The History of Recreational Boating

[GordMay]

The History of Recreational Boating

“... The beginnings of ancient boating can be traced back to pre-history, however, at that time boats were primarily used for work. Using boats for pleasure — what we know as the recreational boating industry — didn’t develop until much later. When recreational boating began, it was a sport for kings and the socially elite. The industry has quite a history ...
... The earliest history of recreational boating begins with kings and royal regattas on the Thames River in the mid-1600s. Charles II of England is recognized by many as the world’s first yachtsman. Before he took the throne in 1660, he spent ten years in exile in Holland. When he returned home to take the throne, he was welcomed with a generous gift of a yacht and a crew. King Charles II spent time sailing on the Thames. You might say he was a serious recreational boater — many historians estimate he went on to build 20 yachts throughout his life ...”

More ➥ https://www.formulaboats.com/blog/history-of-boating/


“Dealers: Rising new boat prices are outpacing inflation” ~ by Reagan Haynes [Aug 13, 2019]
➥ https://www.tradeonlytoday.com/indus...cing-inflation


“The Inside Scoop on Boat Prices” ~ by Richard Meeks (a broker with Windworks Sailing Center in Seattle)
➥ https://www.kp44.org/inside_scoop_on_boat_prices.php


85 years of boating history
It was 85 years ago this month [June 12, 2014] that ‘Boating Business’ was launched as “The Trade Journal of Boats and Motors.” The forerunner of Boating Industry was the first trade magazine for those in the industry — “the men whose bread and butter depend on their ability to sell boats and motors,” publisher James W. Peaslee wrote at the time.
➥ https://boatingindustry.com/top-stor...ating-history/


The 10 Biggest & Most Expensive Yachts
2021 Update ➥ https://www.atlasmarinesystems.com/m...ensive-yachts/


For perspective:

Comparison Of Prices Over 90 Years
“Since 2008 to 2020 each year we have created our own Inflation basket which includes a mix of 30 + items including food, goods and services, one of the many things it shows is inflation as measured by basic food and just 1 gallon of gas is vastly different compared with any government produced figures.
Some of the above can be explained due to the inflation over 80 years , but there are also many other reasons why some prices increased dramatically ( Housing Bubbles. Middle East Wars, Weather problems causing food price inflation, Population explosion, ) it also can work the other way due to improvements in technology offering much cheaper goods for example TV's, Calculators, Computers ETC.”
➥ https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/70y...icechange.html

Kitchen Appliances history of changes over 70 years
➥ https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/appliances.html

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by GordMay

... The earliest history of recreational boating begins with kings and royal regattas on the Thames River in the mid-1600s. Charles II of England is recognized by many as the world’s first yachtsman. Before he took the throne in 1660, he spent ten years in exile in Holland. When he returned home to take the throne, he was welcomed with a generous gift of a yacht and a crew. King Charles II spent time sailing on the Thames. You might say he was a serious recreational boater — many historians estimate he went on to build 20 yachts throughout his life ...”[/I]

Wouldn't Cleopatra's pleasure barge pre-date Charles II? And I don't think she was the first to have a pleasure barge.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Wouldn't Cleopatra's pleasure barge pre-date Charles II? And I don't think she was the first to have a pleasure barge.

Good point!

“CRUISING SAILBOAT EVOLUTION: Cleopatra’s Barge” ~ by Charles Doane
➥ https://wavetrain.net/2011/06/05/cru...opatras-barge/

“The Nile Cruise of Cleopatra and Caesar” ~ by TW Hillard
➥ https://www.jstor.org/stable/3556418

[Alan Mighty]

Put me down as another person who regards the Formula Boats essay on the "history of recreational boating" as just another exercise of ethnocentric and self-serving nonsense.

In East Asia, the tradition of competitive races between villages of their 龙船 [dragon boats, paddled by anything up to 20-odd paddlers] has been going on for at least 2,000 (two thousand) years and perhaps 2,500 years. I think the documentation of 2,000 years of dragon boat racing in China is fairly well established.

In Malayo-Polynesian societies, written documentation before contact with Europeans is missing. Having cruised the Malayo-Polynesia region - stretching from Taiwan through the so-called Maritime Continent of SE Asia to New Guinea and almost all the way across the Pacific, I find any suggestion that the commonplace activity of racing paddled canoes is something new to be laughable. Same with the suggestion that any Malayo-Polynesian people had to get white pfellas from an industrialised economy to teach them to sail competitively. After all, these people crossed seas and most of the biggest ocean on the planet long before most everyone else. And had fun doing it.

The notion that sailing or boating is either for work or for recreation is just another construct in the heads of people in industrial economies. That's for people who have been totally domesticated by a dictatorial political economy. Everyone else enjoys being alive and gets enjoyment from the activities of life.

The drudgery of wage slaves is a recent invention. You know who is to blame.

Most any cruiser in less industrialised economies sees children sailing and paddling for fun and young adults racing in sail or paddled boats for fun as part of their lives.

For that matter ever seen one boat (under sail, paddle, or oar) pass another of similar type/design/size without the two crews looking competitively at sail trim, or paddle or oar cadence? And smile and laugh doing it?

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

Put me down as another person who regards the Formula Boats essay on the "history of recreational boating" as just another exercise of ethnocentric and self-serving nonsense.

......

Poorly researched and thought out...sure... but I seriously doubt there was any intent at oppression.

One question would be for the purposes of the article how are they defining "recreational boating".
- What if the boat is primarily for work but gets used at other times for recreation...ie: a shrimper takes the shrimp boat out to watch 4th of July fireworks with some friends? He is recreating on a boat but likely would never have considered buying it if it wasn't for the commercial use. Most of the Polynesian examples would fall under this category.
- Or must the boat be primarily built and operated for pleasure? Of course Charles and Cleopatra used their boats as practical and fast transport (for the time and location), so does that disqualify them?
- Dragon boats were originally war canoes. Then morphed into a religious rite...it's really in modern times that it morphed into just something fun to do on the water and the military and religious aspects have moved to the background.

In the modern sense, recreational boats are not intended for commercial or practical purposes (you may be able to get from A to B but other means are far more practical).

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

Put me down as another person who regards the Formula Boats essay on the "history of recreational boating" as just another exercise of ethnocentric and self-serving nonsense.

In East Asia, the tradition of competitive races between villages of their 龙船 [dragon boats, paddled by anything up to 20-odd paddlers] has been going on for at least 2,000 (two thousand) years and perhaps 2,500 years. I think the documentation of 2,000 years of dragon boat racing in China is fairly well established.

In Malayo-Polynesian societies, written documentation before contact with Europeans is missing. Having cruised the Malayo-Polynesia region - stretching from Taiwan through the so-called Maritime Continent of SE Asia to New Guinea and almost all the way across the Pacific, I find any suggestion that the commonplace activity of racing paddled canoes is something new to be laughable. Same with the suggestion that any Malayo-Polynesian people had to get white pfellas from an industrialised economy to teach them to sail competitively. After all, these people crossed seas and most of the biggest ocean on the planet long before most everyone else. And had fun doing it.

The notion that sailing or boating is either for work or for recreation is just another construct in the heads of people in industrial economies. That's for people who have been totally domesticated by a dictatorial political economy. Everyone else enjoys being alive and gets enjoyment from the activities of life.

The drudgery of wage slaves is a recent invention. You know who is to blame.

Most any cruiser in less industrialised economies sees children sailing and paddling for fun and young adults racing in sail or paddled boats for fun as part of their lives.

For that matter ever seen one boat (under sail, paddle, or oar) pass another of similar type/design/size without the two crews looking competitively at sail trim, or paddle or oar cadence? And smile and laugh doing it?

I disagree , historically in less industrialised times children worked from a young age , and had very little “‘play time”

Children’s play time is a relatively modern invention

In many economies , sailing boats were adult tools reserved for family income and food. Don’t mess with fathers tools kids.

If you look at the islanders around me you don’t see much evidence of kids playing in boats until modern times when dinghies appeared.

Yachting began as a sport of the rich not the poor

[dfelsent]

But there is recreational boating that is not yachting. Not the same thing at all.
I see local lobster men with their friends and families out on the weekends all the time.
And don’t under estimate the time spent in play by all ages in all cultures.