What ever happen to the REAL cruisers?

[44'cruisingcat]

I do my own oil changes. I built my own boat. I have a GPS. 3 of them actually.

[Rarest Iowa]

Originally Posted by Dave Lochner

Oh, this is an easy question. Of course we blame the young ones for being lazy and not knowing anything because it is much easier than do that than admit we might have really screwed things up for the next generation.

And you do have good taste in music, even for a kid. Have you heard Izzy's version of Wonderful World/Over the Rainbow?

https://youtu.be/Z26BvHOD_sg

Gadagirl, it's something the elders are allowed to do. Its their way of testing us. I'm 36. I get it a lot. I come up with inventive ideas to get me back to port, and I still catch **** about not getting something serviced earlier. Fair enough. Lesson learned. Let me move on.

[JPA Cate]

My two cents:

We are talking about different people here. Today's new boat owner has been told he will void the warranties on his engines if a proper [insert brand name], licensed dealer does not do the servicing. So, by the time, it's out of warranty, he's been trained to have it done. It may also suit his ideas of status. In addition, access may be difficult; he's older, and groveling is uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, the cruiser of 30 yrs. ago was someone who usually used to work on his/her own car, too, so internal combustion engine skills AND TOOLS were already in use, ready to be applied to the boat.

Add to this, that I think we see many more higher bucks cruisers today. Yesterday's cruisers were more DIY, in general, and now, the DIYs are mostly low bucks, imho.

Of course, zeehag changes her own oil, and I bet, so does SailorChic34, and Dockhead and Jim do, too, and I'll bet Hudson, and a whole bunch more. And I'll bet none of them has an engine with an electronic box that tells the engine it's okay to start! Boy, that's one spare you'd want to carry!

So along with the changes from the 1980s to now, the guys who were cruising then are older and perhaps a bit crotchety. I'd be more interested today in teaching someone how to do it for him/herself than in doing it for them, even if there were an offer of money. And that's because cruisers help cruisers, usually, for free, if you can afford not to ask for money.


Ann

[wedivebc]

What is this engine thing you speak of?

[44'cruisingcat]

I think people are missing the OP's point. It's not about engine maintenance. It's that REAL cruisers supposedly don't use GPS.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by bcripps

I'm sitting here in Wendy's Bar in Luperon and a guy here is complaining because he can't find someone to change his engine oil!

Damn. I started cruising, thirty years ago, because I longed to be self-sufficient.

What happened?

I'll tell you: GPS!

Bry

What really happened was working life success where now there are people out cruising with enough money to prefer to pay someone else to do crap instead of doing it themselves. ............... I'm jealous!

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

I think people are missing the OP's point. It's not about engine maintenance. It's that REAL cruisers supposedly don't use GPS.

Nah that was 30 years ago, hell before gps there were very few sailors crossing oceans, those days are long gone and it's a good thing. Sailing is so easy these days!

[barnakiel]

I seem to have some problem telling the difference though. Especially when they are sitting at the bar.

Perhaps the real ones should wear a pink badge or something.

And so you wanted to self sufficiently change your oil, but you were not making that oil onboard, were you. So much for 'self-sufficient cruisers'.

And I am not missing the days when I had to fix my cotton sails by hand (yes, I am that ing old).

I hope to die in my bed, surrounded by my many grand grand children. All of them FAKE cruisers. None of them at the bar.

b.

[TJ D]

Yes, GPS changed a lot about cruising. So did watermakers that are actually reliable, good sailhandling gear, reliable electric windlasses, sailmail, easily accessed weather forecasting, good renewable charging... The list goes on and on.

While I'm not as old as some here (44 actually), I did do my first long distance cruise with my dad in the 80's. Magellan was just about to come out with the 3000, the first GPS on the recreational market. It cost 3 grand in '80's dollars too.

We didn't have one. We had a sat-nav that might produce an unreliable fix once or twice a day. No radar, either. We used a sextant, and a lot of DR. Most of the time, we didn't REALLY know where we were. This was fine most places, around reefs, it was not fun. Remember, even when the numbers of boats crossing the pacific were quite small, there were an awful lot of them going aground in places like the Tuamotus.

Yes, it was cool to be out there when there were far fewer boats. (Maybe these are the 'real cruisers' you speak of. In the San Blas, we saw 3-4 other boats there in a month, and the locals were delighted to see us. The whole village would turn out when we anchored. Last time we were there, we couldn't even find a place to anchor in Chichime, it was so stuffed with boats in there.

For my part, I'm thrilled for the cruising community that all these innovations have made the lifestyle more accessible/enjoyable for more people. Sure, some of them don't know as much as they should about looking after their boats, but they'll either stay close to services, or they'll learn to be more self sufficient. Or they'll realize they're in over their head and stick closer to home and boatyards.

But, are they any more or less 'real' as cruisers than those who are doing it more the old fashioned way? No, not really. Just different. There are still plenty of birds of the other feather out there too. They're just more often found off of the main tradewind cruising routes these days.

Maybe sail down to someplace like Ushuaia. You will find self-sufficiency in spades down there!

TJ

[Hudson Force]

I'm changing with the times.......

Before:



After:



They've got these "travel lift" things now that cost some money, but they will lift your boat completely out of the water!

Yes, I'm getting soft and lazy!

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by bcripps

I'm sitting here in Wendy's Bar in Luperon and a guy here is complaining because he can't find someone to change his engine oil!

Damn. I started cruising, thirty years ago, because I longed to be self-sufficient.

What happened?

I'll tell you: GPS!

Bry

Was he doing a video selfie with his GoPro for later upload to his Patreon funded You Tube channel at the time?

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Gadagirl

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The younger of us are not lazy and stupid! I'm not sure why we like to blame the young for our troubles when all throughout history there is solid evidence of our offspring being inventive, creative, and carrying us forward. In spite of us! You should be more fearful of crotchety old people that are afraid of change.

What comes with age is the realization that old is only relative to whom you ask. So be careful Gadagirl, while you may believe you are of the younger set, you might be a lot older than you think.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

My two cents:

And that's because cruisers help cruisers, usually, for free, if you can afford not to ask for money.


Ann

LOL, another myth. Cheap and stinkers help cheap and stinkers for free. Good mechanics always charge.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Tellie

LOL, another myth. Cheap and stinkers help cheap and stinkers for free. Good mechanics always charge.

Not entirely true. When you move away from the hordes cruisers do look out for each other and more often than not there is never a charge plus many are very skilled. So I agree with you in many popular cruising areas but I'm with Anne when you get on the road less traveled.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

f course, zeehag changes her own oil, and I bet, so does SailorChic34, and Dockhead and Jim do, too, and I'll bet Hudson, and a whole bunch more. And I'll bet none of them has an engine with an electronic box that tells the engine it's okay to start! Boy, that's one spare you'd want to carry!

Ann

IMHO, that's one item on the boat that you would know how to HACK !