Marina's seem to hate sailboats

Dec 7, 2012
515
Kittiwake 23, Irwin 43 .. Indianapolis / indianatown, fl
hello all

I have a 1967 Kittiwake 23 that I trailer sail... our local lake here has 2 mast cranes set away from the ramps.... I use one to raise or lower the mast... it takes me 30 minutes to do the standing rigging and make sure the running rigging is not fouled up or twisted... then I launch my boat and walk it around the pier to the back side and then I rig the sails and make sure everything is inspected and ready to go... then all my passengers or crew are assigned their positions and we spend the day sailing.... when stowing the mast, it takes me a little longer (45 min) to get it set for the trip home... I am picky about how everything is stowed on the boat for traveling.... our lake has a motor restriction on it... no motor over 9.9 hp is allowed on the lake... my motor mounts inside my sailboat in a motor well, so no one sees it....

I always get many of the fisherman over looking at my boat and sometimes some of the power boaters too... when I launch or recover my sailboat with the trailer, it takes about 5 minutes then I pull the trailer out and go park it...

sincerely
Jess
 
Sep 15, 2009
6,243
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
i had a friend ( he is long departed to the waters in the sky now) one time that was a glasstron/mercury boat dealer...... he used to describe the sail boaters as white sock wearing..pipe smoking ...snoot sniffers....i guess he had had some not so positive dealings with some at one point ...but the point of this is sailors are a frugal lot ...and with that comes from the dark side this attitude.... but i have found if you don't mix it up with the dark side you don't get called a snoot sniffer...and if i do i just look at them like they are about to grow an extra head...so its better not to sweat the small stuff and pick your battles wisely
 

Johnb

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Jan 22, 2008
1,419
Hunter 37-cutter Richmond CA
And what about the advice that you should allow the wheel bearings to cool before you dunk them so you don't suck water in?

I found bearing buddies were my friends.
 
Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Sailboat racists!!

I'd sneak in in the middle of the night and slather their ramp with axle grease, then just show up in the morning with a video camera. :laugh:
 
Jul 17, 2014
112
Hunter 23.5 Chesapeake Bay
The quickest boat launch we ever saw was in Chesapeake City, MD. I think the boat occupant may have lost a tooth or two and surely hit his ribs while flopping about. They both pushed the boat deeper in the water then jumped aboard and oared around the bend. I don't think it took more than a minute total.
:laugh::laugh::laugh: In Chesapeake City those guys would be Mensa material!
 
Dec 23, 2008
771
Catalina 22 Central Penna.
Money

As someone else said “its all about the money”. Think of how much money you spend at the marina with a sailboat and then visualize how much money you would spent if you had a power boat; fuel, food, beverage and engine repair. I would say 14 out of 15 sailboaters spend 0 dollars during a full day on the water. No marina anywhere likes sailboaters.
 
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Feb 26, 2011
1,428
Achilles SD-130 Alameda, CA
I'm one that takes forever. I've gotten my setup time down to three hours. I would NEVER set up where I would block traffic. If no out-of-the-way place were available I just wouldn't try it there. So maybe I'm one of the considerate few.


As someone who launches his workboat at a public ramp every day, I have seen it all. And most of it pisses me off.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Forgiveness is easier than permission to obtain.

Learn to step your mast on the water, show up and launch. You are technically a power boat until you turn off the motor and raise the mast. If you do it well, no one will every trouble you with it. If you f-it up... you may be asked to go someplace else.

C'est la vie
 

kito

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Sep 13, 2012
2,011
1979 Hunter Cherubini 30 Clemmons


As someone who launches his workboat at a public ramp every day, I have seen it all. And most of it pisses me off.
What pisses me off is when these PWC riders tie their water scooters to the dock at the ramp and block boats from launching. They're inside taking a dump, eating......just taking their gay ol' time. I hate them little bastages anyway :)
 
Jun 8, 2004
350
Macgregor 21 Clinton, NJ
I've seen that done too! Laughed my head off(referring to ALLUGET)! Seriously, My V21 takes more than two hours to prepare from trailer to ramp. While I tend to be 'chatty' if a passerby asks a question, This is actual work time. I keep the stays in place while trailering but then add baby stays, 4:1 block that doubles as a vang under sail, and a homeade gin pole, all of which take time to attach and double check for safety. Bending the sails on and checking running rigging after prevoius items are removed(also time consuming) takes as long as the actual stepping of the mast. I am not so nimble any longer and even with the occasional help from my son we still have to proceed very carefully at the point where we both must climb on to the cabin top while the admiral holds the belaying line with the vang/block. We NEVER back into the ramp unless all our gear is already aboard and only life vests and parking the trailer are left to do.
Recovering the boat is an adventure unless the ramp does not have a heavy cross wind or tide, as I must wade in chest-height at times to position the boat properly. Even this is done as efficiently as possible at the ramp.
 

WayneH

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Jan 22, 2008
1,039
Tartan 37 287 Pensacola, FL
We always rigged away from the ramp

We had the sidestays and backstay rigged all the time and only had to raise the mast and attach the forestay. Then we would pull the boom out of the cabin and attach the topping lift. We left the mainsail on the boom under the sailcover and just had to insert the sail slugs into the mainsail track, hank on the jib and attached the jib sheets and we were ready to launch and sail. Time for rigging was 1 1/2 hours without socializing. :D

Retrieving, for us, was easy. The previous owner set up the trailer with goal posts and keel guides. So once the boat was pointed at the trailer and lined up loosely with the trailer, the goal posts centered the boat and the keel guide finished the job. There was about an inch of clearance on each side of the keel so the boat was loaded correctly every time. Pull her out of the water and to the place where we rigged up and derig her. Derigging always takes way longer because you're tired and you really didn't want the day to end.

I've attached photos of the boat on her trailer and the stern view really shows how tight the goal posts and keel guides hold the boat. This is her "ready to go from Houston to Pensacola" setup.
 

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walt

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Jun 1, 2007
3,511
Macgregor 26S Hobie TI Ridgway Colorado
These old Mac classics (larger boat in the picture background) are normally pretty fast to set up but my boat used to live in the spot in the attached picture. This is about 1 mile from a launch ramp in a fairly isolated area and I used to just drop the mast into the crutch with the main sail still attached but the boom disconnected, drive to the lake at about 15 mph (almost would never see another car), raise the mast, attach the boom. The jib was in a bag already on the bow and I would just have to attach the hank ons. It used to take me seven minutes to rig the boat (26 foot) and be ready to launch.

By the way, I wonder if it would be possible to channel all the sailboat bad feelings to the jet ski folks - who are the one who REALLY deserve the bad feelings..
 

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Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
Walt,
Up here lately, the jet skis have been replaced by the party barges, an order of magnitude lower on the evolutionary scale in the driver department.
 

walt

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Jun 1, 2007
3,511
Macgregor 26S Hobie TI Ridgway Colorado
At the other end.. the old guys in fishing boats are usually the nicest folks at the ramps..
 
May 16, 2011
555
Macgregor V-25 Charlton, MA- Trailer
I pull into the lot and rig in a parking space. Usually the one where my trailer will end up once the boat is in the water. It takes me less than 1/2 hour to get the mast up, boom on, fuel line attached and sails on. I leave all my rigging attached except the fore and aft stay. They are attached once the mast is raised. The actual launch takes a minute. No more than a power boater. I can't see how that would offend anybody.

The thing that P^*%*%^$ me off is when I am waiting to pull the boat out. Usually fighting a side wind, keel up trying to hold position and a power boater cuts right in front of me and pulls in. Then they leave their boat at the end of the float instead of pulling it closer to the ramp not allowing anyone else to pull up. Then they floor it to push it on the trailer leaving giant crater under the water at the end of the ramp. I launch deep and have dropped into these a few times. In general we have as much right as anyone else at the ramp.
 
May 16, 2011
555
Macgregor V-25 Charlton, MA- Trailer
Here is my honey ready for the road. I use the band and ball type tie downs for the rigging. Windex and antenna come off most times before the road but not always.
 

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Feb 6, 1998
11,665
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME


As someone who launches his workboat at a public ramp every day, I have seen it all. And most of it pisses me off.
I often do the same with my work boat and it is quite often the sailors that hog the ramp the most, but not always...

Two weeks ago I waited while a guy launched his O'day Mariner then paddled it over to the dock, tied it up and then proceeded to stop and talk with someone. All the while his truck and trailer were still HOGGING the launch ramp with THREE boats waiting. A commercial clammer, with less Patience than I, finally went over and tore the guy a new one and used some choice expletives that could be heard for perhaps a half mile. It felt good even though it was not me doing it..........

We have far too many oblivious, entitled & ignorant knuckle draggers these days who only care about "I", "ME","MY".........:cussing:

Yesterday morning it was a "soccer mom" in her black Suburban who stopped in the middle of the road to let her four spawn off at soccer camp.:doh: It took them about 4 minutes to de-plane, grab all their gear & one by one come by mommies window to kiss her goodby... All the while there were at least 20 cars behind her on a busy commuter road.... Oh and the parking lot for pick up and drop off was 20' away and off the busy road....:cussing:

Sadly oblivious, entitled
, selfish & ignorant is what we have become as a country.... Very frustrating....:neutral:
 

kito

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Sep 13, 2012
2,011
1979 Hunter Cherubini 30 Clemmons
Hey MS. I have the same issue with school buses now days. I remember walking 5 blocks through 2 foot of snow to get to my bus stop :) Anymore, it's front door pick for each kid. The bus stops, picks up a kid.....drives a half a block....picks up another and so on. God forbid to get behind one of them if you are running late for work. I live in a housing development and there is only one bus stop. The longest walk for any kid would be a block and a half. The bus stop corner is usually blocked by parents driving their kid to the stop and either dropping them off or waiting in their car. God forbid they actually stand outside with the other kids and mingle.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Hey MS. I have the same issue with school buses now days. I remember walking 5 blocks through 2 foot of snow to get to my bus stop :) Anymore, it's front door pick for each kid. The bus stops, picks up a kid.....drives a half a block....picks up another and so on. God forbid to get behind one of them if you are running late for work. I live in a housing development and there is only one bus stop. The longest walk for any kid would be a block and a half. The bus stop corner is usually blocked by parents driving their kid to the stop and either dropping them off or waiting in their car. God forbid they actually stand outside with the other kids and mingle.

Year here too but the reason is the damn LAWYERS and our F-ed up TORT LAW. Some kid got abducted between the bus stop and home... parents sued the school... won (go figure) and now our school system has a policy of door-to-door. The kids hate it too because the bus ride is now ridiculously long. I have four kids so I've dealt with the bus frustration for a long time. One year, we could actually sleep in an extra 90 minutes if we drove our kid to school (20 miles the opposite direction from work).