Boats that Never Get Used ... I Don't Understand

[boatsail]

Originally Posted by Hannah on 'Rita T'

Consider that the boats may be used when you aren't standing around watching and being judgmental. Our boat sits all summer and we take her south for six months every winter. WE leave jsut about the time most boats are being hauled for the season. So she probably looks like she's not being used to you.

I did not mean this to be judgemental. This was simply an observation. I was asking an honest question and wanted to hear answers similar to yours. Your answer is something that I never thought of.

My father and grandfather have had boats my entire life. There are photos of my when I was 2 sleeping on the deck of the sunfish that I learned to sail. Progressed through the years to the other boats the family owned and now have 1 of my own. I am genuinely curious.

For instance. There is 1 boat in particular. On the pier that leads to the pool. Probably 45 foot long. This boat has 2 mast with no spreaders. Hull is painted red. 2 very robust mast. No Jib. Just gorgeous!!! One of the times I walk by and see the owner outside, I want to talk to him about his boat. Ask him what kind it is. Never seen anything like it. It might be the pretties boat I have ever seen. The owner is a liveaboard. I don't want to go up and bother him by asking permission to come aboard if he is on there watching tv or reading. I figure, I'm there so much, I'll see him outside and when I do, simply introduce myself and if he has the time and wants to talk, I'll let him know what I think of his boat and see what he tells me.

Everyone has a story and I really do wonder. Sailing for me is just as much about dreaming as it is sailing. Even when sailing, I'm dreaming. I'm just living it:-)

[gkrasnov]

Originally Posted by boatsail

I did not mean this to be judgemental. This was simply an observation. I was asking an honest question and wanted to hear answers similar to yours. Your answer is something that I never thought of.

My father and grandfather have had boats my entire life. There are photos of my when I was 2 sleeping on the deck of the sunfish that I learned to sail. Progressed through the years to the other boats the family owned and now have 1 of my own. I am genuinely curious.

For instance. There is 1 boat in particular. On the pier that leads to the pool. Probably 45 foot long. This boat has 2 mast with no spreaders. Hull is painted red. 2 very robust mast. No Jib. Just gorgeous!!! One of the times I walk by and see the owner outside, I want to talk to him about his boat. Ask him what kind it is. Never seen anything like it. It might be the pretties boat I have ever seen. The owner is a liveaboard. I don't want to go up and bother him by asking permission to come aboard if he is on there watching tv or reading. I figure, I'm there so much, I'll see him outside and when I do, simply introduce myself and if he has the time and wants to talk, I'll let him know what I think of his boat and see what he tells me.

Everyone has a story and I really do wonder. Sailing for me is just as much about dreaming as it is sailing. Even when sailing, I'm dreaming. I'm just living it:-)

One wise man once told me there are two happy days in the life of a sailor. The day he buys a boat, ad then the day he finally sells it...

Another wise man once told me that anything that flies, sails or screws you are better off renting...

Yet here i am, owning a boat, and in the process of trading up...

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by boatsail

It just makes no sense.

/rant off

Of course it doesn't make sense, it's about a boat! For most people boats are more about a dream and even a boat covered in bird crap fits the dream.

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by ArtM

I have an airplane that has been in a hanger nearly 10 years now. I didn't know it had been that long until a few weeks ago when I went to look at the papers. During that time, I didn't have the time or money to bother with it.

I had thought about selling it, thought about fixing it, but at every given moment in time the best (and cheapest) course of action always seemed to be to "put it off for another day". This goes on today.

I feel bad that I have occupied a hangar that someone else might have wanted (though I don't think so, the recession has been hard). I don't want to sell it at a loss, yet I also secretly realize that I will never be in a position to care for this plane properly.

What kind of airplane?

[Wainui]

Back 5 years ago, after I finish restoring my Cal' there were no slips available in Ventura or Channel Islands Marinas. Now that the rates have gone up to over $14 per foot and in this economic cycle there is about a 35% vacancy. Most of the old and unused boat have been abandoned and demolished or sold. Empty slips everywhere and no signs that the next generation are considering a boat purchase.
Not a good business to be in!

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

What kind of airplane?

It's an older Velocity RG 4 seater with retractible gear and variable prop.

200mph cruise speed, no complex license needed.

Open to trade or sell, if anyone wants to go to Omaha to get it.

[boatsail]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Of course it doesn't make sense, it's about a boat! For most people boats are more about a dream and even a boat covered in bird crap fits the dream.

I understand. To me I have a yacht! To anyone who sees me on my "yacht", I'm a guy on a boat:-)

[Cruiser2B]

I often walk the docks of my and area marinas and wonder the same thing. There is an Alberg 30 at another marina with no mast, the id plate says its a only a few hull numbers from mine. I one day went to the marina owner to ask him the guys name and contact info so I could have a look at his chainplates since my mast was still up. Marina owner says guy pays his slip in full every year, been there over 7 yrs. I did some research and the boat lost it mast in 2003!! Marina owner says the guy bought the boat mastless and has a dream of one day sailing the world on it.......I bet you will find almost every "abandoned" boat has a similar story. I would like to think that anyway as there are quite a few that i have never seen move.

[Coops]

Same deal over here in Australia. A lot of boats, of all kinds, just sit i the marinas and go out only twice a year, Christmas and Easter. Always been so since i have been here. The racers of course go out a lot, every week at least, but for the rest it would be a better economic proposition to rent one twice a year. But that is not the point is it? It's about that little dream in the back of your brain that tells you that you need one waiting there for you, just in case that moment comes when you can GO. Most of us would probably have as much fun sailing a day sailer, if not more, than a heavy cruising boat, but the personal pleasure from knowing that you own a boat that can cross oceans is worth a lot. Even if you are aware that you never will do it.

For the ones who are doing it, Bravo, i respect and envy you all, but we need dreamers in the world, and i am happy to be one.

Coops.

[K_V_B]

Originally Posted by swisscraft

Since cheaper government slips are so rare I like this approach - In my old marina a few boats got kicked out to make space for more active sailors. On the other hand, some older slip holders with unused boats looked for folks who wanted to sail - even for free. Since the boats is now used they can keep the slip (and the boat) for some sailing once or twice a year.

I like this approach when slips are rare - and you may see less and less "rotten boats" as well

Many harbors are also now are also giving priority to shared boats when slips become available. I'm member of a boat sharing organization that is busy putting a fleet of identical daysailers on the different lakes. Those boats do get sailed...

[SailAhoy]

Originally Posted by Mr Mac

That's probably one of those questions that'll only get answered when we get to Heaven!

Haha ^^ come On! When you have à boat you can sail to heaven!

[carstenb]

I'm probably as lucky a boat owner as exists. My boat lies right at the end of my terrace. I walk out my kitchen door, across the terrace and onto the boat. That means we sail a lot more than most people. I've counted any number of times and we sail about 40 days per year (23 days of which are summer holidays). OK the sailing season is short here but still - we are very active it only becomes 40 days.

So maybe the boats aren't s inactive as you think - although if they are covered with grime and bird crap then they aren't being sailed.

[mbianka]

I'm on a mooring and am on the boat pretty much full time for six months of the year either working on it or cruising. I too see a lot of the power boats on the docks that sit there pretty much the whole season. On the holidays and weekends the owners have parties on the dock that involves a lot of food and booze and sitting on their boats. I kid one former sailor who switched over to a trawler and partakes of this festivities and hardly leaves the dock these days. that all he really has is an expensive beach chair. But, they return every season and do it again. Different strokes for different folks. I'm just glad I get to enjoy my boat as much as I do.

[denverd0n]

Just imagine how ungodly crowded the waterways would be if every one of those boats was out on a regular basis. In many ways it is probably a GOOD thing that they are not!

[kthoennes]

Heck, there's a family in our marina who doesn't even own a boat at all. They rent a slip as a place to hang out in the summer. No rule at our marina that you have to actually have to have a boat. Come to think if it, with a three year waiting list, we took our slip before we bought a boat to put in it -- but only by a couple weeks luckily.