Quote:
Originally Posted by crb07
Is there a sailing club on the lake or another facility where you can store the boat on a trailer without taking the mast down?
200 a month for in the water storage sounds cheap, maybe a smaller boat than the 30 footer you store in the water. I think you will use it more.
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^^^This. I wouldn't recommend the 30 footer. More expense and you'll need a fair amount of wind to get it moving. From my experience sailing on lakes in the Southeast, the winds are more typically light, and shifty. Experienced sailors are able to get/keep their boats moving in these conditions, but it might be more frustrating for a newbee to learn in these conditions.
We had a 22ft sailboat (J/22) that we raced throughout the Southeast, and we kept it on it's trailer with the mast & boom in place at a yacht club on Lake Lanier (GA). It was pretty fast/easy to get it into the water.
What's the lake like, depth-wise? Will a wing keel or even a fin keel boat allow you to sail most of the lake without worry of grounding?
As to your physical size and comfort on the boat, you have to decide how you are going to use the boat. Are you day sailing, or are you living aboard it from time to time, too? Most day sailors are out on the water for a few hours and wrap up and go home. If your girlfriend is into racing and gets you into it, too, then you'll probably only spend time sailing and interior accommodations can be quite spartan (to save weight and go faster!). In the day sailing and racing cases, you only need a cabin to store what's needed for the day's activity (beer, water, food/snacks, life jackets (req'd), porta-potty, etc.). A small cabin can do the job.
If you want something with living space, you'll want to be around 27 ft, or longer. But I think as a beginner, that's not as likely a scenario as the other ones mentioned above.
As a beginner boat for day sailing or racing, the swing-keel Catalina 22 is pretty good and usually quite readily available on the used market. But there's other boats that'll also do a great job, depending on your preferences. Keep asking questions and I'm sure the sailors here will help you get off on the right foot.