New member with some questions for the experts

[Fastdoc98]

So I've been lurking on sailboat forums for years and I'm wanting to get myself a trailer sailor in the next year or so.  For several years I've been most interested in the Precision P23 - it looked to be what I want out of a trailer sailor.  My plan would be to keep the boat in a slip at a marina on a lake about 1hr 45min from my home, but have the ability to trailer to other destinations.  I live in the middle of Illinois, so my most likely destinations would be Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana for starters.  Dream would be to get to Florida, but that's likely a ways off.  More recently I've been looking at the Eclipse as a viable candidate based on the ease of set up and take down, and it still looks like it would check a lot of the boxes.  I'm a little more concerned now that Precision has gone out of business, but at least parts are still available (for now).  I'd be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on the two, especially gmerrill as he has owned both and I believe Al had a Precision 21?   I would most likely be single-handing as my wife has less enthusiasm than me, but that may change in a bigger boat.  My experience has been with small centerboard boats, started young on a Snark, and Sunfish, a Hobie, and my dad's O'day daysailor.  I had a Hunter 170 for about 3 years but sold it due to too many things going on in the summer to use it.  When the kids were younger I had a powerboat, the Hunter, plus motorcycles, dirtbikes, bicycles, the pool, and just too little time for it all.  Am currently boatless and my last one is headed for college in the fall, so I'm thinking it will finally be time for me to be able to get into it.  I'm planning on attending an ASA 101/103 either this fall or next spring depending on class availability.  Looking forward to your thoughts!

[alsantini]

FastDoc.  Great having you on the board.  I also live in Illinois but at the northern end.  You are correct that I have  had a P-21 and sail often on a buddy's P-23 down in Florida.  Both boats are extremely capable, have lots of room, sail well, etc.  Their biggest disadvantage is using them as a trailer sailor.  Both require extensive set-up time at the ramp.  Since the boom and mainsail cannot be easily carried on deck, once the mast is up (no small feat), then you have to attach the boom and then the mainsail.  On my P-21 I used to take about 1.5 hours minimum to get it sailing.  My friend's P-23 resides on a lift so it is not a problem but I was part of the 4 person crew that stepped the mast.  I always needed help on my P-21 and never stepped the mast by myself.  On the other hand I step and un-step  most of the time by myself on my Eclipse.  Usually less than 30 min and if I am in a hurry around 20.  The difference being, the boom and mainsail are on the deck and take 20 seconds to pull up into position.  There is a substantial difference in how they sail but probably not a fair comparison based on the difference in size.  The Eclipse is smaller but handles rough weather better.  PM me with your E Mail and I will send you a comparison that I wrote 5 years ago.  Al

[slode]

The P23 and Eclipse are a fair ways off from each other in size alone.  The Eclipse and P21 would be more along the same lines in size and accommodations.  I looked at both carefully when shopping for our boat and the Eclipse won hands down because of the ease of setup. 

But if you are expecting to accommodate two adults or more with any decent room to move around the cabin comfortably, the Eclipse isn't in the same ballpark with any 23' cabin cruiser.  With your plan of keeping the boat at a slip most of the time you may find the extra hour of setup worth having the extra room on board.  But my Eclipse spends her time in the garage unless she's out on the water sailing, so ease of setup means we get her out a good deal more often than we would if it took an extra hour each side of getting to and leaving a ramp.  We don't spend too much time in the cabin until after dark, or if it starts downpouring.  It's not bad for a 21'er, but there isn't much room to stretch out.  And I wouldn't recommend it as an overnighter to anyone with even a bit of claustrophobia.

[Fastdoc98]

Thanks for the input slode; I do see that the two are actually more different from each other than I first realized.  I think that it really has a lot to do with how I realistically will use the boat.  I could see how the convenience of having a slip may be overshadowed by the hour-forty five minute drive each way.  I know when I had my powerboat that was an issue as I have no room on my property to store it, so I would have to go retrieve it from storage first, get it all prepped and loaded, then drive the 45 minutes to the lake.  At least with a power boat you don't have to figure in wind as a factor, too!