Had a powerboat 20ft for a while in Pittwater and Sydney Harbour and been in different sized power boats for a fair amount of time and covered a fair amount of distance in them as well between the Harbour and Pittwater.

Considering a Columbia 22, or a small sail boat of this size to learn in.
I could always go bigger like a tophat or folkboat for more coin but wanting to keep costs down so interested to hear any thoughts on 22 vs 26ft.

What are the pros, cons of a 22 vs 26 ft in keep design etc and or Columbia vs a tophat or folkboat ? Would the extra 4ft make a difference to ride / stability in chop that much?

Intention is to sail Sydney harbour a bit and learn and get used to sailing and stay onboard overnight for one night or so.

At some point once I get handle on sailing would love to venture up to Pittwater there will usually only be two people.

If you have sailed a Columbia of this would be keen to hear the experience you had and where you took it.

Thanks everyone.

I would suggest a Santana 22 as a good all rounder. Good pedigree but really cheap on the Australian market. Nothing wrong with a Columbia 22 either. Good daysailer and very popular in the USA where it's sailed a lot instead of dinghies. The Americans don't have much of a dinghy scene.

A C22 I used to own a few years back is now back on the market as per here; I sailed it on the harbour but it is well capable of sailing up to Pittwater and back in steady wind conditions less than (say ) 25kts and moderate sea states.

www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/sailing-boats/columbia-22/296842

I have fully refurbished two S22s in the last 25 years. Numerous are listed on line. Both would meet your initial needs perfectly as per Ramona. The S22 is lower freeboard than the C22 but probably a bit faster.

The extra length of a Tophat 25 and Folkboat 26 makes them a significant improvement to motion and seakeeping whether inshore or offshore. If you want more internal cabin space and headroom the TP would be the suggestion. The FB has a longer cockpit and lower cabin.

Of course none of these 4 yacht types are recent builds so you will need to expect depreciation issues over time when you come to sell. Good luck with your plan, let us know what you decided.

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Ramona said..
I would suggest a Santana 22 as a good all rounder. Good pedigree but really cheap on the Australian market. Nothing wrong with a Columbia 22 either. Good daysailer and very popular in the USA where it's sailed a lot instead of dinghies. The Americans don't have much of a dinghy scene.

Great little boat to sail. They are a lot of fun, and an excellent boat to learn on.