New Here

[HeaveToo]

Hello All.  I am a new member to this forum.  Here is a little information about me.

I am in my mid 30s.  I have been cruising the Chesapeake Bay for most of my life.  I spent some time in my younger years racing sailboats.  For the past 7 years I have been cruising a Catalina 30 that I own.

My wife has gotten tired of the money required to keep the Catalina 30 going.  It is up for sale and I am looking to downsize back to a trailerable boat.  My wife also sees the Catalina as a down payment for a house as we both are tired of renting.

This gets me to where I am now.  I have spent a lot of time researching a good trailerable boat within a budget.  I came across the Compac 23 and I like the boat for many reasons.  My intentions is to find a Compac 23 within the next few years, once my current boat has sold.  I plan to hold a few thousand back from the sale of my other boat but I may have to wait a year or so to purchase the new boat (if I can actually wait that long).

My boat is currently kept on the lower Potomac River.  I have sailed from there to Annapolis, Hampton, Onancock, Tangier Island, Deltaville, and various other places.

Before this Catalina I did own and cruise a Hunter 22 from a trailer for a few years. 

Based on my cruising grounds I wanted a tougher boat.  I also am not a big fan of centerboards due to the issues that they can have (cables and pins breaking as well as painting the inside of them etc).  The Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay is known for its light summer winds, but it also has another side to it and I have seen it in a full gale with the wind against the current and very steep waves. 

[SpeakEasy]

Welcome, HeaveToo!

If you haven't been lurking here much, let me be the first to "warn" you about the "fee" that you are going to hear about from Bob23. Don't let him scare you away!

I think your idea about using a 23 as a smaller cruiser is top-shelf! She's a sturdy craft, and I have heard it said that she can take more punishment than her crew can.

BTW - I like your priorities: a 30-foot cruising sailboat BEFORE a house. Also, the fact that your first mate has been willing to go along with that, even for a time, says a lot (of good) about her. You may tell her my opinion of her.

As to the "trailerable" part of the Compac 23, be sure you have a capable tow vehicle. I do not. My Highlander has a 3500 lb. capacity, which isn't enough.

Again, welcome!

-Speak

[HeaveToo]

I had the boat before I had the wife.  I have owned the Spirit of Liberty for 7 years.  I have only been married for 2.  I bought the boat when I was married, the first time, and it was one of the only things that I managed to keep after the divorce.

She is a 1990 Catalina 30.  I have done a ton of work on her and I have a lot of experience doing upgrades and other tasks. 

I have done things like adding a Raymarine S1 autopilot, adding a battery monitor, adding a larger house bank, adding a Garmin 441s and making a custom mounting place for it, sewn a lot of different canvas covers for it, and so on.  When I get a boat I tend to do a lot of work to it to maintain and improve things.  The sad thing is that I have this problem of having a boat long enough to just about get it to where I want it and then I change it.  I had my previous boat, a Hunter 22, and it was really tricked out when I sold her.

When I was racing, in my earlier days, I always wanted to get the boat set for light air and make it faster.  When I started cruising I wanted to make it sturdier.  I have this thing where I end up finding rough conditions for at least 1 day on every long cruise I go on.  When I transported the Spirit of Liberty home I hit a full gale and huge waves at Smith Point and I had to go directly into the wind.  It was a task that ended up being 5 long hours of motoring into these conditions (P.O. didn't set up a reefing setup and I didn't add it until I got it home).  Surprisingly the boat took the conditions with no damage.

I don't intend to get myself into those conditions again, but I still see a day once in a while with 25 knot winds.  Those conditions in the Hunter 22 were horrible and down right scary.  In the Catalina 30 they were manageable, but not a lot of fun.  I expect that the Compac 23 will be in the category of manageable but not a lot of fun.  When I had my force 5 I loved the 25 knot winds!

[HeaveToo]

Tow vehicle is an 08 Toyota Tacoma with the V6 and towing package.  Supposedly a 6500 tow capacity. 

That being said, I don't intend to do long trailering voyages yet.  Maybe a few blocks or, if I can find the right marina in my location, dry slipping her so that I can keep her on the trailer with the mast up.  No more than 1.5 hour trailering as that will get me most places on the Chesapeake Bay. 

[brackish]

Welcome HeaveToo

Sounds like a ComPac 23 could be right for you.  The idea of dry storage with mast up is reasonable, the boat launches and retrieves quickly and easily given a proper ramp with the right ramp angle.  It is a boat that can be properly rigged to move in light air, but will also stiffen up in a blow.  It is an old school hull form that is round rather than flat, so initial stability isn't that great, reacts quickly, but ultimate stability is second to none in the class.  Sounds like you work on them, so improvements for balance and weather helm reduction such as a NACA foiled rudder shouldn't be a problem. 

Having had the Hunter, you know what you will lose going from the Catalina 30.  Standing headroom, an enclosed head, and a full galley are the things I primarily miss (in that order) when I made the transition from a Columbia 8.7 to the CP23.

I tow with a 2007 Tacoma with the tow package which has 6500 lbs. capacity without issue.  I normally do a thousand mile round trip a year, going to the Gulf, and while I do know it is back there, it does just fine.

Good luck with your transition.  As you may have suspected from lurking here, someone will know the answer to any question you may have about the boats.

[HeaveToo]

I know that there will be a lot of things that I will miss about my Catalina 30.  I absolutely love the boat.  It is also set up very well for extended cruising.

I will miss my enclosed head the most.  Not the toilet part as much as not having the shower!  There is something that can be said for being able to shower after a long day at sea.  It was always one of the creature comforts that I enjoyed.

That being said, there is always a go around.  I will probably fix something up so I can use a solar shower.  That will take care of that issue.

Where I enjoy having the full galley, I never had a refrigeration system in mine and relied on an ice box.  There will be no change there.  I do enjoy my two burner stove but I rarely use the oven (summer cruises mean that it is too hot for the oven).  I tend to cook a lot on a grill and putting a grill on the boat is an easy fix.  Going back to a single burner, most likely, and a grill will be something I can work with.

Water pressure is nice.  That is something that is really easy to add, if I choose.  It isn't the most important thing and I will figure it out as I go along.  Having the hot water tank on my boat was nice, but I can work around this too (I am use to this set up from the Hunter).

I have kept a few things from my other boat that I won't sell.  Namely, my dingy and my 2.5 hp 2 cycle Nissan engine.  The dingy has seen a lot of nautical miles being pulled behind the Catalina, and she will see more behind the new boat.  I also have some folding bikes and I may or may not carry them from time to time, depending on space because they take up room.  They use to fit perfectly into the lazzerette in my 30 and they had a permanent home there.

One thing that I have seen on a few of the Compac 23 boats that I have seen pictures of is a dodger.  I absolutely love my dodger on my 30 because it allows the cabin to stay open in the rain, keeps you dry in foul weather, and it has a nice look to it.  Is there a place to buy the dodgers commercially or are you usually buying them from a custom shop?  My other thought is, because of price, I may make my own but I still need to find a frame.  That would definitely be a future project.  Is the dodger functional on these boats?  Does it hurt visibility or cabin access badly?  Another work around is a boom tent for when you are in port and that is easy to fix.  A Bimini is a must!

I notice that a lot of the boats that are cruised use a solar panel to keep the batteries up.  The boat probably won't be a power hog but I do tend to use power for running GPS, Autohelm, Stereo, and the anchor light.  I also like having a 12V fan for night time (I am going to grab my camafro from my 30 for this boat).  What system do you use for solar power?

What is the water tank size on most of the Compac 23s?  Not a huge issue because I always take drinking water with and I use the tanks for dishes etc. 

[brackish]

I and several others have installed pressure water which included a hose bib for deck washdown and cockpit shower.  With regard to tank size and type, I think it was different over the years.  Mine is an eleven gallon hard tank.

Can't answer regarding solar, I have dockside and recharge with it and with my motor when running. 

Also can't comment on dodger, don't have one, but am considering it.

[HeaveToo]

Brackish, how are you getting warm water or are you just taking a cold shower?

Thank you for the information so far.

I do look at selling the 30 is closing one door but another one is opening.  I like older styles of boats and I favor beefier boats (too many experiences in heavy weather getting pounded). 

I can't see adding water pressure being that hard.  I have done a lot of messing with the water system in the Catalina which includes repairing the pump and adding a small accumulator tank (the accumulator tank is small but it really helps with constant water pressure).  Accumulator tanks are a very cheap upgrade (around $100). 

The cockpit shower is a great idea!

[brackish]

LOL, I'm in Mississippi, in the summer the water in the tank is always at least lukewarm.  If you get a ComPac 23, just do a search here and it will give details on putting in a pressure system including a small accumulator.

[Bob23]

Heave:
  Welcome! Despite what you may have heard, the initiation fees are low and because you are an aspiring 23 owner, a boat dear to my heart, I'm giving you one year free membership on this site. Don't let it get around...everyone will want it.
   I sail a 1985 23/2 up here in Barnegat Bay, Ocean County, NJ. There are a lot of 23 guys here so answers to any questions you may have will be abounding.  I love my 23. Sort of a small boat that thinks it's big or a big boat that's kinda small. She's built tough and despite what others say, I've had good performance with mine in light winds.
  Again, welcome!
Bob23

[HeaveToo]

What types of motoring speeds do you get out of the outboard setup on these boats in normal conditions? I am use to around 4.5 to 5 knot motoring speeds.  Is that pretty close to the Compac 23 under motor? 

[brackish]

What types of motoring speeds do you get out of the outboard setup on these boats in normal conditions? I am use to around 4.5 to 5 knot motoring speeds.  Is that pretty close to the Compac 23 under motor? 

Theoretical hull speed for a ComPac 23 is 6.02 knots.  With my 9.9 HP four stroke, I can achieve that with about 60 percent throttle.  I generally run about 5 knots with 35-40% throttle, because the noise, vibration and fuel consumption are lower and the boat tends to squat less.  I think the 9.9 is too heavy for the 23.  I'm switching to a much lighter 6HP Sailpro.  Calculated HP requirement for a 23 is 5.4 HP.

[HeaveToo]

Wow....hard to believe that the Compac 23 is motoring faster than my Catalina 30 with the Universal M25xp 23 hp diesel engine.  Then again, the cat 30 has a small prop for the boat and not enough room to put a bigger one on there. 

Do you guys have issues with cavitation in rough water?  My Hunter 22 use to really have issues with rough water.  It was powered by a Johnson long shaft 4.5 hp outboard. 

[capt_nemo]

Most small sailboats with outboards hung on the transom experience some nagging cavitation in really rough water.

Short of installing an inboard with shaft and prop well below the waterline, shut the outboard down and hoist some sail!

With some practice SAILING in rough water you won't even think about starting that outboard.

capt_nemo

[Bob23]

My 23 seems to like to motor at about 4.1 to 4.5 knots and I achieve that at about 1/3 to 1/2 throttle of my Nissan 8hp 2 stroke. Any more and she's squat in the stern. If I lash the throttle and stand on the foredeck, she'll trim out and speed will increase.
Bob23