Set up time from a trailer

From: Jeff

How long does it take to set up a Capri 18 from a trailer?

Hello Ken,

I've just read and enjoyed your article in praise of day sailing and the Capri 18. You mentioned a set up time of 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Pardon my ignorance, but does that time include stepping the mast? I live on the West Coast of Florida and am thinking about purchasing a small, trailerable sailboat. After a year of motoring around in a 14' skiff, I've realized that I've never seen a sailboat launched from the nearby boat ramp, and am trying to understand why this is. I've been wondering if it is the chore of rigging the boat which puts some people off, but a 5 minutes set up time seems very acceptable to me.

Thanks for your help,

Jeff

I just read your email to Ken Ong. I believe his estimate of time was for a boat already in the water. I calculate the amount of time set up takes me from the time I park at the ramp to do the rigging until my boat is off the trailer and moored at the launching dock. I have accomplished this in 25 minutes with the help of another person and average between 45-50 minutes if I do everything myself. The difference being that I am much slower and more methodical when alone and must set up a mast raising system to handle the weight of the mast. My system consists of a winch on a saddle strapped to the mast with a line running through a forward block attached to the spare jib halyard. Additionally I have a higher crutch at the stern raising the mast a few feet higher than the standard crutch. The forward block is attached to an extendable tube steel mast ( I added this) to again gain some height to lesson strain on the halyard when I begin to crank the winch and raise the mast. With the winch at the mast I can raise the mast and steady it side to side from the same location. All in all this makes raising the mast extremely easy but does require additional set up time. The alternative with a second person allows you to literally push the mast up by hand while your helper pulls forward on the spare jib halyard from the ground.

Dennis Burch
 

I find it easier to mast the boat in the water....that way there are no distractions at the launch site (either well intentioned onlookers or watching your footing ~6 feet up). With 2 people (well rehersed in the procedures) it takes us ~ 15 minutes not including fine tuning the mast.

Ernie

I agree with Joseph. I have my Capri 18 in dry storage at lake Pleasant north of Phx, AZ. We keep the mast stepped and have a full cover. I have never timed it but I would have to guess that it probably takes us about 20 minutes to take the cover off, extend the tongue and launch. I also made a 4 foot extension to put in the receiver in my Dodge caravan with a 3.3 liter 6 cylander. I barely get the tires wet with this setup. I chose the Capri 18 because I did not want to purchase a tow vehicle that would cost twice the amount of the boat and trailer. The van was paid for and now the Capri 18 is also paid off.

My wife and I enjoy the heck out of our Capri 18. It is very stable and user freindly. With the furling jib and dogs on the main, make it very easy to set up and put away. We chose dry storage because I want to keep the bottom clean. Gel coat blisters are concern for me also. Dry storage fees are very low also.

I also should explain that at 56 years old I do not look forward to stepping and unstepping the mast everytime I want to go sailing or maybe I am just lazy. The mast is not that hard to step after you are experienced at it. I do not have a mast stepping system but do have a mast crutch that was supplied by Catalina and it works great. I would expect it would take about an hour from parking and launching after experienced.

Terry
Capri 18 #563

We have owned our Capri 18 for 3 seasons now and "trailer" sailed the first. It took my wife and I about an hour from arriving in the parking lot to sailing away. Retrieving and getting it ready to travel home was longer. We also gladly pay the marina fees and slip ours now. We still take the boat to other lakes but we don't do it for just a day trip. Having the boat at the marina makes it easy to just go out for an evening or half a day if we want. Something we would never do if we had to tow, rig, launch, sail, retrieve, un-rig, and prepare to travel.

I would highly recommend a mast raising system.

Part of how easy it will be to launch and retrieve will depend on how steep the ramp is. Most of the ones we have used are shallow at about 10% grade. At this pitch to float the boat on or off the trailer and to keep the tow vehicles differential out of the water requires about 15-20 feet of tongue extension (or you can resort to the rope/strap/winch technique used by the guys with the deep keels). A 15% grade makes it work much better, only 6-10 feet of extension is needed.

Joseph Keith

My first year, we trailered the Capri 18 to a local ramp and set her up (and took her down) every trip onto the water. We did not have a mast stepping system or mast crutch. This was a tiring 30 minute-plus job that took a lot of fun out of sailing for us. Please remember that you will be removing the boom and the mainsail, plus the vang and the main sheet every time. Stepping the mast is especially heavy - with one person, impossible; with two, a chore. Keeping the shrouds untangled is important - and no fun either.

After one season of this, we decided to keep the boat at a local marina. Three years later, set up time is about fifteen minutes, including removing the mainsail and tiller covers, setting up the cockpit cushions, connecting the gas line to the outboard, starting the outboard and casting off. We love our 18 because it is stable, easy to sail, economical and has the controls of bigger boats. But I would not find it a fun sport if I had to rig her every time. After our first experiences, the marina fees are paid without complaint.

Jim

From pulling into the ramp area to full float can take from 30 to 60 minutes depending on the urgency to get on the water and the number of coordinated and inspired people at hand. Here's a short run down on the procedure we use.

Un secure the mast. I use a marling hitch to secure the roller furler to the mast. Line doubles as as safety line when raising the mast.

Walk the mast aft and attach to tabernacle. This will be easier when I find the time to build a new mast crutch with a roller.

Standing on cockpit seats, put mast on shoulder and walk forward to cabin top. Secure safety line to cleat on mast. This is not a bad reach 'cuz I am only 5'7". Get on cabin top and finish the raise. Secure the safety line and go forward to secure the headsail shroud. I usually climb down and jump up on the trailer to so this. I use a long bungee cord to keep the headsail shroud/roller furler close to the bow and out of the way of the other shrouds.

Retrieve rudder from the cabin, unbag it and hang it off the transom as I unhook the mast crutch and put in away in the back of the pick-up. Tiller is retieved from cabin and installed at this time.

When I put the crutch in the back of the pickup, I get the outboard and mount it on the transom mount. My outboard is way to large and weighs far to much. This is the worst part of the whole procedure.

Install jib into CDI foil from the ground. Trust me, it works much better this way. Raise jib and roll it.

Pull boom and mainsail from cabin (I keep them together). Clip aft end to back stay pigtail and intall Boomkicker.

Attach lines to forward and rear cleats. Unpin tilt pin on trailer and pull up to the ramp. The winch will hold the boat until I release it when the trailer is in the water.

I have been able to jump up into the back of the truck and have been able to launch without getting my feet wet for two years now. I do wear water shoes, shorts, and leave valuable out of my pockets (why tempt fate!!!)

That's it. I can do it alone or yelling at my wife (optional).

Drysailing would reduce this to less depending on the security of the storage area. Just loading the sails gets me well within Ken's timezone (even with the Boomkicker).

Hope this helps,

Ron Houston

I have had my Catalina 18 for 3 seasons now and I trailer mine since I live in Colorado and visit various lakes around the state. Also, I choose not to leave my in the water since we baby ours like our one of our childern. It takes myself, without my wife usally around 20 to 25 minutes. If my wife and I are setting up the sailboat, we have perfected it to around 10 minutes. When I state setting this up, I am talking about stepping the mast(I have a mast stepping system equipped on the boat ), extending the tounge on the trailer and dropping it in the water. There are numerous things your partener can do while the mast is being stepped and this includes removing the crutch, extending the tounge, loading the vessel and any minor items such as bumpers and so on. Overall the Catalina 18 is very easy to set up once you lay down a pattern or a procedure and you eventually get the hang of what needs to be done.

Pat

My wife and I purchased our Capri 18 new in 1998 and have trailered it nearly 25,000 miles to date. While realizing that this may not appeal to everyone, it is the very reason we purchased a "trailerable" sailboat--where we go the boat goes. We have discovered for ourselves some of the most spectacular lakes, reservoirs, and coastlines this country and parts of Mexico has to offer. Taking 40 to 50 minutes to rig and launch a boat seems a small price to pay for the end result, and with practice we can now go from water to highway in the same amount of time. I would encourage anyone interested in a Capri to consider all the advantages they offer and take into account that the payoff for a bit more time spent rigging is a sailboat that sails, handles, and has features usually found on larger boats. We are looking forward to meeting and hearing from other members in months to come.

Sincerely,

Chris

Hull #527