Dinghy cruisingtips

My first boat was 13ft, spent one summer on it (6 weeks full time) covered 300 coastal and estuaries miles.
Second 18ft, 2 summers (12 weeks full time) covered towards 1000 miles. Neither had any electronics, no GPS, hand steered all the way.
Then gradually bigger until maxing out at 38ft. Now I'm waiting for a marina berth for a bigger boat again but its occurring to me that I really might be better off spending the 3k i'd spend on a marina on chartering a boat for 2 weeks each year in various places and make my GP14 (plus SIB and SUPs) my craft to enjoy locally. No stress of ownership. No time and money spent on maintenance. With the smaller craft I can explore up the creeks and dry out. make it fit for overnighting. I think that might be the best of both worlds.
 
Athomson said:
My first boat was 13ft, spent one summer on it (6 weeks full time) covered 300 coastal and estuaries miles.
Second 18ft, 2 summers (12 weeks full time) covered towards 1000 miles. Neither had any electronics, no GPS, hand steered all the way.
Then gradually bigger until maxing out at 38ft. Now I'm waiting for a marina berth for a bigger boat again but its occurring to me that I really might be better off spending the 3k i'd spend on a marina on chartering a boat for 2 weeks each year in various places and make my GP14 (plus SIB and SUPs) my craft to enjoy locally. No stress of ownership. No time and money spent on maintenance. With the smaller craft I can explore up the creeks and dry out. make it fit for overnighting. I think that might be the best of both worlds.
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Interesting thinking
 
Wansworth said:
Interesting thinking
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For the price of the mooring I get a 36FT boat, coded and maintained, for as long as I'm likely to be able to use it. Chartering yachts is the same price as a boring holiday cottage and fortunately everyone in the family is into it. 5 of us so we can't fit in smaller boat easily that would go on a cheaper mooring. If it was just me or if I was retired and could go out every other week I'd think differently.
 
Athomson said:
My first boat was 13ft, spent one summer on it (6 weeks full time) covered 300 coastal and estuaries miles.
Second 18ft, 2 summers (12 weeks full time) covered towards 1000 miles. Neither had any electronics, no GPS, hand steered all the way.
Then gradually bigger until maxing out at 38ft. Now I'm waiting for a marina berth for a bigger boat again but its occurring to me that I really might be better off spending the 3k i'd spend on a marina on chartering a boat for 2 weeks each year in various places and make my GP14 (plus SIB and SUPs) my craft to enjoy locally. No stress of ownership. No time and money spent on maintenance. With the smaller craft I can explore up the creeks and dry out. make it fit for overnighting. I think that might be the best of both worlds.
Click to expand...
You’ll be doing well go get a 2 week charter for 5 people for £3k these days!

I’ve owned dinghies and ribs and they aren’t zero maintenance either in cost or time. A yacht might be worse but a dinghy in U.K. waters/weather is definitely not going to be used as much unless you are very hardy (or you just don’t have time to use a yacht) so when you convert hrs use : hrs maintenance I’m not sure the dinghy is winning.

Dinghy cruisers are all a bit weird (I include myself in that label). There are some who believe (or want to believe) that they can do anything a yacht can do. But that’s like saying a tent is as good as a motorhome. For somethings it might be better but for other things it definitely isn’t.
 
ylop said:
You’ll be doing well go get a 2 week charter for 5 people for £3k these days!

I’ve owned dinghies and ribs and they aren’t zero maintenance either in cost or time. A yacht might be worse but a dinghy in U.K. waters/weather is definitely not going to be used as much unless you are very hardy (or you just don’t have time to use a yacht) so when you convert hrs use : hrs maintenance I’m not sure the dinghy is winning.

Dinghy cruisers are all a bit weird (I include myself in that label). There are some who believe (or want to believe) that they can do anything a yacht can do. But that’s like saying a tent is as good as a motorhome. For somethings it might be better but for other things it definitely isn’t.
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couple of places in plymouth charter for 1500-1600 a week.

thinking day trips in dinghies and exploring / ditch crawling around estuaries. Camping from one probably more realistic than on one but might try to adapt it for that. I was 23 when I spent the summer on a 13ft boat, my comfort requirements might have changed since then

pretty sure its cheaper to maintain a dinghy kept ashore than haul outs and antifouling of a yacht. No mooring fees. I can keep my GP14 on a beach for £100 a year near me. Good for now, can think about trailing it about to other places later.
 
ylop said:
did you speak to the people involved?
did you contact the rally organisers (I'm guessing it would be a DCA event and at least some of them would have been proudly displaying DCA burgees)?
did you speak to whoever is responsible for the folly pontoon?

my views on public urination are probably more tolerant than your wife's, but ultimately it is still a criminal offence
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DCA Safety Recommendations include carrying "a strong bucket, as well as a bailer", without specifying the intended use of the bucket...
 
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