OK...OK...

I'm sure I must sound like a newbee..... but...:

I finally made the leap and purchased a Stiletto 27 Standard Edition.

What a great boat...!!!!

Fun to sail, easy to trailer, easy to set up, etc.

My hat is certainly off to those who designed and built the boat. Thanks...!!!

The only additon I've made to the original and great set-up is to make a couple of bunks to support the bridge deck, upright, on the fordeck when trailering.

In this set-up I've also added a couple of things so the bridge deck is supported by the craddled mast, when conveying it to and from the fordeck for setting up or stowing for trailering.

That makes for no lifting.....!!!!! Well there is some lifting .... but that lifting is done by two small blocks and tackle and slid along the mast so I don't have to use my back....

The other addition I've made, was to install brackets on the trailer so I can insert two - 1 inch by 7 feet square tubes, that, when inserted, are parallel the trailer's extension arms and stick out about a foot further than the extended extension arms.

The purpose of these square tubes are to temporarily hook a small block and tackle set up to each and lead the line back to the trailer's winch.

The small block and tackle pulls each of the extension arms out, when hooked to the end of the square tubing ...and when hooked to the extension arms...pull the extension arms back in.

This has made for no sweat extending and retracting of the trailer's extension arms.

The winch does the work and keep the extension arms extending or retracting at the same rate and distance traveled, in or out.

OK...call me a lazy newbee.....

On the other hand, sailing the Stiletto 27 near Lorteo, Mexico was a blast.

Loreto is about 150 miles north of La Paz... and has some "most exellent" sailing, islands, and 85 degree aqua blue tropical water.

I'm hooked.....!!!!!! and can't wait until the weather of Utah gives way to more sailing and time off allows for more trips to warm and tropical places....

Again, my thanks to the designers and builders of this great boat.....

Anyone else out there sailing a trailerable cat like a Stiletto 27, Mac Gregor 36, or such....???

Anyone out there doing any coastal cruising off Southern Calif. or in the Sea ofCortez...????

Tom H.

D'ya ever sail at Bear Lake? Its prolly only a short drive for you.

I'm there every summer for a couple weeks with my small cat--blows nicely in the afternoons and has beautiful turquoise colored water due to all the lime in the lake. Lots of areas to camp where you could beach your big cat. Great rasperry shakes too.

Sorry, can't help you with the rigging question. Search the new open forum, though. Lots of old posts on using line for rigging and trap "wires."

I am familiar with Bear Lake. Indeed, it only takes a couple of hours for us to drive there from Salt Lake City.

The sailing is sometimes absolutely spectacular, the area is beautiful, and the Raspberry shakes, alone, are worth the drive.

We've just begun building a cabin near the north end of the east shores of the lake.

You can't miss the place, it's about 1/4 mile south of a house that is shaped like a shoe. Yes, that's right...a shoe.

The folks that own it thought it would be fun to build a cabin in the shape of the house described in the rhyme: "There was an old women who lived in a shoe, she had so many children....."

Oh, the other way you could spot our place is, of course, there's a few beach cats sitting on the beach near the high water mark; and if the local water cops don't make it impossible, the Stiletto will be beached or moored just in front of our cabin, when we're not out sailing.

Look us up if you get up our way. It would be fun to talk, sail, or drink Raspberry shakes.

Yes, I know the shoe house--who doesn't!

Our place is in Fish Haven on the west shore. Can't miss it either--it is located exactly at the "Now Entering Fish Haven" green sign.

My ancestors helped settle the Bear Lake Valley years ago. Yikes, way too cold for me except during those magic summer months.

I'll look for you and your boat next summer. Hopefully they'll leave some water in the lake.

Regards,

I remember seeing a cat like yours sitting in the storage area at the Great Salt Lake marina. I have sailed several of the mountain lakes above the valley, and spent several days on the Great Salt Lake. Talk about wild and unpredictable winds! 2 knots to 60 knots within an hour! Then back to dead calm just as quickly! And what a crazy ride that shallow water with high salinity sets up when the desert winds howl! Found that the Hobie 16 would make about 8 knots with no sails up in 50 knots & fly a hull under jib alone! Great fun I had out there! Sailing in the sun and warmth on the Salt Lake and looking at the mountains, still with snow on the peaks all around! Do they still hold the annual 50 mile marathon race on the Salt Lake?

SeaWolf
~~~~~~~

I've got a MacGregor 36 (have had it for about 7 years). It's a great boat but generally, we put it in a the beginning of the summer and take it out at the end (we don't trailer it around). It's quite
a bit more work to set-up and take down than a Stiletto but has a lot more room in the hulls too. In September, I sailed it to Wisconsin and made 60 miles in 5 hours in fairly large seas (5-10ft waves) and not much sail up. Portions of
the trip were spent over 17 knots trying to keep the bows from tunnelling into the waves in front of us! The boat is a real joy to sail. She sails nice and flat (18ft beam is great) even in big waves and screams along. The acceleration of
the boat is unlike anything a mono-hull sailor ever sees unless they're sailing over a waterfall! The other thing I really like about it is it's simple rigging and designed in safety. The mast is full of foam and won't
turtle easily. There's redundancy in the rigging/stays and it never feels skittish, even in water I wouldn't feel comfortable in, in a 40ft monohull. The only bad part of boat is that I've got to sell it.
as my partner wants out and wants to defect to the dark side (a big fat, clumsy, slloooowwww, heeling mono-hull) and I've just launched a new family which keeps me from buying him out. Let me know if you want to add a bigger boat to your fleet! It's a fresh water only boat and is in very good shape!

Nice boat...!!!

When looking for a catamaran that was larger than a beach cat, I certainly fell in love with the MacGregor 36....fast, stable, and demountable.

Before I bought the Stiletto, I even found a MacGregor 36 where the owner was asking only $3,000.

However, as you might guess from the price, the boat was a "fixer-uppper", having only the hulls, mast and standing rigging, beams, tramps, a trailer and home-made rudders.

I must admit, it was tempting....for those extra 9 feet in length, 4 feet in beam and the extra space in the hulls.

You, no doubt, have a nice boat.

What's a boat like that run ($$)?

How much are your mooring or slip fees?

.... just curious, thanks.

Tom H.