The larger ones were often carvel built. A somewhat refined variety of the west coast koster are the ones later developed by Colin Archer into his hefty rescue boats, ‘redningsskøyte’.

In Denmark and the southermost parts of Sweden, the double-enders had very different proportions, with full-bodied sections aft, making them more buoyant. With their more balanced shape forward and aft, the spidsgatters balanced well when heeled and were able to take a storm on their quarters without being pooped. The lines of spidsgatters were a little more ‘yachty’ in appearance, they were most often carvel built and usually a little quicker as well.

There were two different kinds of sterns, characterised by their rudder arrangements. The most common was the outboard rudder which was always used for the smaller boats. The more unusual ‘kanothäck’ or canoe stern had the rudder post pass through the hull. This arrangement was used for some of the bigger double-ended workboats but even then it was rare, until a hundred or so years ago, when canoe sterns started to appear in two vastly different types of double-enders: In bigger fishing boats and trawlers, and in yachts. Canoe stern yachts of a similar kind were also somewhat popular in Britain and, to some extent, in Germany but – dare I say so – they were never as lovely as the Danish ones.

The inspiration for the 39’ Pavane stems from these lovely, wholesome spidsgatters and Øresundskosters of the southern Baltic, with a side look to early/mid-1900s yachts by the likes of Berg, Reimers and Aage Nielsen. Personally, I think her traditional lines above the waterline go together extremely well with her modern hull shape under the surface – a happy marriage of styles and shapes, separated by a century.

39′ hull #2

A modern, slippery cruising yacht

This design should be equally at home on a mooring on the Clyde, in Newport or in Cannes. She is intended to be a manageable boat, able to sneak in almost anywhere. Under sail, she will provide fast passages, averaging between 7 and 8 knots on all points of sailing but at the same time, will be seaworthy and well behaved.

Cruising life is changing. I guess most people think of cruising as heading for another shore, exploring new anchorages. But cruising could just as well mean day sailing to a familiar port, visiting a nice restaurant, meeting friends. And while many crews consist of a couple, most will also want to invite friends or children to join them for a week or two. And, even with only two on board, most people will want some basic comfort, and stay in contact with the world beyond.

Therefore, I believe a proper cruising boat will be one that her owners will never find too cramped, too slow, too cranky or too limited. She will have to offer much more than just being a good sailing boat for two.

Still, at below 40 ft., and being of moderate proportions, this design will be easily handled. But this is not about size only. It is perhaps more about clever use of space, a long water line, an efficient hull shape, and about avoiding unnecessary weight or complication.

There is another aspect to the matter of size and cost:

The earlier 36′ design

The cost of a boat will be a function of its weight. But the cost of building a one-off will also be a function of its surface areas, as all surfaces are finished by hand. Comparing, for example, a 30 ft one-off with a 39 ft., the bigger boat will have 70 % more surface to finish but she will offer 110% more space. For a one-off, the slightly bigger boat, not too heavy, is more cost-efficient.

Provided, again, that she is designed to make efficient use of her size.

The design for this 39′ yawl was finished in 2012 and was developed from a 36′ sloop, designed some 12 years earlier. This lovely yacht is a one-off build, made from strip planking and sheathed in multi-directional glass and epoxy.

Under water

A full keel was avoided for simplicity, cost, and speed. But it should be noted that this does not make her inferior in terms of safety, or steering. In addition, the fin keel makes manouvering easier.

OK, but why a yawl rig?

39′ Yawl Rig

By definition, this rig would probably be called a ketch but the sail plan is that of a yawl. The distinction between yawl and ketch is based on the mast position in relation to the rudder stock; this is the formal definition. But considering the sail plan proportions of this particular design, with its smallish mizzen set far aft, I have chosen to call her a yawl.

The mizzen mast is unstayed, the mizzen is tiny and contributes nothing on the wind. On the other hand, it is not really in the way either. On a reach, it gives a little extra push, especially with the staysail set. When anchoring or approaching a mooring, it keeps the bow into the wind, even at zero speed. And in a sudden blow, one can romp along under a deep-reefed jib + mizzen.

36′ earlier design

The helmsman sits aft and the forward part of the cockpit, if you like, is for enjoying the day, eating, reading – or sleeping. The starboard seat is extended a little further forward, leading to the entrance.

Inside, there is a big hanging locker and a navigation table. Rounding the central island, one enters the galley. There is good contact with the cockpit through the entrance hatch and the opening portlight on the port side. The engine is accessible from all sides, under the galley sink, and the fridge is opposite, under the navigation table.

The aft cabin is unusual for a boat with an aft cockpit and is intended as the owner’s cabin, laid out for a couple. There is standing headroom, one can sit down on the berth and move about in a dignified manner.

There is stowage for two folding bicycles behind the backrests in the main cabin.

The forward cabin will accommodate guests without disturbing the owners. But, during periods when the yacht is used by its owners only, this area can be used for other purposes, for stowage, or as an office.

Construction

36′ previous design

A strip planked red cedar hull is encapsulated in multidirectional glass and epoxy, making for a light, strong and durable structure. Alternatively, a Divinycell foam-cored construction has its merits.

• L.O.A.                                          12,00 m     39,4′
• D.W.L.                                         10,73 m     35,2′
• Beam, maximum                           3,46 m       11,4′
• Beam, waterline                            2,89 m         9,5′
• Draft                                             1,64 m         5,4′
• Displacement, light                        7200 kg      15860 lbs
• Ballast                                          2600 kg        5730 lbs
• Sail area 100%                              76,8 m²      827 sq.ft.
• True sail area                                83,5 m²      899 sq.ft
• Mainsail, true area                      41,0 m²      441 sq.ft.
• Jib, true area                                 33,9 m²      365 sq.ft.
• Mizzen, true area                            8,6 m²        93 sq.ft.
• Gennaker                                          74 m²         797 sq.ft.
• Mizzen staysail                               24 m²         258 sq.ft.
• D/L                                                  165
• SA/D, upwind                              20,6
• SA/D, downwind                          48,7
• Entry angle                                     14,7 °

AVS                                                 131 °

Downflooding                               102 °

CE Category                                 A (Ocean)

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Sakonnet 23 – 23' Double Ended Sailboat (LaLa)

Thi sis LaLa – the original Sakonnet 23. Designed by Joel White and built by Joe Norton III. We built the original boat that became the mold for the fiberglass Sakonnet 23 now manufactured by Edey and Duff. This is a time-proven design that we love dearly. Probably our most "famous" project, it has been featured in many articles and publications. Wooden Boat Magazine #126, Small Craft Advisor, Harken Bearings (Fall 1996), just to name a few, as well as countless other pages on the internet. There are even small-scale models based on this boat! Click the links below to read the articles. When you're done, give us a call. We'd love to build one for you!

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Boat Profile

Caledonia Yawl II

An updated sail-and-oar classic

From Issue   March 2024

W hen I happened upon a Caledonia Yawl II at the 2019 WoodenBoat Show in Mystic, Connecticut, it was love at first sight. The original Caledonia Yawl, a rugged 19′ 6″ double-ended beach boat designed by Iain Oughtred for clinker plywood construction, has four strakes; this second iteration has seven, and was originally commissioned by a customer in Germany in 1999. The new design proved more stable for sailing while possibly sacrificing some rowing efficiency. Iain based his design of the Caledonia Yawl on the seaworthy double-ended working boats of the Hebrides, Scotland, his adopted home.

I had built a Lumber Yard Skiff in 2017, a very simple 16′ design for first-time boatbuilders, and it was a major confidence-builder in my decision to take on the Caledonia Yawl II. That said, I don’t think previous building experience is a prerequisite; my skill level is at best described as a capable handyman around the house. Also, there are many tutorial videos available online that became indispensable during my project.

The plans arrived with 17 pages of notes and 10 blueprint-style sheets of drawings, including full-sized patterns for the molds and stems. Lines and offsets are also included with ample information to loft the boat, although lofting is not required. I purchased CNC-cut molds and planks from Hewes & Company of Blue Hill, Maine. The planks are delivered in 8′ sections and must be carefully scarfed together.

The Caledonia Yawl II has plenty of room for sailing with the whole family, especially with the open configuration. The decked version limits the cockpit area but provides covered storage areas and built-in flotation. The side benches provide a place to secure inflatable flotation like boat rollers or, in this case, a collection of fenders. The kick-up rudder blade is an option that makes beaching easy.

I built my boat to Iain’s specifications, which are impeccable in detail and readability. For a novice boatbuilder, the exquisite plans can eliminate many frustrations along the way.

The plans include options for the open-boat design or the decked-boat design, which adds built-in compartments in the bow and stern for storage and flotation. I chose the open-boat model, which has a real workboat look in keeping with its ancestry, and ample seating on three thwarts and two side benches. And while the plans call for the side benches to be 8″ in width, I would recommend adding an inch, or even two, for added comfort. The open-boat design requires adding flotation as an afterthought as it is not called for in the plans. The underside of the side benches provides a nice location to attach inflatable beach rollers. The sealed storage areas in the bow and stern of the decked version serve as its flotation.

Details for the oars—length and construction—are not specified in the plans, but Shaw & Tenney, a longtime supplier of oars for the Caledonia Yawl, provided recommendations, and I purchased my 11′ 6″ oars from them.

The plans come with three sailing rig options: a balance-lug yawl, a gunter yawl, and a balance-lug sloop. I chose the balance-lug yawl; it is a very popular rig for these small sail-and-oar boats, and I had once owned a yawl and love the way a boat lies head-to-wind with the mizzen sheeted in.

The Caledonia Yawl II tracks well under oar. The 11′ 6″ oars are long but a good length for the boat’s 6′ 4 ½″ beam. Shorter oars would be easier to stow, but would elevate the handles too much during the drive of the stroke.

T he plans arrived August 2019, and by January 2020 she was ready to launch. Our first summer with the Caledonia, christened SPARGE, was a time of learning.

For rowing, once I get a head of steam, the Caledonia Yawl II rows and tracks amazingly well for its size. However, when against both wind and tide, it’s a lot of boat for a solo rower, and I’m guaranteed a workout. For sailing, I had to get used to the Norwegian tiller, which passes to one side of the mizzenmast.

Because the luff of the boat’s rather large lug main is not attached to the mast, and the rig has a large yard, the sail can become unruly as you raise and lower it. We have found the quicker we raise and lower the main, the better it behaves. And the luff must be taut—very taut—for the best performance, especially to windward. I added a second block on the downhaul to create more purchase and tension.

Once we overcame these teething troubles, my wife Dawn and I enjoyed many good day sails and picnics on the boat, but we shied away from going out when the whitecaps appeared. On a warm August day in our first season, in 10 to 15 knots with a double-reefed main, we capsized. A large gust pushed the lee gunwale under the water, and before I knew it the boat was on its side and we were in the water (when back on the beach I was told that the sudden blast of wind had come out of nowhere and sent most of the umbrellas flying). Fortunately, the mainmast, with its hollow bird’s-mouth construction, had enough buoyancy to keep the boat from turning turtle.

The Caledonia Yawl’s beam and full midsections stand up to the press of the sail in a good sailing breeze.

I had seen videos on how to recover from a capsize, and I was able to right the boat by standing on the centerboard, but with no built-in flotation the gunwales were at the waterline and the sea was breaking in with no hope of bailing. We were towed to a nearby beach by a good Samaritan and recovered there. The incident revealed the need to have the right amount flotation to keep the boat high enough to be boarded and bailed out in the event of a capsize.

In retrospect, I can point to our inexperience with the Caledonia Yawl and several mistakes that contributed to our capsize. First, my wife was comfortably sitting on the lee side of the boat; second, after reefing I did not sufficiently retighten the downhaul on the mainsail, making the upwind tack more difficult; and third, I don’t recall if the mainsheet was cleated or not, but I clearly did not react quickly enough to release the sheet in those conditions. Since then, I have human ballast only on the windward side except in very calm conditions, I never cleat the mainsheet, and I always keep the downhaul really taut.

T hat whole experience got me thinking about the alternative three-sail gunter-yawl rig: jib, main, and mizzen. I thought we would benefit from having a jib, which would allow me to drop the main altogether and sail happily on jib and mizzen when unexpected weather arrives. During the off-season I took almost all the steps necessary to convert the rig, including new boom, yard, mainsail, and jib. I elected not to move the mast partner aft for the gunter rig as shown on the plans because I wanted to be able to go back to the lug rig easily if desired. I do not think the gunter rig suffered any performance issues as a result.

The gunter-yawl rig, one of three rigs detailed in the plans, provides several reefing possibilities when dealing with building winds. While this rig and the lug rigs have similar total sail areas, some may find it easier to manage the 108-sq-ft gunter main than the 136-sq-ft lug main. However, the forestay, shrouds, jibsheets, and two more halyards add a level of complexity that isn’t necessarily compatible with simple trailer-sailing.

We sailed the entire second season with the gunter yawl and enjoyed the benefits of the three-sail rig. I believe the boat pointed a bit higher than with the lug rig, and most important, she sailed quite well and balanced under jib and mizzen alone, which we enjoyed often when the weather presented itself and the wind piped up.

I also added the recommended flotation that winter, which should ensure the centerboard trunk opening is above the waterline after righting the boat in the event of another capsize.

What wasn’t obvious at the beginning of this conversion was how many additional parts and pieces I was adding to my boat. This list includes a forestay and two shrouds (the balance-lug rig requires no shrouds, just a free-standing mast), a peak halyard, a throat halyard, a jib halyard, a kicking strap, and two jibsheets, all detailed in the plans. If my goal was to simplify sailing in rougher weather, I sure created a lot more lines to worry about, and an additional 10 to 15 minutes of rigging and de-rigging time at the ramp. By the season’s end I was very happy with the new rig, its appearance, performance, and versatility, but I could not stop thinking about the less-complicated lug rig and suspected I had not given it a proper chance.

The lug main is a powerful sail but doesn’t require the standing rig that the gunter uses, so it’s easier to set up at the launch site.

For season three, I reverted to the simpler balance lug rig and set out to master it. I sailed alone in all kinds of weather. I added an outhaul on the mainsail, which, in addition to the highly tensioned luff, allowed the balance lug to perform at its peak. I now was sailing unreefed comfortably in up to 12 knots of wind. The balance-lug yawl rig is self-tending, so I need not touch a line when tacking. I go to a double reef in the main at about 13 knots and sail there comfortably up to 18 knots for pleasure. I can add a third reef if needed but have not yet had to; all three reefpoints are in the plans. The Caledonia Yawl is an amazingly dry boat, and other than inadvertently dipping the gunwale into the sea, I don’t believe I have taken on more than a teacup of water over the bow. And, I can confidently say that with my renewed effort to conquer the lug rig, I am regularly weathering gusts and seas in rough conditions without issue.

I have now just finished season four, and my Caledonia Yawl II is one of the fastest, prettiest boats on Long Island Sound. I often hit 8 knots on a broad reach, 6.5 knots on a close reach. And while it might have taken a while, the boat now exceeds even my wildest dreams. I trailer her from the same garage she was built in. I can rig and de-rig her at the ramp in 20 minutes, although it often takes longer as I take time to talk with interested bystanders who inevitably ask about the boat.

And while my bones are a bit too brittle for camp-cruising, something I did 25 years ago, four-to-five-hour gunkholing excursions and short-tacking up creeks are a delight with the Caledonia. The Norwalk Islands present many opportunities to go either by sail or by oar where many others cannot.

Donald Sullivan and his wife have sailed extensively throughout their 45-year marriage. They have owned a mahogany-planked 20′ Pennant Sloop, a 28′ gaff-rigged wooden sloop, an 18′ Drascombe Lugger, a 22′ Pearson Ensign, and a 1966 Hinckley Pilot 35. The boats each served a purpose well in their time, but at 71, Donald enjoys the simplicity of trailer-sailing, the performance of a great design, and the beautiful looks of a traditional boat.

Caledonia Yawl II Particulars

LOA:   19′ 9″ LWL:   16′ 1″ Beam:   6′ 4 1⁄2″ Hull weight:   450 lbs, all up 650 lbs Displacement WL:   1,090 lbs Sail area:   164 sq ft

Is there a boat you’d like to know more about? Have you built one that you think other  Small Boats readers would enjoy? Please  email us.

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Comments (19)

Donald – well done! Boat looks great. I am really pleased to find someone that has sailed both the lug and gunter version. I opted for the gunter on my CY and am preparing for my first season. One question: It looks like your boom on the gunter is on a gooseneck. Is that the case? If so, which one did you go for?

Cole, I went with the “jaws”, as drawn on page 5 of 10 of the plans called Sail Plan II. They’re just a series of laminated pieces, and it worked very well with a cord and some parrel beads.

You will be very happy with the Gunter rig.

Cole, I misspoke above, I was mistakenly referring to the laminated jaws on the yard. I also did jaws on the boom (much simpler) by just cutting out a shape on 3/4 marine plywood and gluing to the boom. I can send a pic if you’d like. Also closed this jaw with cord and parrel beads. A jaw in this application is nice because it slides up and down, some goosenecks are rigid. Sorry for the confusion.

Very lovely! Beautiful job; beautiful design. Ian will be sorely missed.

I was interested in your experiences with the two different rigs. I had a 12ft skiff that I first rigged with a lug rig, but found that tensioning the luff to give decent windward performance would cause the mast to bend substantially, due the compression load, which would then allow the luff of the sail to sag away again. I changed the rig to gaff; then the mast bend acted to flatten the sail in stronger winds, rather than get fuller as happened with the lug rig.

Andy, The birds-mouth construction of my main mast makes it amazingly stiff, so I haven’t had that problem, although I understand what your saying . . . a sagging luff on a lug rig can be very debilitating, whatever the cause. Sounds like you made a good solution.

A loop of parrel beads would help hold the lug’s yard against the mast. This is a common solution.

You did a beautiful job on your boat. I have owned the plans for 20 years or more, and now that I am past my mid 80s, I fear I may not get around to building. I do scan the classifieds from time to time hoping one might show up. I would be quite content with the 4-plank hull as opposed to the 7-plank one. I see some CYs with outboard motor wells, but it looks like your situation allows you to depend on oars; it;’s always nice to dispense with the stinky noise makers.

David, thanks for your note, I recommend offcenterharbor.com, they have a boats for sale section which often has one or two Caledonia Yawls in it.

And you are right, no outboard for me. However, I have seen folks add lightweight electric motors on nice simple brackets, something I may think about as well as I get older.

Nice boat. I also have a Caledonia II rigged with a balanced lug for simplicity and ease of set up. I have not added a mizzenmast yet but am interested in trying it to see how much difference it will make. I, like you, love cruising in it.

Wayne, I think you should try the mizzen, it will give you two wonderful things. First, with the mizzen sheeted in tight, she will keep the boat head-to-wind while raising and lowering the mainsail. And two, just slight adjustments to the mizzen will eliminate any weather helm and keep the boat very balanced. It’s also very good-looking.

Donald, interesting that you have tried both lug and Gunter versions. I built Oughtred’s Sooty Tern, which is a narrower version of the CY. On another matter: I too will be sailing on L. I. Sound. I noticed no CT registration number. I don’t really want to mar my boat with 3” numbers, but wonder about compliance. Any sailboat over 19’6” is supposed to have a vessel registration. Furthermore I worry that I’ll have to have a USCG inspection with possible annoyances like requiring built-in flotation. What’s your thinking on this? Malcolm Meldahl Deep River, CT

Don’s Caledonia finished shorter than the designed LOA and fell just shy of requiring registration. —Ed.

Malcom, in addition to Chris’ comment above, I did add inflatable boat rollers under the side seats as floatation, which more than covers the Connecticut requirements.

Hi Don We seem to have some common experiences with the CY2. I built mine in 2019 ( see AUDREY JAMES in the April 2020 Small Boats ). A very fun and delightful open-air driveway build. Once it hit the water the discoveries started. I also have the balanced lug with mizzen. I have since fabricated a short bowsprit for a roller jib. This has been a great improvement in handling and sailing abilities. I sail with 1 reef 80% of the time due to the southwest breeze kicking up pretty quickly here in Narragansett Bay, RI. I keep the mizzen reefed also. The jib makes up for the reefed main with less sail aloft. I have a double block downhaul and mainsheet. I put a single block purchase on the main halyard to ease the load while setting and striking ( have one hand free to grab the sail & yard). My small electric motor didn’t quite do the job so I have a 2.3 hp to keep me out of trouble. The motor also allows me to enter areas I normally wouldn’t go. No capsizes yet! I camp-cruise Narragansett Bay and some of the larger CT & RI lakes and salt ponds. Considering the Connecticut River this year. Perhaps we’ll cross wakes. Nice work! Marty Casey

Marty – can you share more information on how you set up your balanced lug/mizzen with the bowsprit/roller jib? Contemplating different riggings for my build, and this is an interesting addition without going full change to gunter yawl rig? Thanks! Jason

Marty, thanks for your note . . . your boat looks beautiful. If you have a picture of her under sail with the bow sprit and jib, please post.

No pics with jib set. Stay tuned…early lauching soon.

Great story, beautiful boat. I’m playing with boats on the other side of the Sound. I also had a 20′ Pennant Sloop, loved that boat.

I have found it a pleasant pastime to build scale models of the boats I like. My first was a solid wood model of an H28 (Herreshoff ketch) that appeared in one of the boat-building magazines. (I heard that GIs returning from WWII fell in love with that design). I built that instead of studying at my desk while in college. Later I built a Ted Brewer 22′ ketch designed for plywood construction, and planked it up with thin red cedar that I cut on the table saw. Have done the same with a John Gardner Swampscott dory, a Bolger double-chine outboard skiff, and also a 9′ round-bilge pram in Chapelle’s Small Boats . For that one, I lofted the lines and built a mold frame just as you would in building the real thing. Lining off the plank shapes for this lapstrake dinghy was an interesting task. As I was trying to bend in tiny ash frames, I got frustrated when the frames almost instantly cooled off from the teakettle steaming. That’s when I tried bending with dry heat; it was winter, and I was standing next to a hot stove pipe, when I got this inspiration. Oh, also did a model of a Bolger outboard skiff with a double-chine hull. All of these smaller boats I did at a 1″ to 1′ scale, just to simplify the math.

Though I made my own “lumber” on the table saw, hobby shops often have extremely thin plywood that should work very well.

I recommend anyone contemplating building a boat to build a scale model first. It should take you hours, or at most days, instead of months or years. You get to see what the 3-dimensional boat will look like, and can also deal with complications and dilemmas that might intimidate you on the full-size vessel.

I miss the days when boat-building magazines featured plans you could build from, though of course they wanted you to buy the actual blue prints from the designer. These included “Sports Afield’s Boatbuilding Annual,” “How to Build 20 Boats,” “Boats You Can Build” and “MoTorBoat’s Ideal Series,” which consisted mostly of Billy Atkin’s designs. One of his most intriguing is “Pocahontas,” a 12′ gaff-rigged, teak planked (lapstrake) sloop of 1400 lbs. displacement (!). Haven’t tackled that one yet, but it is tempting. It is really a little ship, with actual deadeyes instead of turnbuckles for the standing rigging.

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• Articles and Guides

11 Best Small Sailboat Brands: How to Choose Your Next Daysailer or Pocket Cruiser

12th oct 2023 by samantha wilson.

Sailing is a relaxing, invigorating pastime that allows you to harness wind and waves in a unique and historic way without requiring a 50-foot yacht to enjoy what’s special about the experience. In fact, small sailboats allow a delightful back-to-basics experience that often gets lost on larger, systems-heavy sailboats.

On a small sailboat you can connect with the sea, feeling the boat move beneath you. The boat is typically easy to rig, simple to sail, and can even be sailed solo. Small sailboats give you the freedom to trailer your or car-top your boat and go anywhere, and they’re perfect for learning the nuances of sailing. There are many excellent brands and models of small sailboat, each with their own appeal, and here we narrow down some of our favorite in the daysailer and pocket cruiser categories under 30 feet. 

Difference Between a Daysailer and a Pocket Cruiser

While there are many different types of sailboat on the market and there is no single definition of either a daysailer or a pocket cruiser, they are used in a particular way, as the names imply. The term daysailer covers a huge array of sailboats, smaller and sometimes larger, and is generally defined as any day boat used for local sailing, with a simple rig, and easy to get underway. A pocket cruiser typically offers a cabin and head, and adequate accommodations for an overnight stay and sometimes longer cruises. Having said that, there is a large overlap between the two in many instances, so the lines may become blurred. 

What Size is a Small Sailboat?

Small is a relative term of course, but in general—and for the purposes of this article—a small sailboat is one that could be sailed by a small crew, often with one or two people aboard. It will have a simple rig and be trailerable, and it might be either a daysailer or pocket-cruiser style vessel as above. Within those categories, there are many models and styles, but when it comes to length we consider a sailboat as small when it’s under 30 feet in overall length. 

The Best Sailboats Under 30 Feet

Pocket cruiser: Beneteau First 27.  The Beneteau First 27 is a modern example of a pocket cruiser, earning Cruising World ’s Boat of the Year award in the Pocket Cruiser category in 2022. With space for up to six people accommodated in a separated bow-cabin and open saloon, it offers families the chance to go farther, explore more, and cruise in comfort. There is a galley with freshwater and a head, adding to the interior home comforts. The sailboat itself is modern, fast, and stable, designed by Sam Manuard, and has been designed to be incredibly safe and almost unsinkable thanks to its three watertight chambers. The handling is also refreshingly intuitive, with a well-designed cockpit, simple deck controls, and double winches allowing it to be sailed solo, by two people, or a small crew. 

Photo credit: Beneteau

Daysailer: Alerion 28.  You’ll certainly turn heads cruising along in an Alerion 28, a daysailer whose forerunner by the same name was designed by Nathanael Herreshoff in 1912 and then updated with a modern underbody for fiberglass production by Carl Schumacher in the late 1980s. This pretty daysailer manages to combine a traditional silhouette and classic feel, with very modern engineering creating an excellent package. Over 470 of these sailboats were built and sold in the past 30 years, making it one of the most popular modern daysailers on the water. With a small cabin and saloon, complete with miniature galley area, it offers respite from the sun or wind and the option for a night aboard. The cockpit offers a beautiful sailing experience, with plenty of space for the whole family. 

Photo credit: Alerion Yachts

The Best Sailboats Under 25 Feet

Pocket cruiser: Cornish Crabber 24.  British manufacturer Cornish Crabber has been producing beautiful, traditional style small sailboats for decades, ensuring they honor their heritage both in the construction style and appearance of their boats. The Cornish Crabber 24 is the most iconic of their range and dates back to the 1980s. It offers a simple yet surprisingly spacious interior layout with cabin, galley, and head, and a good sized cockpit, as well as seating for up to six people. It’s the perfect family sailboat, with clever use of storage as well as just under 5000 pounds of displacement providing stability and easy tacking. Aesthetically the 24 is simply beautiful, with a traditional silhouette (combined with modern engineering), finished in hardwood trims. 

Photo credit: Cornish Crabber

Daysailer: Catalina 22 Capri.  Catalina sailboats need little introduction, and are one of the world’s best-known, most-respected brands building small sailboats. The Catalina 22 Capri (also available in a sport model) is a great example of what Catalina does so well. While we’ve classified it as a daysailer, it could easily cross into the pocket cruiser category, as it offers excellent sailing performance in almost all conditions as well as having a small cabin, galley, and head. Loved for its safety, stability, ease of handling and simple maintenance, it makes for a good first family boat for getting out onto the bay or lake. 

Photo credit: Catalina

The Best Sailboats Under 20 Feet

Pocket cruiser: CapeCutter 19.  This is another model that combines the beauty of the traditional silhouettes with modern-day advancements. The design originates from the classic gaff cutter work boats, but today offers excellent performance—in fact it’s one of the fastest small gaffers in the world. The interior is cleverly spacious, with four berths, two of which convert into a saloon, as well as a simple galley area. With quick rigging, it can be sailed solo, but is also able to accommodate small groups, making it a capable and hugely versatile pocket cruiser. 

Photo credit: Cape Cutter 19

Daysailer: Swallow Yachts’ BayRaider 20.  Classic looks with modern performance are combined in Swallow Yachts’ beautiful BayRaider 20. This is one of the most capable and safest daysailers we’ve seen, but also incredibly versatile thanks to the choices of ballast. Keep the ballast tank empty and it’s light and fast. Fill the tank up and you’ve got a stable and safe boat perfect for beginners and families. While it’s got an eye-catching traditional style, the engineering is modern, with a strong carbon mast and construction. While this is a true daysailer, you can use the optional spray hood and camping accessories to create an overnight adventure. 

Photo credit: Swallow Yachts

The Best Sailboats Under 15 Feet

Pocket Cruiser: NorseBoat 12.5.  Can we truly call the NorseBoat 12.5 a pocket cruiser? Yes we can! The sheer versatility of this excellent little sailboat has convinced us. These beautiful hand-crafted sailboats offer exceptional performance and are described by the manufacturer as ‘the Swiss Army Knives of sailboats’. The traditionally styled 12.5 can be sailed, rowed, and motored. It can be trailered, easily beached, and even used as a camp cruiser, allowing for overnight adventures. There is no end to the fun that can be had with this easy-to-sail and easy-to-handle boat, which makes it a dream to learn in. With positive flotation, lots of clever storage, and a full-size double berth for camp cruising, it really is the perfect mini pocket cruiser. 

Photo credit: NorseBoats

Daysailer: Original Beetle Cat Boat 12: All across the bays of the US east coast cat boats have long been part of the ocean landscape. Able to access shallow rocky coves yet also withstand the strong coastal winds, these traditional New England fishing boats have an iconic shape and gaff-rigged mainsails. Beetle Cat have been producing elegant wooden cat boats for over 100 years – in fact they’ve made and sold over 4,000 boats to date. Their 12 foot Cat Boat 12 is one of their finest models, offering lovely daysailing opportunities. It has a wide beam and centerboard that lifts up, allowing it to access shallow waters, as well as a forward mast and single sail gaff rig in keeping with the traditional cat boats. To sail one of these is to be part of the heritage of New England and Cape Cod, and to honor the ancient art of hand-made boat building. 

Beetle Cat official website

Photo credit: Beetle Cat

The Best Small Sailboats for Beginners

When it comes to learning to sail, it’s important to have a boat that is easy to handle. There’s no quicker way to put yourself or your family off sailing than to start off with a boat that is either too big or too complicated. When choosing your first boat we recommend the following characteristics:

• Small: The benefits of starting off with a small boat are many, as we’ve seen above. They’re easier to control as well as to moor, and they react more quickly to steering and sails. They can be trailered and launched easily, and the loads generated are much lower than on bigger, heavier boats.
• Easy to sail: You want a boat that is stable and forgiving of mistakes, doesn’t capsize easily, and isn’t too overpowered in a stronger breeze. Keep things simple and learn as you go.
• Simple sail configuration: Choosing a boat that can be rigged by one person in a few minutes, and easily sailed solo, makes it easier to take along inexperienced crews. With regards to the rig, all you need are a halyard to hoist the mainsail and a sheet to control the mainsail.
• Tiller steering: We recommend boats with tiller steering over wheel steering when starting out. The tiller allows you to get a real feel for the boat and how the rudder works as it moves through the water. 

For more information on choosing the best beginner sailboat check out our full guide. There are many popular brands of beginner boats including Sunfish, Laser, and Hunter Marlow. Some of our favorites include;

Hobie 16: The classic Hobie catamaran has been a well-loved beginner sailboat for years, and the Hobie 16 started life back in 1969. Since then they’ve made and sold over a staggering 100,000 of the 16s. It has twin fiberglass and foam hulls, a large trampoline, and a pull-up rudder so it can be sailed straight onto the beach. The basic package comes with an easy to handle main and jib with plenty of extras available too such as a spinnaker and trailer. The Hobie 16 promises a great learning experience and lots of fun in a very nifty and inexpensive package. 

Photo credit: Hobie

Paine 14: You’ll immediately fall in love with sailing when you step into a beautiful Paine 14. Made from seamless epoxy cold-molded wood, the P-14 is simply beautiful and offers the classic sailing experience with the design and innovation of a more modern hull and rig. Two people will be able to enjoy getting out on the water together and learning the ropes. The Paine 14 has a lead ballast keel that accounts for nearly half her weight, giving her the feel of a much larger boat, but is still trailerable and easy to manage offering the best of both worlds.

Photo credit: Chuck Paine

High-Performance Small Sailboats

Small sailboats generally become high performers if they are light, have a lot of sail area, or they have more than one hull. More recently, some of have been designed with foiling surfaces, as well. For the purposes of this article, we’d like to close by pointing out one model that is super fast and has versatile pocket-cruising capabilities.

Corsair 880 trimaran : The Corsair 880 trimaran is the grandchild of the company’s F27, a model that launched the popularity of trailerable leisure trimarans about 40 years ago. The 880 has taken the model to new heights and exemplifies the incredible space benefits you can achieve in a 29-foot sailboat. We’re talking an aft cabin, room to sleep 5 people, an enclosed head, and standing headroom in the galley and main saloon. It brings many of the opportunities that a much larger yacht plus the ability to cruise in extremely shallow water. Whether you want to cruise to the Bahamas or enjoy a high-adrenaline race, the Corsair 880 offers incredible performance and unlimited adventures in a truly pocket size. 

Photo credit: Corsair

Written By: Samantha Wilson

Samantha Wilson has spent her entire life on and around boats, from tiny sailing dinghies all the way up to superyachts. She writes for many boating and yachting publications, top charter agencies, and some of the largest travel businesses in the industry, combining her knowledge and passion of boating, travel and writing to create topical, useful and engaging content.

More from: Samantha Wilson

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10 Best Used Cruising Sailboats

• By John Kretschmer
• Updated: May 24, 2024

The appeal of offshore voyaging is difficult to explain to land people who can’t imagine life without basic human rights like copious quantities of hot water and unlimited data. It can even be challenging to explain to fellow sailors who think the notion of spending days or weeks at sea is a form of water­boarding, some kind of self-inflicted torture.

But for those of us who understand, who relish intimacy with the untamed wilderness that is the ocean and embrace self-­reliance and individual expression while accepting the ­dispassionate whims of Neptune, this is the good life.

There are two essential truths about this life: One, money does not matter. Cruising budgets and lifestyles reflect bank accounts with variously positioned commas; it’s the passages and landfalls that add up, not your investment portfolio. And two, a good bluewater sailboat — not necessarily an expensive boat, but a well-­designed, solidly built, imminently seaworthy boat that is only limited by your moxie and imagination — is the key to successful bluewater passagemaking.

– LEARN THE NAVIGATION RULES – Know the “Rules of the Road” that govern all boat traffic. Be courteous and never assume other boaters can see you. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard

So, to that second point, I’ve compiled a list of interesting and affordable cruising sailboats for serious voyaging. A list of 10 sailboats for any purpose, much less world cruising, is sure to evoke outrage from strong-minded sailors, who by nature tend to be a bit opinionated. Stand by before hurling insults my way, and let me explain. I have decided to stay away from the sailboats we know by heart, the iconic old boats that usually populate a list like this: the Westsail 32, Tayana 37, Shannon 38 and Valiant 40 (the last of which, with a bit of searching, can still be found at or just below $100,000).

My list of some of the best liveaboard sailboats is eclectic and includes a mix of well-known and obscure manufacturers, but all the boats are linked in three ways: All are top-quality vessels capable of crossing oceans. They’re affordable, although in a few cases you have to look for older models in less-than-stellar condition to stay below $100,000. Indeed, in some ways, this list of used sailboats is a function of age; most of the boats were priced at more than $100,000 when new but have dipped below our self-imposed threshold in middle age. And finally, they’re all boats that I have encountered in the past few years in far-flung cruising destinations .

Island Packet 35

Love them or loathe them, Island Packets are everywhere. To some, the beamy, full-keel, high-freeboard hull designs seem quaint, to put it charitably. To others, the robust construction standards, roomy interiors and overall user-friendliness make them the ideal cruising boat. More than most, sailing vessels are compromises, and Bob Johnson and his crew at Island Packet were brilliant in prioritizing the needs of sailors. The IP 35 was introduced in 1988 and features a huge cockpit, an easy-to-handle cutter rig with a jib boom, and a clever, comfortable interior with the volume of many 40-footers. It might not be the fastest boat upwind, but the long waterline translates to good performance off the breeze, meaning the IP 35 finds its stride in the trade winds. In all, 188 boats were built before production stopped in 1994.

Don’t confuse the IP 35 with the IP 350, which was launched in 1997 and included a stern swim step. You won’t find a 350 for less than $100,000, but you will have a choice among 35s, especially those built before 1990. With two nice staterooms, the 35 is ideal for family cruising. I know of a couple of 35s that have completed the classic Atlantic Circle passage. It’s perfect for a sabbatical cruise because it holds its value and there’s a ready market when it comes time to sell.

Prout Snowgoose 37

There’s no room for discussion: Catamarans are crossing oceans, and many sailors are choosing cats for world cruising. My last visits to the Azores and Canary Islands, the classic Atlantic waypoints, proved the point. I’m not much of a statistician, but by my count, at least a quarter and maybe a third of the boats I saw were catamarans. There would be more on this list, but they are just too expensive. Finding a quality catamaran for less than $100,000 is tough. One boat to consider is the classic workhorse multihull, the Prout Snowgoose 37.

When the Snowgoose 37 was launched in 1983, English builder Prout & Sons had already been in business for nearly 50 years. The 37 was an updated version of the Snowgoose 35, one of the most successful cruising cats ever. In 1986, the 37 was updated again; the Snowgoose Elite model included more beam and interior upgrades. These models are challenging to find for under $100,000, but it’s possible. A quick glance at yachtworld.com shows several of both models available for less than $100,000. Again, the strong dollar makes European boats an excellent value.

The Snowgoose 37 is not sexy like go-fast cats, and not roomy like modern cruising cats. It is, however, seaworthy. Of the 500 built, many have circumnavigated. Older boats have solid fiberglass hulls, and more recent models are solid glass from the waterline down and cored above. The cockpit is rather compact by catamaran standards, and the bridgedeck is solid (no tramp). Many 37s and all Elites were rigged with staysails, a big plus in heavy weather. The masthead-­rigged Snowgoose 37 can be sailed like a monohull offshore, and it’s quite nice not having a huge, roachy mainsail to wrestle with in a storm. With a 15-foot-3-inch beam for the 37 and a 16-foot-3-inch beam for the Elite, it’s easy to find affordable dockage and yards for haulouts. Most boats have three double cabins, making the Snowgoose 37 an ideal family cruiser.

The Corbin 39 is not as well known as it should be. It’s a capable bluewater sailboat cruiser with many impressive voyages logged. My Quetzal spent several weeks moored alongside a handsome 39 in Corfu that had sailed around the world, and I also spent a winter in Malta in the same boatyard as another 39 that had recently crossed the Atlantic. A canoe-stern, flush-deck pilothouse cutter, the 39 was offered with either an aft or center cockpit. Designed by Michael Dufour and constructed by Corbin les Bateaux in Canada, hull number one was launched in 1977. Built in various locations in Quebec, 129 boats were launched before a fire destroyed the deck tooling in 1982. A new deck with a larger cockpit was designed, and 70 more boats were laid up before production ceased in 1990.

The rub on the Corbin 39 is that the majority of boats were sold as kits with owner-­finished interiors. Kits varied from just hull-and-deck to “sailaway,” with everything fitted except the interior. Only 15 boats were finished at the factory. Not surprisingly, the interior quality is unpredictable, from rough-hewn lumberyard specials to beautifully handcrafted gems finished by marine professionals. The difference is reflected in the price. A nicely finished, well-equipped model from the mid-’80s typically sells for between $60,000 and $80,000.

The hull shape features a long fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder. The hulls are heavily laid up and include Airex coring. Early decks were plywood-cored, but most boats have Airex in the deck as well. Ballast is 9,000 pounds of internal lead, translating to a 40 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio. The wide flush deck is spacious, and the sleek pilothouse usually includes inside steering. Massive double anchor rollers are incorporated into the bowsprit in later models. Most boats include a double-­spreader spar, and almost all were set up as cutters. There’s plenty of freeboard, which becomes obvious below. While interior arrangements vary considerably, there’s a lot of room to work with. I prefer the post-1982 aft-cockpit 39s; they’re generally of a higher quality than earlier boats.

– CARRY A BEACON – Satellite beacons such as EPIRBs or PLBs allow boaters to transmit distress signals and their exact coordinates from anywhere on the planet, no cell service required. It may be the best $400 you ever spend. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard

Cabo Rico 38

“The Cabo Rico 38 hull shape is the one in which everything came together best,” wrote Bill Crealock in his design notes. He might have changed his mind later in life, considering that the Cabo Rico was introduced in 1977 and he designed many boats after that, but few will dispute that this 38-foot cutter, built in Costa Rica, is flat-out beautiful. From the clipper bow to the sweet sheer to the abundance of honey-colored teak, the Cabo Rico 38 is a boat to inspire the most practical among us to quit their job, buy this vessel, and head for the South Pacific.

Not surprisingly, many people have done just that. Cabo Rico built 200 full-keeled 38s, with most of the production occurring in the 1980s. There’s always a selection of boats for sale for less than $100,000. Cabo Rico was an outlier among manufacturers of the time, building serious cruising boats in Central America instead of Taiwan, but quality control was always excellent. The full keel is slightly cutaway, and the rudder is attached to the trailing edge. The prop is in an aperture and totally protected, but not well suited to backing into a slip. Full-keel boats may make some younger sailors cringe, but the CR 38 has a very soft ride in rough seas and heaves to effectively. It also has a solid fiberglass hull with a layer of balsa for insulation. Sometimes it’s noted that the hull is balsa-cored, but it’s not. After about hull number 40, lead was used instead of iron for internal ballast. The deck is balsa-cored, however, and there’s a substantial bulwark. Items to be wary of are the teak decks (most 38s have them) and the fittings supporting the bobstay.

A true cutter rig, the 38 has just under 1,000 square feet of working sail area and performs better than most people suspect. The staysail was originally set on a boom that cluttered the foredeck and limited sail shape. Many boats have been converted with furling staysails sans the boom — a nice upgrade. When the wind pipes up, the 38 tracks nicely with a reefed main and staysail. I encounter 38s all over the Caribbean. They’re easy to spot; they’re the beautiful boats in the anchorage.

Tayana Vancouver 42

Ta Yang, builder of Tayana sailboats, has been building capable cruising boats forever, it seems. The Robert Harris-designed Tayana Vancouver 42 has been a mainstay of the serious cruising fleet since the day it was launched in 1979, and is still in demand today. The company built 200 boats, mostly in the ’80s and early ’90s, although a few V42s were built into the 2000s. With a bit of digging and some haggling, you can find boats for less than $100,000, but they’re likely to be older models. As of this writing, yachtworld.com has eight V42s listed, with three asking less than $100,000.

I’ve encountered the V42 all over the world, and in my yacht-delivery days, I had the pleasure of delivering a couple of 42s up the East Coast and down to the Caribbean. The double-ended hull shape with a fin-skeg underbody is stiff and seaworthy, if not wickedly fast. Considering the rugged construction, with a solid fiberglass hull and balsa-cored deck, nobody has ever accused Ta Yang of going light on its boats. Ballast is internal iron, a massive single casting that weighs in at 11,800 pounds. Ta Yang has evolved as a builder, and later models included upgrades like vinylester resin and larger Yanmar diesels.

A true cutter, the V42 has a double-spreader rig and is heavily stayed. The seagoing deck is cambered to shed water. Teak decks, with all their virtues and vices, were common; I’d look for a boat that’s been de-teaked. Like the Corbin 39, the V42 came with either a center or aft cockpit, although most boats were aft-cockpit models. The aft cockpit is deep and secure, if a bit tight due to volume sacrificed by the canoe stern. The center cockpit is cramped but offers excellent visibility. The interior is lovely, with exquisite Taiwanese joinery. Although interior arrangements vary because Ta Yang encouraged owner input, across the board, this is a friendly boat for living aboard. The aft-cockpit model includes one head and a traditional layout with excellent light and ventilation. The center-­cockpit model features a large owner’s stateroom aft.

Wauquiez Pretorien 35

The Pretorien 35 does not pay homage to tradition. The Euro-style low-slung wedge deck and flattish lines were thoroughly modern when the Pretorien was launched in 1979. Sure, there are IOR influences in this well-proven Holman & Pye design, including a slightly pinched stern, cramped cockpit, and a high-aspect, short-boom mainsail that results in a large fore­triangle. But a small main is easy to handle offshore, especially in squally conditions, and a large poled-out furling genoa provides a low-stress way to cross oceans. The test of a design is revealed long after the launch, and the Pretorien has aged brilliantly. It’s often mistaken for a Swan or Baltic. Famed voyager and author Hal Roth chose a Pretorien for his last boat.

Below the water, which is what really matters at sea, the Pretorien pushes the right buttons for serious sailing. A fine entry provides enough of a forefoot to prevent pounding in lumpy conditions, and as on the Valiant 40, the fin keel incorporates a stub to which the external ballast is fastened. The rudder is mounted well aft for excellent steering control, especially on a deep reach, and is tucked behind a narrow but full-length skeg. The Pretorien displaces 13,000 pounds, of which 6,000 pounds is ballast, translating to a stiff, seakindly boat.

The construction is superb. The solid fiberglass hull includes longitudinal stringers that stiffen the panels and encapsulate the bulkheads. Tabbing and fiberglass work is first-rate throughout. Wauquiez was one of the first builders to use solid laminate beneath high-load deck fittings. The side decks are wide and, with the chainplates well inboard, easy to navigate. The interior arrangement is conventional, but ample beam amidships helps create a surprisingly spacious feel below.

There were 212 Pretoriens built during a seven-year production run, so there’s usually a good selection of boats on the used market. Today’s strong dollar makes European Pretoriens an excellent value.

– SHOW THEM HOW MUCH YOU CARE – Nothing says ‘I love you’ like making sure the kids’ life jackets are snugged up and properly buckled. Safety Tip Provided by the U.S. Coast Guard

Gulfstar 44

Gulfstar had a terrible reputation in the early ’70s: It was infamous for producing wide-body motorsailers with tiny rigs and chintzy Formica interiors. Company founder Vince Lazzara was adept at reading market trends and upped his game in the late ’70s and ’80s. Lazzara, who also founded Columbia Yachts, was a veteran of the production-­sailboat wars and realized that buyers were demanding high-quality boats that sailed well. The Gulfstar 44 was launched in 1978, and 105 were sold before the company started producing the Hirsh 45 in 1985.

Some mistake the G44 for a Bristol, and it has a similar profile, right down to the teak toerail and raked cabin trunk. A sleek center-­cockpit design, the hull shape features a 5-foot-6-inch fin keel, a skeg-hung rudder and moderate proportions. I know the boat well, having delivered one from Bermuda to Annapolis and another from Fort Lauderdale to Boston. It has a nice ride in lumpy seas and powers up when the big genoa is drawing on a reach. The construction is typical of the time, with solid fiberglass hulls and cored decks. Gulfstars were known to blister, and it’s likely that any 44 you find will have had an epoxy bottom job along the way — and if it hasn’t, it will need one. The keel-stepped spar has an air draft of 55 feet. Some owners have modified the sloop rig with a staysail. The cockpit is roomy, especially for a center-cockpit design, although there’s not much of a bridgedeck. All sail controls are led aft. Lazzara was an early proponent of this feature, and the boat is user-friendly overall.

The interior sells the boat. It’s nicely finished in teak, and the layout is made for living aboard. The aft cabin includes an enormous double berth with an en suite head and stall shower. The main saloon is spacious and well ventilated, although beware of the plastic opening portlights. If you are looking for a comfortable, well-built center-cockpit cruiser but can’t find one that you can afford, track down a Gulfstar 44; you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Any list of bluewater cruising sailboats must include a Robert Perry design. I could have easily put together nine Perry boats for this list. The Nordic 40 may surprise some, especially because 40 feet is an iconic length, bringing to mind such boats as the Valiant 40, Hinckley Bermuda 40, Bristol 40, Pacific Seacraft 40, Passport 40 and others. The trick is finding a 40-footer for less than $100,000. Nonetheless, the Nordic 40 and its larger sister ship, the 44, are among my favorite boats.

Based in Bellingham, Washington, Nordic produced world-class yachts during its brief production run in the 1980s. Only 40 Nordic 40s were launched between 1982 and 1987, but they’re worth seeking out on the used-boat market. The 40 features the classic double-ended Perry hull shape, with a fine entry, a deep and powerful fin keel, a skeg-mounted rudder positioned well aft, and a reverse transom. Freeboard is moderate and the sheer line is subtle, but to my eye, with its double-spreader rig and gently sloping deck line, the boat is poetry in the water.

The hull is solid fiberglass and the deck is balsa-cored, with solid laminates below loaded-up deck fittings. Original boats came with Navtec rod rigging and a hydraulic backstay, but many have been upgraded by now. Sail-control lines are led aft to the compact but functional T-shaped cockpit. The traveler is forward of the companionway, allowing for a cockpit dodger. The Nordic 40 is nimble in light to moderate breeze but can also stand up in a blow and heave to decently.

The interior is well suited to a cruising couple. It’s really a two-person boat, with a V-berth forward and large C-shaped galley aft, with plenty of counter space and a huge fridge. It includes the normal deft Perry touches — excellent sea berths, a separate stall shower and generous tankage. If you do find a Nordic 40 on the used market, be sure to take a hard look at the Westerbeke diesel and the V-drive transmission.

Pacific Seacraft 34

A handsome, nimble and capable double-ender by legendary designer Bill Crealock, the Pacific Seacraft 34 is well proven, with scores of ocean crossings in its wake.

After the boat was first launched as the Crealock 34 in 1979, Pacific Seacraft introduced a fifth model years later, a scaled-down version of the popular PS 37. Though expensive at the time, the 34 was another success story for one of America’s premier builders, and hundreds of boats were built in the company’s yard in Santa Ana, California. There is always a good selection of used boats available for less than $100,000. Another nice perk for used-boat buyers is that the 34 is back in production at the reincarnated Pacific Seacraft yard in Washington, North Carolina, providing an outlet for parts and advice. The company is now owned and operated by marine archaeologist Stephen Brodie and his father, Reid.

The 34 blends traditional values above the waterline with what was then a more modern underbody, with a long fin keel and skeg-hung rudder. A bit hefty at 13,500 pounds of displacement, the design otherwise is a study in moderation, and drawn with a keen eye toward providing a soft ride in a seaway and staying on good terms with Neptune in a blow.

The hull is solid fiberglass, and early decks were plywood-­cored before Pacific switched to end-grain balsa. The hull-to-deck joint incorporates a molded bulwark that offers added security when you’re moving about on deck, and a vertical surface for mounting stanchions.

Most 34s are cutter-rigged for versatility but carry moderate-­size genoas instead of high-cut yankees for more horsepower off the wind. Down below, the layout is traditional, but the 6-foot-4-inch headroom is a pleasant surprise. The Pacific Seacraft 34 is perfect for a cruising couple.

John Kretschmer is a delivery captain, adventurer and writer, whose own boat Quetzal , a 1987 Kaufman 47, has seen a refit or two over the years. His latest book is Sailing a Serious Ocean: Sailboats, Storms, Stories and Lessons Learned from 30 Years at Sea , also available on his website .

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10 Best Small Sailboats (Under 20 Feet)

Compact, easy to trailer, simple to rig, easy to maintain and manage, and affordable, the best small boats all have one thing in common: they offer loads of fun while out there on the water.

So whether you're on a budget or just looking for something that can offer ultimate daytime rides without compromising on safety, aesthetic sensibilities, alternate propulsion, and speed, the best small sailboats under 20 feet should be the only way to go.

Let's be brutally honest here; not everyone needs a 30-foot sailboat to go sailing. They come with lots of features such as electronics, entertainment, refrigeration, bunks, a galley, and even a head. But do you really need all these features to go sailing? We don't think so.

All you need to go sailing is a hull, a mast, rudder, and, of course, a sail. And whether you refer to them as daysailers, trailerable sailboats , a weekender sailboat, or pocket cruisers, there's no better way to enjoy the thrills of coastal sailing than on small sailboats.

There are a wide range of small boats measuring less than 20 feet available in the market. These are hot products in the market given that they offer immense thrills out on the sea without the commitment required to cruise on a 30-footer. A small sailboat will not only give you the feel of every breeze but will also give you the chance to instantly sense every change in trim.

In this article, we'll highlight 10 best small sailboats under 20 feet . Most models in this list are time-tested, easy to rig, simple to sail, extremely fun, and perfect either for solo sailing or for sailing with friends and family. So if you've been looking for a list of some of the best small sailboats , you've come to the right place.

So without further ado, let's roll on.

Table of contents

{{boat-info="/boats/hunter-15"}}

The Marlow-Hunter 15 is not only easy to own since it's one of the most affordable small sailboats but also lots of fun to sail. This is a safe and versatile sailboat for everyone. Whether you're sailing with your family or as a greenhorn, you'll love the Hunter 15 thanks to its raised boom, high freeboard, and sturdy FRP construction.

With high sides, a comfortable wide beam, a contoured self-bailing cockpit, and fiberglass construction, the Hunter 15 is certainly designed with the novice sailor in mind. This is why you can do a lot with this boat without falling out, breaking it, or capsizing. Its contoured self-baiting cockpit will enable you to find a fast exit while its wide beam will keep it steady and stable no matter what jibes or weight shifts happen along the way.

This is a small sailboat that can hold up to four people. It's designed to give you a confident feeling and peace of mind even when sailing with kids. It's easy to trailer, easy to rig, and easy to launch. With a price tag of about $10k, the Hunter 15 is a fun, affordable, and versatile boat that is perfect for both seasoned sailors and novices. It's a low-maintenance sailboat that can be great for teaching kids a thing or two about sailing.

Catalina 16.5

{{boat-info="/boats/catalina-16-5"}}

Catalina Yachts are synonymous with bigger boats but they have some great and smaller boats too such as Catalina 16.5. This is one of the best small sailboats that are ideal for family outings given that it has a big and roomy cockpit, as well as a large storage locker. Designed with a hand-laminated fiberglass sloop, the Catalina 16.5 is versatile and is available in two designs: the centerboard model and the keel model.

The centerboard model is designed with a powerful sailplane that remains balanced as a result of the fiberglass centerboard, the stable hull form, and the rudder. It also comes with a tiller extension, adjustable hiking straps, and adjustable overhaul. It's important to note that these are standard equipment in the two models.

As far as the keel model is concerned, this is designed with a high aspect keel as the cast lead and is attached with stainless steel keel bolts, which makes this model perfect for mooring or docking whenever it's not in use. In essence, the centerboard model is perfect if you'll store it in a trailer while the keel model can remain at the dock.

All in all, the Catalina 16.5 is one of the best small sailboats that you can get your hands on for as low as $10,000. This is certainly a great example of exactly what a daysailer should be.

{{boat-info="/boats/hobie-16"}}

There's no list of small, trailerable, and fun sailboats that can be complete without the inclusion of the classic Hobie 16. This is a durable design that has been around and diligently graced various waters across the globe since its debut way back in 1969 in Southern California. In addition to being durable, the Hobie 16 is trailerable, great for speed, weighs only 320 pounds, great for four people, and more importantly, offers absolute fun.

With a remarkable figure of over 100,000 launched since its debut, it's easy to see that the Hobie 16 is highly popular. Part of this popularity comes from its asymmetric fiberglass-and-foam sandwiched hulls that include kick-up rudders. This is a great feature that allows it to sail up to the beach.

For about $12,000, the Hobie 16 will provide you with endless fun throughout the summer. It's equipped with a spinnaker, trailer, and douse kit. This is a high-speed sailboat that has a large trampoline to offer lots of space not just for your feet but also to hand off the double trapezes.

Montgomery 17

{{boat-info="/boats/montgomery-17"}}

Popularly known as the M-17, The Montgomery 17 was designed by Lyle C. Hess in conjunction with Jerry Montgomery in Ontario, California for Montgomery Boats. Designed either with keel or centerboard models, the M-17 is more stable than most boats of her size. This boat is small enough to be trailered but also capable of doing moderate offshore passages.

This small sailboat is designed with a masthead and toe rail that can fit most foresails. It also has enough space for two thanks to its cuddly cabin, which offers a sitting headroom, a portable toilet, a pair of bunks, a DC power, and optional shore, and a proper amount of storage. That's not all; you can easily raise the deck-stepped mast using a four-part tackle.

In terms of performance, the M-17 is one of the giant-killers out there. This is a small sailboat that will excel in the extremes and make its way past larger boats such as the Catalina 22. It glides along beautifully and is a dog in light air, though it won't sail against a 25-knot wind, which can be frustrating. Other than that, the Montgomery 17 is a great small sailboat that can be yours for about $14,000.

Norseboat 17.5

{{boat-info="/boats/norseboat-17-5"}}

As a versatile daysailer, Norseboat 17.5 follows a simple concept of seaworthiness and high-performance. This small sailboat perfectly combines both contemporary construction and traditional aesthetics. Imagine a sailboat that calls itself the "Swiss Army Knife of Boats!" Well, this is a boat that can sail and row equally well.

Whether you're stepping down from a larger cruiser or stepping up from a sea kayak, the unique Norseboat 17.5 is balanced, attractive, and salty. It has curvaceous wishbone gaff, it is saucy, and has a stubby bow-sprit that makes it attractive to the eyes. In addition to her beauty, the Norseboat 17.5 offers an energy-pinching challenge, is self-sufficient, and offers more than what you're used to.

This is a small, lightweight, low-maintenance sailboat that offers a ticket to both sailing and rowing adventures all at the same time. At about 400 pounds, it's very portable and highly convenient. Its mainsails may look small but you'll be surprised at how the boat is responsive to it. With a $12,500 price tag, this is a good small sailboat that offers you the versatility to either row or sail.

{{boat-info="/boats/sage-marine-sage-17"}}

If you've been looking for a pocket cruiser that inspires confidence, especially in shoal water, look no further than the Sage 17. Designed by Jerry Montgomery in 2009, the Sage 17 is stable and should heel to 10 degrees while stiffening up. And because you want to feel secure while sailing, stability is an integral feature of the Sage 17.

This is a sailboat that will remain solid and stable no matter which part of the boat you stand on. Its cabin roof and the balsa-cored carbon-fiber deck are so strong that the mast doesn't require any form of compression post. The self-draining cockpit is long enough and capable of sleeping at 6 feet 6 inches.

The Sage 17 may be expensive at $25k but is a true sea warrior that's worth look at. This is a boat that will not only serve you right but will also turn heads at the marina.    

{{boat-info="/boats/laserperformance-laser-sb3"}}

Having been chosen as the overall boat of the year for 2008 by the Sailing World Magazine, the Laser SB3 is one of the coolest boats you'll ever encounter. When sailing upwind, this boat will lock into the groove while its absolute simplicity is legendary. In terms of downwind sailing, having this boat will be a dream come true while it remains incredibly stable even at extraordinary speed.

Since its debut in 2004, the Laser SB3 has surged in terms of popularity thanks to the fact that it's designed to put all the controls at your fingertips. In addition to a lightweight mast, its T- bulb keel can be hauled and launched painlessly. For about $18,000, the Laser SB3 ushers you into the world of sports sailing and what it feels to own and use a sports boat.

{{boat-info="/boats/fareast-18"}}

As a manufacturer, Fareast is a Chinese boat manufacturer that has been around for less than two decades. But even with that, the Fareast 18 remains a very capable cruiser-racer that will take your sailing to the next level. In addition to its good looks, this boat comes with a retractable keel with ballast bulb, a powerful rig, and an enclosed cabin.

Its narrow design with a closed stern may be rare in sailboats of this size, but that's not a problem for the Fareast 18. This design not only emphasizes speed but also makes it a lot easier to maintain this boat. Perfect for about 6 people, this boat punches above its weight. It's, however, designed to be rigged and launched by one person.

This is a relatively affordable boat. It's agile, safe, well-thought-out, well built, and very sporty.

{{boat-info="/boats/chuck-paine-paine-14"}}

If you're in the market looking for a small sailboat that offers contemporary performance with classic beauty, the Paine 14 should be your ideal option. Named after its famous designer, Chuck Paine, this boat is intentionally designed after the classic Herreshoff 12.5 both in terms of dimensions and features.

This is a lightweight design that brings forth modern fin keel and spade rudder, which makes it agile, stable, and faster. The Paine 14 is built using cold-molded wood or west epoxy. It has varnished gunnels and transoms to give it an old-time charm. To make it somehow modern, this boat is designed with a carbon mast and a modern way to attach sails so that it's ready to sail in minutes.

You can rest easy knowing that the Paine 14 will not only serve you well but will turn heads while out there.

{{boat-info="/boats/wd-schock-lido-14"}}

Many sailors will attest that their first sailing outing was in a Lido 14. This is a classic sailboat that has been around for over four decades and still proves to be a perfect match to modern small boats, especially for those still learning the ropes of sailing.

With seating for six people, the Lido 14 can be perfect for solo sailing , single-handed sailing, or if you're planning for shorthanded sailing. While new Lido 14 boats are no longer available, go for a functional used Lido 14 and you'll never regret this decision. It will serve you well and your kids will probably fall in love with sailing if Lido 14 becomes their main vessel during weekends or long summer holidays.

Bottom Line

There you have it; these are some of the best small sailboats you can go for. While there are endless small sailboats in the market, the above-described sailboat will serve you right and make you enjoy the wind.

Choose the perfect sailboat, invest in it, and go out there and have some good fun!

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Daniel Wade

I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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Small Double-Ended Beach/Camp Boat...In the US...?

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Hey, Is this the right section to put a thread like this in? I am wondering about finding a boat to build, not buy... So I have been considering building a small boat for quite a while now, but would like to do so with a kit, as apposed to just plans. I am looking for a small double-ended sailboat that would be suited to costal cruising (camping at night), but would be able to handle the occassional offshore (never too far) excursion. I have sailed all my life, and have a reasonable amount of expertise in boatbuilding, but would still like to do so from a kit. I have looked at the designs of Ian Oughtred, and loved what I saw. My ideal boat would be the Ness Yawl, but the only available kit I can find is in South Australia...and the shipping would be a *****...Does anyone know of a comprable kit or boat closer to home..? Thanks so much for any help..  

Have you looked into any of the HEN series designed by Rueben Trane? He had a range of small ( 14 to 20' ) cruisers teat could be beached and set up for camping. Mike  

Thanks, I will.  

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The Ultimate Guide to Small Boats: What Are Your Options? Small boats offer a unique way to enjoy the water, whether you’re an angler, a day cruiser, or a weekend adventurer. They provide affordable entry points into boating while delivering versatile and personalized experiences. In this guide, we will explore different types of small boats, their key features, price ranges, and specs to help you decide which option best suits your needs. Why Choose a Small Boat? Small boats are ideal for those looking to get into boating without the commitment or expense of a large vessel. Some key advantages include: Affordability : Small boats generally cost less to buy and maintain. Ease of Use : Many are simple to operate, requiring minimal skill or certification. Maneuverability : Their smaller size makes them easier to navigate through tight spaces and shallow waters. Portability : Many small boats can be trailered or even carried by hand. Versatility : Suitable for a range of activities, from fishing to watersports. Types of Small Boats 1. jon boats. Jon boats are lightweight, flat-bottomed boats typically made from aluminum or polyethylene. They are favored by anglers and hunters because of their stability in calm waters like lakes and rivers. Specs : Range in length from 10 to 18 feet. Most models have a shallow draft, allowing you to navigate very shallow waters. Engine : Often powered by small outboard motors, though some are manually rowed. Capacity : Seats 2 to 4 people comfortably. Price : $700 to $5,000 depending on size and material. Easy to maneuver and transport Great for fishing in shallow waters Limited in rough waters Basic design without many features 2. Dinghies Dinghies are small, open boats that can be powered by oars, small outboard motors, or sails. They’re commonly used as tenders to larger boats or for short-distance transportation in calm waters. Specs : Typically between 6 to 12 feet in length. Engine : Often powered by a small outboard engine (2-15 hp) or manually rowed. Capacity : Seats 2 to 6 people, depending on the size. Price : $500 to $2,000 for basic inflatable or hard-shell models. Versatile for various water activities Easy to transport (especially inflatable models) Often small enough to carry Not ideal for long-distance travel Vulnerable to capsizing in rough conditions 3. Inflatable Boats Inflatable boats are constructed from durable rubberized fabric and are designed to be lightweight and easy to store when not in use. These boats are excellent for families or recreational boaters who need something compact and portable. Specs : 6 to 18 feet in length. Engine : Can be equipped with a small outboard motor or paddled manually. Capacity : Can carry anywhere from 2 to 8 people. Price : $200 to $5,000 depending on size, material, and brand. Extremely portable and easy to store Versatile for different activities Stable and buoyant Limited speed and power compared to rigid hull boats Requires inflation and deflation with every use 4. Kayaks and Canoes These human-powered vessels are ideal for solo adventurers or small groups looking to explore lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. Kayaks are generally enclosed, while canoes are open-topped. Specs : Range from 8 to 17 feet for kayaks, and 12 to 20 feet for canoes. Engine : Paddled manually. Capacity : Kayaks are typically single or double-seaters; canoes can hold 2 to 4 people. Price : $300 to $2,500 depending on material and design. Perfect for exercise and exploration Low maintenance and affordable Suitable for quiet, peaceful waters Not ideal for open water or rough conditions Limited in speed and storage space 5. Jet Skis and Personal Watercraft (PWC) Jet skis are small motorized vessels designed for high-speed thrills and are excellent for watersports enthusiasts. They offer a more adventurous experience compared to most small boats. Specs : Average length is 8 to 12 feet. Engine : Powered by an inboard jet drive with engine sizes ranging from 60 hp to over 300 hp. Capacity : Usually 1 to 3 riders. Price : $5,000 to $15,000 depending on the brand and engine power. Fun and fast; great for watersports Easy to tow on a trailer High maneuverability Limited storage space Not ideal for long trips or rough waters 6. Pontoon Boats (Small Models) Pontoon boats are flat-decked boats that float on two or more aluminum tubes called pontoons. Smaller pontoon boats are great for families or groups who want a stable and comfortable ride on lakes or calm waters. Specs : Small models range from 12 to 20 feet. Engine : Outboard motors ranging from 25 hp to 90 hp. Capacity : Can comfortably accommodate 4 to 8 passengers. Price : $10,000 to $35,000 depending on size and features. Comfortable and spacious Great for family outings and relaxation Stable and safe Not suitable for rough waters Bulkier than other small boats 7. Center Console Boats (Small Models) Center console boats are popular among anglers because of their 360-degree fishing capability and the central helm. Smaller versions provide versatility for both fishing and leisure. Specs : Typically 15 to 20 feet long. Engine : Outboard engines ranging from 60 hp to 150 hp. Capacity : Holds 4 to 6 people. Price : $15,000 to $40,000 depending on size and engine power. Excellent for fishing Good speed and power Limited in rough ocean conditions Not much shelter from the elements How to Choose the Right Small Boat When selecting a small boat , consider the following factors: Intended Use : Are you looking to fish, relax, or engage in watersports? Different boats serve different purposes. Water Type : Will you be boating in lakes, rivers, or the ocean? Choose a boat that’s designed for the conditions you’ll face. Budget : Small boats vary significantly in price. Determine how much you’re willing to spend, including maintenance, insurance, and storage costs. Storage and Transportation : Some boats can be easily trailered, while others may require a dock or mooring. Capacity : Consider how many people you’ll typically bring on board and make sure the boat can accommodate them safely. Small boats offer a world of possibilities for boating enthusiasts, whether you’re after a leisurely cruise or a high-speed adventure. From affordable Jon boats to sporty jet skis, there’s an option for everyone. By understanding your needs and the specifications of each type, you can find the perfect small boat to get out on the water and enjoy the experience to the fullest. Happy Boating! Share   The Ultimate Guide to Small Boats: What Are Your Options? with your friends and leave a comment below with your thoughts. 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Power… 295 IMAGES double ended lapstrake sailboat 24' Fenwick Williams Art Brendze Double Ended Yawl Sailboat Good Boats 2002 Gartside 71 Best Double ended sailboats images in 2020 Double-ended day sailer built by Marcus Lewis for sale on Boats and 71 Best Double ended sailboats images in 2020 VIDEO Piccup Movie Plastimo Overnight trip on TINY boat! (Single-oar sculling) Stasha, world's lightest nesting dinghy sailing Small catamaran sailboat against the Atlantic Gloucester Mass COMMENTS 24′ Double-ended voyager CAROL 324 sq ft. D/L RATIO. 319. SA/DISP RATIO. 18.0. CAROL is in many ways my favorite pocket cruiser— a scaled-down and flatter-deadrise version of my popular FRANCES. She evokes an adventurous spirit that prevailed in the happy times of the late '70s when I designed her. At 24 feet she's as small as a prudent sailor would ever think of ... 26' FRANCES. A small double-ended cruiser. WITH THE SHORT, almost 6-foot headroom house, the interior of a Frances could feel much larger than you'd expect on a 26-foot boat. This is a custom WEST-system boat built in New Zealand. The Aft Head arrangement for the Frances with one seaberth and a permanent double. THE LEVANT 15 The LEVANT 15 fits neatly amid Chuck Paine's growing fleet of elegant, hand-built in America, keel sailboats for the no-longer athletic sailor. Like his recent larger and smaller designs (the PAINE 14 and YORK 18) she is styled to honor her famous and gorgeous predecessor, the Herreshoff 12½. But with her fin keel and carbon fiber mast and ... Small open Scandinavian double-enders 10-22-2010, 06:33 AM. Re: Small open Scandinavian double-enders. Paul, JII is basically a slightly narrower version of the Arctic Tern, the Ness boat came first then it was slightly modified to be the JII, same length. The JII was modified to be 6 strakes and slightly broader beam, about 2", to be a little less tender. Double Enders According to Perry (Guest Post by Bob Perry) For some reason double enders were seen as safer offshore boats. This probably came from the Colin Archer lifeboat tradition. But there were all sorts of strange theories as to why the double ender was the best hull form for offshore. "The stern parts the following seas.". I call this the "Moses effect". Double Enders The site for fans of double-enders and canoe stern sailboats. Search by design, designer, and individual vessel. And add your yacht today! ... Small Wonder. Snow Star. So Bella. Soleil. Sora II. Soteria. Spartina. Speculation. Speculation. Star Chaser. ... Colin Archer Finnish Pilot Boat. Corbin 35. Corbin 39. Corbin 39 CC. Crealock 34 ... Double-ender for sale (sail) A used double-ender sail boat on TheYachtMarket.com ranges in price from £29,900 GBP to £1,390,000 GBP with an average price of £364,000 GBP. Factors including the condition, age, model and specification will affect the price of a double-ender. Used Sail Double-ender for sale from around the world. Search our full range of used Double-ender ... Sailboat Listings sailboats for sale by owner 31' Mariner Ketch - Major Restoration & Repower - New Rigging & Sails Tenants Harbor Maine, Maine Asking $45,000 39' Double-Ender This arrangement was used for some of the bigger double-ended workboats but even then it was rare, until a hundred or so years ago, when canoe sterns started to appear in two vastly different types of double-enders: In bigger fishing boats and trawlers, and in yachts. Canoe stern yachts of a similar kind were also somewhat popular in Britain ... Sakonnet 23 Sakonnet 23 - 23' Double Ended Sailboat (LaLa) Thi sis LaLa - the original Sakonnet 23. Designed by Joel White and built by Joe Norton III. ... Wooden Boat Magazine #126, Small Craft Advisor, Harken Bearings (Fall 1996), just to name a few, as well as countless other pages on the internet. There are even small-scale models based on this ... Caledonia Yawl II The original Caledonia Yawl, a rugged 19′ 6″ double-ended beach boat designed by Iain Oughtred for clinker plywood construction, has four strakes; this second iteration has seven, and was originally commissioned by a customer in Germany in 1999. The new design proved more stable for sailing while possibly sacrificing some rowing efficiency. Iain based his design of the Caledonia Yawl on ... Best Small Sailboat Voyages Some of the best small sailboats for voyages include the SnowgooseProut 37, Corbin 39, Vancouver 42 Tayana, Nordic 40, and 34th Pacific SeaCraft. So much of the charm is based on the possibilities and the sense of awe that comes with owning such a vessel. Even those who have no desire to sail can appreciate the appeal of going on a voyage on a ... 11 Best Small Sailboat Brands: How to Choose Your Next ... The Best Sailboats Under 25 Feet. Pocket cruiser: Cornish Crabber 24. British manufacturer Cornish Crabber has been producing beautiful, traditional style small sailboats for decades, ensuring they honor their heritage both in the construction style and appearance of their boats. The Cornish Crabber 24 is the most iconic of their range and ... Double ender boats for sale Buy double ender boats. DailyBoats.com lists double ender boats for sale , with prices ranging from $7,231 for the more basic models to $1,230,224 for the most expensive. These yachts come in various sizes, ranging from 18.7 ft to 345.8 ft, with the oldest yacht built in 1926. This page features Lagoon Catamarans, Hallberg-Rassy Yachts ... Double ender boats for sale Buy double ender boats. Double ender boats for sale on DailyBoats.com are listed for a range of prices, valued from $7,231 on the more basic models to $1,230,224 for the most expensive. The boats can differ in size from 5.7 m to 105.4 m. The oldest one built in 1926 year. This page features Lagoon Catamarans, Hallberg-Rassy Yachts, Finnsailer ... 10 best long keel yachts This eye-catching small double-ender was designed by Californian Chuck Paine in the mid-1980s but built in the UK by Victoria Marine. It's an ideal short-handed boat, with accommodation to match, along with sufficient displacement to give the solid feel that many long-keel enthusiasts seek. 10 Best Used Cruising Sailboats The 40 features the classic double-ended Perry hull shape, with a fine entry, a deep and powerful fin keel, a skeg-mounted rudder positioned well aft, and a reverse transom. Freeboard is moderate and the sheer line is subtle, but to my eye, with its double-spreader rig and gently sloping deck line, the boat is poetry in the water. Joel White Designs The double-ended version of Martha's Tender was designed for pushing off of a beach into waves. The first of these designs was built for Joel's son, John, a lobsterman, as a means for reaching his moored lobsterboat. ... Much of the charm of small wooden boats is that the structure itself becomes an integral part of the interior decor. On ... 10 Best Small Sailboats (Under 20 Feet) Catalina 16.5. jlodrummer. Catalina Yachts are synonymous with bigger boats but they have some great and smaller boats too such as Catalina 16.5. This is one of the best small sailboats that are ideal for family outings given that it has a big and roomy cockpit, as well as a large storage locker. Advantages/disadvantages of double ended hull? This fine-ended double ender was a great shape for rough sea conditions. In theory when a boat is running before breaking waves its own wake can disturb the waves astern and cause them to break. These fine-ended double enders threw smaller wakes and so were less likely to cause waves too break on them from astern. Double ender boats Sailboats. Sailboats are the most common type of double ender boat. They come in all shapes and sizes, from small one-person boats to large multi-person boats. Sailboats are typically used for recreation, racing, or transportation. Advantages of sailboats include their ability to move in all directions, their lack of noise pollution, and their ... Small Double-Ended Beach/Camp Boat...In the US...? So I have been considering building a small boat for quite a while now, but would like to do so with a kit, as apposed to just plans. I am looking for a small double-ended sailboat that would be suited to costal cruising (camping at night), but would be able to handle the occassional offshore (never too far) excursion. Double Ended Dinghies 68kg. Hull Shape. V bottom with 4 planks per side - double ended. Construction Method. Stitch and tape and cedar strip. Major plywood requirements for hull. 6 sheets of 6mm and 1/2 sheet of 12mm plywood. Guidance Use. 3 adults sailing and rowing - may have an outboard to one side mounted on a beam. The Ultimate Guide to Small Boats: What Are Your Options? Types of Small Boats 1. Jon Boats. Jon boats are lightweight, flat-bottomed boats typically made from aluminum or polyethylene. They are favored by anglers and hunters because of their stability in calm waters like lakes and rivers. Specs: Range in length from 10 to 18 feet. Most models have a shallow draft, allowing you to navigate very ... catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat sailboat trimaran yacht