How long do you plan to keep your present boat?

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CalebD

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Jun 27, 2006
1,479
Tartan 27' 1967 Nyack, NY
My oldest boats I have owned the longest

My oldest boats I have owned the longest. My first boat was inherited from a friend who moved down to VA from NY. It was a 1950s era fiberglass 14' daysailor that was beamy and slow and tender in a blow. The mast has no stays and instead is keel stepped through the deck. We call it a Viking because that is what is emblazoned on the faded pool blue foredeck. We used to sail in the Sound in high school and made fun of the older guys with the bigger boats but could never keep up with them to check out their boat babes. I still own this boat and need to replace the 15 year old trailer. I keep this boat on the south fork of LI at my sisters house. About 5 years ago 2 friends approached me about buying a bigger boat together. One of the friends inspected the old 1967 Tartan 27 and we bought it. The PO was a really great guy and gave me a days lesson at the dock on engine maintenance and the rigging for the price of lunch. This boat costs the most to keep but I still have her and one of the original partners. This boat is also more fun and more worries as it has so many systems to maintain. Last summer my other sister (sister B) convinced me to buy a sailboat that I could take my nephew sailing on and keep on her property (not to be outdone by sister A). A 19' Lightning fell into my lap for $1K with trailer and I now own 3 boats (technically I own 2 and 1/2 and a hard dink - forgot about that one - as one boat is owned by a partnership of 2). Not to sound too much like Letterman, I cant seem to get rid of the boats I do own, or find enough time to use all of them enough. I am not looking for a new or bigger or more complicated boat and I am not in any hurry to rid myself of any of these vessels or the responsibilities associated with them. The smaller boats are so much less demanding except for their trailers. If I looked at boat length cumulatively I have a 14' + 19' + 27' = 50' boat which is way more boat than I should be able to afford!
 
Jun 4, 2004
844
Hunter 28.5 Tolchester, MD
Next Boat

Five years with a 25 footer, and then a new 28.5 in 1986. Still with her 20 years later and thankfull thru the ups and downs of the economy never had to sell out nor moved up with a higher monthly payment. She's big enough in bad weather; small enough we don't need or want additional crew but can take friends and/or family along for a weekend. I measure larger boats by the performance against the 28.5 and haven't been able to justify a move up in size or expense for the amount of time we use the boat. Maybe just crewing on a gofaster sport boat would be nice though.
 
Dec 25, 2000
5,945
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Hi Ross, our first sailboat was a 1989 H28...

in very good condition. Came with most all the stuff we needed; dink, furnace, BBQ, etc. Sailed her for three years in PNW waters mainly to determine whether this was our cup of tea. As it turned out we fell in love again with being on the water. Of course I grew up around the water and waited each year for the Willapa river to flood my grandmother's field so that we could cruise to distant shores (about 100 feet) on our trusty telephone pole raft. When we got the urge to upgrade it was 14 foot-itis. The admiral fell in love with the aft cabin, so everything else got trumped. We've sailed Belle-Vie several thousand miles these past five years and on three two month cruises. I'm confident she will take us anywhere we want to go, but for now it remains PNW waters. I hope to continue cruising into my 70s. Belle-Vie is easy to solo, very comfortable, stiff and fast. I do most all of my own repairs. I'm eager to get back out on the water; maybe next weekend. Terry
 
Oct 25, 2005
735
Catalina 30 Banderas Bay, Mexico
Two more years or forever ...

I've had my C30 for 11 years. It will be a brand new, 32 year old C30 when the refit is complete this year. I plan on sailing it for the next couple of years, including a trip to Hawaii. If I like ocean cruising, I'll move up to a 40 footer, of not, I'll keep the C30 for the next 30 years ... I'll be 85 then ... :D Randy
 
M

Mac Lindsay

who knows?

My first boat was a 7ft 11 in optimist pram that I built at a fibreglass boat building course. My 2nd boat was a CL16. My 3rd boat was a Grampian Triangle 20. My 4th boat was a Northern 25. My 5th boat was a Bayfield 25. My 6th boat still is a Hunter 31 that I bought new in 1984. Last year I bought a 1973 Cal20 for day sailing out of Comox as I keep the H31 in Campbell River. How long will I keep the H31? Who knows. We use the H31 for cruising and weekends as our cruising ground is Desolation Sound. For the quick daysails I purchased the Cal 20. I love sailboats and if I had a gadzillion bucks, I would be hard pressed to decide what I would want. Most likely, I would buy a marina and start filling it with what I liked. Doesn't matter who makes it as long as it sails and it looks good to me.
 
Mar 18, 2006
147
Catalina 25 Standard/Fin Keel Grand Lake, OK
Brian D

"Not to intrude, but a nice Lancer 27 Power Sailer has all the things you are looking for: 6'2" standing head room Enclosed head w/shower Wheel steering Aft states room with queen size comforts I know there are other boats out there that might have the same thing, but for sure a Lancer 27PS will fit your bill perfectly." Brian, you are not intruding at all. I certainly will take a look at the Lancer as well. Nothing is concrete at this point. My reason for the Catalina is as much to do with availabilty in my area as anything. There are just not too many Lancers in this area. In fact, there is a C270 sitting in the slip next to ours. And I do mean sitting..the owners never even came out to the boat 1 time all last year. I have been playing with the idea of contacting the marina office to see if they would provide me with a contact. I would love to have the 270 and would be happy to transfer my stuff just to the next slip.
 
Jan 28, 2007
1
Irwin 38 Classic Corpus Christi
A long time too

I'll probably keep my 38 Irwin untill I a. can't handle it anymore, b.lose it due to a catastrophy of some sort,Hurricane, rocky lee shore, etc. or c. something I just can't resist comes along at a deal I just can't refuse. She's already 37 yrs old, so new styled plastic doesn't do it for me, I like that CCA style. I've had my homemade powerboat since 78. Keep em forever's usually my motto. Artwerke.
 
F

Fred

Which Boat?

Smaller boat, keep it longer. My old glass canoe will be with me until the bottom wears off from dragging up the beach (might not be too long. It's pretty worn. My new 11 foot row/sail dinghy is definitey a long term keeper. The Hunter 26 on a trailer was bought as a keeper. We're still in our first year with the Hunter, but I think we'll have it for a long time. It's big enough (we can stand up inside with the hatch closed) and small enough to trailer. After years of bigger boats, I like to have the boat where I can work on it in the winter, and the moorage I don't pay can go into the boat. The Morgan Out Island 41 was bought to resell, after we play with it a bit. My wife would rather go out on the Morgan. I would rather go out on the Hunter. That's because the Hunter is so simple. Much less to maintain and worry about. If we lived aboard again, the Morgan would be the keeper. I like to try lots of different boats, so I'll probably keep buying and selling for fun and profit.
 
Sep 19, 2006
643
SCHOCK santana27' lake pleasant,az
you can replace the wife tom

:D my s27 is simple very roomy and a little rough but for a 68 it has a lot of potential i'm going to dress it in dark colors and replace all the rubber and aluminum framing with teak and die the sails so it doesnt look like every other boat my wife thinks i'm crazy about the colors i want but i plan on keeping this one for a while if i get rid of her ill get a larger one for sure (the boat not the wife):D
 
Jun 8, 2004
550
Macgregor 26M Delta, B.C. Canada 26M not X
Time Change with Demographics

If this were the 1970's or early 1980's having a bigger boat in a 40' slip would not be such an issue. However, considering the shift in demographics and the cost of living today, owning a bigger boat in a 40' slip could be an unwanted liability. If you happen to be in the baby boom generation your portion of the population is far greater than the younger generation of whom you will be selling your boat to when you become too old. Add to that the high homeowneship costs for the younger generation and their prospensity for instant gratification and you have a buying market that is short of discretionary income and what extra income they may have will likely go to the instant gratification of an outboard power boat (trailerable). Sailboats comprise about 5% of the boat buying market and within the boat buying market most boats are under 26' and most are power boats with outboards. Nowadays one could run the risk of their big sailboat becoming a white elepant that cannot be sold. Take a look at the various boat listing sites and run a query or three just to see what is already for sale out there, it is truly a buyers market, lots to choose from, and it will only get worse as more baby boomers give up their toys. Their toys are not relegated to just boats, they have motorhomes, house trailers, fifth-wheels, motorcycles, airplanes, hot-rods and antique cars. Baby boomers are a larger market selling to a smaller market with less discretionary income, fact is baby boomers posses and control most of the nations wealth. If you own a big sailboat today, plan on bequeathing it to your children or other younger relatives, there is little chance of divesting yourself of it on the open market, simply not enough buyers. I hope to get a bigger boat than my 26' trailerable that I have, but when I do, I will be sure I buy it for less than 50K, with the attitude that I can afford to write it off like a car expense, and maybe make sure it will fit in a 30' slip, so nothing over 33'. When I get considerably older and my fixed income has less buying power, I do not want to be burdened with monthly slip fees and boat maintenance, I want a boat that I can afford to sell very cheap or take out and sink to escape the slip fees. Times are changing.
 
Mar 18, 2006
147
Catalina 25 Standard/Fin Keel Grand Lake, OK
Capt. Ermie

Expenses beyond the purchase is why we are only looking at the C270 or C28. Both will fit in the least expensive slips at our marina. In fact, there is a C270 in the next slip over that I would like to have. Our C25 should be a fairly easy sale, if not quick. It is a mid 80's boat, and our investment is nominal. Once we get the 27 or 28, we will have the 4 things we would like in our next boat. Then it is up to our son to figure out what to do with it when we are gone. Neither the Admiral nor I aspire to get a much larger boat. Lake sailing is what we will be doing. My wife's sister and husband have a 38' Island Packet cutter. If we want to do blue water sailing, we will go with them.
 
May 14, 2004
99
Catalina Capri 22 Town Creek, MD
Long as I can

My wife and I have a lot of sentimental attachment to our Capri 22; it's our wedding present from her parents. Not to mention that I love the boat itself, regardless of where it came from. It's the right size, and sails well, and it's still in decent shape. I'll keep it as long as we have the money to do required maintenance and repair. Our kids will be sailing, too, (I hope!) and it will need to be maintained well enough to keep it safe.
 
P

paphman

C-22 owner

Ben, Nice to hear from another "small" boat owner. We have an older C-22 and love it. We are out more than almost any other boat in the marina. We will keep it until I can not throw the leg over the rail, then maybe the kids will want it. We have put alot of money into it for refit etc. and I have enjoyed every project ( well almost all of them). It has not been a burden to own, and we "own" it. It is small enought to be able to buy what it needs, and big enought to have a big boat feel.( at least for us) Some times big is not always better.
 
Mar 22, 2004
733
Hunter 30 Vero Beach
Keeping your boat

I kept my Snark for one year, my West Wight Potter P-19 for one year, and my Macgregor 26S for two years. I now have a Hunter 30 that I've had for a year and a half, and plan on keeping for 5-10 years, unless the lottery pays out before that.
 
O

oldiesrocker

As long as I can

I kept my snark for 16 years-but only used it for about 7. My O'day knock-off I kept for 10 years, and for a brief time had both of these when I bought my V21. "Wind is Free" will stay until I retire and move to florida(hurricanes be damned, I'm sick of the cold)and plan to have a house on a canal leading to larger waters and need a larger boat to be 'out there'....
 
Jun 12, 2004
1,181
Allied Mistress 39 Ketch Kemah,Tx.
probably about 7 to 10 years

I recently purchased an older Allied 39 ketch. I am 60 years old. I figure if my health holds out i should be able to solo her up until about 67 or 68, maybe 70 if im real lucky. At that time, i will buy a brand new Mac 26 and cruise all of the inland waterways and lakes that i can. When one gets older, age and health are the biggest determining factor. One never knows about such things. I think the ketch will keep me sailing a little longer than an equivelant size sloop since the rigging makes it easier to handle. Tony B BTW, I currently dont have any plans for living on land again.
 

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
TonyB, I've got 8 years on you and plan to work

for ten more. Then we will get serious about doing some sailing. Don't look at the calemder and decide how old you may be. Just keep on doing and you will be able to keep doing.
 

NYSail

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Jan 6, 2006
3,145
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
Many Moons

Sailed the 1977 Cal 34 III for 5-years, however with a 10 foot beam the boat did not have the accomidations we were looking for. Bought a 1986 Pearson P36-2 that has double the room inside and sails great too! And is still an easily handled boat for what we currrently do and what we are planning. Doing a complete renovation of her..... Will have this boat for many many years. Perfect for all occasions! Greg
 

Liam

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Apr 5, 2005
241
Beneteau 331 Santa Cruz
A long time

This is my 5th boat... 2003 Beneteau331. I really like this boat and can handle it by myself in most all situations. I would like a larger boat but don't want to have to count on anyone other than myself. My wife likes to go sailing but doesn't share the passion, so it looks as though I will be a solo cruiser at some point in the future. I plan to work about two more years before sailing down the coast to Mexico, Central America and points beyond. Maybe puddle jump to the South Pacific and eventually wind my way through Hawaii to the North West. As I get closer and closer to this adventure it is really getting hard to stay connected with "the world". I have basically lost interest and ambition for career, home life, and the rat race...
 
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