Rigging Launching Teria - first day out

At the coast guard ramp we found a spot out of the way to the side to rig up as weekends are pretty busy. All the boats we saw there were powered fishing boats which didn't need much time to get set up and away. We were the sole representatives of the trailerable yacht fraternity.

Quite a few things were already aboard like fuel tank, porta-loo, Esky of food, water, safety gear
Sailings a huge subject and even rigging a sailboat up involves knowing allot of nautical jargon so for those new to sailing i'll skip most of that for now, though a few strange words may slip in i will attempt to explain as we go.

Rigging up an investigator 563 before launching

• Removing the taillights board and tie down strap
• Undoing the mast holding supports and moving the mast into raising position
• Raising the mast and securing fore and back stays.
• Setting up the sails ready to hoist.
• Getting the outboard onto the bracket and fuel connected

Rigging up was practiced at home a couple of times first before going public. It took us about 50 minutes to get the boat launched, but with a few improvements and more practice it could be halved??(Meanwhile the fishermen were doing it in 5-10 minutes each, yes it's so much simpler. It's the whole sail vs zoom debate. You've got to like sailing, burning little fuel, challenges and the journey rather than the destination go through rigging up or down and sail slowly about, horses for courses)

I wont get into rigging up details until a later date, as there's so many nautical names to parts on a boat there are heaps of books written to describe it further.

Good thing about the Investigator is that the mast can be raised by one person if need be, on many trailerable sailboats its usually the rigging up bit that needs at least two people. 

The masts up and secured and the mainsail is bent on.






Now the jib is also bent on, the outboard's ready and I'm gingerly backing it into the water.

I'd like to say the launch went smoothly as silk but it was really lucky a good friend who knows a few things about fishing boats was there.  The keel was deep for a trailer boat so the ute had to go in a bit deeper than i'd have cared for, stopped when the exhaust pipe made bubbling sounds then drove back up a bit.   I'd watched a few U-tube videos of cars disappearing beneath the waves etc, so to stop this the handbrake was pulled tight, engine off and 1st gear engaged before getting out of the drivers seat.

Tied a painter onto the bow ring. The painter is a rope for you to control the boat so it won't get away on you. Next was to unshackle the winch rope and safety chain from the bow ring...unscrewed the break back. push, big push, all together heave-ho push,  she's stuck on that trailer.

So pulled the trailer and boat back out to see whats causing that, usually its the pivot centerboard fallen down and hooked on a roller, but it wasn't that. So pushed rocked harder, something was still amiss but Teria finally did slide into the briny! 

After this it all went well. Climbed aboard, the fully serviced motor ran like clockwork and Teria backed out nicely in reverse gear against the prevailing wind. (Must find that ramp designer one day and have a word with him).

Glenn drove the ute and trailer to the car park, while i carefully maneuvered Teria towards the only pontoon next to the ramp.  Docking went well, and the yacht hung off the lee side on a mooring rope . That gave me time to fit the rudder and tiller. It may have been better to fit them before launching but my trailer sailer book said not to, and i was worried the old fixed style rudder may hit the bottom while in reverse and that could have been the end of  the trip.

Launched - Public floating pontoon for all tides.

Cast off and into forward gear

On the way out i released the centerboard drop rope. When it stayed slack it indicated that the centerboard had not dropped. This would have been a problem on many trailer sailers with no keels but  luckily the Investigator 563 has a shoal draft ballast keel too, the 20 kg center-board is only about 30% of the lateral resistance and maybe 20% of the righting moment, (it won't sail sideways or tip over) so we continued on.

Sailing off Townsville, at last!

We raised sails when clear of the port. Broad reached downwind then close reached upwind towards the Townsville Breakwater where my wife was taking these great photos..all was well or so we thought..

Towing Teria - First day out

Sunday the 10th November 2013 was a good day for re-launching Teria. The weather was fine about 15 knots NE. Being the first time out at least 2 people on board had to know something about boats in-case something didn't go according to plan. Teria is over 30 years old. So fortunately an old friend had a day off, Glenn is an experienced fisherman and boatie plus is a genius when it comes to technical stuff.

I had done the trailer maintenance the week before. Pumped more grease into the bearing buddies and pumped the tyres to 36 psi are the main things.

We hitched the boat to the ute, removed the jockey wheel and tested the lighting board. The left indicator and tail lights were out so had to pull it apart and bend a few contacts etc to get it going..(..while dreaming of LED lights)

The boat on trailer weighs about 1.2 tonnes (1,200 kg) and towed well behind the Toyota workmate ute which has a 2.7 liter 4 cylinder engine. We cruised at 40-60 km/hr depending on where we were. The Hayman-Reece tow-bar has 1.8 tonne capacity and the utes towing capacity is also 1.8 tonne according to the owners manual. I had the tow-bar professionally fitted the over a year ago with trailer-sailing or a small caravan in mind. Allot rides on a good towing system, a runaway or death-wobbling boat on the highway wouldn't be good so went for the best.

Most of the drive from Gulliver was pretty flat, the trailer braking system seemed to be pulling her up well. The coast guard boat ramp is situated near the center of downtown Townsville in Ross Creek and it took about 15 minutes to get there.

Boat Driver's Licence in Queensland

The outboard on the Teria was over 6 horsepower, in Queensland that means that you need a boat licence, so did a bit of internet study on the governments website and got a copy  of the Queensland recreational boating and fishing guide to study.

In September, I did my Recreational marine drivers Licence (RMDL) course with Andrew Ryder boat licencing in Townsville.

Theory was in the morning, this covered boating regulations and understanding navigation beacons and lights. After the multiple choice test we had lunch on the way to the boat ramp for the practical. 

The practical began in Ross Creek next to the coast guard station.  Andrew's training boat the Nimrod is a 5.5 m aluminium Surecraft center-console with a 130 horse Evinrude outboard ( It's capable of runs out to the great barrier reef on a good day, 40 km offshore)

Once past the go slow zone, we exited Townsville port at planing speed. Most of the training-testing was in the lee of the Townsville breakwater wall, the Casino and Entertainment center are on the reclaimed land there and its also a cruising yachts anchorage. 

3 of us were on the course that day, the other 2 guys were already experienced fishermen so they did their practical before i had a go (it was the largest most powerful boat i'd ever driven). There was a bit of a chop up outside the break wall so we were really thumping along, if it was your first time in a boat it might be a bit wild. To maintain cruising speed of 18-20 knots we had to be more than 30 m from other craft either anchored or sailing. The Nimrod made little wake either while planning or idling along slowly, it was just the getting on the plane phase that pushed up some wake.

We slowly entered the Townsville breakwater marina and berthed briefly at a floating pontoon. Then it was the high speed man overboard drill, using a bouy for the man overboard. It all went well, though i'm rather looking forward to 3-6 knot speeds in "Teria".! 

The next week i submitted my paper work at Qld Transport department in Garbutt. They took a new photo for a new licence card. A smart car system is being introduced.

A week or so later i had my new vehicle and boat licence card. It's actually a car and motorbike licence with  the boat licence endorsed on the back. The RMDL boat licence doesn't seem to have an expiry date but it is dependent on maintenance of the vehicle licence.

Clockwise : Breakwater Marina, Break wall anchorage, Townsville Port and Ross creek.

Investigator 563 - Teria

The Investigator 563 (18'6") is a small trailer yacht, which can be used as a pocket cruiser. It's a bit heavier than a Princess 18  and displaces about 750 kg's  in the water without crew and supplies aboard. The boat has a shoal draft keel with lead ballast and draws 1'9" (53 cm) with the steel centreplate up. This may make it a tad too deep for easy launching or beaching but it does allow yacht-like self righting ability in the event of a knock down.

A visit to the investigator web site points out the design philosophy. The main problem with trailer sailers up until the mid 1970s (and after) was that they had a centrecase and mast support post which intruded into what was already a small cabin space. Also many lacked a significant ballast keel so could capsize.  The investigators designer Kevin Sheppard found a way around these problems.

Investigator 563 - Plan and layout.

The centrecase and centreboard are housed within the shoal draft keel below the cabin sole. This opens up the saloon area in the cabin. Additionally the traditional mast support post is replaced by an arched mast support half bulkhead. These feature allow unfettered internal access down the centreline of the boat.

The broad transom also adds extra room where its most needed in the cockpit area. There are 2 large quarter lockers with big hatches. The cabin has 4 bunks. The 2 main saloon berths are long and there is sitting headroom below. The fore peak has 2 smaller berths (which can convert into a double bunk) plus has space for a porta-loo.  I use the forepeak for stowage and now sail solo or with one crew.

The other nice feature is a pop top over the main saloon. When at anchor the headroom can be increased to standing height. It also increases cabin ventilation. The pop-top is lowered for normal sailing and a sliding hatch on the pop top is used for cabin access.

There is good cabin ventilation provided by a motor boat style fore hatch. When open air can flow freely through the cabin. The hatch even acts as a partial shelter for rain. 

The Investigator for sale was an old boat probably mid 1970's and needed some maintenance work, nothing too major seemed apparent.  It had recently replaced standing rigging, good sails which could be reefed in a blow, and a serviceable 10 HP outboard.  The trailer had bearing buddies to keep the grease packed in, was only 30 km from home and the asking price was good. So Teria soon became "The next boat". 

Investigator 563 - #9 "Teria". Shoal draft keel, single axle trailer and forward sloping fore-hatch for good ventilation

The mast support arch and open plan cabin space with centercase below floorboards. The center-plates lifting wire-rope runs in the stainless tube going through the companionway step.

There is no built-in galley area below on Teria. (This would be good for longer trips). The study plans show that slide-out stove and washbasin could be installed under the cockpit decks.  I prefer to keep the foot space over the bunks so use a vintage Trangia alcohol fuel camping stove in the cockpit, a box of cooking stuff and a green plastic bucket function as a simple inexpensive galley. Some investigators have a homemade removable galley module with one burner spirit stove and a basin, an aft railing mounted gas stove-barbeque is also possible.

A single 26 litre esky and plastic box packed with food and cold drink supply keeps a small crew fed for 1-3 days. It stows on the forward cabins floor.

Outboard design power is just 3.5 - 4 HP long-shaft which should push the boat up to hull speed of 5.3 knots in flat calm waters. In Queensland 4HP or less means no annual boat registration to pay, around $200 p.a. saved. This size motor best suits harbour or estuary based sailing conditions though and is easy to lift on and off for trailering. 

 Teria came with a 1970's 9.8 HP long shaft 2 stroke Johnson. It weighed a hefty 37 kg, had more power than needed, was dirty and guzzled fuel. However it had nostalgic value from my Pacific Islands days where we used them but eventually a repair bill quote was it's retirement day.

Replaced the Johnson with a Tohatsu Sailpro 6 HP ultralong shaft. It's a clean 4 stroke but lighter weight at 28kg. It reaches flat calm cruise speed of 5 knots with half throttle and is very economic to run. However if strong wind and waves are on the bow, then the extra horsepower can drive the boat upwind when it's often most needed. It suits coastal cruising conditions.

More specs - Beam (hull width) is 2.1m (7 ft) which makes it only slightly wider than the ute tray, good for getting through a house gate, down the driveway past the house, any more than this would be problems i reckon. The 7ft beam also means that when towing the driver can see past the boat with standard rear view side mirrors. Any more beam than 7ft, say 8ft, would probably mean getting extended side mirrors fitted.

Design Sail area is 178 square feet (16.54m2) The mainsail is 9.4m2 and jib 6.8m2..but i think my working and strong wind jibs are smaller than this..Teria also has a large "drifter" (Gennaker = a cross between a genoa and spinnaker made of lightweight cloth) for use off the wind in light winds. Teria has a modern fully battened mainsail and an old standard main as a spare.

There is a good review by Jeff Toghill at johncrawfordmarine.com.au/advice/trailer-sailer/investigator-563

"The next boat" - Some trailer sailers considered , Princess 18

I was soon thinking of a boat with more capabilities than the Fatty knees 8.

Every boats a compromise they say, there are just so many different types of boats out there that to the uninitiated it could be very confusing. The main thing is to ask yourself, what and where will i be using the boat for?? I prefer to go slow, (a displacement hull) so that criteria alone cuts a huge number of boats and costs out. We like sightseeing, shallow and sheltered waters, beaches, tropical nights and snorkelling but still want to cross the rough stretches to get there. There have been allot of  "the next boat" conversations over the years, so this time the "next boat" was to be

• Trailer sailer
• Sloop rig (Jib and mainsail, nearly all sail boats in the 12-24 ft range are anyway)
• Big enough for a family of 3
• Not too expensive, economical to run, minimal maintenance (fiberglass)
• Have overnighting capability, ie bunks, cabin and basic amenities
• Shoal draft enough with swing-back centre-board to get a second chance with underwater rocks and groundings, plus access shallow creeks and anchorages
• Good cabin ventilation, cool in the tropics
• Stable, self righting
• Tow-able behind a 2.7 liter tray-back ute (pickup truck)
• About 18-20 foot long

It had to be big enough  but light enough to tow.

From online boat adds, It seems like the epicentre of present day trailer sailing in Australia is around the Gippsland lakes in Victoria, there's always more boats ( and everything else) in major cities like Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane

There are a number of trailer sailers that are a bit too heavy for my tow car and or too far away, they are noted for future reference.

• Sunmaid 20s, shoal draft swing centerboard keeled sloops. But all these were interstate and the cost was about twice that of the 18 footers below.
• Jedda 22 twin keelers online, they are designed for cold southern tidal conditions.They have nice clinker style fibreglass hulls and raised deck cabins. Some have internal diesel engines and look very seaworthy. 
• Boomerang 20s are another popular TS down south

Two small trailer sailers

1. Hartley TS18 but these nice boats are for the wooden boat fraternity. I often dream of going there again but the present reality is where is all the spare time gone?? So it had to be fiberglass in order to be of a yacht-like shape and reduce maintenance time.
2. Compass Careel 18 was a contender but most were far away, the older and cheaper Mark 1 versions had no sliding hatch, they had a mast support post and center-case in the cabin too. There are later mark II and III versions and the price went up for these popular boats.

3 trailer sailers for sale in Townsville

After much investigation and research, in mid 2013 i spotted several trailer sailers for sale locally.

1. A Comet 20  (aka Nomad 20) , 
2. Princess 18
3. Investigator 563. 

The Comet 20 was a bigger heavier boat than the other 2. It had a center case right in the middle of the cabin, it got in the way when you went below. i suspected the mast was a bit heavy as the owner had never raised it and used the boat as a cramped motor launch. 20 foot does give room for an internal cooking stove such as the maxi 2-burner meth-spirit one aboard.

PRINCESS 18

The Princess 18  is a very good lightweight design weighing in at around 500 kg. It won an Australian design award. Its a raised deck design with flush deck, very shallow draft under 12" and flat bottom for upright beaching. The cabin is roomy for such a small boat, because of the raised deck and the fact that there are twin centerboards each hidden in a bunk side casing. This feature along with a mast support arch opened up the interior greatly. The transom is narrow but somehow there's a huge storage lazarette in there. Three hatches   a main hatch, fore hatch and lazarette hatch opened into the interior creating almost unheard of cross ventilation - i think very important for the tropics. There was also room for a  portable-loo and small cook stove in the cabin, in the space between 2 fore-peak berths and 2 quarter berths.

The very shallow draft with boards up is a strong feature. It can be easily launched in very shallow water and dries out upright when cruising.

On a raised decker, the cabin sides extend out to the gunwales. This may make it look a bit too boxy for some tastes but the cabin is great for lounging around and the wide deck would be easy to walk forward on.
One feature commented on in a boating mag article was the lack of an anchor well on the fore-deck, the main anchor is stored aft in the Lazarette and carried forward with chain and rope. The Princess 18 magazine article is located on John Crawford Marines online boat library which is a great research resource. I'm not sure about the self-righting stability of the Princess 18, the hull and under water shape is based on the Finn dinghy. These are pics of a very good condition princess 18, not the one that was for sale in my area.

A Princess 18 takes to the ground nicely and the shallow hull would be easier to launch on any tide.

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Princess 18 roomy interior. Large fore peak berth and cooking area.

Prncess 18 layout - the quarter berths have about 1/4 in the the cabin, 3/4 under the cockpit seats. Large Lazarette has a small center-line hatch.

Princess 18 seemed like a good design would have gone for it but the boat for sale in my area had de-laminated foam core fore-decking over a sizable area, how hard or expensive foam core de-lamination is to fix i don't know. Also overweight homemade davits loomed large on the small transom and the standing rigging was in poor shape and would have needed replacement. The mainsail luff was on a bolt rope and i preferred luff sliders (to keep the sail on mast when lowered in strong winds).