Is sailing dying?

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

Families are now tied up with 7 days a week school athletics.

As a parent, I can tell you this is unfortunately a main factor. 20 years ago, kids played on a school league, with practice after school. Now - it's practically like the major leagues for 8 year olds. Camps, tutors, travel teams, clinics, 4 day a week practices 40 minutes away, plus games, etc. If you don't go with the flow, you don't get on a team. It's completely ridiculous IMHO, and driven by a small number of parents who wind up setting the standards over the years. Multiply this by 2 kids, and there is zero chance of getting together for a weekend as a family on a boat. It takes a real effort, and the kids generally want to do what the other kids are doing - playing sports.

[SeaBuffalo]

Originally Posted by Hardhead

As a parent, I can tell you this is unfortunately a main factor. 20 years ago, kids played on a school league, with practice after school. Now - it's practically like the major leagues for 8 year olds. Camps, tutors, travel teams, clinics, 4 day a week practices 40 minutes away, plus games, etc. If you don't go with the flow, you don't get on a team. It's completely ridiculous IMHO, and driven by a small number of parents who wind up setting the standards over the years. Multiply this by 2 kids, and there is zero chance of getting together for a weekend as a family on a boat. It takes a real effort, and the kids generally want to do what the other kids are doing - playing sports.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Most of the people I see sailing and owning a sail boat are empty nesters or people like myself who chose not to have kids.

Most people simply cannot afford the costs of a family and a sailboat with all its associated costs nor do they have the free time to enjoy it.

If you look around YouTube at all the sailing channels you will notice the vast majority are childless couples.

[sailorboy1]

I hope sailing isn’t dying. One of these days I will want to sell my boat.

[john61ct]

It would be foolish to base any major spending decisions on thinking you will get a higher selling price.

Safest is to consider it pure consumption spending, amortized over the number of years you will enjoy using it.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by john61ct

It would be foolish to base any major spending decisions on thinking you will get a higher selling price.

Safest is to consider it pure consumption spending, amortized over the number of years you will enjoy using it.

Gee

[john61ct]

? banghead, banghead, feels great when you stop?

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

I see lots of sailboats, but I don’t see many actually sailing. Apparently there is a good demand for cramped low power motorboats with tiny windows and outside helms.

as a former British Govenor of the Bahamas said around 1850 "Go on a boat for fun??Are you crazy? It is like being in jail with a good chance of drowning."

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

I see lots of sailboats, but I don’t see many actually sailing. Apparently there is a good demand for cramped low power motorboats with tiny windows and outside helms.

What really baffles me are these 44' dinghies with 2000HP in outboards on the stern.

I can't, for the life of me, understand why someone would want this.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1gLSb7n...=1l2gt0lu0rj1d

If it’s for fishing, why not a sport fisher?

[Mal Reynolds]

Sailing Dying? Google thinks so. But hey, I'm sure your boat is worth as much as you think it is.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

I see lots of sailboats, but I don’t see many actually sailing. .

Agreed.
Engines were never a primary source of propulsion on any of our earlier sailing vessels, our second monohull (converted class racing keelboat) didn't even have one, so we sailed everywhere and, back in the day, most people did.
Available money for us was poured into sails, gear and clean bottoms and getting that last bit of speed out of them

Now we look out across the waters and are amazed that in perfect sailing weather yachts are mostly motoring, even if running downhill.
As most boats today seem to have a furler you'd think they'd at least roll out a heady.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Hardhead

As a parent, I can tell you this is unfortunately a main factor. 20 years ago, kids played on a school league, with practice after school. Now - it's practically like the major leagues for 8 year olds. Camps, tutors, travel teams, clinics, 4 day a week practices 40 minutes away, plus games, etc. If you don't go with the flow, you don't get on a team. It's completely ridiculous IMHO, and driven by a small number of parents who wind up setting the standards over the years. Multiply this by 2 kids, and there is zero chance of getting together for a weekend as a family on a boat. It takes a real effort, and the kids generally want to do what the other kids are doing - playing sports.

Yeah, I don't know how kids could possibly play sports while living on a boat.......oh wait.

Laser sailor Mara Stransky - proof that living on boats is good for you
Read more at https://www.mysailing.com.au/olympic...poFPtQzL3jO.99

Here she is doing 145nm of ocean on a laser in 25+

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KlhJSNCrFoA

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Chotu

What really baffles me are these 44' dinghies with 2000HP in outboards on the stern.

I can't, for the life of me, understand why someone would want this.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1gLSb7n...=1l2gt0lu0rj1d

If it’s for fishing, why not a sport fisher?

Displays of wealth is why, same for most any expensive automobile etc.
It’s what is popular with the wealthy this year, in a couple of years it will be something else. Used to be exotic sports cars, now it’s Mercedes G wagons etc.
Interesting to me is that what used to be popular with the wealthy was anything that you had a paid professional to operate, your Yacht, helicopter, airplane even your automobile if you were rich was driven by an employee

[mabowers]

Annapolis Sailboat Show attendance was up about 15% this year over the previous record (2015), and exhibitor space up 8% over the previous record.

[Chenega]

Originally Posted by billknny

Honestly, who who gives a flying f---?



I mean unless you are selling sailboats, who really cares if sailing is more--or less--popular than it used to be? Will it change your approach to the sport one iota if there were 1,000,000 more sailors last year? or 1,000,000 fewer?



I personally hope that cruising continues to become less and less popular every year because I enjoy remote, empty anchorages. I don't go sailing as a social event. I don't have any reason to make any effort to get more people involved.

[emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]

[Don C L]

I am guessing this OP has left the building.