What IS the cure for 2 foot'itis

[CPseudonym]

I've looked at the pictures of other owners boats, cabins, etc and can't help but ask the following questions.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a couple extra feet?
A little more headroom sure would be nice?
Maybe a built in purpose built real head?

Then I come to the reality that my 20 footer fits real well in my driveway... But still the questions linger

 

[Squidd]

Get a bigger Driveway...

 

[Dan Hill]

I decided to embrace the ailment and went 4.5 feet lol.

 

[thinwater]

Why ask those with the same mental illness? Ask non-sailors.

 

[Joe11688]

I've looked at the pictures of other owners boats, cabins, etc and can't help but ask the following questions.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a couple extra feet?
A little more headroom sure would be nice?
Maybe a built in purpose built real head?

Then I come to the reality that my 20 footer fits real well in my driveway... But still the questions linger

This is a question that has plagued just about everyone who has owned a boat.
My boat is only two foot one inch longer than yours, yet I'm happy with it because it suits my needs but sometimes I wonder if I'll be able to keep doing the maintenance on it myself as I approach my 70s.

Last week I bottom painted the centerboard and keel. I had to dig a hole under the keel to let the centerboard all the way down. Then I bottom painted the hull bottom on the next day.

After the hull was dry, I loaded my boat on the trailer. The trailer's position didn't come right with the keel, so I had to slide the trailer sideways a couple of inches for the keel to lay in the center of the keel board.

Yesterday I raised the mast and checked the tension on my stays because the mast extrusion plug I made last month is 1/8" longer than what I had last year.
I don't mind admitting to you that I was a tired achey old dude when I got through doing all this work. So I keep asking myself, "Will I be able to keep doing this in a couple of more years, or shall I get a smaller boat?"

I'm finding out right now that your age can have a big influence on the size of your boat, unless you have the money to pay someone else do the maintenance.
Like you,--I just can't fathom owning a larger boat for more cabin space.

 

[kdssail]

I have had these " itis's" before... Siren 18 to an Oday 222 to a Catalina 25 to a Catalina 28 finialy to an Oday 26. bigger is more room, more stable in foul weather, more $$$$$ to fix, dock, trailer, transport, bottom paint, sails etc. Bigger I have found is MORE WORK !!!! and less flexability. My 26 is great, trailerable sleepable, stable, 26" draft and cost a lot less. Try your dream is has ALL been fun.

 

[Sunbird22358]

In my present case....my "2 footitis" is not cured, but is certainly being forced into "remission" by my job loss. The extra 2' would mean a place to install a porta-pottie, and have a "real" cabin (or at least cuddy-cabin?).
Incidently, we used to have a CAL 21, virtually the same as an O'DAY 20 (but with a retractable keel instead of the shallow draft of the O 20's K/CB) and we did have a "Real, purpose built head" instead of a porta-pottie. The odor from the required holding tank, and difficulty finding room for that tank was enough to make me more interested in a portable head on my next boat. (Although, the first time I have to dump the tank into the toilet at home may sway me!) For now, a little red jug works for liquids, just wish that I had more privacy on my boat to use it!
In those "good old days" before we sailors knew better, our head was direct-discharge overboard and worked great, no mess, no odors! But, "out of sight, out of mind" is not a very healthy attitude in my now better educated mind.

 

[peterbud]

Joe not to change the subject but what size stands do you use to take your boat off your trailer

 

[CPseudonym]

Squidd a longer driveway... Well the wife said no. But that doesn't rule out one of those nifty swing away trailer tongues.

Wrenchbender I like your attitude but 4.5 feet may be a bit more than 2 feet but if I put it in a slip, why not?

Thinwater I tried asking my power boat owner friends and they have the same disease. Any other ideas who to ask?

Trinkka my dad passed away just over a year ago at 76. Big C finally cought him after 7 years of trying. He stayed active with non boat projects about as ambitious as yours until 6 months before the end. My hats off to you and guys like you that stay active.

kdsail you bring up some very valid points.

sunbird I think I'll buy the porta potti and find a way to make it work, thanks for the feedback about built in heads on small boats like ours.


peterbud, I asked the guy that started this thread if it was ok to change the subject and he reluctantly told me yes Personally I think he is just as interested in acquiring a set of those jacks for his boat, although since I know the OP of this thread is a welder he will probably just want some good pictures with dimensions so he can weld together his own.

Joe not to change the subject but what size stands do you use to take your boat off your trailer

So Joe. What do ya think? Can we find out more about your stands? Inquiring minds want to know

 

[ebsail]

By the way, I have a set of 4 poppit tripods 44" tall, but no screw jacks for them.

In the past, I had several bouts of 2 foot itus and at one point got to almost 44 feet. I kept that one for almost 9 years and it nearly caused bankruptcy. Doubling the size of the vessels, quadruples (or more) the costs and the same with the work. Just as an example, a 180 degree turning block for a Catalina 25 was at that time, about $125 and for the 44, $900. The last year that I owned it, I divided the costs by the hours used and came up with an outrageose number which triggered the sale of the boat. I'm now sharing the current Oday 25 with a younger partner and its just small enough to keep the work and cost load reasonable at my age of 72. Ernie

 

[Indysailor]

Time and money are what keep me from having 2 foot'itis. I really like working on our boat, but like ebsail says, it gets harder and more expensive quickly with bigger boats. At our club there are a lot of people who clearly just want to sail and don't spend a lot of time maintaining their boats because they don't have a lot of time for it. But that's just not me- I can't stand when things aren't done right or are not in good working order, so if we had a 30 foot boat it would probably consume a lot more of my time than is practical.
In fact, right now I am going in quite the opposite direction and have 12 foot'itis, looking for a little board boat to fix up for my son and daughter.

 

[Doug L]

I have gone from a Venture 222, to a Mac 25, to a Hunter 26, and am now in a South Coast 22. The Mac25 and Hunter 26 (especially the Hunter 26) were wonderful boats but I kept them both in a slip because the effort to launch and retreive it were more than I wanted to do for a day or weekend sailing. If you are willing to pay for a slip, by all means get a bigger boat. If you want to be able to drop it in the water in the morning and take it home at night, stay small.
BTW, the Venture 222 sits low on the trailer, launches easily, you can raise the mast by hand, and it has a semi-enclosed head. A great little boat. You might look at one of those.

 

[Walt Lerche]

There is no cure. I go both ways! I have an Oday 25 that is my primary boat, if you will. But we have decided it must be in a slip. So I have a Hobie 18, Sunfish, and Lightning for off the beach. I spend more time working on them than I do sailing. Many of you would think I'm nuts. But I have evolved into this enjoyable hobby. I love boats and find it hard to say no. I am parting out a Catalina 27 that turned out to be more project than I am prepared for. That buy was a mistake, but I'm turning it into money I can spend on the others. Not all boats are equal, but I have loved every one for what it was and what we did with it. My V22 was truly trailerable and took us to Beaver Island in Lake Michigan but could be moved to an inland lake on a rough day. My O'day 23 was arguably the prettiest boat I have ever owned but when the 25 called my name (and I bought for less than I sold the 23 for) I moved on. My entire fleet cost me less than $6000 and summer operating expenses are probably $600. So act cheap, look carefully, enjoy. Skip some of the frills. If your current boat makes you feel good keep it. Don't move for "what might be" unless you want a fleet like me. For pure sailling pleasure the H18 and Lightning blow all the rest away, but at 50 plus I find the cat cold and uncomfortable. So its for sale (or trade). Life changes us and our needs. I am not looking for the cure.

 

[RichBone]

There is no cure. I go both ways! I have an Oday 25 that is my primary boat, if you will. But we have decided it must be in a slip. So I have a Hobie 18, Sunfish, and Lightning for off the beach. I spend more time working on them than I do sailing. Many of you would think I'm nuts. But I have evolved into this enjoyable hobby. I love boats and find it hard to say no. I am parting out a Catalina 27 that turned out to be more project than I am prepared for. That buy was a mistake, but I'm turning it into money I can spend on the others. Not all boats are equal, but I have loved every one for what it was and what we did with it. My V22 was truly trailerable and took us to Beaver Island in Lake Michigan but could be moved to an inland lake on a rough day. My O'day 23 was arguably the prettiest boat I have ever owned but when the 25 called my name (and I bought for less than I sold the 23 for) I moved on. My entire fleet cost me less than $6000 and summer operating expenses are probably $600. So act cheap, look carefully, enjoy. Skip some of the frills. If your current boat makes you feel good keep it. Don't move for "what might be" unless you want a fleet like me. For pure sailling pleasure the H18 and Lightning blow all the rest away, but at 50 plus I find the cat cold and uncomfortable. So its for sale (or trade). Life changes us and our needs. I am not looking for the cure.

Two thumbs up!