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Reality

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dflynnatc
1st Mate

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USA
65 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/26/2010 : 17:49:21

In Reality, how many times do you get your boat out of the dock to go "sailing". (I'm differentiating between just going to raft up or going to dine somewhere.

With heat, weather conditions, and conflicting schedules, crew availablity; reality isn't measuring up with expectations.

Newbie who his just curious.

df

Dennis Flynn
1979 C-25 SR/SK
Hull 1042
Rock Hall,MD
Via
Skippack, PA

Edited by - dflynnatc on 07/26/2010 17:50:20

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2010 : 18:04:33

Welcome to the club. Just never try to calculate the cost per use. You won't be real happy.

Edited by - on

Ed Cassidy
Captain

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USA
365 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2010 : 18:58:00

You should try that per hour cost calculation with 9.5 horses. Not 9.5 hp, 9.5 horses. Hay alone is a decent dock fee, then there's the big horse trailer and the vet bills............

That's why my boat is named 'His Horse'.

Edited by - on

bigelowp
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1778 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2010 : 19:23:52

It's an ugly calculation. The real measure is if when you are out you are having fun and relaxing. Cost of maintenance exhausting, value of ownership priceless!

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5379 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2010 : 21:06:37

I would argue that part of the fun of having a boat is working on it, setting things up the way you want them and making subtle and cool improvements to its operation, safety, ease of use or speed.

There's nothing more fun than going to the yard on that first warmish day in spring time to check on an item or system, and to see how things held up over the winter. Or peeling the tarps. Same holds true at the end of the season - how best to protect things - what parts to drain of water, fill with antifreeze, take home and put them in the garage and to clean out.

And some evening, after you've mowed & weedwhacked the lawn, worked on the car, had a bunch of in-laws in your hair or got your kids out of some kind of minor trouble, you can go to the boat and fool with one system or another. You might install a brass hook, or fix a flukey light or varnish a piece of brightwork.

Like they say about sailing, the trip IS the destination. I'd use the same analogy for maintenance and upkeep.

True - true, there are some jobs I'd rather not do: clean out the gunky slop from the bilge, scrape out the black stuff from inside the fuel locker, pick the weeds and rust out of the anchor locker or climb down into the quarterberth, busting my knuckles trying to tighten a tiny bolt holding something down in the transom.

But there's a sense of accomplishment in having an older boat that runs well and looks good. That you know will hold up and not let you down when the going gets rough.

And you get such a spurt of pride when a dock-mate or transient visitor comes along and tells you how good your boat looks. She's your baby, so its not just what the boat does for you, but what you do for her too that's important.

I don't know whether anybody else feels this way, but I don't think I'm the only guy on my dock really enjoying their boat even if they're not sailing the high seas.

And when you do get out for a full day, or several day's sail, you've got the confidence in your handiwork and you know what you wish you'd gotten around to doing. . . and what to look out for.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 07/26/2010 : 21:20:00

To me, there's considerable karmic value from just having the boat in a slip ready to go whenever I am. Since my slip is outside of my condo, I often take a magazine and a beer out to the cockpit in the early evening and watch the Ospreys crash into the water. Passage had to be in a nearby (2.5 miles) marina--not quite as handy, but she was still there, ready when I was--just a little lonelier.

Edited by - on

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2010 : 05:36:02

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Ed Cassidy
 You should try that per hour cost calculation with 9.5 horses. Not 9.5 hp, 9.5 horses. Hay alone is a decent dock fee, then there's the big horse trailer and the vet bills............

That's why my boat is named 'His Horse'.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

um... What's the half - does she own a pony too?

Edited by - on

PCP777
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1225 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2010 : 06:43:28

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dflynnatc
 In Reality, how many times do you get your boat out of the dock to go "sailing". (I'm differentiating between just going to raft up or going to dine somewhere.

With heat, weather conditions, and conflicting schedules, crew availablity; reality isn't measuring up with expectations.

Newbie who his just curious.

df
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Until my engine problem, 2 to 3 times a week but some of those sails are on my friend's C-27. We are only two boats away from each other in the marina. We race his on Wednesday's , mine on Saturdays (When we race on Saturday's) and we pick and choose cruising, his boat or mine.

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2010 : 06:56:28

2-3 times per week including a beautiful sail last night with my wife, niece and 87 year old mom.

There are times when there is no wind that we will just take dinner out to the boat, eat in the slip, lounge around and then go home. Time well spent in my opinion. There is something about boats and marinas that is just nice to be around.

Edited by - Nautiduck on 07/27/2010 06:59:41

jerlim
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1484 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2010 : 07:36:16

Bruce - well said!
We consider Whisper our water front home, and will often spend time aboard and not leave the slip. This string did cause me to do some math, and assuming a 6 month season, we might actually leave the dock 50 times...that amortizes to about $120 per day of sailing...

Edited by - on

PCP777
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1225 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2010 : 07:41:05

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by jerlim
 Bruce - well said!
We consider Whisper our water front home, and will often spend time aboard and not leave the slip. This string did cause me to do some math, and assuming a 6 month season, we might actually leave the dock 50 times...that amortizes to about $120 per day of sailing...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

^This^

We also spend about one night on a weekend aboard Stephanos. We use her like a summer cottage. We have a nice pool in the marina that we go to all the time and there's a nice restaurant and night club as well. We do a lot of night sailing and when we get done we just crash on the boat.

The other thing is that here in Texas we sail all year round. I know without a doubt that I'm getting my money's worth and I consider my buying my C-25 one of the best purchasing decisions I've ever made. I'm also pretty fortunate that my wife loves sailing almost as much as I do and that we have an extremely vibrant sailing community on our docks so even if she doesn't want to go out there's always someone who does.

Edited by - PCP777 on 07/27/2010 07:44:11

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2010 : 08:05:00

I think the key is to live close to where you sail. While Kaija is only an hour's drive from me, if the weather's questionable, that hour is sometimes enough to stop me from going only to realize later that the predicted bad weather never materialized. Frustrating. Next boat will be much closer to home.

I'm hoping for an evening sail tonight.

Edited by - on

PCP777
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1225 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2010 : 08:42:46

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by John Russell
 I think the key is to live close to where you sail. While Kaija is only an hour's drive from me, if the weather's questionable, that hour is sometimes enough to stop me from going only to realize later that the predicted bad weather never materialized. Frustrating. Next boat will be much closer to home.

I'm hoping for an evening sail tonight.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Good point, Stephanos is right in between home and work, less than 10 minutes away from either point.

Edited by - on

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4024 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2010 : 12:26:33

With us, Weekends are the only available time to go sail. We reserve weekends in the summer for the sailboat and decline all offers from friends to go to party's, barbecues etc. We usually go out Friday evenings until it gets dark and then Sat. and Sun. As you can see we use the boat. Since April 21 we have sailed 483 nautical miles which equals around 556 miles. Trying for 1000 NM. before the end of October when the boat gets pulled. About the only time we throw the hook is if the wind dies or there just isn't any at all like this past weekend. Then its food, Beverages and swimming on a noodle time!

Edited by - islander on 07/27/2010 13:44:03

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