What is your ratio--greater than 1?
- Thread starter Kings Gambit
- Start date
Where do you put the driving time in this ratio? I know that driving to my boat has exceeded sailing time so far this season. So far, I'm sailing far less than normal, but due to extenuating circumstances.
We've been able to get out sailing a lot more than I expected in our first season and the weather has cooperated wonderfully. I'd estimate that my S/BMR is about 2.0, with 70 hours under sail. I do enjoy my time spent on boat maintenance, but not as much as I enjoy the time spent sailing. I also greatly enjoy the time spent at the marina, in the slip, having my breakfast & coffee in the cockpit, having drinks in the cockpit, making brownies in the galley, playing cards with the kids, etc.
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Even with the charters we are now doing, we still more work on the boat than sail. However, we go much longer periods of just sailing now.
Once you start sailing professionally, the first thing that you lose is the notion that there are weather windows. That adds a LOT more wear and tear on a boat, but the financial rewards also mean you can get more things done by professional service personnel. That leaves more time to sail and round it goes. I haven't prepped or painted our bottom in six years now, and I must say I don't miss it at all. Therefore, we spend 3 or 4 less days in dry dock each year too.
I don't make up my shrouds or stays (we have Norseman fittings) any more; the rigger can turn them out faster while we are spending that time on something I don't want (read 'trust' here) to outsource.
The chartering has been really good for getting us up off our asses and sailing more, though. A lot more (around a thousand extra miles this year)! It's actually nice to have somewhere to be at an appointed time, if we get to sail there.
Once you start sailing professionally, the first thing that you lose is the notion that there are weather windows. That adds a LOT more wear and tear on a boat, but the financial rewards also mean you can get more things done by professional service personnel. That leaves more time to sail and round it goes. I haven't prepped or painted our bottom in six years now, and I must say I don't miss it at all. Therefore, we spend 3 or 4 less days in dry dock each year too.
I don't make up my shrouds or stays (we have Norseman fittings) any more; the rigger can turn them out faster while we are spending that time on something I don't want (read 'trust' here) to outsource.
The chartering has been really good for getting us up off our asses and sailing more, though. A lot more (around a thousand extra miles this year)! It's actually nice to have somewhere to be at an appointed time, if we get to sail there.
I've thought about this before and used work hours while on the hard vs in the water boat time. I don't do much maintenance once the boat is in the water.
First season was probably 1:4.
This season will be closer to 6:1.
I'm shooting for 8:1.
I do have a boat with simple systems and most upgrades are done. The yard takes care of the OB over the winter. Hoping to get to the point of wash, wax, inspect, 1 or 2 small projects and launch.
First season was probably 1:4.
This season will be closer to 6:1.
I'm shooting for 8:1.
I do have a boat with simple systems and most upgrades are done. The yard takes care of the OB over the winter. Hoping to get to the point of wash, wax, inspect, 1 or 2 small projects and launch.
No need to get snippy about it. You asked an unanswerable question. No one sets a stopwatch every time they open their toolbox, nor every time they raise a sail.
Including nights spent at anchor would help, especially for anyone who keeps a log. If they cared enough, they might actually get close to obtaining one side of the equation.
We keep a departure log (for > 25 yr now) which also tells whether we are sailing or motoring (i.e., diesel engine hr log or notes). So, I do know approximately how much sailing we do. I keep maintenance notes, plus I know about how often I do certain tasks and how long it generally takes to complete them; others apparently do as well. So, it is estimable. The question is how much sailing, not how much one uses the boat for all purposes combined, relative to maintenance as a baseline. The latter could range from 0--never leave the dock but do wash the boat occasionally--to infinity, i.e., live on the boat and never fix anything except the Direct TV antenna. As it is, the range appears to be from zero to 10, or so.
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Your question is "What should it be?"
My answer is whatever works for you.
Perhaps true, but we get a lot of questions from newbies about the sailing/boating experience, etc., and what it all entails--generally. I don't think: "Whatever works for you" would qualify as an informative answer to offer in those cases.
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Math Question - I go to the boat and spend 8 hours at the boat completing a 4 hour project - I spend 4 of the 8 hours talking with other boat owners, is that at 4 BMR hours or 8 BMR hours? Oh yea before you answer, I told my wife it took 8 hours to complete the project -- much longer than expected....
OK HERE IS THE ANSWER FOR ALL TO CONSIDER
After ailing on OPBs (other peoples boats) for years I purchased my first 36 years ago. An older and wiser sailor in our club told me;
Every spring make a list of all the projects, sort by priority, split to 3 equal pages, THEN complete what is on the first page, throw the other two away AND GO SAILING!
After ailing on OPBs (other peoples boats) for years I purchased my first 36 years ago. An older and wiser sailor in our club told me;
Every spring make a list of all the projects, sort by priority, split to 3 equal pages, THEN complete what is on the first page, throw the other two away AND GO SAILING!
Well, it's good to be aware that there is a ratio. All that matters is that your personal ratio is acceptable to you. People seem to find happiness within a wide range of ratios. I've heard that there are people who build their own boat, spend twenty years trying to finish it, and die just before they're done. Or sail it on one trip and sell it.
My boat management is geared toward doing 99% of the work myself, and still having sailing and using time far exceed work time. It can be done.
My boat management is geared toward doing 99% of the work myself, and still having sailing and using time far exceed work time. It can be done.
On the other hand if the weather isn't good for sailing, or for some other reason you can't get out, a little maintenance gives one an opportunity to spend time with his/her beloved vessel.
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." ------------------- "The Wind in the Willows", by Kenneth Grahame
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." ------------------- "The Wind in the Willows", by Kenneth Grahame
I think it depends on the nature of the work.
- Splicing up new spring lines while drinking a beer and talking to a stranger in a strange harbor. Zero.
- Rinsing the boat off on a 100 degree day. 1/2.
- Working on the engine on the same day. 10x. If you were planning to go out, 20x.
- Pondering some future interesting project while anchored somewhere. -0.3x.
- Scraping anything 5x.
- Cleaning in general. 1x.
- Replacing a few bits an pieces while anchored somewhere nice. 0.3x.
- I'm not sure if good solid improvements that will increase the resale value of the boat count the same way. For example, my boat is 2' longer than it used to be, for only a small cost in materials.
- Motoring on a hot day. Zero.
- Light rain. +0.7
- Hard rain. +0.5
- Snow. +0.4 Depends on if I can see.
- Perfect. +1.0
- Perfect farther from home. +2.0
- Kayaking a marsh near the anchorage. +2.0
Great point!
Pleasure (P) hours = Sum of the below.
1) Sailing
2) Power cruising
3) Anchor (fresh air, sunshine, food/drink tastes better, wind in your hair, sunsets, companionship)
4) Socialize with other mariners in berth.
5) Singing sea ditties and telling stories of high sea adventures
6) Prideful showing your boat.
7) Racing, Navigating, honing skills
8) Becoming the Master of your boat.
Work (W) that is by sum of...
1) Routine maintenance
2) duh err uhhh ?
Here is the Math...
When you divide "P" by a very very small number "W"...
P/W ≈ INFINITE Pleasure = ∞
Jim...
I would say that I'm probably 75% of my time with the sails up, which is no where near enough. I don't get those who want to work on the boat rather than sail it. Maybe if your retired, but I bought the boat because I love to sail, not because I like working on things. I've got waaaaay to many things to work on. Time I spend working on the boat is time I'm not doing what I really want to do, which is sail it.
BTY: Mechanical aptitude is a curse.
BTY: Mechanical aptitude is a curse.
When you live on a sailboat, the ratio changes. It is a home, vacation spot, transportation, etc. my wife and I spent 12 years on our, now sold, Idylle 15.5. Virgin Islands to Trinidad, Venezuela, wi ward and leward islands at least 10 times, to the Bahamas from St. Croix and up the coast to Maine and back to Key West, Cuba, Isla Mujeres, Honduras, Guatemala, back to souther Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, puerto Rico, st. Croix, etc. 40,000 miles on that boat and about 10,000 on a prior boat. Always working while sailing, still about 1:2 I would think. Now with my one dollar Catalina 30 it is more like 1:100.