Why don't people use their boats?

[shadow]

I've asked the same question all the time and lived all over the world and seeing tons of marinas, I would see tons of gorgeous boats almost never used or the only people really enjoying the boats are the people that are tasked to clean it every weekend.. Always thought is was a crying shame!!

[RainDog]

Over the years three of these boats have got me curious enough to investigate.

The first was a 10 year old Pacific Seacraft 34. That is a pretty expensive boat to leave rotting in a marina. To make it even stranger it was on Lake Travis in Texas. In this case the owner was a rich woman who 10 years ago had a boyfriend who loved sailing. She bought a brand new Pacific Seacraft from the factory and they spend a summer sailing it on the lake. They broke up and since then she has no interest in sailing, and not interest in selling the boat. She pays the marina a few thousand every couple of years to do the necessary maintenance. This is how it had been for 10 years (that was 5 years ago, have not checked on it since).

The other two cases were both situations where someone had bought the boat planning on fixing it up to go cruising. In both cases retired people. In both cases they lived on it for a while in the Marina then got sick and left the state for wherever home was. They never recovered enough to get back to the boat, but never sold it either.

[WeekendSailor]

Why don’t people use their boats more; I use to wonder about this also before I purchased our sailboat, for me it is an appreciation for quality time vs. quantity.
I used to dream about how nice it would be to have a sailboat to enjoy day-sailing on weekends and cruising to interesting ports on vacations. Over time, I developed competing personal preferences that became priorities such as: my family and developing my business. My interests have expanded beyond my initial love and desire for peaceful times on the water but I am not ready to let go of that original dream. When I have time to sail, I want to go out on the boat that I rigged just like I want it; with all the sailing gear, navigational equipment and creature comforts I enjoy. With my wife and dog aboard, we like to reflect on the times we have spent sailing with our children and grandchildren over the years and those sailing adventures to come.
Another question you might consider asking is way pay to park a boat 18 months a year; 12 months at a good marina slip and an additional 6 months on the hard at a boatyard.
Sailors who love their boats and enjoy the water know why it makes good sense to do so; I assure you it is not a foolish waste of money.
If anyone would like to rent a cold slip in for six months a year I have a great slip available from November to May.
Best regards,
Weekend Sailor

[lonesoldier0408]

I'm a newby to sailing yet I must admit, I find the idea of sailing my WindRider 16 Trimaran more appealing than the repairs and efforts associated with my 21' Southwind Luger...

[decktapper]

Originally Posted by RainDog

Having a boat is like having a gym membership. Even if you never go, you still want to think of yourself as the kind of person who goes to the gym/sailboat. That keeps you paying the fee despite all logic.

Very astute comment RainDog. There is some wisdom in most or all of what has been posted on this thread. My wife and I had a 36 foot boat and it was great for how we used it. We had one person who sailed with us many times who was an excellent example of what you said above. She " loved to sail" but what she really enjoyed was to sail for a while under easy conditions, and pull into a marina or club and have a meal or drink and be seen as a sailor. But we didn't sail when we were working out of state and trying to sell the boat, and we now have a sailing dinghy which will cost as much to fix as we paid for it, and have decided to wait to fix it until we can use it.

A related question is what does it take to get your boat out on a regular basis?
My wife and I did our own delivery, and had to develop some minimal competence just to survive the delivery, So if we say
1. at least a minimum level of confidence
2 if possible always leave the boat ready to depart and if not possible, the next day get the boat ready to depart. Many days we were able to go out for a few hours because of this. This is small but we always had plenty of drinks, fuel, and water onboard. A half hour extra preparation will kill a day trip opportunity.
3 We decided one toy at a time, no 4 wheelers, no travel trailers, while we have sailboat we will be boaters. This was important to us because if we had one more big hobby we would have more work and therefore less than half the time to spend on each hobby.
4. We loved taking non sailing friends sailing, it was a blast.
5. We overlooked poor weather. We went out sailing in stormy weather to learn to better handle the boat, we went out when the wind was light and fished. We went out when it was cold, and when it was hot.

To those of you who discussed size, 36 was small enough for us to enjoy a three hour trip and large enough for two of us for a couple of weeks in comfort.
Merry Christmas to all of you, and here is to all of you being in the 5% who use and enjoy your boat in the new year.

[OldFrog75]

Originally Posted by jeepbluetj

Indeed. But those 1000 boats were all under sail-it was late afternoon. (MDR main channel is mostly DDW in and a beat out. And quite wide.)

the racers didn't mind. . Those that took their boat out 1 or 2 times a year were totally freaked by a boat sailing the "wrong" way. It was great fun. Heck, I've sailed a Catalina 36 out when there was much less traffic.

those that know MDR will also understand the fenders comment.

Back to the originally scheduled thread. ...

Ahhh. Thanks for the clarification. Didn't pick up on the fact that it was race day and therefore more challenging if you're beating out while everyone else is running in. I misread and thought everyone was motoring out while you were sailing out...

[HappyMdRSailor]

Because some people love their boats and can't bear to part with them.... Even if it makes practical, logistical...or financial sense!

Logic sometimes goes out the window...

Being able to step on board... Toss off the lines... And go.... Is priceless...

[montenido]

Hi everyone, great thread. I recently spent about 1 1/2 years working on my boat, getting ready to cruise to Mexico, where it currently lies. During that time I did not use it regularly, but I was onboard at least several days a week. When I did go out, I was sometimes the only boat moving in my marina (Channel Islands Harbor). Some of my dock mates used to rib me when they saw that my boat was out, but I simply had a lot of work to do before my departure date.
For me, and I know this probably sounds weird, just being on the boat was heaven. It really didn't matter if I was slaving away in tight spaces, getting fiberglass dust all over me, or sailing, I was on my boat. I am much happier to now be using my boat, as opposed to mainly working on it. However, she now lies in La Paz, BCS, and awaits my arrival, while sitting in a marina. I will be there soon and often.

Cheers and happy holidays,

Bill

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Bayside Bert28

I believe a primary reason my boat is used so much is that I have gone out of my way to equip the boat with some of the same conveniences of home. It's a comfortable, fresh smelling, lovely teak environment with internet, print/scan capabilities, Direct TV, a gourmet galley, SubZero refrigeration/freezers etc. It's just a nice place to be. I love the Galley Up configuration and the 17' beam of the boat. The dishwasher, laundry and water maker all add to the positive experience. Want to take an hour long hot shower? Go for it!

The Big Buddy is a nice place to be whether sitting at the slip or anchored in a lovely cove.

Hahaha. I hope you are joking but fear you are not.

To each his own but for many, the idea is to actually sail/pilot the boat, particularly by yourself. You seem to have left that part out of your post. You are describing what is certain to become a dockominium queen when you want to shut that f***&&**g generator off but then you'll lose the AC. Decisions, decisions.

No offense intended Bert: It's yer dough.

The reasons people don't use their boats have been covered early in the thread. There have been many insightful comments. My own take is that the more trouble it is to get underway, the less you use the boat. BIB works better for anchors than boats.

I am staying in a marina for the winter, or at least the next week. Down a boat or two is a Bristol 40. More swan-like than an actual Swan but starting to look a tad ragged on the edges; a dream boat nonetheless. A real crying shame. The owner is an old phart like many of us on CF but the boat is not for sale.

Hey S/V Faith: I liked yer comment about posting from the laundromat in Marsh Harbor. BTDT! That is living the dream. Dunno if yer on the Ariel but that's 26' of real boat without the unnecessary "luxury" stuff.

[zeehag]

having lived aboard in mdr, i can safely tell you that in marina del rey the thing is not to USE the boat , but to HAVE a boat is the satisfaction they seek. is yuppyville.

[SunDevil]

I also have seen this happening at MDR and other places. I visited there on a very nice day about years ago on a Saturday, and I only saw 4 boats go out in in about an hour.

Originally Posted by OnTour

Everyone is at work trying to pay for their boats and marina slips.

I worry that this is the real reason. Plus, there seems to be little financial security anymore. I don't know what will happen 5 years from now, let alone 50. And taking off 5-10 years in your 30s-40s sounds great, but what impact will it have on your life when you are older...And does it matter? There are a lot of questions. That said, the whole point of getting away from pensions and having to work someplace non-stop for 20-30 years to get a pension, is supposed to be this ability to be more flexible.

Having the ability to have a few weeks off for a vacation, or the ability to live without a schedule for a while is also an issue. When I talk to the guys at work, we all say that we would rather have the month long European vacations in the Summers when we are younger, than to retire a year or two earlier when we are in our late 60s.

Then again, just being close enough to take a boat out every week or two and having the time from all the other things to do is the other problem.

Originally Posted by laika

I often feel like I'd see a lot more young people out there if they didn't think they needed a 40+ footer to make it work.

There is a little more to it than that, even though the type of boat and the size does matter a little bit. As a single guy, I don't know what the relationship outcome would be if I switch to being a nomadic liveaboard. It would be much more interesting than my lifestyle right now, but it would also be a little harder. And are other friends and family going to be supportive? What about security and the ability to get off the boat? Just leaving behind possessions on the boat and going away for a few hours would be tough at first (and maybe everytime). I would also worry about breaking some local ordinance about not anchoring someplace or not paying a random fee.

[Blue Crab]

Wow. That was something to read.

Guess my one question is what if ya struggle along for 20, 30, or40 years and it doesn't work out for ya?


Worst case, you're 60 with no nothin.


Take a shot man.


Caveat being: listening to my advice can be hazardous to yer health.

[laika]

There is a little more to it than that, even though the type of boat and the size does matter a little bit. As a single guy, I don't know what the relationship outcome would be if I switch to being a nomadic liveaboard. It would be much more interesting than my lifestyle right now, but it would also be a little harder. And are other friends and family going to be supportive? What about security and the ability to get off the boat?

As a single 30yo I definitely empathize with a lot of this. To me though, the ability to cruise seems to hinge on two closely related items..a) time and b) the degree of financial overhead you have to stare up at.

I bought a very nice small boat for $30k and will prob have put another $20k in on the refit when all is said and done Looking back, I couldve afforded a bigger boat, but feel I would now be looking at higher hurdles for little in return. I had the pleasure of living and cruising on a larger boat with some good friends in the past, but when I went to buy my own, I knew what I was looking for (or getting into). I'm still young and the spartan luxury of standing headroom and the basic pleasure of just owning a nice small liveable boat are more than enough for me right now. For me (and I suspect most other young people), keeping the overhead low seems absolutely vital to the sustainability of the pursuit.

That said, I amaze myself at how ready I am to spend the money I never used to make. The urge to buy expensive scotch, craft beer and unnecessary boat trinkets relates directly to my paycheck. At the same time, the bar for saving money is also a moving target, and my perceived safety net at times exhibits a cancerous growth rate. "The gap between more and enough never closes."

Regarding relationships and the nomadic lifestyle, having been happily committed in the past I feel blessed to be in a position now where the path is pretty clear. When it happens it will damn sure be one who shares the same dreams and aspirations I do. Certainly, the family would love for me to find someone and settle down, but they also understand and respect what I want. In other words, they think I'm a bit crazy, and we're all alright with it

[Alenka]

A year or so ago I was offered a one year old 45 footer at a very attractive price. In the 12 months of ownership they hadn't even moved or unwrapped the welcome packages that had been placed in every cabin. Apart from the weed growing on the bottom it was if you had just stepped onto a brand new boat.

I learned the boat was a cash purchase by a banker with his bonus… It was a toy to show off with nothing more.

I could be wrong but I suspect, looking how new boat sales have slumped, there are less and less such purchases. Which I hope in the long run will be much better for those of us who buy boats to sail.

The marina I have just moved out of kept hiking up prices regardless knowing there was always demand. In fact it got to the point when sailors complained about anything they were told to find a new berth elsewhere. This year was the first year they had empty berths!

[bletso]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Cos they're too big.

Ok - we're also looking for a proper cruising boat (25 to 30 ft), but in the meantime we're on season #8 with a trailerable micro-cruiser, and still lovin' it. Sailing this boat is a breeze and costs for maintenance and operating are laughably tiny. With the trailer, we get to places in a day that would take weeks by water... or are inaccessible otherwise. The small cabin is tolerable for a long weekend of cruising... longer if we can hit a marina every three or four days.

A small boat really is a sweet-spot in the costs-vs-fun graph. More people should try it as their first boat, unless they're 110% sure a large boat is necessary.

SO TRUE. I must admit we did more on our 25 Catalina than on the Globe 38.

We trailed her to FL, sailed Key Largo to Bimini, trailed her to river, up and down. A smaller boat was fun, the bigger boat is well beautiful, but getting underway could be more an ordeal than an adventure.

But the biggest thing in non-use I think is life. Work, family obligations, health, and did I say work, and the pursuit of money, some of which gets poured in the drink just keeping her afloat. None of likes to admit we may have erred in obtaining such a beautiful asset.

Whilst we are young there are the kids and then you just get lazy and in a groove from which few people can get out of.

I have had both. There are advantages and dis-advantages to the both. I like the hands on it takes to maintain a larger boat, but even that can at times become over-powering, particularly when the boat is a long way from ones base.