I'm not sure how far off the original thread this is, but it seems the thread has wandered hither and yonder quite a bit.
I think part of the difference we see in the states is the lack of youth participation in the sailing pursuit, the fleets and yacht clubs I see out on the
water these days is definitely sporting a graying population, with a much smaller portion of younger sailors getting into it. By younger I mean
family aged sailors 25 to 45 year old age bracket, fewer still in the 20 to 30 year old range. Those in that age range who do get into
boating seem to be going towards
power boats. Don't know if it's lack of experience, lack of time or lack of interest or lack of funds.
This aging majority of sail enthusiasts would definitely have an effect on the types of boats preferred on this side of the pond. Over the years I've seen a huge difference in the ratio of
power to sail boats in the
marinas as well as the local yacht clubs, again with an aging
membership. This has also affected the
racing programs of most of the yacht clubs in this part of the country as we see less and less participation. The yacht club I belonged to for years had one of the largest
racing fleets in the area and was able to put on quite a racing program, now their lucky of they have 5-7 boats out on any given
race night, it's becoming more of a social club and has to so they can remain viable.
If the majority of sailboat buyers are in the same baby boom age group, it only goes to reason that their tastes in boats would not change much from the ones that attracted them 30-40 years ago. Whereas a younger sailor might have a different taste in design and be open to more modern styling cues.
Personally I like some of the modern designs I've seen coming along recently but I'm still not
sold on the extremely angular and sparse interiors, many of those are really a way to reduce cost while giving the boat an open look and make them feel bigger than they are, more of a sales brochure feature. I do like the
hull and
deck layouts that are clean and crisp while being functional. I'm not a fan of the Old
English Pub style of
interior either, too dark and dismal for me, something in between with a balanced mix of warm
wood tones and light surfaces with plenty of natural light to produce a warm space with plenty of light. Did I mention functionality both at sea and at
anchor?
Does the European
boating population have the same demographic shift in the sailing population we're seeing here in the states? I'd appreciate feedback from any of our friends on the other side of the pond.
Hows that? Did I ramble enough in this one?