cp16 mast

[annieq]

I am thinking of buying a cp. The problem is, a 16 or a 19. My husband probably won't be sailing with me very often, and I can forsee taking the boat out on my own. Question is, can I launch and retrieve either of these boats by myself? and how do they single handle?
Thanks for any advice you can share.
Annie

[TroyVB]

Hi Annie,

You can easily rig and launch the CP16 by yourself.  I do not have any experience with the CP19 but I have read some posts here that show it involving a little more work.  It looks to me like Marcus Goller has a great system for rigging the CP19 and he would be able to help with those questions as would others on the board.

As for singlehanding I think the CP16 is fabulous.  I do not have roller furling and although it would make setting the jib or genoa easier it would probably be more work in rigging the boat.  On the CP16 I am able to drop the jib while standing in the companionway.  All of my halyards are lead aft and I also have a downhaul on the jib.  I have the boat set up for slab reefing, ease the main halyard, tack the reef point, tighten the reef cringle, retension the halyard.

Retreiving the boat is no problem as well there are very few ramps that I have had to work to get the boat back on the trailer.

Have fun with the search.  Let us know what you find.

[mgoller]

Hi Annie,
Saw your post here and we emailed about the mast.  Both boats single hand and in fact the 19 is more docile when gusts come up.  Using mechanical aids both boats launch and retrieve about the same.  Its not like the 16 is a boat you can push on the trailer if it isn't afloat.  And you can't just pick up the 16 trailer hitch and shove it by hand anywhere.
The 19 is a monster out of the water on its trailer next to the 16.  You need a ladder to get on.  It wont go in the garage and it will look big in the front yard.  In the water both boats look about the same.  Same cockpit.  The 19's cabin is much bigger.
Think about how you want to use the boat, what you want to do in terms of using the cabin (everyone thinks they'll use the cabin more than they do).  How many times will novice sailors accompany you?  How many at a time?  Where will you store the boat out of the water?  Answer those questions and you will know which boat is right.
The 16 is a wonderful boat and I might add just a little better looking.  The 19 is more roomy and more stable feeling.
bye

[annieq]

Thanks for your quick reply. I am now leaning toward the 16. but one more question. I've read in my surfing that the 16 does not point very well, and that it has a lot of drift to the side (sorry my sailing lingo is rusty!) Is it true? Is it a problem? Doesn't the 19 have the same problem because of the fixed shoal keel? I live in Tybee Island Georgia-just off the coast of Savannah and it is VERY shoaly around here. I want to do a lot of gunkholing in the tidal creeks and along the ICW. Sometimes I may want to go a wee bit off shore--can the 16 handle that? I want a shoal draft boat because I don't like the idea of having moving parts and a hole in the hull below the water line. It seems that cp owners really like them, but other people think they're slugs in the water. I'm not too concerned about speed-I'm not planning on racing it. Could I and my husband actually overnight in it? Thank you so much for your advice.
Annie

[Craig]

Annie,

If you are planning to trailer this boat every time you sail go with the 16. If you plan on having the boat in the water but trailer frequently to overnight locations go with the 19.

The pointing ability of the 16 can be greatly improved with the addition of Idasailor's foiled rudder. I have a 16/1 and it really helped because the rudder now has lift rather than acting like a brake when sailing windward. The 16's VMG (velocity made good) is not the greatest, which means the boat crabs to leeward in a breeze, especially on a beat. That is criticism of all the non-centerboard trailerable com-pacs. I have been one of the harshest critics on this site. The 16/2 and 3 have a larger jib and smaller main that reduces weather helm and improves pointing. You can get to where you want to go, it just takes a while.

Speed? Talking about speed among 16 foot microcruisers is like discussing fuel economy in relation to muscle cars. I out sailed a new Precision 15 and got smoked by a Hobie 16. If you want speed, get a Hobie. If you want to able to overnight on the boat the com-pac is acceptable as long as you are not claustrophobic. Here is where the 19 is a much more comfortable boat. The 16 is small. A friend of mine and I have done three day trips on my 16. You need to find a very quiet anchorage or you'll get no sleep because the boat will bob and bounce in small waves.

I have sailed my boat on Lake Michigan. I would not want to be out when the wind really kicks up. The 16 is a sea worthy little craft but the size of the cockpit which is usually an asset will become a liability in any kind of weather offshore. I'm not sure the 19 is really that much better. The 23 would be a better choice for anything offshore. People have sailed 16's in the ocean, and I hope to do some coastal hops someday that will take my into the Atlantic, but I will do that only when and if the weather is just right.

If you get a 16 you will not be disappointed. It is a easily trailerable, it sets up easily, it launches and retrieves easily, and is easily sailed by one person with no winches. Plus, they are a cheaper than the 19!

Craig