How do you use your boat?

[zeehag]

liveabords or cruisers----might be small difference-- i know some liveaboards who only manage 20 miles, if that, annually and some who manage 20,000 miles annually.
each year is different--must manage maintenance.
how do i use my boat--i liveaboard full time, cruise full time, and repair full time.
in tropical waters.
comfort is a formosa 41. sailing, anchoring, and docked. cannot beat this lifestyle, and cannot make it into only one facet.

[jrbogie]

man if i gave this topic as much thought as some of you i'd just as soon swallow a bullet. for me it couldn't be simpler. i love to sail. love being on the ocean. love seeing new places. solution? bought a sailboat that i can sail on the ocean to new places. haven't a clue how much time i spend on the hook or in a slip vs sailing to new places. doesn't matter because i'm always home anyway.

[Tessellate]

Originally Posted by jrbogie

haven't a clue how much time i spend on the hook or in a slip vs sailing to new places. doesn't matter because i'm always home anyway.

I beg to differ. Percentage time spent on anchor matters because it has a big difference in costs versus marina stays or moorings. Perhaps that is the reason the OP asks. It also makes a big difference in mode of living / ease of certain things - ex, if you have to get to a job that requires you wear a suit and be in at 7am, living on the hook could be a lot more difficult than living in a marina with your car in the parking lot.

I agree being on a boat is pretty much always fun; but there are certain things that are more fun than others.

[Cottontop]

Moxiegirl,

I gave (and am still giving) this topic a lot of thought. Decided I needed a safe, floating one-bedroom apartment. Needed a 50' boat to get everything in. Worried a 50' sailboat was too much for my wife and I to handle.

I'm going to build a 50', displacement hull, power catamaran.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Tessellate

I beg to differ. Percentage time spent on anchor matters because it has a big difference in costs versus marina stays or moorings. Perhaps that is the reason the OP asks. ........

The trouble with this interpretation is that the OP only presented the choice of "at anchor" or "sailing". The term "at anchor" was, I believe, used to include any time not underway such as at a dock or a mooring.

...however, with that said, your point is valid!

[svseawitch]

Very interesting question. And very hard quantify using your definition. We spent 8 years on a circumnavigation ( defined a leaving port, going around the world and returning to the same port. Along the way, we had a number of periods with the boat in a slip in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, etc. and many places with the boat at anchor. In Fiji, we anchored for many days at a time and used our inflatable to explore, etc.

And, at home in our slip, we have been doing a refit for almost a year.

And, yes, when we were working and living on the boat, we rarely got the boat out of the slip.

For us, living aboard made the boat affordable. And, it made it easier to prep for the next big trip.....

[sailjumanji]

The liveaboards I know are tied to marina docks, not at anchor. I don't equate liveaboard with cruiser. OTOH, a cruiser is likely to be a liveaboard!

[chuckr]

Interesting question - never really thought about it but --- we do not sail for fun day sails anymore - did one last year and that was a boat parade along the beach in Sochi Russian to honor the Russian Navy on Navy day - (and boy did the Russians appreciate and American boat in their parade)

We have been liveaboard underway going on 10 years now. Last year we sailed over 2,650nm made over 40 port of calls in a bit over 6 months - that is our usual for the past few years. Then we sit to wait out winter or if in the eastern Caribbean hurricane season. We did sail the east coast of the USA for 2 seasons and spent a couple in the western Caribbean - but hey when sitting in the San Blas you can move but somedays why? and if you do move it is not that far.
When sailing during the season we may sail for a few hours stop and go ashore to sightsee, learn and see and enjoy the local culture. In the Med and Carib we took tours inland - we spent 20 days traveling through Russia -
Right now we are sitting Turkey waiting for spring to start the sailing season.

So yea you do sit a lot - but to us sailing is just a means to get from one place to another and not an end in itself. We sail a Jeanneau DS40 that is a go anywhere boat and yet a comfortable liveaboard.

It depends on why you really want to come out here. If it is simply to spend a lot of time under sail - then stay home and day sail everyday or take long sails some place and turn around and go back.

We sail to experience the culture, meet new people, see new things, experience new things and you can only do that by parking the boat.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

The trouble with this interpretation is that the OP only presented the choice of "at anchor" or "sailing". The term "at anchor" was, I believe, used to include any time not underway such as at a dock or a mooring.

...however, with that said, your point is valid!

I was considering it more as
- Under way
- Not under way (a comfy boat is more comfortable at anchor or at a dock)

I was also considering it as the trade off between comfort at sea vs comfort when not at sea with the assumption that only seaworthy boats are considered.

On top of this, even when underway, most of the time conditions are good, so even if you are extreme and do 30-40% of days at sea the majority will be in light to moderate conditions where either boat is fine.

[darlindy]

Hi Moxie Girl,
Great topic. I've enjoyed reading the responses and, as has already been said, couldn't help jumping in.
I like your survey, in that I enjoy hearing others talk about their passion...
What brought you to sailing? would be an interesting topic for me, as well.
My wife and I are just starting out on this grand adventure of living aboard our own boat. We used to live in the Caribbean (St. Croix, USVI) and owned a powerboat that we spent every spare minute on. Now, with having decided to live-aboard, we've started by deciding first what it is we wanted in a boat, beyond the usual suspects... affordability, safety, reliability.
Even though we do plan to sail her, our new boat will be our home. So, we wanted some things that we felt were important:

1. Galley Up: Meals are a joint adventure and we like the time we have talking while preparing meals.
2. Level space in the salon and cockpit: We've 'tried-on' several boats and when there are all different levels ( I know there are reasons for all these levels, but I don't care), even with the same actual space, we felt confined.
3. A Cat: The multi-hull suits us. I've had some people tell me not to learn on a cat because she isn't like 'real' sailing. I thank them and move on. I want to learn my boat, not become the world's best Yacht Master. That's what will make this adventure the more grand for me...

That is pretty much the total of our requirements.
We went aboard an Island Spirit and felt at home. I'm not saying they are the best boat made. I'm sure there's a lot of people out there who can 'prove' the Island Spirit is a bad choice. I ride a Suzuki Boulevard Motorcycle and I know there's an army of riders who turn their noses up at that. But, it's the perfect bike for me.
I love that you know what's important to you. I love that you're planning your boat with your eye on your circumstances.
I hope to hear about it when you sail her...

No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land...
Helen Keller

[Sea Dreaming]

I am not sure we have any experience that is relevant but I answered your survey anyway.

We are new to cruising and just moved on our boat in December. We are now doing our refit and repairs as we were not able to do anything before moving aboard. Your survey assumes at least 6 months experience and we only have 4. But I don't forsee an ending anytime soon!

We spent 3 weeks at the boat yard and the last 3 months + on a dock but taking day sails as the work schedule and weather cooperate.

At this point we have sailed on other people's boats as often as we have sailed our own.
Being at the marina and doing day sails has actually been a lot of fun though it's not our intended way of life. One day we had an armada of 6 or 7 boats sailing together.

So how do we use our boat? For fun! And we can do it in our Jammies.

[Mike OReilly]

This question of how much sailing vs anchoring/docking do you do is kinda like asking a wilderness canoe tripper how much whitewater do you do … it depends on the river.

For me, my sailboat is my only home, even though I only live on it seasonally so far (Canadian winters get in the way). My spouse and I are in it for the living and lifestyle, not the sailing. Don’t get me wrong; I like sailing. Nothing finer than a fresh breeze on the beam, all sails up and open water ahead. But that’s not the reason we sail, or have the boat we have. It is the lifestyle our boat offers that is the main attraction.

So, we move when we want or need to. We stay put for long periods of time when we want to and are able to. Some seasons we’ve sailed further and harder. Some seasons we’ve hardly gone anywhere. Since we don’t have to be anywhere in particular, everywhere is just fine .

Overall I’d say we’re on the hook far more than underway; 80:20 sounds about right. But that will vary greatly from season to season.

[Tayana42]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Since we don’t have to be anywhere in particular, everywhere is just fine .



.

MIke, I like your way of thinking.

[belizesailor]

Im in the midst of a major refit and the boat is on the hard. So lately I only use it to waste large amounts of time and money!

[NickinOff]

My main aim in having a boat in a marina was the ability to be 5km from the centre of Hobart (Tasmania) and have a nice, quiet space for my writing and music composition. Oh yes, I also wanted a boat for the occasional trip down the Derwent River.

The Prince of Wales Bay Marina is only 3 years old and has a great cafe and many liveaboards. The bay has all the marine facilities you ever need and I've just had it lifted for antifouling and new anodes (CleanLift is 80 metres away with 60 tonne crane).

How much room do you need? Well, not much really - a sleeping compartment, a lounge/kitchen area and a back deck for sitting out in the sun.

My previous boats have been power boats (do they really call them stink boats in yachting circles?). It gets very windy here and power boats with a shallow draft tend to get uncontrollable at low speed. I bought my first yacht 2 years ago and never looked back. With 6'4'' headroom it is ideal for my 6'2" frame.

Having lived in mining "dongas" (transportable camps on mine sites) all around Australia, I have become a minimalist. Having said that, I can always stay on my 23 acre mountain block (with sea container) if I want some space.

As they say in Wind in the Willows - "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats"

Yachts from all around the world call into Hobart - look it up!