Light Weight Trailer Sailer

Big difference between an Elliott 780 and a Masrm 720!

Tow weight for an Elliott 780 is about 1200 -1500 kg and that is about as light weight as what you will find. Other potentials (and cheaper) would be an Elliott 7 and a Young 780 (maker sure you look at the modern ones not the old water ballasted ones).

I cannot speak highly enough of the Elliott 780. I used to own one of the best "Gone Troppo" which was renamed Troppo. This was one of the cruiser versions of the E780 and as good as you will find for a cruising sportsboat. Having said that, I would probably think long and hard about how you will use any of these kinds of boats. You want a fast boat to cruise. These two things are not really compatible. You have a drop keel with 350 kg bulb on the bottom, not a swing keel. This means you cannot beach the boat, which means a dinghy to get to shore and good anchoring. You also have drop or fixed rudder, again hard to get in close to shore but you can make a cassette type rudder but you start getting into dodgy territory when it gets loaded up.

They are also ultra light weight which means things break... often. Foam sandwich leaks and gets water logged. They are also hard to put the mast up. It would take 3 - 4 guys to lift the mast on the E780.

I would either re-evaluate how fast you want to go in a cruising boat versus the zero comfort factor and its always a trade off unless you really enjoy camping.

Others to consider are Ross 780 or Clubman 8 which are more cruiser orientated but heavier, while still being fast.

I'm looking at doing something similar - I've bought a Farr 727 (fixed keel) in a very run down condition and using a converted etchell trailer. I've started with a full keel up restoration.

You can still pick these Farr designed yachts on the west coast at a very reasonable price...

Thanks for the reply's guys. Much appreciated.

dralyagmas - Thanks for pointing out the Elliot 780 shortcomings. It is very hard to beat their boat size for weight and they just excite me, so we will have a look at one on the weekend. Surely there is a mechanical way to stand mast without 4 blokes? I feel the Ross 780 is too big to tow 2000km with a 4 cylinder van.

Madmouse - Castle 650 and RL24 are sensible suggestions but I'm not there yet. I love the Elliot 7.4. It's a pity there is not more of them.

ecan - I love your crazy thinking ecan. I was also excited by a J24 on trailer kept on the hardstand for racing in Cairns.

cisco - I've brought my wife down a long way but that is just a bit too far. I see where your coming from though.

My tophat will be up there next year...why don't you hire her for a reasonable fee shes a bit slow. Top speed so far of 6.8knots but she'll be more comfy.

I'm trying to remember waaaay back, but when we sailed the first E 7.4 I thought it had a wing bulb and therefore couldn't really be beached, as noted.

What about the Ross 650? Bigger inside than the Castle and RL by a fair way, I think. The ones without the bulb are supposed to be tip trucks, but the early one we used to sail near seemed to be pretty damn good. I've never sailed one but always liked the ones I see.

Have you considered the Spider 24 and is it light enough? I'm not sure of the weight of the Sonata 6.7/740/740 Sports but the 740S I used to sail on (Scooter) felt solid but went well; rated a tick or two slower than the Spider 22 and won lots on that CBH. Not too big down below but probably also bigger than the Castle and RL and probably better at handling Whitsunday winds and chop.

There are mechanical ways of lifting the mast but I never got around to it. Keeping the boat on a hard stand meant I didn't have to. However it limit the amount of cruising I did with only wifey and 2 kiddies. Carbon mast would help greatly here but adds 10k to the price tag.

What about a farrier tri ?

Aus l think you have hit on the eternal problem...a fast, light seaworthy, comfortable, easy to live with, easy to sail, robust, cheap, ts that dries out flat and can sleep four in comfort and requires little maintenance.

Thinking thinking.

A mate of mine has a Elliott 7.8 which he races and it is fast downwind and a heap of fun with a full crew but is a bit limited as a cruiser

Regards Don

Thanks for spoon feeding me with the link to the John Crawford trailer sailer library - I did miss it first time around.. I have inquired about Wildfire 23 but no reply yet. One good thing about the production racing boats is that there is plenty to choose from once the racing fad is over. That photo brought a smile to my face. I showed my wife but she is still keen to have a look at one tomorrow so all good.

Photo with the dacron sail (S80 fit perfectly) is in cruise mode with 2 kids under 5 on board. It can be done and quite comfortably for a trailer sailer. I would have kept her if it wasn't for living in South Australia which is not made for cruising small boats, unless you live in Port Lincoln.

I will post some photos if it all pans out. It doesn't look like they will be of an Elliot 780 though - not a bad cockpit area but limited deck area because cabin and fore deck are so curved. Personal outdoor area is key for us especially when inside doesn't have standing headroom.

Hi, I'm new to this forum, but stumbled across it while browsing trailer-sailers... Pardon the pun, but I'm in a similar boat to Aus126. I have plenty of sailing experience, and never lacking boats to crew, and my family has a cruiser that I race around the cans mid week... But I love lighter faster boats, and have raced among others an Elliott 780, Mumm 30, Young 88, and RL24... all great boats, but all a compromise (aren't all boats?)

I'm not in a rush to buy, but have been eyeing the market for some time.

Young 88s are a good balance between cruiser and racer, and solid enough for coastal cruising - they'd be my pick if I could justify owning one. However realistically I can sail other people's boats when I want to race offshore without paying the bills - also my lovely wife isn't keen on spending extended time afloat.

Trailer sailers make a lot of sense as far as maintenance and marina costs go. I've had great times sailing both the RL24 and Elliott 780, but neither are much fun upwind in anything more than a moderate sea breeze (down wind is another matter!).

We raced against an Elliott 7.4 in a multi- day regatta in fresh to strong breezes aboard an Elliott 780, and were amazed how well the 'little' 7.4 went in the stronger breezes, up-wind and down - and short handed. Fair to say it left a lasting impression!

The only problem I can see has been noted above, and that is the bulb keel and drying out. Would drying out cause structural problems with the boat resting on the keel? Its not a scenario that'd frequently occur, but having a shallow draft it may be tempting to get a little close to the beach when cruising...

Do people with more experience than me have thoughts here, are there solutions apart from avoiding areas with big tides, or opting for a swing keel?

Many thanks in advance.

Tom.