Thanks! Have another trip planned for November. We are having a great time with this little boat.

I believe I’ve seen some of your videos. I also agree with you that Compac makes a sturdy little boat. This was my second Gulf of Mexico trip with this boat. The first was a week solo. Really high winds and a little wet but still felt safe.

I looked that up. Sure is! I let my daughter know. Thanks for sharing this!

Some clear advantages to a smaller trailerable boat. I have taken it to Florida three times and Lake Michigan last summer. Planning to go to the apostle islands on Lake Superior this summer.

That sounds awesome! I also have a 22ft trailerable and I take it places here in Canada and eventually will take it to Florida and Bahamas

Key west would be great but it’s a long drive for sure. About 1800 miles for us. Next Florida trip we were talking about the St Petersburg area.

Small indeed. I called Catalina and swapped a few bits over to make it very quick to rig. The quick release tensioner on the forestay was worth every penny. I can launch it at almost any ramp with that little keel. We beach launched it once. That one is so simple to rig we daysail or do dinner cruises.

Our pleasure!

I’ve had that little boat in Florida three times. Get your boat painted and start planning your trips. I took my wife down this spring and posted that trip. Weather wasn’t great but we still had a good time. Lots of dolphins. We are close to Lake Superior and Michigan. Epic scenery and great trailer sailing. If you’ve never been, put the Great Lakes on the list.

Catalina 22 is the gold standard. I'm biased, I sail an '85 swing keel / pop-top. Sail her out of Olympia in the Puget Sound. She can handle just about anything.

@@teeheeteeheeish I like the Catalina 22 as well. Very capable trailer sailer.

We have come to learn about that boat since posting. We had a brush with fame!

I’m actually not sure. I bought this boat completely as it appears from a person who sailed on Lake Michigan. The kit is very sturdy. I wish I could tell you where it came from.

That trip was in the Pensacola Bay area so we paid for parking at a nearby state park. I would factor parking fees into the trip cost. I have had good luck calling a local park (or marina with amenities) and asking for advice. The park staff have been very helpful. Also the trip comments people add on the websites are pretty useful too.

It depends on your needs. It is quite small. The berths go under the bench seats and are very deep but narrow. I am 5‘11“ and 200 pounds. The biggest issue I have is the thin cushions, so I cut a mattress topper to fit the bunks for more padding. I can honestly say when you’ve been out in the wind, sun, or cold all day the little cabin is a nice place to take a break. Weather protection wise it’s very comfortable, if you require a lot of space to sprawl out, it is going to feel claustrophobic. We cope with the tiny cabin because these boats are easy to rig while still offering very forgiving and seaworthy sailing. We have also found that we used bigger more accommodating things less often than the simpler ones. This is why I bought the 16. If I want, I can do a single-handed day sail very easily.

There are so many 24 hour ramp options around Pensacola and Orange Beach. I would call a marina or state or county park near your target area. People are typically very friendly about helping you plan your trip. I’m sure there are safe parking options if you ask somebody with local knowledge, but I paid for long term parking. I think it was $15 or $16 a day at Big Lagoon. The tides there created challenging launches and the ramps are basic. For a boat sized like the 16 you could use almost any of the nice 24 hour ones in the city. Weekdays anywhere around Pensacola are way more laid back than weekends so plan departures accordingly. It gets busy on the water Friday afternoon to Sunday evening. Have a great time!

Thank you so very much. Really looking forward to the trip with my son

Sure was. We learned about that boat from commenters. We had no idea!

It depends on your abilities, sail type, sail condition, rigging, foiled rudder, etc. It is a lot of boat in a small package. Pretty stiff and heavy. I haven’t had a rail in the water yet. I’ve stuffed the bow in big waves and stalled out. I just reduce sail and try to find a compass heading to keep it comfortable. I think a capsize is unlikely if you have a basic understanding of sailing. Mine was set up for cruising by a previous owner. It has heavy sails, jiffy reefing and three reef points. With a sailing partner I am more daring. My dad and I have been out triple reefed in a wind advisory doing 6 knots, which is fast for that little boat. It also sails pretty well on light 5-6 MPH wind days, especially with a Genoa. Pretty versatile if you trim and rig sails for the conditions. I have sailed Lake Michigan in steady 15 mile per hour wind, full main and jib, solo. Been out on Pensacola Bay when it was sustained 22-25 mile per hour winds solo. That was my personal limit and I headed in. It was wet pounding into an uncomfortable chop. Another guy at the ramp said he would throw another reef in and keep sailing. He was an experienced blue water sailer and I was a weekender.

They can get knocked over but won't capsize because of the healthy 400lb ballast. Almost impossible to turtle this boat unless you're in a hurricane

This boat was pretty well optioned. I bought it the way it sits. I added the grill and outboard. I believe the final run of 16 hulls came with the life line option. I would call or email com-pac because they still carry a complete list of parts and accessories for the boat.

It’s not the biggest cockpit but it’s doable when you pitch everything inside the little cabin. We routinely take three adults. The 16 is slow, heavy, predictable. For those reasons, I think it’s ideal for kids that sit on ropes or move around with no concept of counter ballast. The boat is pretty stiff with a small rig so you can take a beat to free rigging or assess what you need to do. A child, or even two, climbing around won’t make a huge difference in heeling angle. Admittedly a tiny boat but a well mannered daysailer. I would go look at one and assess for your needs.

I would suggest looking for a Oday Mariner. it's a bit bigger @ 19 ft long. I have one and it works for me. However, for 4 people, (if you want to be comfortable) I would suggest 22-24 footers unless you REALLY like each other. But for a day sail on the cheap? I'd get a Mariner.

It depends on your size. If you’re small it can be a good boat for two adults and two kids. If you’re sailing on a lake with shifting winds the cockpit is small for 4 people even if they are small. If you’re in an area with steady wind direction it’s plenty roomy for a family of four. When I had a compac 16 we mostly sailed it two at a time and when we had four aboard we often had two in the cabin and out of the cockpit. I’m the largest person in my family at 5’7” and 150 lbs so take that into consideration when I say we ran out of room in the cockpit for active sailing. It worked great for us because it was mostly my daughter and I sailing with my wife and son joining occasionally. Another consideration is that the boat is small enough for 1O year olds to handle raising sails and handling sheets. That’s a plus. My daughter was able to sail it solo at 12 and probably could have done it younger had we started sooner.

no !!! I recomend a pearson or hunter 30 ish ....