Thanks to the members who helped me out on tips for my ComPac 23. I ended up buying a sailboat in Dunedin, Florida, that is a 1979 ComPac 23, hull #5. I bought and built a trailer for about $1500 that has proven to be a champ, using a like-new powerboat trailer (tandem axle and disc brakes) that I found on Craigslist for very little. Bringing the boat out of the water was chore, and it took a few tries to get it right. The first time we tried, we jerked the boat all the way to the old position of the bow stop and that was too far forward, and actually flexed the trailer dramatically. A couple more cycles of launch and retrieve and we ended up with the boat perfectly positioned and the bow stop realigned in the correct spot. With the weight of the trailer set perfectly, I towed her back 9 hours to a Clarks Hill Lake and she never swayed once, and neither did I know she was back there other than by the volume of gasoline used.
Of course, there were boat issues the seller denied existed, proving that old sailor joke "How do you know if a sailor is lying? His lips are moving." But all in all, it went OK.
Thanks to everyone who weighed in on trailer specs and towing. You were a huge help!
And here's a photo for anyone interested, taken after we got her aligned just right on the trailer.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90080974@N06/9011405875/
Cheers,
Geoff
Congratulations on your 23. When I pulled Wrinkles out of the same marina a year ago it was with a former power boat trailer that I had modified as well. We got halfway up out of the water when the strap snapped in half and scared me to death. We rigged a cable come-along to the bow and all was well.
You will always find things wrong with any older sailboat. We sail them with issues and problems that we eventually ignore and forget about. It is awfully easy to forget to tell the new owner everything that is less than new on these boats. Sailors as a whole are just plain good honest folk.
Mike
Congrats are in order! For saving an old classic 23 and for a successful retrieval! I've never tried to ramp launch or retrieve my 23 but I admire those who do.
I hope we'll hear about your further sailing adventures soon!
Bob23
Very glad to hear all went well - Matt