in the process of buying boat

[northerner]

Hello all

We are in the process of buying 7.9. In fact, today we have a friend viewing it in Vancouver B.C, and tomorrow it gets surveyed

We live in the Yukon, and need something trailerable to get us to the ocean, which is 1.5 hours away in Skagway, or the big lakes, about 2 hours

Did a lot of research into various options, Catalina, Hunter, etc. We wanted a boat that we could use for coastal cruising - huge cruising area to explore in Southeast Alaska, but need something we can tow. This summer we sailed a Macgregor S in Desolation Sound for a week with a friend. Cute boat, but not robust enough for what we need

All I have to go on it the research we've done, and the pictures from the owner. Excited but overwhelmed a bit too

We need to get a tow vehicle now, yet another decision to make

I'm sure we'll have lots of questions for people, so we're really glad to have found this forum

[J.D. Kloss]

Re: tow vehicle

What are the condition of launching ramps you plan to use? We've towed our 7.9 through the Appalachian Mountains (OK I know they're not as big as yours) with a Ford E350 van. Plenty of room for crew and gear and quite a bit cheaper than a pickup with similar towing capacity. There are launching areas where 4WD would be nice however.

We have a single burner propane stove that warms the cabin quite nicely while boiling water for tea or coffee. (We used that in Wisconsin -- not so much here in the Virgin Islands).

Enjoy your boat and you'll appreciate the support of the class association.

Jim Kloss
s/v Ambivalence
S2 7.9 #8

[northerner]

Hi Jim, thank you

We do actually have a 3/4 ton camper van, but it's only a 318, and my husband thinks we need a slightly bigger engine. We might just replace it, there is one on the BC auction site

I need to ask my brother what the state of the ramps are in Skagway, the nearest ocean port. It could be that we really do need a 4x4. We're going to do quite a bit of lake sailing and those ramps seem pretty good

This boat comes with a Dickeson propane fireplace. That will definitely be put to use in Alaska

We're actually planning to do quite a lot of cruising in this boat. I know it's spartan, but it's a dry bed. We're used to camping from our sea kayak, so I expect we'll be able to make the living arrangements quite comfortable

Thanks Jim

Cara

[northerner]

We just got back from Vancouver, where we spent 4 days living aboard the boat and learning how to sail with an instructor

We were really really impressed with the performance of the boat

Found it comfy enough to live aboard. A dickenson fireplace and seabique helped a lot

I'd love to find a way to make the galley more useable. Other than that we feel we lucked out finding this boat

She's in a slip for the winter now and when spring arrives we'll fly back down there and do some more sailing. Thinking of leaving the boat there for a year to get more experience with a variety of sailing conditions

[dave]

Hey there, good luck on your boat purchase and here's a tip that may save you some $$$$ down the pike: Inspect the mast step area CAREFULLY, it's a problem spot in the 7.9. They are great boats but all boats have problem areas and this can be a doozy. Even if the gelcoat and glass around the mast step plate isn't cracked, tap all around and stand on it right next to the mast. If you hear hollow sounds or the glass gives ANY AT ALL, there's a problem. Sometimes neither of these are indicated but if you get down level with the mast step looking aft from the foredeck, you can see that one side or the other of the mast step area is buckling up or down................. if so, there's a problem.

[Bob Kirsten]

Hi Northerner,

Sure hope you bought the 7.9. Just for reference, we have towed our 7.9, on a galvanized Cooper trailer, behind a V8 Mountaneer. It definitely had a hernia getting started, and would struggle on hills, but less something bigger. We now pull it with a 4x4 Tahoe which is outstanding, handles it great. We also used the forum to copy designs on a mast raising rig. It works great, too. As I've gotten older, we even added an electric winch to the upper arm of the trailer, above the manual winch, and it makes mast raising a one man job, providing it's not too windy.

Good Sailing

Bob Kirsten
DD Mau
#483

[northerner]

Hey thanks for the reply Bob

We safely towed the boat 1500 miles up the Alaska highway and now she is sitting in the marina in Skagway

Had a chance to finally sail her on Saturday up here. When trying to get the genoa furled we realized that we put the drum on backwards. Lots of little things to sort out, but she sails beautifully. There is a Macgregor at the same dock, never have seen it sail, but motoring around.

I tried to post a photo of us at the Yukon border, but the file is too big. As soon as I figure out how to do that I'll post it