Buying a Compac 16

[Art Haberland]

I know I just finished (as much as a boat can be finished) restoring my Gp14, but I have realized one issue with that boat I had not considered. It's too high performance to take my father out.

at 71 years old and with hip replacement number 8 coming up soon, he lacks the dexterity to manage sailing in a small unballasted Dinghy. I want to take him sailing before he gets too old, but I doubt I will have my SeaSprite 23 done any time soon, so I went looking for a nice little "benign" trailer sailor I could take him out for a day on that would still have room for him to rest or use the potty on (he and I both share a common problem, Crohn's disease) So I put some feelers out for a 1980 Compac 16 in Baltimore, just waiting to hear from the seller to see what she looks like.

[Michel]

These boats are rock solid ans stable. Maybe not upwind beasts but I think that they made some with a centerboard (Centreboard?) sticking out of the shallow keel that makes them better in that area. Robert Burgess book : Handbook of trailer sailing is the book to read if you want to love a Compac 16!

[lustyslogger]

They are right up there with a Cape Dory Typhoon in my opinion. I almost bought a Compac 16 a few years ago but felt negative vibes from the wife about buying any new (at least to me) boat so I didn't. A year later I figured better to ask for forgiveness than permission and bought a Helson 22. I had to sell that one when I moved to Florida since I couldn't tow it down here. Had I bought the Compac it would have been sitting in the slip now occupied by the original boat before the Helsen, the Sunbird 16.

Art, if you can get it at a good price go for it.

[Art Haberland]

I have been putting some thoughts towards this. It's been nagging at the back of my brain that my SeaSprite is never going to see the water again. She has a few issues that I feel are terminal. As a very early sprite, they were not built all that well to begin with, but her external ballast is sagging at the forward end and her gelcoat is just a maze of crazing to where I would have to remove it and redo it. Not worth it on a boat that can only fetch 3 or 4 grand if I sell her on.

I think I am going to look for a compac 19. Same beam as my spite, and a very slightly longer waterline length. Lighter by a 1000 pounds and draws a foot less of water. I know, not as seaworthy, but easily trailerable. I can pick up a nice one for 5 to 8 grand with trailer if I am willing to travel. I will have to give up my sprite, but some of her more serious problems truly worry me.

[GregWads]

I looked at the Compac 19, before I settled on the Stuart Mariner. I purchased an older centerboard version. The boat, trailer and gear came out to around 1800 lbs. I didn't want to have to purchase a significant tow vehicle. It only draws about a foot of water (with the board up), which makes launching simple.

Now at 61, with knees on their way out, the centerboard case in the middle of the cockpit and mid boom sheeting can be a pain when switching tacks. Also the boom is somewhat low. My 6'4" height means I also have to duck when the boom comes across.

Other than those issues, which I consider to my problems, it has been a great family boat.

[Art Haberland]

thankfully I already own a land rover, so I have the significant tow vehicle. From what I have read, the 19 is supposed to be the best sailing of the compac line. Now if I just get any owners that are selling their boats to respond to my emails...

[GregWads]

When I was looking for mine, found many a boat that I assumed had already been sold, because I never heard back from the owners. I found the boat I eventually bought on 3 different sites, for 3 different prices. First one listed it at 8k, second 5k, and the last was 4k or best.

One of the boats I found, the website pics looked really promising. When I went to look at the boat, it was filthy, the lines on the boat were covered in mold and I could tell the owner had unclogged the cockpit drains just that morning, as the green mildew line, about 4 inches up the cockpit side were still moist. Also the cockpit sole was Soft and easily flexed by hand pressure. That man's trash was not to be my treasure.

Best of Luck, Good Hunting.

[crazycarl]

I've been sailing a 1985 Compac 19/II for 10 years now. I have found it to be very stable. She will pound in a surf, but she's a dry ride. Easy to tow and rig. I'm 60 y.o. 5'8", and 175lbs. I have no difficulty in raising the mast alone by hand. She's been towed from northern Illinois to Florida several times, Wisconsin many times, and in 2018 I spent 2 weeks on her sailing the North Channel in Canada. She's a great boat.

[Art Haberland]

I looked at the 19s too. I realized that if I bought something like the 16 or even the 19, it would conflict with my GP14 for my sailing time. I decided to go bigger. I am buying a 1970 Yankee Dolphin. Two feet bigger than my Sea Sprite but a lot bigger all around due to that. Not sure it qualifies as a "Small Craft" but compared to the new boats, it's quite tiny.

I will post up some pics later, but her topsides need paint. I will be her third owner and the second one used a lot of comet cleanser to clean the cabin top and decks, so I have some painting to do

[JacquesR]

Art. Looked up Yankee Dolphin on the internet. 24 feet, full keel with pivoting centerboard. That's quite a step up from 19 feet Com Pac?