Features Of Pocket Cruisers
& My Personal Opinion On Which Pocket Cruiser Sailboat To Get


The Perfect Pocket Cruiser
A lot of people ask my opinion on which boat I think would be best for them to buy, and which one is the best. Everyone has different tastes and needs, so there is no such thing as a perfect pocket cruiser for everyone. Instead, you need to figure out which boat has features that meet your current requirements and/or desires to match what you are expecting in a boat, and what you want to use it for. And going further, you have to understand that your needs & desires will change over time, so the boat lusted after yesterday might not meet what you are envisioning tomorrow. Every feature on a sailboat is a compromise between one thing and another, the key to getting the right boat is understanding the compromises and how well they fit your needs. Or you could just go with the biggest overriding factor of them all - buy a certain boat because you think it is sexy.

Boat Size - Storage
Where you put the boat is a big consideration. If you can possibly store it at home, I strongly recommend it. I have installed wide opening gates on the sides of each house I have lived in for the specific purpose to open up my side yard, so I can keep my sailboats at home. Storing boats at paid storage lots does work, but you will sail less because it takes more time to drive down to the lot, pickup your boat and take it to the lake. The less time you spend getting and setting up your boat, the more you will use it. Also maintenance is another issue with storage, if you keep it primarily at a storage lot, then you have to drag it home and work on it in the driveway, then take more time to haul it back. If the boat lives at home and you have a spare 45 minutes, you can quickly get a small project done, or get a little bit more progress done on a larger project. So think about where you are going to store it, and how big of a boat can you put in that spot.

Boat Weight
Most people I know who are interested in pocket cruisers, can't afford to purchase or store a vehicle specifically to tow their boat. So you should look at your vehicle and see what it is rated to pull -- also you should test pulling someone else's boat to see how comfortable you feel pulling that much weight. A good example is that I drive a Dodge Grand Caravan. It has a rated towing capacity of 3000 lbs, and I have towed many boats up to that weight with it. The heavier the boat, the harder it is on my car, and I really don't feel comfortable travelling long distances on a regular basis with more than a 1400 lb boat. If you drive a Mazda Miata, then you are probably going to be best off with something in the Potter 15 size range. If you drive a big pickup truck, then you can pull just about any type of pocket cruiser out there.

Cabin Size
The cabins on pocket cruisers should be viewed more like fiberglass pup-tents - some are bigger, some are smaller, and some are like coffins. They are great to get out of the rain, store your gear, a private place to use the potti, and provide a clean dry place to sleep. But you should not expect to have inside comfortable sitting head room for more than one person. When I mean comfortable, I mean like livingroom couch comfortable. You should climb inside the cabin of the boat you are looking to purchase and have a good look around if that is an important feature to you. Almost all of them have enough room that with some creative problem solving, a good comfy seating position can be found. One more thing - there is a neat feature to a very few pocket cruisers - instead of having a compression post, they have a load transfer beam built into the roof of the cabin. This is some kind of structure (or the entire cabin top makes the structure) so you don't have a post. This greatly opens up the usable space inside the cabin. Boats without this feature can be retrofitted with a beam, or you can make a removable post so when at anchor, you can get the post our of your way.

Vertical Headroom
A main reason to have a cabin instead of an open daysailor is for a private place to use the potti. I prefer to sail to remote locations where there aren't any others around so it isn't really an issue, but many times I am sailing with friends or we stay at a marina. You can call me bashfull, but I just don't like sitting on the can, taking a dumper in front of other people. After a bit of research, I determined that (at 6'2", 295 lbs), I can do the deed with 36" of vertical height, but prefer to have 41". With 41", I can pretty much fully function without much stress or contortions.

Cockpit Size
Most of these pocket cruisers have cockpits in the 5-7' long range. They are mostly comfortable with 1-2 adults, and an optional 2 kids. If you take 3 adults with you, it tends to get a bit tight, 4 adults should be the max. You have to figure with 6' of cockpit on each side, everyone gets 3' of bench space for the duration of your journey which could be hours. I know that we are wierdos and enjoy sitting in the cockpit for hours, but our guests most probably won't be, if they did like it, they would have their own sailboat. Another option with 3 adults is called being "King Of The Sea" - what you do is put your porta potti (or kitty litter bucket) just inside the cabin with the hatch open. The 3rd adult can sit on it and be the king. :) It really is a comfortable place to sit, and since facing the stern, they can have a face to face conversation with the other crew members.

Berths
One thing that can be a shocker is having enough room to roll over in a quarterberth. (berth on the side, often half under the cockpit). I have slept in some berths that to roll over, I had to slide out, turn, and slide back under. Also you should really look at how many people you plan to overnight with on the boat. There are a lot of alternatives, like you could take a tent and they sleep on the shore, one or two adults can sleep in the cockpit etc. So having 2 berths really is adequate, 4 is usually when you have 2 kids along.

Rudders
I have never considered a rudder a major feature on a sailboat that required much consideration. If the boat comes with a rudder you don't like, you can easily make a replacement rudder or have one made that is of the style you want. I prefer kickup rudders such as the ones produced by Bill Tosh at TCBoats.com

Sail Rig
The sail rig really is changeable, and you do NOT need to replicate the exact rig that came from the manufacturer. If the sail rig that comes with your boat is not what you want, you have the option of modifying it to fit your needs better. Sail rigs are like any other parts on a boat, they are a compromise and have a certain purpose in mind. There are important factors to consider though, and the sail plan (CE - Center Of Effort) needs to be balanced over the keel (CLR - Center Of Lateral Resistance), and explaining that is beyond the scope of this essay. You can lookup how to design sail rigs at PDRacer.com. Yes, you can convert just about any pocket cruiser to use a single unstayed mast and a lateen like a sunfish - many have done it before, and it does work just fine for the purpose intended.

-- Keel Types --
Full Keel - This is where the entire keel and ballast is fixed to the bottom of the boat, you can't raise or lower it. Pros: A lot more headroom in the cabin because there is no trunk, ususally very good ultimate stability (the ability to right itself, even from full turtle). Cons: When you run aground, you can't just raise the keel to free yourself, you have to employ interesting tactics like getting a crewman to hang on the boom, and then swing out over the side.

Wing Keel - This is like the full keel, only it has a small wing at the bottom. Pros: The wing is supposed to help the keel, so it can be slightly smaller, or perform better. Cons: If you get the wing stuck in the mud, it is harder to free than a regular full keel, or a keel with a bulb.

Shoal Keel - Like a full keel, all the ballast is permanently stored in a keel below the hull, but it is considerably shorter. Pros: You can sail in much shallower water, and you have more cabin space like the full keel. Cons: Because the keel is shorter, it tends to "slip" a bit, so when beating to windward, it won't sail as high as deeper keeled boats. Deep skinny keels are more effecient than short fat shoal keels, so it won't be as fast as a comparible boat with a deep keel. Running the bow up on the beach can be a problem depending on the shore angle, and the action of the waves. You really need to anchor a shoal keel in water deep enough so the keel doesn't contact the ground, because if the keel is sitting on the sand / mud, the wave action will make it wiggle and dig it's own trench. Then when you want to leave, it can be difficult to get the keel out of it's trench. Also you must take into consideration the tides, if you are going to stay for a while and the tide is going out, it might drop your keel deeper in the mud forcing you to stay till the next high tide. Tip: One technique to free yourself is for one of you pull on a halyard to heel the boat over, and the other person pushes.

Shoal Keel with Drop Down Centerboard - Like the shoal keel, this keel has the addition of a board inside a trunk, which is inside the shoal keel. Pros: It greatly improves windward sailing ability, and the keel is usually on a rope so you can drop / lift by hand, don't need a winch. When sailing in shallow water, you can feel and hear the board hit the ground which is usually before you end up in shallow enough water to get stuck. Cons: Same as shoal keel.

Twin / Tri Bilge Keel - Usually there are 2 or 3 short keels attached to the bottom of the hull, each about the same size as a shaol keel. Their original purpose was to enable the boat to be anchored in a tidal range where at low tide, the water runs completely out and the boat will stand upright on it's own. Pros: If you are sailing heeled over and run aground, you only have to loosen the sails and let the boat float upright again to free yourself, because the leeward keel is deepest when heeled. Cons: Same as shoal keel, plus you have extra resistance from the additional keel so it won't sail as fast as a comperable boat with only one keel.

Swinging Keel - This is a large keel, often weighing 300+ lbs that pivots down. The keel can be held in the down position with a pin, or other mechanical means so if the boat is inverted, the keel will stay deployed and use it's righting action to pull the boat back up. Pros: Good compromise to make a heavy keel that goes down far in the water, to create a self righting boat. If you run aground, you can just crank up the keel and sail away. Cons: If you lock the keel down with a steel pin and run aground, the pin will become bent and very difficult to remove. If you don't lock it down and are suddenly knocked over by a squall, the keel can slam back into it's truck and break it, putting a large gaping hole in your hull. The pivot bolts often leak (just enough to be annoying). When you bob over wakes, the keel will thunk in it's trunk, jarring the entire boat making you wonder if it will break itself off. You have to replace the pivot pin after so much use, otherwise run the risk that it will break, and your keel will go Dave Jones's locker. Barnacles, mud and rocks on the keel can jam the keel in it's trunk, making it so the keel can't be lowered or raised. The keel is often made from iron, and will pit badly, needing to be resurfaced - and being so heavy is difficult to remove. TIP: One thing to stop the thunking is to make (or have made) a catcher that the keel seats into when it is down. It looks like a V shaped block and is attached to the hull at the forward end of the trunk so the leading edge of the keel seats into it, making a tight fit.

Swing Centerboard - Like the swinging keel, this is an unballasted board that is usually light enough to be pulled up and down by hand. This may be used with internal ballast, see below.

Drop Keel - This is a keel that goes up and down in the trunk. There is usually some kind of winch or block and tackle to raise and lower the keel, plus a locking mechanism to keep the keel in it's trunk incase the boat is knocked over. Pros: The trunk is much smaller than a swing keel. The trunk is usually tighter so it has a much firmer seat. The keel can be much deeper - some drop keels will raise above the top of the cabin when retracted. Some have the majority of their weight in a bulb at the bottom. Cons: If you hit something underwater, it puts an incredible amount of stress on the trunk and many trunks have been severly cracked or damaged during groundings. When the keel is up, it makes a huge divider in the middle of the cabin and eats up a ton of usable cabin space. With the keel up, the center of gravity is raised and can make it unstable so any attempt to sail will capsize the boat. If the keel isn't locked down properly and the boat is knocked over, the keel can fall out and prevent righting the boat. Water sloshes out of the top of the trunk (which is open to the inside of the cabin). If the boat is ever swamped, it can be difficult to bail the cabin of the boat, because as you bail water out, more comes in thru the top of the trunk. TIP: If you have a trunk that has an open top, and you become swamped -- you should stuff a rag in the trunk like a cork so you can bail water and not have more water come in.

Daggerboard - Like the drop keel, this is an unballasted board that is usually light enough to be pulled up and down by hand. This may be used with internal ballast, see below.

Leeboard - This is the oldest form of a keel (or rather, lateral resistance). It is a board that is hung over the side of the hull, and usually has only enough weight to make it sink in the water. They are used in pairs, the leeward side is dropped and the windward side is pulled up. If you leave the windward side down, it tends to lazily flap in the water and is called "chicken winging". This type of board may be used with internal ballast. Pros: They are very effecient for their small size. Being just hung over the side (often by just a rope) there is almost no mechanics to maintain. They have 2 ropes, so if one is broken, the other keeps it from being lost. If you run aground, they are the easiest to pull up. Cons: Most people think they are ugly, and every time you tack, you have to drop one down and pull the other one up.

Externally Held Swing Keel - Of the above described swinging keels / boards that have trunks, some of the trunks are designed so that the majority of the board is kept on the outside of the hull when it is retracted. Pros: This gives a LOT more cabin space, since the trunk is so much smaller. The boat can often be sailed with the keel in the up position, such as a shoal keel. Cons: When the keel is up, it essentially becomes a shoal keel.

Fully Retracting Board / Keel - This is where the swinging keel / board has a trunk that when retracted, is fully pulled back into the hull. Pros: You can float in incredibly shallow water, like only a couple of inches. You can sail in shallow water by pulling he keel up most of the way, but leaving enough down to make lateral resistance. You can "dry out on the beach", meaning you can anchor in shallow water and let the tide run out, and it will sit upright. You can pull the boat up onto the beach as if it were a big dinghy, and not be too concerned about having a keel get stuck. Fully retracted, the bottom of the hull becomes very smooth and around, and if you are somewhat stuck, a bit of pushing or possibly using an anchor to kedge off will free you from the beach. Cons: Because they are pulled up onto beaches so much, sometimes rocks, mud and shells get compressed into the trunk and make it difficult to deploy the keel / board. The trunk is completely inside the cabin, so it takes up a bit of space.

Offset centerboard or keel - This is where the trunk is not on the centerline of the boat, but over to the side by either a few inches or possibly way over to the side. It can be either a fully retracting, or externally held keel. Pros: When you don't have that much room to begin with, it is amazing how useful the space is that the offset trunk creates. The space cleared is right inside the comanionway and is tracked thru constantly and of the most prime cabin realestate. The trunk often blends in along the side of the quarterberth, so it isn't noticed and does not cause interference elsewhere. I wish more boats were available that had this feature. Cons: When heeled over on one side, the keel is slightly deeper, and on the other side is slightly shallower. The difference in performance is so small that it is impossible to detect. The biggest negative is that it seems wierd, and so manufacturers shy away from making boats like this for fear that the public will not purchase their products - and seeing how expensive it is to create a mold and make boats, that is a very justified fear.

Flat VS Round Bottom - The shape of the bottom will determine the "initial stability" of the boat, meaning how stead it feels when it is sitting flat on the water. The flatter the bottom, the more stable it will initially feel. The round bottom boats tend to roll around more initially, but in choppy water feel a lot more stable. Also if you look at the hull from the stern and it looks like the overall hull is rather flat, it might be very stable when inverted, meaning if you turtle it, it won't come back upright. Hulls that are more round looking will have a better ability to roll completetly over and right themselves. The hydrodynamic performance properties of flat VS round bottom boats a completely other story, it is highly contested and beyond the scope of this essay.

Internal & Water Ballast - The ballast is the weight that pulls the boat upright after a knock down. The lower you can get the weight, the better a chance the boat has of righting itself after a knock down. That weight doesn't usually come into play untill after the boat is heeled over atleast 15 degrees, so the initial righting force is created by crew shifting weight, and the shape of the hull. Some designs have the ballast attached inside the hull in the bilges in the form of concrete & iron, custom molded lead weights, or water tanks. This form of ballast does work, but isn't as effective as externally held ballast. In the case of water ballast, you fill the tanks when launching your boat and drain them when retrieving it back onto the trailer, so you don't have to pull all that weight on the road. TIP: If you find yourself in heavy weather and think you will get knocked over, a good thing to do is run a float to the top of your mast, like your fenders. What this does is helps keep the mast from submerging below the surface of the water - so if you get knocked over it will only be flat with the water, the floats prevent a full turtle. Many catamaran racers use mast head floats because they are always knocking their boats over - you can even purchase the hobie mast head float which is aerodynamically shaped and comes with a pivot.

How Much Should You Pay?
That largely depends on how much you can afford, what is available locally, how far you are willing to drive, and most importantly the local market for sailboats. Often these boats have a very consistent resale value, so if you shop around and see what all the others in your area cost, you can feel confident in what you are paying. When you go to sell your boat, you will most probably sell it for the same price you purchased it for, so in reality the only thing you pay for a boat is the storage fee (if any) and for maintenance items -- which if you know what you are doing (or do the research), can be very cheap. The people who view boats as holes in the water in which you throw money into, are actually people who like to throw money in holes. Sailboats are very cheap in reality, especially pocket cruisers that you can work on yourself.

Parting Thoughts
Try not to over-think your sailboat purchase. All sailboats are good, and they are all fun to sail. If you think you want to buy a sailboat, then look around and get the one that you think is best. Sail it, enjoy it, and if another boat comes available for sale that you think would meet your needs better, then go buy it, and sell your old boat. Fiberglass seems to last forever, so later on if you want the old boat back, you most probably will be able to find another one, or even purchase the exact same one back (I bought and sold one boat 3 times). If you named your previous boat after your wife or daughters, there is nothing wrong with naming the next one the same with a big roman numeral 2 after it.

You can either dream, or do. Life is lived by the people that "do", what kind of person are you?


Back to guide