First Sail "Lauren Beth"

[Mercrewser]

First sail on Lake Nockamixon here in PA and boy was it nice.  Plenty of wind to push the boat up to hull speed and just a beautiful day.  The boat is still not finished, but at least it sails.  I had the boat off the trailer to remove bottom paint and I have some interesting info.  A CP 16 will balance upright on its keel, and one person can easily retrieve it back onto its trailer from land.  I flipped it from side to side by myself to get all the paint off, and its not very hard to lift.  Now I have to focus on the cabin interior and this boat will be very nice.  Thanks to everyone that helped with valuable "Com-pac" information!

[Gil Weiss]

Great report . . . especially the keel balancing. Maybe if we put wheels on the keel we could land sail in winter?

Kidding aside, you must feel great about pushing some water under the keel. Nothing like the first sail.

We are headed up to Nockamixon for a late afternoon/early evening sail today. It should cool down a tad and the wind will be up.

[Craig]

I'm curious...  How did you get it off and on the trailer. Did you use the tilt mechanism? I can believe it is easy to tilt the 16 from side to side once on the ground and that it will balance on the keel. With the 40% of the weight of the boat in the keel and the width of the keel it should balance, but I still would want another person to help. Did you do this on grass? sand? or did you put something down on the pavement? Did you use some kind of rollers under the keel to keep it from getting scuffed or dig up the ground when you put the boat back on to the trailer? Inquiring minds want to know...

Craig

[Mercrewser]

I used the original Magic tilt trailer for this.  I hate these trailers with a passion, but the tilt mechanism really came in handy.  Boat was laid up on grass, no rollers or anything.  Tow vehichle was left in neutral so that the trailer could be pulled underneath the boat, rather than the boat onto the trailer.  Tow vehicle is a Saturn SL2 with a 1.6 liter 4 cylinder.  Pulls and stops this rig fine.  This boat is really coming along, I've already received some compliments on her.  You should see the reactions I get when I reply that the boat was free!

[sawyer]

I have been dragging my CP16 around with our F250 Diesel, probably overkill, and my commuter is a 93 Saturn SL2 5spd.  Sure would be convenient tow have another tow veh.  What year Saturn are you pulling with and is it an auto or stick??    That sounds like a good idea, I just don't want the boat to drag it into the lake.             Doug

[dgholmes]

Sawyer,
I pulled my CP16 twice with a 1990 Honda Accord 4 cyl. with 225k miles while my truck was in the shop.  It pulled it great.  No problem pulling it out of the boat ramp either.  I have pulled lots of boats with many different vehicles and the CP16 can be pulled behind a smaller car with ease.

I just bought a Vagabond 17, which the specs say it weighs 950 lbs. with 375 lb. keel.  The specs for the CP16 say 1100 lbs with 450 lb. keel.  Personally, I do not believe these specs.  I can pull the CP16 with a 1998 Blazer (4.3 liter V-6) in overdrive at 70 - 80 mph with no problems.  I can also pull it with the Honda Accord 60 - 70 mph with the A/C runnning.  60 mph up hills.

The Vagabond has to be pulled in 3rd gear (automatic) with the Blazer just to maintain highway speed.  You can also tell it is working harder because the water temperature rises somewhat in the 95 degree heat here in Texas (with A/C running).  Does not with the CP16.

I would not even attempt to pull the Vagabond with the Honda Accord.  It would definitely hurt it.

You can also feel the difference on the water.  The CP16 is definitely a ligher weight boat.

Personally, I would be surprised if the CP16 weighs 1000 lbs soaking wet with the outboard and porta potty aboard.  Maybe someone has actually weighed one with the trailer.  I would be curious to know the actual weight.  If the specs are right, the Vagabond 17 specs are very wrong.

Hope this helps.

[Craig]

While our plans change frequently, I should be in Perkasie early August. I'm hoping to hook up with Gil for some sailing, perhaps I could get a peek at Lauren Beth.

Craig

[Gil Weiss]

Early August is perfect for my schedule Craig, we just need some wind this year . . .Gil

[Nate]

I would like to add that I towed my compac 16 and motor etc with a 2002 Honda civic Si.  It towed it just fine.  The only part it had a little bit of difficulty with was pulling the boat back out, however, I did not experience and clutch slip or wheel spin.  The motor is a 2.0 (A tiny bit beefier than the normal civic) with I think only 170HP but I've forgotten the torque rating.  I wish to pull it from Duluth to bayfield for raceweek so I'll have a privat place to sleep (just sleep on it in the trailer) but I dont know if I want to try taking it that far for only a couple of days.  A big part of me wants to try it so I'll know, but part of me doenst, the car still being under warrenty!
That's my two cents.
Thank you!  I'll have a very cool pic to post if I can figure it out!
Nate

[Nate]

I would like to add that I towed my compac 16 and motor etc with a 2002 Honda civic Si.  It towed it just fine.  The only part it had a little bit of difficulty with was pulling the boat back out, however, I did not experience and clutch slip or wheel spin.  The motor is a 2.0 (A tiny bit beefier than the normal civic) with I think only 170HP but I've forgotten the torque rating.  I wish to pull it from Duluth to bayfield for raceweek so I'll have a privat place to sleep (just sleep on it in the trailer) but I dont know if I want to try taking it that far for only a couple of days.  A big part of me wants to try it so I'll know, but part of me doenst, the car still being under warrenty!
That's my two cents.
Thank you!  I'll have a very cool pic to post if I can figure it out!
Nate

[Mercrewser]

Lauren Beth is towed with a '96 Saturn with an automatic transmission.  It should be out today or tomorrow on Lake Nockamixon.  It would be nice to see Craig around these parts.  If you see this boat, please dont look in the cabin.  It is a disgrace.  The concrete ballast is in the boat, but is still in its pre mixed bag!  I havent had a chance to poor it yet.

[Gil Weiss]

We were out on the Steppin' Up from 4 PM to 7 PM yesterday and had a GREAT sail. We expect to be back at Nock today and tomorrow.