Biggest problem with boating?

[boomerangben]

I sail a small boat with a tiny cabin. I can launch, sail and recover on my own, I can carry four others with plenty of space for a day sail, two up for week long camping cruises. My wife can sail with me or not as the mood takes. We have sailed around the inner and outer Hebrides and if the mood takes, I could take it to the Baltic, France, the Med and sail there after a few days of driving. I don’t want to live on it, I pay £700 to have it on a fully serviced marina berth a few minutes cycle from my home, it spends the winter on the drive where I can fettle to my hearts content. It sails beautifully, I don’t need headache tablets or an index linked income and in short, it is great fun. Do I dream of something bigger? Yes I do. Would a bigger boat bring me x thousand pounds more enjoyment? No it wouldn’t. Size matters. Being the right size matters. Being too big is a pain in the backside, or back pocket at least. Each to their own of course but pounds per smile need not be very much.

 

[citygent111]

Hello everyone
I'm fairly new to owning a boat and also have just a smaller one for entering int this but very excited already.
If you could solve one problem with Boating what would it be and why?

Access to the sea.

We're a bl**dy island for goodness sake, and yet finding a suitable slipway that's accessible for a 4x4 and trailer, & that doesn't want to charge a fortune seems to be impossible! I know every inch of the country is owned by someone, but even so.....! I can see the attraction of a SIB where you can park up, unload and inflate the boat on the beach or in the carpark!
Those American boat ramps where there are 3 ramps, pontoons for mooring up, large car parks..... if only!!
But seriously, we've just upgraded to a more comfortable boat that we can afford (for now!) to run, and the pleasure from being out on the water, waves gently slapping the sides, and spotting a pod of dolphins - if you know, you know....

 

[DangerousPirate]

Biggest issue with boats is having a cheap boats with loads of problems that all keep you from sailing,, and after a while of fixing and fixing you just end up not using the boat at all. Rather invest a few pounds more and get something halfway decent instead of buying junk, like most people do.

 

[geem]

Biggest issue with boats is having a cheap boats with loads of problems that all keep you from sailing,, and after a while of fixing and fixing you just end up not using the boat at all. Rather invest a few pounds more and get something halfway decent instead of buying junk, like most people do.

A very sweeping statement. The only way boats stay in good condition is by maintaining them.

 

[Bouba]

As is becoming evident to the OP...the biggest problem with boating...is boaters always arguing amongst themselves

 

[steveeasy]

As is becoming evident to the OP...the biggest problem with boating...is boaters always arguing amongst themselves

Well pretty close. There are some dam nasty folk out there to hunt you down. very much a minority but by jo they exist. Its knowing who they are and why. Really exposes the nasty side of humanity. Do your own thing and expect nothing, most of the time life will pleasantly surprise you.

Steveeasy

 

[TwoFish]

As is becoming evident to the OP...

The OPbot has not been seen here since leaving that post three days ago.

 

[Stemar]

Access to the sea.

We're a bl**dy island for goodness sake, and yet finding a suitable slipway that's accessible for a 4x4 and trailer, & that doesn't want to charge a fortune seems to be impossible! I know every inch of the country is owned by someone, but even so.....! I can see the attraction of a SIB where you can park up, unload and inflate the boat on the beach or in the carpark!
Those American boat ramps where there are 3 ramps, pontoons for mooring up, large car parks..... if only!!
But seriously, we've just upgraded to a more comfortable boat that we can afford (for now!) to run, and the pleasure from being out on the water, waves gently slapping the sides, and spotting a pod of dolphins - if you know, you know....

Come to Hardway in Portsmouth Harbour. A free slipway, a public pontoon to load up and a free car park with trailer spaces five minutes walk away. The only downside is that the sea's a long way away at low tide

The nearby Sailing Club's bar is also the cheapest beer you'll find for miles.

 

[2Tizwoz]

A very sweeping statement. The only way boats stay in good condition is by maintaining them.

This thread is headed ''Biggest problem with boating?'' and maitenance of someting that spends its lfe in seawater is the biggest headache. Putting expensive paint on and, more troublesome, taking expensive paint off is the most time consuming.

 

[KevinV]

This thread is headed ''Biggest problem with boating?'' and maitenance of someting that spends its lfe in seawater is the biggest headache. Putting expensive paint on and, more troublesome, taking expensive paint off is the most time consuming.

Absolutely - you can put cheap paint on instead and it'll come off all by itself

 

[LittleSister]

The OPbot has not been seen here since leaving that post three days ago.

As if we needed a good reason to hold forth!

 

[38mess]

That all boat owners are friendly nice guys, especially the elderly lone skipper you have to raft up to for the night.

 

[UK-WOOZY]

without fail, you get one thing fixed on a boat and then something else needs your money

Bring Out Another Thousand

 

[Marceline]

that I really wish I'd learned to sail sooner (especially as I've lived near a few marinas for a lot of my adult life)

 

[Alfie168]

A very sweeping statement. The only way boats stay in good condition is by maintaining them.

Successful maintainance is a game of replacing bits just slightly faster than they fall to bits.

 

[DangerousPirate]

A very sweeping statement. The only way boats stay in good condition is by maintaining them.

Ah, well, you see - what I meant is simply that if you buy a boat, that is too far gone, it will turn you away from boating than if you would buy something more decent.
I have done that. bought cheaply cheap shitboats, thinking "Nice n cheap, only needs some TLC" and then ages later I still haven't had sailed AND I invested all the money I "saved" in the boat anyway. Better buy a 10k boat, than buy a 5k boat and invest 5 months of your time and another 6k in total. Not everything is a deal, some boats just get sold off because they are junk.

 

[steveeasy]

That all boat owners are friendly nice guys, especially the elderly lone skipper you have to raft up to for the night.

Is that funny ? Im not so sure.

 

[Bouba]

Whatever the economic merits of buying a fixer upper ...my council is don’t start a project when you are old...and old isn’t a number...it’s a state of mind

 

[Emmark]

My girlfriend resents me spending time on my boat, it seems to be a common problem.

 

[Bouba]

My girlfriend resents me spending time on my boat, it seems to be a common problem.

Does she resent you spending time with your wife