Do You Really Want To Own a Boat?
A Small Trailered Sailboat
Unless your only avenue of travel is by water, (say you live on a navigable river or lake 20 miles from town and the overland route to town is 30 miles of treacherous mountain trails where even a pack mule couldn’t go.) chances are you can do without a boat. You could walk, ride a horse, or just wait for the world to find its’ way to you. But, lets say water is your only choice to control your destiny, go where you want, when you want, a boat may be a good asset. My advice is always to prototype any tool to see how you get along with it.
If you need to dig a small hole, chances are the acquisition of a large expensive piece of gear, like a steam shovel, might be overkill. If you want to float down a lazy river on a hot summer day, by yourself, chances are that a canoe might be a more sensible acquisition than a 300 foot car ferry. A small, 14 foot, inexpensive, flat bottomed sailboat with oarlocks may be a sensible transport. A couple of sheets of plywood, some fiberglass cloth and resin and some sketches or drawings, easily gotten on the internet, a few days work, viola…your sailing yacht is born. I think you may be beginning to get the picture, If not, let me just pass along a few facts that may help you to understand my point of starting small.
The average number of days that a boat, berthed in a Southern California marina, is visited per year, is less than ten. I have lived aboard one boat or another for a total of 30 or so years of the 50 years since my first self built Trimaran in the 1960s. That plywood and fiberglass floating castle was my home for several years. it was one of the first 200 boats in Marina Del Rey. Now there are around 5,000 pleasure (or misery) boats there. Why do I say misery? I would say that about 80% of my boat neighbors are miserably putting up with payments, insurance, dock rent, maintenance (once a month bottom scrubbing, etc) every once in a while, these owners arrive on the dock and begin to wash away the proof of their long absence. With garden hose and deck brush, they once again lay claim to their Yacht. Usually the trouble starts when they turn the key to start that engine thing that reposes somewhere down in the bowels of their, once again, glistening watercraft. Sometimes there is a click, or a rrrr rrr r click followed by expletives. Other times the exhaust roars, or putts or whooshes which brings a broad grin and proud nod of approval.
One of the really sad sights in life is the gang of expectant voyagers with beer in hand watching hopefully while the Captain tries to get the propulsion thing going. One by one they depart, with their Ice chests and grocery bags that were going to sustain them at sea while they partied in the sun on their way to the Island or just got offshore so that Monday at work they could say they had been “yachting”. The crestfallen boat owner usually bids them goodby with something like “It started right up last time.”
Still thinking about a boat? Obviously you don’t have good sense, but lets try to minimize the potential disasters of boat ownership. I have learned, over the years, to hedge my bets. I prototype everything . I’ve seen way too many explorations into unfamiliar territory come to disastrous conclusions because the adventurer boldly went where he had no experience to go, and went way farther than necessary. By the second or third attempt, we either get it right, or decide that we didn’t really need it. If one is getting into “boating” one has to be careful. Choose the smallest package that will work. Some of the smallest yachts have made some of the most impressive passages. Trekka, a 20 foot sloop (put together in the back room of a restaurant in Vancouver, B.C. has made a number of very successful circumnavigations. So if distant lands are calling you, maybe you should think about a mini cruising sailboat.
There are a lot of fiberglass sailboats, 30 feet or less, that can take you over the horizon. Prudently skippered, these boats will take you anywhere you want to go. If you are only trying to “show off you wealth” maybe a land yacht is a better acquisition. At least you can park it in your driveway and everybody in the neighborhood can see it. You won’t be paying slip fees and for monthly bottom cleaning. If you are interested only in being the captain of a cocktail barge, then a different sort of craft will most likely be your best bet, perhaps a 30 foot power boat with a 20 foot cockpit and a cuddy cabin with a head, small galley equipped with a blender and a large fridge for the beer. Having cocktails on the fantail at sunset in the marina at the dock is really special. You should, however, be aware that it is nearly impossible to get your friends to show up for sure even if you offer free food and booze.
