Compac 19 vids on Youtube

[Jackrabbit]

Hi folks,

As winter sets in I thought those yearning for a reminder of summertime sailing pleasures might be interested in looking at some of the short videos I posted featuring a few outings in "Restless".  Neither great production values nor feats of derring-do, just peaceful sailing perspectives from the helm (if the link below doesn't work just type "Compac 19 jackrabbit" in the Youtube search engine).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvsxDPJcGWI

Cheers, and a Merry Christmas to all!

Jackrabbit (aka Burton)

[Jasmid53]

Nice video. And your bright work is truly outstanding. Please let us know what you use and do to get such great results. Can't wait to get out on the water come spring.

[Jackrabbit]

Thanks.  For the tiller and drop board I use Epifanes varnish, and Cetol Marine Light for everything else (i.e., anything affixed to the boat, especially teak, whicg does not hold varnish very well).  Ah, Summer.  Sigh...

[Minicruiser19]

I am acquiring a CP19 and found your info on the bright work finishes very helpful. Did you take your bright work off before refinishing, or keep it on the boat? Thanks!

[Jackrabbit]

My brightwork was in pretty good condition when I got the boat, so I just wiped it down with paint thinner and then sanded with 220 grit before applying 2 coats.  In general, unless the old varnish is scaling or lifting, I don't bother taking it down to the wood.  That said, on some of my other boats I have had to do so and find that a heat gun with a sharp scraper (keep a flat file at hand and tune up the edge frequently as you go along) is very fast, and therapeutic.  Plus I do love the sweet smell of scraping old varnish.

[Minicruiser19]

Thanks Captain! In the vid, are you sailing on Lac Deschênes in the Ottawa/Aylmer Canada area? If so, where did you launch from?

[Jackrabbit]

I keep "Restless" (the Compac 19) in a slip at Nepean sailing Club, on the Lac Deschenes portion of the Ottawa River.  A great place to sail a small boat like the Compac 19 as its a fairly open body of water where you can have nice, long tacks, and the SW wind is usually quite reliable from noon til well after suppertime, which makes for a great after work sail most weekdays if I can get away early enough.  Sometimes I haul out and bring her to the Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence river or Prince Edward County in Eastern Lake Ontario.  Several of the vids were taken on Lac Deschenes, and a couple on Lake Ontario.  Next Summer we're hoping to go cruising in the North Channel of Georgian Bay.  That's the great thing about these boats:  they're so easy to haul around to different venues, and they'll carry you in fair comfort once you're there.

[MGS]

Thanks for sharing the video during this cold and snowy time.  I'm doing my research and trying to decide between the cp16 or cp19.  Are you sailing solo?  Do you set up, step the mast, etc by yourself & how much time does that take?  I live in a coastal area with many bays and inlets.  I like the 19, but am concerned about the weight, draft and time to set up.  I think the cabin on the 16 might be a bit tight for my wife and I.  Were both thin, but I'm 6'4" & she's 5'8".  I'd like to do weekend & week long voyages.  What do you think?

[slode]

MGS,

Have you considered the Eclipse?  I looked at a number of CP19's before deciding to spend the extra $ on the Eclipse.  The cabin is very comparable in size to the 19 but has a bit more sitting room and a sink.  With the aft V-birth cushions able to cover the galley it would be very comfortable overnight for a couple and two small kids.  The quarter births fit my 6'1 body with room to spare.

Reason for going with the Eclipse over the 19 was setup time, and ability to step mast single handed.  I've only stepped the mast and rigged it twice in my driveway but I foresee being ready to launch in no longer than 20 minutes from getting to the ramp.  The open transom was also a plus, as well as the 6" shallower draft (with board up) than the 19.

Only drawback I saw was price.  But for $ per hour on the water I figured I'd be well ahead within a couple years.

[Jackrabbit]

Glad you enjoyed the vids, MGS.  I am 6'3" and a bit heavyset, and find the quarter berths in the CP19 quite adequate for a good night's rest.  The cabin, while cramped, is surprisingly big for such a small boat - definitely more spacious and useable for overnighting than other boats of comparable size, such as the O'Day mariner (which I also own).   I do a lot of week-ending and have even spent a whole week aboard with my wife, and was quite comfortable.  She has an excellent cockpit for lounging about, cooking, etc. (I wouldn't cook in the cabin of such a small boat as it would be very cramped and the inside would get smelly very fast - I have a self-contained galley box which I heft onto a cockpit seat for this purpose).

While I am not familiar with the CP16, having never seen one up close (CPs are rare birds in the part of Canada where I live), I believe there is a huge size difference between the two boats.    I once had the CP19 and the O'Day Mariner side-by-side in my driveway, and was amazed at how much bigger the former is in every respect but length.  A completely different boat! The CP19 has an amazingly "big boat" feel, with the stability and comfort of a larger keelboat (and I've owned a few over the years), whereas the O'Day feels and handles more like a big dinghy (which I grant has its own virtues, depending on your mood). The CP19 is a bit of a bear to launch and haul out, because of the weight and the keel, but with a decent ramp I manage alright by myself.  I find trailer guide posts are a big help to center the boat during haulout in windy conditions.  No trailer extension required. I trail her behind a six cylinder F150 with no problem at all.  My boat spends most of her life in a slip, so I don't do much hauling unless I want to cruise in more distant waters.  And that is the biggest advantage of this type of boat: you can explore a lot more cruising grounds in relative comfort than with a large cruiser, which would be costly and difficult to haul or require a huge amount of time to reach under her own power - a definite "plus" if you are still working and have limited vacation time.

I regularly sail her solo, and in fact, would say that with her terrific stability and a very handy roller furling genoa, she is an ideal single hander.  I usually raise the mast with my wife (she is a small woman, and mainly handles the halyard from the box of the pickup truck to help raise the mast).  The mast is fairly short and weighs little, so it should be relatively easy to raise solo if you rig a gin pole to help it up.   It's easier to raise than the O'Day Mariner's!

She is an excellent sailer on all points - not the fastest boat - but pretty good in a decent breeze.  Mind, mine is a rare model fitted with a centerboard, and that helps her a lot going to windward.  Her main vice is that she pounds a lot in a chop because of her flat bottom (though this is one of the features that makes her so spacious and stable).  She can get overpowered in winds greater than 20 knots with full sails up, and I have been surprised more than once in gusty conditions, almost getting knocked down.  However, with the main reefed she does just fine.  Sometimes you get fooled by her initial stability and neglect to take in a reef when you should.  She reefs easily and heaves to fine.  She's also rather slow in light airs, but then again, she is heavy displacement boat and should not be expected to perform like a dinghy. 

She's a proper little ship, and a very pretty boat, too....

[MGS]

Thank you both for responding.  I have not considered the Legacy due to price.  It is a fine boat with many of the features I am looking at, just a little more than I want to spend.

Thank you Jackrabbit for for the additional information.  I'm leaning towards the 19 rather than the 16 due to space issues.  Plus I know my wife will appreciate it's flat stable sailing characteristic.  I'm surprised your six cylinder F-150 pulls it.  I have a 4.0 Jeep that I thought could do it, but it's only rated for 2000 lbs.  She is a pretty boat.

[Jackrabbit]

The F150 is rated for 5000 LBS.   

[MGS]

Wow!  I might need a new tow vehicle.  How much time does it take to rig the 19 if I were to trailer sail?  I have so many options/ramps where I live.  I'd like to be able to sail different areas.

BTW, I was reading about the CP19CB and found that only 4 were made, 2 of which are in Europe.  You really have something rare.

[Jackrabbit]

Yes, when I was looking on the net for a CP19 to buy  I noticed in the Broker's photos a wee little pennant coming out of the bridge deck.  I emailed the broker to ask if that might be a cb pennant, and the deal was clinched when he replied in the affirmative!  (I would still have bought one without a CB, but might have waffled longer).

My F150 is a 2013 cub cab model - its great on gas and was quite a find.  In 2015 I had been looking for a one-year old model (without Ecoboost, which I am very wary of in terms of long term reliability) to serve as a tow vehicle, when I came across this truck at a Ford dealership.  It only had 5000 km (3000 miles) on the odometer.  I couldn't believe it!  Someone had bought her new from the dealer and decided they didn't need a truck after all.  She's a bare-bones basic - manual windows and no power locks.  I'm probably the last guy on earth to be driving around in such a vehicle.  The upside is less expensive stuff to break. She does have a/c and cruise control, which is all you really need.  Four-wheel drive is a real confidence booster when hauling out on a steep ramp (its also a hoot for driving in the messy snow we get up here in Winter). I got it for about $28 K (CDN), minus trade-in on my 2013 Escape - you guys in the States would be able to get them cheaper than that.  I don't recommend the newer model Escapes, as they only have 3000 LBS towing capacity, and I had nothing but problems with the Ecoboost and the tranny blew at under 100 000 KM (just before he powertrain warranty expired!).  Shades of the old Ford Taurus.

When it comes to towing remember that the rated capacity includes weight of trailer, all the onboard gear and the stuff in your vehicle, plus passengers.  So, even though the CP19 weighs 2000 LB, I factor in an extra 800-1000 LBS for the trailer, 300 LBS of onboard gear, and a couple hundred pounds for stuff in the truck, plus at lest two adults.  So for a long haul, 3000 LBS capacity is very risky, and I think you need reserve capacity if you want to be kind on the frame, tranny and engine.  I know guys who cut it very close, or even go over capacity, but I would worry about longevity if you hope to keep a trouble-free vehicle for a while.  Its nice to have peace of mind when you're off on a far-faring adventure.  The last thing you need is to have trouble with your tow vehicle far from home.

I can fully rig the mast on the trailer in less than 30 min provided I was careful to coil the shrouds & stays neatly and not make a mess of the halyards at the last takedown.  When I first got the boat everything seemed a tangled mess and it took me considerably longer to figure out what goes where (i.e., which side of the mast/spreaders) before raising.

[Salty19]

MGS--

I feel like I've talked you out of the 19 based on the setup time discussion in the other thread which is certainly not the intent.   I think with a good "system", practice . ginpole, etc you definitely could trailer it. 

The Eclipse or even a Suncat however would be MUCH easier to setup.  I've seen both an Eclipse and several Suncats close up and they are really nice boats--very easy to setup and launch! The Eclipse would be a little larger than a 19 inside (wider, longer and more headroom) and offer a very short rigging time. 

As for trailering though---a 2,000 limit will not cut it with a CP19.  The boat itself weighs as least that much---more when you add any options, motor, etc. Then the trailer too...my stock performance trailer was 660lbs---it's now a lot heavier with extension, beefier axle, brakes and larger wheels.   You'll want something with a 3,500lb limit at minimum, IMO.

But no need for a big truck either unless you will be regularly towing longer distances.  I just sold a 2012 Mazda CX-9 that towed it fine around town and even the 400 mile trip one way to CLR.  As luck would have it, each time I trailered was pretty much the hottest day of the year, which is murder on longevity. The transmission wasn't horribly pleased about that as it showed some signs of damage (sometimes it would shift hard from park or reverse into drive--aside from that performed well-not enough to alert the next buyer/dealer).  However if I just did shorter local trips and didn't pull it 2,400 miles in 100* weather, I'm sure it would be fine.

Most of the larger crossovers are either 3,500 or 5,000lbs.    My 4.0L V6 4x4 Tacoma hauls about 6,800lbs if memory serves.  It pulls the CP19 easily and is a great little truck. I also found a used 2 year old model with 5,000 miles on it.  The Tacomas hold their resale value really well which hurts now but will help down the road.

The Suncat and Eclipse areo a lot lighter since there is much less ballast (1400 lbs, I thought?).  Maybe you wouldn't need a new truck with one of these?  Is it a Wrangler?  Those are not good tow vehicles as the wheelbase is too short, but slower speeds around town outta work OK.

For me if I had to trailer it each time and wanted a 19-20' foot boat, the Eclipse would be in the garage for sure.  You can probably find one for 10-12K that might need some work...maybe $15K for a better example.  Factoring in loss of selling your car, buying a new one, and a CP19 (about 4-6K depending on condition--newer XL's or examples in very nice shape can run more than 10K), the Eclipse may not be any more $$$.