So brief history, I have always been in love with sailing , even gone on sailing vacations and now at 59 years old am looking to purchase my first boat a 26X in September. (Came up with the idea in June, wife thinks I’m crazy as we live in the desert of New Mexico so I told her I’d give it until September to make sure it wasn’t just a crazy mid-life crisis whim ) . We have a few lakes within 250 miles of home that I’ve thought might be suitable but they might be a bit on the too narrow side to set at least reefed main sale up for a bit . Any input is appreciated .
So two questions here: 1 -what is the smallest lake you x owners would sail on and 2 - Let me know if any of you have the thought of parting with your 26 x and are in the SW United States.
Given the potential of our shallow draft and an outboard that can be out of the water, I would think we are ideal for small bodies of water.
I can not say what the smallest is, but it it has a ramp, I would try it even if just using the motor.
26X in Dallas Fort-Worth area Texas
Slip at Eagle Mountain Lake
This is an M, but the X should be close to the same. This boat doesn’t have a motor, so is probably a bit better at sailing without the weight at the stern. Anyway, this will give you an idea of the absurdly small space required to sail one of these boats if you are determined to do it.
Note that they are not only sailing in tight quarters, but also demonstrating their furling boom.
Now that we’ve established that you can sail a boat in a city pool, the question becomes, is it enjoyable? I think you need a body of water big enough to give you some time between tacks to enjoy the ride. Most of my sailing is done on a somewhat broad reach in whatever direction the wind allows. I can go an hour in almost any direction where I sail. So, if it’s really blowing I’d cover 6 nautical miles between tacks (or gybes if that’s your thing). I could probably still enjoy it if I had 20 minutes between tacks. So, a 2 nautical mile wide x some longer length might be enjoyable on a continuous diet. I like to be able to get a cool drink, eat a snack, watch the dolphins and pelicans, and not feel like I’m racing due to all of the tacking.
Having said that, if the prevailing winds are somewhat perpendicular to the long dimension, you could get away with something about 100 yards wide. You’ll need over 5 feet of reliable depth for that width so you can use your keel fully extended to minimize leeway.
I often sail in Dog River on a Potter 19 and can enjoy that. If you are intent on sailing, you might want to think about a smaller sailboat if your body of water is small. Sunfish, small catamaran or trimaran might be more fun in a small body of water. Or, you may want to use an X in power boat mode (as leefrankpierce suggests above), if you want the interior space and camping capability. You could sail some, then motor when you get tired of tacking.
My biggest concern would be the 250 mile trip to the ramp. That’s a serious commitment. I’d want to stay at least a couple of days to go that distance.
Jimmyt
P-Cub-Boo
2013 26M, Etec 60, roller Genoa, roller main
Cruising Waters: Mobile Bay, Western Shore, Fowl River
Almost all of my sailing is at Ridgway reservoir over here in western Colorado. It is only about 1000 acres when full, and it is seldom completely full. We still do day sailing and camping and have plenty of fun in my 26D. I admit that we rate a given day as good or bad depending on the number of "good rides" we have going from one end of the lake to the other. When we need more water though, bigger lakes are only a tow away.
I sail on Lake Monroe in Sanford, FL. It is roughly a round lake that is about 5 miles across. We find it very amenable to our 26X. We keep it in a slip in a marina on that lake. We have sailed in smaller venues such as Lake Beresford (near Deland, FL) further downstream on the St. Johns River system. I would say that it is the smallest lake i could regularly enjoy my 26X on. I suggest you check out each of those lakes on your app for traveling to see the actual shape and size, keeping in mind that we can rarely sail all the way to the shore on these lakes due to the slope of the coastal shallows. Still both are workable for an X.
) . We have a few lakes within 250 miles of home that I’ve thought might be suitable but they might be a bit on the too narrow side to set at least reefed main sale up for a bit . Any input is appreciated .
