I've posted a link entitled "Small Is Beautiful" by Larry Brown. It's kind of a long read, but once you get into it you'll identify with most of what Larry has to say about owning small trailerable boats. They say that "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence", and I think that this holds true when it comes to owning boats. I know that most of you guys are like me and you got into trailer-sailing for the fun that you can have with a boat that you can own, and not a boat that owns you. I also think that most trailer-sailors know that it isn't what you have that makes you happy, it's the fun that you have. So I encourage all sailors and future sailors to check out this site. It's a very great read.
Joe
http://www.quietboating.com/small.html
joe, thanks for the post and the link. it's spot on. not only that, it is indicative of just about everything 'american' these days: the bigger is better syndrom. or maybe it's a disease. it certainly isn't a phase. it just IS.
what really strikes home to me is that sailboating has a very real counterpart in motorcycling, and yes, we're motorcyclists and rvers (for 30 years), not 'bikers.' what i've seen over that period is exactly what is described in the quietboating story link above. it simply amazes me how many toy boys are so crazy about cubic inches (or cc's, whichever specs you want to use). the amount of riding time is inversely proportional to the amount of size bike you ride, or polish and look at, usually too tired to ride. back in the day, a 450cc twin, pick your brand, was used for cross country riding - two up! then came the 650 and 750, then 900, and now we're up to 2300cc! :-O same thing with rvs, both trailers and motorhomes.
we went up to the 1100cc vee fours for cruising and after getting sick and tired of pushing 5-600 pound behemoths around in the shop or trying to put it on the sidestand just right to keep it from falling over on 10 others just like it, and taking up space for just about anything else in the shop/garage, we've sold them off and just kept her old kawasaki 454 ltd. twin and my old yamaha xt600, plus a couple of hodakas for campground use with our rv - all small bikes. again, we've parked our 35 foot m/h and are using our beloved old 23' telstar class b+ motorhome instead. it's not so much about over the road expense either, the bikes get about the same mileage as the slick big bikes we got rid of. the smaller rv about the same as the much newer behemoth that we don't drive much anymore. insurance is about the same, but of course the larger machines have a few more amenities. the differences are in the usage: everything we have that's 'lesser' sized than the bigger stuff we have (or had) just gets used more. why? it's simple. no, really, that's exactly it - it's s-i-m-p-l-e...
we like simple. simple is good, simple is friendly. when we had the chance to buy a 25-30 foot sailboat a couple of years back, i took a good hard look at where we were. we had plenty of money, credit, space, etc. but we chose, again, simple. we bought a very well done (re: hard loaded) hunter 18.5 wing keeler on a great trailer with a long tongue extender for just about nothing. i know she's not a swing keel or dagger boarder, but she's, well, simple. since she's 'cute,' as our kids like to tell us, they're crazy about her. everyone wants to learn to sail on her. we are creating a whole new generation of sailers with this thing. we're also thinking of getting another one similar in size so even more folks we know will learn to sail with us. these things are only about $1000-2000, loaded and out the door. most are state tagged and licensed for the water. most come with everything you could ever need in one, maybe not want, but need. most 'need' some tlc that actually bonds you to the boat without costing you a relationship with either it or your spouse or kids. how is this possible? they're simple. they also have more character and, well, soul imho since they were built by craftsmen back in the heyday of trailor sailing: the 70's and 80's. since they were produced in major numbers, they're sorta like the old jap standard bikes, as they have plenty of power, easy to use and, well, they're simple. so the next time you hear of a buddy who wants to 'get into sailing' by getting a live aboard sized sailboat (or even power boat), give him the link posted above. buy him the simple boat books that are out there, or better yet, take him sailing on your little pocket yacht trailer-sailor.
you see, it's just that simple.
jack b
ps - i'm negotiating to buy a boat about 20 miles from me that's a 22' pop-top, loaded and even has new paint and the teak done on it for nearly nothing. how? the guy, who hasn't sailed in the last few years, had parked this one in his yard and quit sailing since he was yearning for a live-aboard unit. he's just bought a 30' unit 400 miles from home, in a marina slip ($125/mo.) for $7k ($250/mo.) and thinks he's going to sail more. ;-P i tried to talk him out of selling the little boat, but his wifing unit wants it out of his shop's driveway. the bigger boat has a beam of 9.5-10' and has no trailer. how do you see that playing out? i'll probably buy his 22 and keep it until he begs me to sell it back to him. of course i will, but he'll have to get rid of the bigger boat first! HA!
and ya'll will notice this is my first post, and i've been around a while. even before i joined. i think this subject is THE most important issue in sailing today.
