the story of our lives.. do we have a problem? sail or power?

Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
someone on another forum asked a question, that I have seen posted here a few times...

their question was "Do I have an obsession problem with my boat?.....
My answer here seems appropriate for this forum as well...

Do you have a problem?.... yes, you most definitely do.
nearly everyone on this forum has the same problem, so if you came here seeking help for it, you are going to be highly disappointed because you wont get any... BUT, on the brighter side, we are more than willing to offer encouragement and methods on how to go forth and drain your bank account on objects and projects for your boat. some of them being perfectly needless... its how we all live.

it doesnt matter if our boat is a large yacht or a small sailing dinghy, a lot of us have a tendency to keep adding on equipment and modifications until the boot stripe becomes the new waterline of our craft. and if the boat takes a list to one side or the other because of something we added, we dont remove it, but only find something more to add to the other side to level it back out.

and cutting or drilling holes in the boat... some people have an irrational fear of this, maybe because they have seen some of their neighbors boat projects that end up looking more like the boat has been used as target practice on the tommy gun range... but after awhile one learns to fill and fair so well that they can make the overloaded "sieve" float so that it can remain being called a boat...

then, by simply moving the waterline and boot stripe up 3 or 4 inches at the next bottom job, the boat can "set on her lines" again. but then even the bottom job can be avoided if the owner is like my brother-in-law who has a trailer queen... a powerboat he has modified to look all sleek and fast. he has rebuilt a perfectly sound motor in an attempt to get another 110hp from it, has remodeled the interior 3 times and has about 12grand in electronics, stereos, radios, tv's, sonars, radars, oversized swim platform with special custom scuba type ladder, multiple rocket launchers (so that he can fish 15 people with 3 rods each?) crab davit, a dinghy hanging off the back, and a lot of accessories... all on a 22ft boat... its been nearly 4 years and he had the boat in the water for a sea trial when he bought it, and NEVER since. no one knows if it will even float anymore and personally i think hes afraid to try it and find out, but its a darn good looking boat with all the bells and whistles, and it has kept him away from the bars and loose women, so my sister kind likes the boat too...
the point here is, no matter how much you add or do to the boat, if it is going to set on the trailer all its life and just be a project, there is no need for a fancy bottom job... and however heavy it gets, it dont matter!

almost all problems can be solved with a bit of ingenuity, determination and another boat project or modification.

but with that said, and contrary to what some of our wives may say, I dont feel its a waste of time or money at all .
sometimes I find it rather enjoyable to have the peace and quiet of sleeping on the couch (or in the boat) dreaming of ways to sell my soul or body so that I can afford more equipment for the boat while living on top raman, a can of beans and bread from the day-old bakery while im sweating and toiling over another project or the install of another expensive boat toy.... and sometimes in a completely different boat just so that I can get a change of scenery and a new challenge...

but I wouldnt go so far as to call it an obsession, but rather a very satisfying past time. and why not?, with just a bit of care and maintenance on our boats every week, what with the continual upgrades and all the efforts we put into our boat, it will out last any of us and still be looking good!!!.....
 
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Nov 30, 2015
1,337
Hunter 1978 H30 Cherubini, Treman Marina, Ithaca, NY
but I wouldnt go so far as to call it an obsession, but rather a very satisfying past time. and why not?, with just a bit of care and maintenance on our boats every week, what with the continual upgrades and all the efforts we put into our boat, it will out last any of us and still be looking good!!!....
...and I thought I was the only one Hell Bent on proving to the World that Sailing is not just a Rich Man’s Sport or Adventure...and that my uppercase button works too.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,733
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Absolutely, and I would like to add, all those upgrades, modifications and customizations also serve to enhance our investments. Of course if we let our boats fall into disrepair while ornamenting our driveways, lawns or expensive docks, we risk losing the value of our investment. It is because there are souls like us that we can hope that if we ever did want to move on, not away from boating but to upgrade to more expensive boats, that we can keep some hope that another like-minded boat lover will come along and pickup where we reluctantly leave off. Thus we only loose the value of owning our boat for the time that we had possession of it (no more expensive that the cost of a lease, maybe a little more). If we hadn't bought our boat used and in terrible disrepair but, instead had been stupid enough to buy new, why we risk losing even more money when we sell. Therefore, it is best to add value to our marine investment by adding on custom, unique and expensive enhancement whenever we can. The sailboat yippy pickup for a song at $1000 (plus trailer) could easily be worth 10, 15, even 20 thousand dollars in additional modifications by the time it comes tto sell her to the next schmu ... sailor that is looking for a project.
- Will (Dragonfly, only $1000 at time of purchase, plus trailer repair costs, new main sail, rudder, center board work, hatch boards..., but all worth it).
 
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
Ah yes. But at least he doesn’t use Caps Lock.
thank you Kermit... im still learning how to spell, and its only been a few months since Stu suggested that I capitalize my i's when referring to myself. I havent fully got the hang of that yet!... in addition, its my opinion that proper use of Caps are not as important as reasonable use of commas and periods, and I use my fair share of each, but probably all in the wrong places... baby steps... :biggrin:
 
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Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
Posh, didn't I fall on my sword and say you can be the new e e cummings? :)
yes... and there may be some semblance to my writing style. but I have to admit, its odd that anyone would notice, but if it was good enough for him, it should work just fine for such a humble person as I ;)
 
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Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
Back to the original post. I was obsessed for several years after we bought our first keelboat. Even the name we gave it was part of the obsession. Now I am more of an exuberant realist. As much as I would rather spend all of my time at the sailing club I know it will be fleeting. There’s always something to do either on or to the boat. We keep it in a slip. Having no bottom paint means I have to pull it out several times a year for cleaning. (Oh darn!) Living an hour and a half away makes that difficult to schedule. But I always find a way to get there. One thing I’m not, though, is an equipment freak. I see electronics as tools and nothing more. (Sorry, guys. I just can’t jump on that bandwagon.)

Anyway, my name is Jimmy and I love sailing.
 
Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
My name is Andrew. I have a sailing problem. I have been sober for 3 days. I know I will sail again. It is just a matter of when.
Also, it has slowly occurred to me that I like speed... the faster, the better. I cringe when the admiral buys something for the boat! I take our bedding off the boat when we sail. I keep as little fuel in the tank as needed to save weight. It took me a month to attach my birthday present, a magma grill, to the stern pulpit. Ugh. I still have nightmares and get shakes.
I remove accessories added by previous owners. I try to keep lockers empty. I have decided to leave my anchor and chain in the truck unless I will use it.
It goes on.
 

Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
My name is Andrew. I have a sailing problem. I have been sober for 3 days. I know I will sail again. It is just a matter of when.
Also, it has slowly occurred to me that I like speed... the faster, the better. I cringe when the admiral buys something for the boat! I take our bedding off the boat when we sail. I keep as little fuel in the tank as needed to save weight. It took me a month to attach my birthday present, a magma grill, to the stern pulpit. Ugh. I still have nightmares and get shakes.
I remove accessories added by previous owners. I try to keep lockers empty. I have decided to leave my anchor and chain in the truck unless I will use it.
It goes on.
Slowly occurred to you that you like speed. Now there’s an oxymoron for you!
 
Jun 8, 2004
350
Macgregor 21 Clinton, NJ
I have a sailing obsession, I willingly admit it. While I live in the northeast and only have a few months a year to sail, when I can't get to sleep I go to my "happy place" and relive each launching from the ramp/into the wind/raise the main/cut the motor event of the year. Other times however, I can't get to sleep BECAUSE I have some things needed to do on the boat yet and only limited time to get them done in between warm weather start and launching or pullout-home and too cold to work!