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Forums > Sailing General

RL 24

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Created by traylee01 > 9 months ago, 16 Sep 2011
traylee01
QLD, 8 posts
16 Sep 2011 7:17PM
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we live in hervey bay and hubby sold his 18 foot caper cat we are thinking about buying a trailer sailer, we have looked at a few so far, but the sunmaid 20 we looked at needed alot of work,

we looked at a rl24, anyone have any experience with one,
we have 2 young kids, 8yrs old and almost 2yr old,

we wouldnt go out on very windy days, just for weekends away, or maybe few days at a time,

any advice be great thanks as we would like to know more about them.

badinfluence
QLD, 538 posts
16 Sep 2011 8:56PM
Thumbs Up

Hi traylee01

welcome to the Forum!

The two boats you have mentioned are very different.

The Sunmaid is significantly heavier, however, a lot more forgiving than the lightweight RL24.

The RLs have been known to lay the mast in the water if pushed too far. Not a once off....happened on a regular basis racing around the cans in the 80s lol!

I owned a Sunmaid 20 for a few years before the kids came along and, despite sailing her hard in some pretty nasty weather in Moreton Bay, she always brought me home safe and sound. Never any scares even!

The RL has a huge cockpit, so the cabin space in both boats is going to be about the same.

Maybe have another think about the Sunmaid?? Or just be forewarned about the RL's tippy capabilities.

Hope this helps.

Trace

slainte
QLD, 2246 posts
16 Sep 2011 9:34PM
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www.trailersailerplace.com.au/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7345


Check this out Traylee still for sale
Cheers
Ken

traylee01
QLD, 8 posts
17 Sep 2011 8:10AM
Thumbs Up

hi sands yes thats nice we need a trailerable though
and also slainte we checked out that sunmaid and it needs alot of work, we looked yesterday, would have been nice if was alot tidier, but yea needed work done, hubby basically wants a boat to get now that needs minimal money and time spent on it. also trailer needs to be good, the sunmaids trailer was very worn to, shame was a nice boat but def not worth the asking price when you look around at other sunmaids on the net, shame none are closer,

might give the rl 24 a miss then and keep looking, was also gonna go down coast to look at a southern cross 23 any opinions on those also

SandS
VIC, 5904 posts
17 Sep 2011 9:26AM
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yes most of the sunbirds are trailer sailors.

sc 23 are a good yacht , swing keel also but the keel weighs 400kg if the cable snaps there can be dramas.

not sure on this ..but i think the sunbird25 has some ballast in the boat and lighter swing keel , but i may be wrong there ,check it first with an expert.

i owned a sc 23 and the 400kg plate was a bit of a pain to get in and out of the boat for maintenance

traylee01
QLD, 8 posts
17 Sep 2011 9:48AM
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thanks sands will def see if we can find some ppl here to talk to,

troy hubby is still keen on this rl24, he said of course ppl who are un experienced will have troubles with them, he said it all comes down to you being a good sailer and knowing when to go out and not to go out.

his dad has a 40 foot yacht so he has sailed his whole life, although him himself have only owned catamarans, we went from a 14 to 16 to a 18, and now with a 2yr old time to get something with sleeping areas and something with cabin for no sun

slainte
QLD, 2246 posts
17 Sep 2011 10:50AM
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What sort of money are you looking at spending Traylee?
Most cheap T/S's are going to need some form of work on boat and trailer

traylee01
QLD, 8 posts
17 Sep 2011 11:06AM
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yes we are aware of that of course about the work, but the difference between this sunmaid, and the rl24, in price was basically same price but the sunmaid needed alot of money put into the boat itself and also trailer, specialy since they drilled holes into the sunmaid and also needs a re paint.

we have seen other sunmaids for same price in way better condition shame cause it was nice looking boat and im aware it has been sailed in bay to bay also,

the rl 24 had good paint, good interioer and good trailer, just needed a bit of clean, and its lighter boat to i hear,

i dunno lmao so many choices to be made but where to start

badinfluence
QLD, 538 posts
17 Sep 2011 1:11PM
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Quick post between first and second coat of boot stripe while my big girl is out of the water

Agree with Sands,,,SC23 are good robust boats. The hull also is the same for the Northwind 23 and ...methinks the Sonata 7.

Have a feeling that the Sunmaids and Sunbirds were built by the same factory??

Sunbirds have a stub keel where all the ballast is, and a centreboard is winched up inside the stub keel. Good for not losing interior space in the cabin. Same kind or arrangement in the Boomaroo 25s (marketed as Catalina 25s in the U.S.). However, everything is a compromise, and these heavy girls are not great movers under sail.

About your hubby's feelings re RL24 and experience and lack thereof --that is entirely a personal perspective. Everyone knows their own strengths and limitations. But just remember that the best sailor keeps learning stuff until the day they pass on and each and every one of us gets caught short from time to time. The kids will grow up to be fast but prudent sailors...rock on!!



traylee01
QLD, 8 posts
17 Sep 2011 3:37PM
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thanks, he has now found a 18 embassy trailer sailer lol, its never ending this hunting business lol

he says the rl24 should not tip if sailed right, well you no what i mean tip over enough to go under, he said the people talking about it on the rl forums must be in experienced or not enough time feeling and knowing the boat yet,

funny i had our first on a catamaran 16 foot sailing to tipplers and back at age 2.5 and didnt worry to much but now with the second i worry more about things,

gotta stop the worry and just start realising about the enjoyment we can actually have being in a trailer sailer rather than on a cat anyways :0

thanks for all your advice i really appreciate it

slainte
QLD, 2246 posts
17 Sep 2011 11:36PM
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Good luck with the search Tracey, I spent 12 months looking til I found what i wanted

badinfluence
QLD, 538 posts
18 Sep 2011 11:22AM
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traylee01 said...

thanks, he has now found a 18 embassy trailer sailer lol, its never ending this hunting business lol

he says the rl24 should not tip if sailed right, well you no what i mean tip over enough to go under, he said the people talking about it on the rl forums must be in experienced or not enough time feeling and knowing the boat yet,

funny i had our first on a catamaran 16 foot sailing to tipplers and back at age 2.5 and didnt worry to much but now with the second i worry more about things,

gotta stop the worry and just start realising about the enjoyment we can actually have being in a trailer sailer rather than on a cat anyways :0

thanks for all your advice i really appreciate it


...waiting for the antifouling to dry....

I can understand your trepidation about having 2 kids on board...it's just one more to watch over. Previously you had two adults for the one child, now its a 1:1 ratio. Yes, please do stop worrying and focus on the fun factor!!! It's there to be had...trust me on this!!! BUT, you wouldn't be doing your job if you weren't concerned about the littlies

After selling the Sunmaid when I was 6mths pregnant with our first, we finally got back into sailing when the youngest was 2....it was waaaayyyyyy toooo long for mama's mental health!!! The girls are now 11 and 8 (in 9 days and 2 mths respectively).

We bought a Cal 34 mono that had sailed over from the States and made her child-friendly...netting on the lifelines,etc. Kept her for a while but she was too small for cruising so sold her and bought the Crowther 32ft cat. Ever thought about selling up and buying a boat to live aboard??

Hubby and I are a thing of the past but the most important things in life remain in common...our kids and the boat! He's moving back to the house and the girls and I are moving aboard now. Life is soooo sweet!!!!

Traylee, focus on the positives of what you can show your kids with a boat in your life. My kids have seen awesome things and visited fantastic places....the marine life we have seen, the beachcombing we have done, the treasure we have collected, the snorkelling we have done! My girls will never be part of the herd!!

About the Embassy?? When I was a kid, we used to know a family of 5 who used to pack in like sardines and have a ball on board cruising Moreton Bay.

Happy hunting

traylee01
QLD, 8 posts
19 Sep 2011 7:26PM
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we went down coast yesterday and grabbed the embassy, due to being in price range and also looked good.

we just got back today with her, she tows great almost 19 foot long, her name is Bright eyes, she is blue

amberg11
QLD, 8 posts
19 Sep 2011 9:57PM
Thumbs Up

get yourself a sunmaid 20 yes they are heavy but a great boat to sail,if you don't race then stay away from RL24.

traylee01
QLD, 8 posts
20 Sep 2011 2:34PM
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this is the one we got for now, EMBASSY 18, well almost 19 foot long, will be a good starter for now, def a big change from a 14 foot cat, to 16 foot cat, to 18 foot cat, and now a mono hull trailer sailer

hubby has plenty of experience he was basically born on a boat his dad owns a 40 foot yacht, moored at tweed heads.

hubby just playing round out side today with it setting up rigging and checking it all our before he takes her out for a first sail. well first sail with him and our family.

badinfluence
QLD, 538 posts
20 Sep 2011 9:03PM
Thumbs Up

Big Congrats Traylee and family
....now, let the fun begin!!!

She's very cute!!

Fair winds
Trace



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"RL 24" started by traylee01