DaySailer.org Forum

Hi,

I am an absolute DS 1, 2 and 3 neophyte windsurfer transitioning to a small sailboat and am wondering if it is at all possible to beach launch a DS?
I have absolutely nothing against using a ramp but I would rather not be tied down to one. I have a feeling the answer will be a resounding NO.

I love the DS concept, dry, simple, not into racing anyone, but the other path I am thinking of is getting an admittedly less dry 14' footer that will be light enough (~250pounds) that I could beach launch it where a ramp is not available. I guess I am trying to find the intersection of a boat large enough to keep me dry but small enough to beach launch with a heavy duty cart of some kind. Something much lighter than the trailer would be.

I am pretty sure that I am handy enough to make something that would allow me to move a 600 pound boat on level ground, without sand to contend with but scooping a boat OUT of the water would be a farther bridge to cross I am sure. Has anyone beach launched a DS and lived to tell?

Without any real experience....save beach launching a sunfish (~150pounds)....I came up with the 14/15 foot limit as I see that the weight of these boats passes the 300 pound line with boats larger than 15 feet. I might even be wrong in thinking that I can remove a 300 pound boat from the lake but I have at least heard that it has been done.
I think that alot would depend on the actual spot on the beach. Too great an angle bringing up the boat and too soft a sand could determine success or failure I would think.

Any suggestions for boats that would be close to that intersection of beach launchable (sp?) and 'kind of' dry would also be most welcome.

Thanks very much,
Jim Lee

The Everglades Challenge (300 mile race) that occurs around the beginning of March each year on the west coast of Florida requires all competitors to beach launch thier boats from the high tide mark to begin the race. In 2010 a DS1 competed and in 2011 a DS2 competed. The guy with the DS1 was able to launch better than the DS2, but probably due to launching technique. http://www.watertribe.com/ From reading accounts, boats are sometimes carried down to the beach by competitors.

I use a ramp to launch my DS2 and usually pull it over to a beach area to sail off of and retreive the boat. On the Texas 200 http://www.texas200.com/ , most boats beach for the night and push off from the beach in the morning. I usually don't have a problem. In 2011 I jammed my rudder blade in soft mud and cracked the rudder head. I've since built a new rudder head that allows the blade to come mostly out of the water allowing shallower beaching.

Depending on the shoreline and soil, sand, mud or rocks, it is possible to back a trailer down into the water. I've seen several small boats do that, some a little larger than the Day Sailer. Depends also on your tow vehicle.

John

I think I would go with no for a DaySailer launching off the beach, at least not on a regular basis. It's an easy trailer launching boat, though. After some practice and with motivation you can rig the boat in about a half hour.

I occasionally sail with a friend out of The Small Boat Association in Stonington Harbor Connecticut. The max size for the boats in the lot (a grassy area) is 15 feet. All the 15 foot boats are on their own dollies and the smaller boats can borrow the Association's dollies. The access to the water is a sandy beach that has a little bit of a concrete ramp above the high water mark and up to the flat yard. The JY 15s can be launched by two people but getting them back up the beach often takes four people, especially at low tide and if there is seaweed. The sunfish is much easier to launch with two people off a dolly but can be done with one person. Getting the sunfish back off the beach and up the ramp is definitely a two-person job and easier with three. Also, beach launching pretty much means you're going to get wet and best done in your bathing suit.

Obviously it depends on your beach. Some questions would be how far across the sand, how steep is it, etc.? So, I used to windsurf. I see windsurfing as the ultimate single-handed portable and fast sail craft. One has to balance that against your physical conditioning and your tolerance for being wet. One can always outfit themselves in wet suits or even a dry suit and sail in conditions that would be unpleasant for a DaySailer. I haven't maintained my physical conditioning to the point where I'm comfortable windsurfing these days. I think about it still, though. You will never get a ride in a DaySailer equivalent to windsurfing. However, I thoroughly enjoy the DaySailer and get countless more hours in sailing than I did when I was windsurfing. Part of that is that you don't have to wait for 15 kn of breeze before you start to going sailing. There are far more opportunities to sail when you can start sailing at 5 kn.

With the right ramp I often rig the boat and launch it single-handed and spend a day sailing solo, without ever getting wet. It's a great boat to take one and maybe even two passengers (crew), also. It's a little cramped for any more than that. With a 14 or a 15 foot boat two people is max. If you want a boat with an auxiliary motor the DaySailer makes more sense than a smaller boat.

For me it's the best compromise. It's probably long past time for me to sell those windsurfers. My 19 foot sailboat I never rigged single-handed but it was spacious enough for three comfortably and not bad with four people on board.

Several of the launches I use don't have concrete all the way down, but the sand/gravel is hard enough to support the trailer and (using 4W Drive) I've always made it back out.

For single-handing, I prefer having a dock I can tie the boat up to while I park the trailer.

I have a much lighter ~250lbs 15' boat as well, for which I could get an especially lightly built road trailer that could be used like a dolly.

However, I find that I enjoy single-handing the DS perhaps a bit more, and, while the mast is heavier, somehow it's easier to rig without assistance (keel-stepped mast with special hinged sleeve).

The smaller boat is faster, but I can tell the next morning that it wants to be sailed more "athletically".

Some people anchor or moor their DS. Definitely a good choice when you are staying near a beach and want to use the boat repeatedly from the same location.

I used to beach launch my Daysailer II all the time. We would push the entire trailer into the water for launch and retrieval. I line tied to the trailer and to the truck was used to pull the trailer back out.

my boat is beached on a salt marsh. i can move the boat down the beach 10-20 feet using two common boat fenders under the stern as rollers. i do this myself, 160 lb and 65 yo. moving the boat back up the beach is harder and would require a couple more fenders, more determination, and a friend would be helpful but its doable. i let the tide bring mine back up the beach. here's my 'una rigged' boat at the mouth of the creek http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2660 ... 9764WcEUoG

I used to beach launch my DSI frequently over a small beach. I had 4WD that helps get it out of the water. Also helpful was I had a trailer that would tilt to make it easy to get it down and up with minimal water. Having the boat fairly far back on the trailer and fat tires helped as well. If vehicle launching is not a possibility, Seitech makes a dolly large enough for a Day Sailer and with the fat wheels and proper balance it moves fairly well. Problem is that the dolly is fairly expensive.

As you said, recovering the boat out of the water will be harder than launching. The Finn weighs around 300 lbs, is designed as a single handed boat, much drier than a Sunfish and I believe they can beach launch from a cart. They are harder to find than a DS however.