Sailing & Boating Advice

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Novices to chartering have no idea what to expect… Captain Fred gives 5 quick pointers to get you pointed in the right direction.

Captain Fred looks at the history of building boats in the mid-20th century in Southern California, and details why you probably shouldn’t build your own boat.

Once you’ve narrowed down the list, you’re ready to make some offers. Here’s some tricks to help guide you through the process, in this short guide on how to quickly and efficiently snag the boat you’re after.

Ready to find a marina, but unsure what you should be looking for? Captain Fred Greenfield gives his tips on what to look for, plus a 27 point marina checklist of potential options typical marinas might have.

UPDATED 1/6/09 with new information. A look at the hidden costs involved with owning a boat, including a breakdown of how much you can expect to pay to own, maintain, and berth your boat for five years.

While the old adage “Why own the cow when you can get the milk through the fence?” is seldom is used in reference to boating, it certainly could be. I believe that begging rides is an excellent way to gain salient knowledge about boats before investing in your first, or next sailing or power vessel.

Which is best for your boat?

It is of paramount importance that you have some idea of where you want to go and how many other brave souls you want to take with you before you choose your “Dream Boat”.

10 rules, tips, or whatever you want to call them, learned over 65 years of buying, owning, building and chartering boats… they may just save your life… or at least they may save you some money and a headache or two when buying a 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.