Sail / Power : Mooring / Slip - Why ?

[anotherT34C]

Almost everywhere I've been, I see the same phenomenon. Marina slips are packed with power yachts, while moorings are filled with sailing yachts. Why is this segregation? Is this only a USA phenom, or is it elsewhere?

[Sailagain]

Originally Posted by anotherT34C

Almost everywhere I've been, I see the same phenomenon. Marina slips are packed with power yachts, while moorings are filled with sailing yachts. Why is this segregation? Is this only a USA phenom, or is it elsewhere?

Maybe sailboats tend to have a dingy where power boaters do not.

[zeehag]

i think it comes down to basic lifestyle appreciations.

[atoll]

may have somthing to do with the $500/month budget

[S/V Alchemy]

Power boats are typically filled with more toys and amenities requiring AC dock power, 30 amps or better. They don't generally have alternative charging unless the engines are running and are turning large alternators.

Another issue might be that power boat bows can be high off the water, making the grabbing and securing of mooring lines more difficult. Still another might be that cabin cruisers exhibit a lot of windage and might move excessively in a mooring field for peace of mind. Lastly, power boaters tend to be, frankly, more pressed for time and also tend to have lubberly guests aboard...a dock is quicker and safer for inappropriate footwear.

Sail boats, by contrast, will often have enough solar panels, wind gensets to keep a fridge working, and a working fridge is often the only thing consuming amps.

[DJBrookster]

Maybe they are just lazy. Or their hulls not stable enough on a mooring!! Plus I agree, everything they have craves amps.

[anotherT34C]

That's true, come to think of it. Power boats usually lack solar or wind gens.

I never really pay much attention to them (power boats), to be honest.

It is striking though, how the mooring field is a literal forest of masts, while the power boats are crammed in on the dock. I was guessing that power boaters were simply richer, or at least, less thrifty. I do know that sailboaters have a rep for being cheap.

[boatman61]

Power boaters don't have the sense of balance to handle a dinghy... thats why they power boat... no 'Tippy Tippy...'

[jmackay]

Interesting comments but the reality is we are too cheap to pay the $ for a slip when it is anout 1/5 the cost to grab a mooring. Check the totals on the fuel pumps, five figures for fuel. I can go from NY to FL on $60 and most of that is to charge the batteries. I have also found that many marinas limit the mooring fiels to sailboats.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by jmackay

Interesting comments but the reality is we are (often) too cheap to pay the $ for a slip ...

Indeed

[Kettlewell]

The thing I have observed is that about 90% of those tied to docks never go anyplace, while people on moorings tend to travel on their boats a lot more. So basically I think it comes down to lifestyle choices: sailors tend to be more adventurous sorts who like to get out and do stuff, while powerboaters tend to be more into the comforts of home, enjoying ice from the icemaker and cable TV, etc. The other day a powerboater at the dock asked me what I did "out there" on the mooring or at anchor, in a tone that indicated the idea was so foreign to him that it was hard to imagine.

By the way, contrary to popular myth sailboaters actually spend more than powerboaters, according to the only scientific survey done on this topic I have ever seen. The survey was conducted by the Maryland Marine Trades Association. Yes, powerboaters spend more on fuel and dockage, but overall sailors spend more because of the costs of all the sails, rigging, etc. we buy. Think of how much fuel one mainsail costs!

[mbianka]

Personally I prefer to be on a mooring or at anchor:

1) I always like to have to have a breeze coming through my 30 foot sailboat.
2) I like the changing view as the boat swings around with the tide.
3)There is no one firing up an engine next to you trying to figure out why his engine is smoking so much.
4)I don't have to listen to everyones musical tastes when I am trying to take a nap. Including ten year old's with a Karoke machine.
5) When I want to go for a swim I just jump over the side.

I will on occassion tie up to a dock while on a cruise for a day or two. Usually because it's easy to get provisions nearby. I joke with a friend who sold his sailboat and bought a trawler that spends most of the time at the dock. I tell him what he now has is a very expensive beach chair.

[barnakiel]

Elsewhere it seems more balanced.

But elsewhere there are more small boats on moorings than big ones ... so it must be about the MONEY.

b.

[zeehag]

art 2000 per month for a 50 ft boat liveaboard in a slip and 130 per month for a mooring, i think the more bux than brains are in slips and not living aboard and the smart ones are living aboard on moorings. is how it is in san diego, at present, anyway.
and one sees in sd about equal sail and power in slips.
also, many marinas have made it impossible to get a slip for smaller boats, and made the small slips into mega slips.....those are empty, last i looked...

[Unicorn Dreams]

Sailboat owners have better things to spend their money on than a slip.