Equinox, my Lippincott 30 sailboat, will allow you to comfortably cruise the Chesapeake Bay in class. Berthed (or anchored) in a wonderful, family-owned marina, you will be charmed by nature's surroundings, the sounds of the river's edge, and the peacefulness of one of the greatest bodies of water anywhere in the world.
The boat itself is ideally-sized to explore the Bay (30 ft, LOA, only 4ft 2in draft), yet her cockpit comfortable for up to five crew members. Surely, you'll appreciate her wonderful mahogany-wood interior finish. But her sailing stability under a variety of wind conditions is what make this particular vessel the perfect Bay cruiser.
Some of the best sailors in the world—Tom Blackaller and Dennis Conner to name only two— have competed and won in Lippincott-built Comet, Lightning, and Star class one-design boats. In fact, Equinox was actually purchased from the designer's son. Through his help, anything that was deteriorated because of age, has now now been addressed.
She boast a roomy interior with 6ft 2in headroom. You can easily prepare a cup of espresso or tea, and cook a nice simple breakfast in the morning using the two-burner alcohol stove (similar to a camp stove). The starboard dinette turns into a double quarter berth, so couple with the double v-berth and aft quarter berth, you may want to consider her for a weekend getaway cruiser.
The reliable Yanmar 2GMF 13HP diesel engine will pull you in and out of the marina and the Rhode River with ease. In fact, as she is located at the last slip at the dock, it is easy and safe to pull away and park her when you're back. No need to negotiate narrow fairways. Once you're out in the open, the new main and equally new 150% Genoa with Roller Furling, will point you wherever you want to go.
Instrument-wise, Equinox is solid. There is the typical Raymarine depth finder and wind instruments, as well as an awesome Garmin GPSmap 740S chart plotter that will easily guide you to each of your way points as well back to the Marina. She boasts a Raymarine autopilot. And should the need arise, there are two VHF radios, including a handheld that you can bring up the helm.
Once you anchor, entertain yourself with some tunes from the BT stereo and use the swim ladder to come back aboard after a dip.
If you must go while cruising, there is a real head (or toilette) by your private quarters forward that includes a shower. For those in the know, however, I would much more appreciate it if the on-board head has little or no use during your outing. Think of it as an emergency outlet, as it would need to be pumped out at the nearby station.
The marina and surrounding area are truly a destination into themselves. Feel at home in an upscale neighborhood, where folks build homes with docks and views of the Bay that some of us can only dream of. Yet, people are kind and accommodating in exchange for a simple smile.
Before stealing Equinox away from me however, all I ask is that we meet in person for a few minutes so we can go over any details of this neat 30ft cruiser, get to know each other a little, and answer any questions you may have. After that, she's all yours.
Aye aye, captain!
List of features:
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SAILS & RIGGING
- Main (new 2021)
- Main cover
- 150% Genoa (new 2016, serviced 2022)
- Roller Furling headsail
- Spinnakers with chute (only upon request)
- Spinnaker pole (mounted on stanchions)
- Rigid Boomvang (no need to adjust the topping lift)
- 2 Lewmar self-tailing jib sheet winches
DECK
- Bimini (serviced 2023)
- Mainsail cover (restitched 2023)
- Large cockpit with folding table and drink holder (re barnished 2024)
- Cockpit cushions
- Danforth anchor w/ 11ft. chain and 110ft. rode
- Transom swim ladder
- Tinted rain guards on all ports
- Main teak hatch doors w/windows (new 2024)
ELECTRICAL
- 12V DC & 30AMP 120V AC
- 30A Shore Power service with shore power cord
- 3 (2020) Group 24 engine batteries in two banks
- New (2023) automatic battery charger/inverter/transfer switch
- 6gal Water heater (shore power and engine running, new 2023)
MECHANICAL
- Yanmar 2GMF 13HP diesel engine (well maintained)
- Cruisair Air Conditioning (shore power only, new pump 2023)
- Folding prop
- Racor secondary fuel filter
ELECTRONICS / NAVIGATION
- Raymarine EV-100 Evolution wheel Autopilot (new 2024)
- Raymarine Depth
- Raymarine Wind (serviced 2023)
- Garmin GPSmap 740s Plotter
- FM/AM/Aux/Bluetooth Jensen Stereo with 4 speakers (new 2023)
- Standard Horizon VHF (new 2023)
- Handheld VHF radio
ACCOMMODATIONS
- Sleeps 4
- Private forward V-berth
- Aft pilot's berth
- Starboard settee converts to double bunk
- Port settee seating single bunk
- Folding drop leaf table against bulkhead
- Enclosed Head has toilet and shower (new shower head 2024)
- 4 opening ports, 2 cow vents, and 2 hatches
- Air conditioning (shore power only)
- 3 Caframo fans (galley, captain's berth and V-berth)
GALLEY
- L-shaped galley to port
- 12v Adler Barbour Refrigeration and freezer
- Origo 4000 2-burner alcohol stove
- Stainless steel sink with hot water
Boat Specifications:
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- Length Over-All (LOA): 30' 3"
- Water-line Length (LWL) 25'
- Beam 10'
- Sail area 454 ft2
- Draft 4'2"
- Displacement 8,600 lb
- Ballast 4,000 lb
- Mast height 45'
Q & A:
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Q: Can you recommend any sailing apps?
A: - SailDroid: small and robust speed log
- Windfinder: Wind forecasts and real-time wind speed
- Navionics Boating: (paid) Like G maps for boating
- Marine Ways: Free version of Navionics, but not as good (imho)
Q. What should I bring when I charter her?
A. Bring a great disposition and a smile :-) I will provide a full tank of diesel. Make sure you sport comfortable, non-marking shoes (not sandals -- actually, it's better to be barefooted than wear sandals), sailing gloves, swimwear, suntan lotion, and plenty of drinks to keep hydrated.
Q. Can we stay overnight?
A. Yes, you may stay overnight for free as long you rent for multiple days. You may live aboard in between nights (i.e., if renting for two consecutive days, you may stay aboard the night in between), and can tie, anchor or park at a transient marina anywhere except my marina (sorry :-).
Q. Should I be expected to clean the boat?
A. Well, kind of. I clean the boat regularly before sailing guests anyway. However, just because I spend time doing the dirty work, doesn't mean that you can trash the cruiser. In fact, I'd ask that when leaving, you take the garbage to the marina bins, and try to keep the galley and deck as clean as possible. I hope I'm not asking too much.
Q. Renting your boat sounds overwhelming. Can I handled it?
A. Sure you can, no worries. I will provide a smart phone-compatible detailed guide of the boat with everything you need to know about her. It will show you how to unlock the hatch, where are the sails, what to do when checking out of the dock. All you have to do is show me that you love her :-)
Q. What's the check out procedure?
A. I will provide a step-by-step check out checklist after you book Equinox. However, always expect to spend about 30 minutes once you arrive back to the marina un-rigging and tying up the boat.
Q: What motivates you to share a sailboat?
A: I am a strong believer in the sharing economy. I manage a few properties I own on Airbnb, a classic car on Turo, this Sailboat on Boatsetter, and we dog seat on Rover. On average, American sail boat owners use their vessels 10.7 days a year. That means that for 354 days a sailboat seats idle at the dock. If you ask me, that's the perfect definition of an underutilized resource.
Q: But aren't you really doing this for the money?
A: Fair question, but no. My wife and I are two mid-life professionals currently employed in interesting companies. About 40% of the proceeds from Boatsetter go straight back into improving the boat and hence the guest experience. Thanks to the extra cash, for example, I’ve been able to implement long-kept projects, such adding amenities, electrical system improvements, and constant sailing maintenance. The rest of the income goes into solving the cost of maintaining and up-keeping the boat, such as the slip rent, engine maintenance and insurance. OK, and maybe I splurge on a nice set of sailing gloves once in a while :-)