Do women prefer new boats?

Rustyknight

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What's it got to do with the woman anyway?

Some chintzy curtains and they'll think it's fine.

You've obviously not read this wonderful book.... :D

SeaWifesHandbook.jpg
 

snowleopard

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I went aboard a 45 footer owned by a liveaboard American couple. It was the ultimate in catering to the female taste and that may have been the reason they had managed to keep cruising happily for several years. In the saloon there was a large cupboard with leaded glass doors in which they kept their crystal glassware but most amazing was the bedroom - you couldn't call it a cabin - which was the ultimate tart's boudoir. There were cushions and flounces everywhere around the huge island double bed.
 

FullCircle

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My wife wanted features, and I give them to her. I have also spent hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds making the boat surrepticiously safe and as seamanlike as possible.

I fully intend to take my AWB to the big boys sea, as many others have done. It is a matter of record that all boats spend at least 85% of their time at anchor or in marinas, so I would rather have the 15% of potential unpleasantness than the other way round.

If the boat was some smelly cramped crudbucket smelling of diesel with disgusting toilet and burnt fat basted galley, my sailing budget would disappear, and house jobs would take the sailing place.
 

mlthomas

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My wife wanted features, and I give them to her. I have also spent hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds making the boat surrepticiously safe and as seamanlike as possible.

I fully intend to take my AWB to the big boys sea, as many others have done. It is a matter of record that all boats spend at least 85% of their time at anchor or in marinas, so I would rather have the 15% of potential unpleasantness than the other way round.

If the boat was some smelly cramped crudbucket smelling of diesel with disgusting toilet and burnt fat basted galley, my sailing budget would disappear, and house jobs would take the sailing place.

Well said.
 

stav

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It is a matter of record that all boats spend at least 85% of their time at anchor or in marinas, so I would rather have the 15% of potential unpleasantness than the other way round.

I completely disagree a typical good sail would be 4 hours sailing 2 hours at anchor and 4 hours home. 80% sailing time. It is the passage, the pilotage, the navigation and trying to do as much under sail as possible that is the real fun. Though this is either me or me and crew. With the family it is get to a base and stay for a while but hopefully that will change and as the kids get older we will have a safe boat to still make passage (or get home) when it is inclement. True my wife hankers for a HR36 with an aft cabin but we can not afford it so we will keep what we have for as long as possible. As for the interior the main cabin is good and having moderate freeboard means you can see out of the windows when cooking etc and generally the interior is light. I removed the pilot berth to create more space and refitted the heads. So we have four good berths. I guess I must just be common being happy to sleep where I have sat and eaten my meal; why ruin a thing of beauty to drag around an aft cabin?

Honestly hand on heart my perspective on an AWB with low ballast ratios is they are no more than glorified motor boats for those who want to save face because they can not afford the fuel for a proper motor boat. And hand on heart people who make passage in them in choppy conditions I have a full dose of respect for. I would not want to do it. So do women prefer new boats? Probably but only some and others I know at the SC enjoy a boat that will sail well. Guess it depends if you are a sailor or a boater.
 

bbg

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Honestly hand on heart my perspective on an AWB with low ballast ratios is they are no more than glorified motor boats for those who want to save face because they can not afford the fuel for a proper motor boat. And hand on heart people who make passage in them in choppy conditions I have a full dose of respect for. I would not want to do it. So do women prefer new boats? Probably but only some and others I know at the SC enjoy a boat that will sail well. Guess it depends if you are a sailor or a boater.
Honestly hand on heart my perspective on an MAB with cramped interior is they are no more than glorified floating tents for those who want to save face because they can not afford the cost of a proper sail boat. And hand on heart people who make passage in them in choppy conditions I have a full dose of respect for. I would not want to do it. So do women prefer new boats? Probably but only some and others I know at the SC enjoy a boat that is slow, dark and cramped. Guess it depends if you are a sailor or a luddite.
 

FullCircle

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I completely disagree a typical good sail would be 4 hours sailing 2 hours at anchor and 4 hours home. 80% sailing time. It is the passage, the pilotage, the navigation and trying to do as much under sail as possible that is the real fun. Though this is either me or me and crew. With the family it is get to a base and stay for a while but hopefully that will change and as the kids get older we will have a safe boat to still make passage (or get home) when it is inclement. True my wife hankers for a HR36 with an aft cabin but we can not afford it so we will keep what we have for as long as possible. As for the interior the main cabin is good and having moderate freeboard means you can see out of the windows when cooking etc and generally the interior is light. I removed the pilot berth to create more space and refitted the heads. So we have four good berths. I guess I must just be common being happy to sleep where I have sat and eaten my meal; why ruin a thing of beauty to drag around an aft cabin?

Honestly hand on heart my perspective on an AWB with low ballast ratios is they are no more than glorified motor boats for those who want to save face because they can not afford the fuel for a proper motor boat. And hand on heart people who make passage in them in choppy conditions I have a full dose of respect for. I would not want to do it. So do women prefer new boats? Probably but only some and others I know at the SC enjoy a boat that will sail well. Guess it depends if you are a sailor or a boater.

You are being untrue to yourself my friend. In one paragraph your wife want an HR36 with an aft cabin and you can't afford it. In the very next paragraph you hand on heart wouldn't have one.
What tosh.

Also, your sailing appears to be day sailing only. Mine is almost always at least an overnight, preferably in a quiet anchorage with enough facility to eat and wash to a home standard.
I am not a mobo owner, but that does not mean I don't like them. In fact, the same could be said of any amount of horrible fishing cruisers with a bucket and curtain too.
 

Coaster

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OK, I'll try to explain it in simpler terms. You said "There is a small but vociferous minority here that appears to believe that boating should be arduous, uncomfortable and difficult"

Now to me, sailing in a boat which has a huge cabin lacking handholds, proper sized fiddles and that sort of thing is indeed "arduous, uncomfortable and difficult". So I wondered if that was the sort of ardour, discomfort and difficulty you had in mind. Is it?

Thank you for your considerate reply.

The answer to your question is no.

I don't have your knowledge of boats with huge cabins lacking handholds and proper sized fiddles. However I see nothing wrong with huge cabins that do have ample handholds and good fiddles etc.

Incidentally, ardour has nothing to do with arduous. They come from completely different roots.

All boats are compromises. I believe that, for the overwhelming majority of leisure boat users, comfort and convenience are more important than heavy weather seakeeping. The sarcastic photographic response you made to the OP indicates that you do not belong to this group. That's your prerogative.
 

Greenwichman

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Comfort - not just for girls

Although I love the look of the older, more traditional boats, I much prefer the interiors of the new boats. I love the spacious well designed interiors these boats have. There's more room, the sofas are comfortable, the galleys are well designed with lots of useful storage, and, most importantly for us girls, the heads are roomy and easy to keep clean. I love a nice loo, with a holding tank. No more bucket and chucket for me!

I like the look of this one:

http://www.hanseyachts.co.uk/showdetails.asp?boatid=17#

IMHO 'comfort' and 'new' are not automatically associated.

Back in the day, when I participated in the first Whitbread Round the World Race, I was lucky enough to ship with a skipper who believed that 'comfort' and 'performance' were linked. He was right: we sailed fast, lived well and won.

My current cruising boat is more than 20 years old; bought her for her combination of performance and comfort. She cost a fraction of a new boat's costs.

The Hanse look fine - I have never sailed one - but I wonder what they'll be like in 20 years, after a few thousand sailing miles in all weathers?

And I don't think it's a girl thing.

As a boy - I wonder why anyone cruises with a smelly, cramped interior, bilges awash with oily sludge, mildew, crisps, rice and other effluent? Nah, not for me either! Which is why I walked off a boat once, just two days into a three week voyage. New enough vessel, but badly maintained and owned by a couple with no concept of 'comfort'.

So ... go for 'comfort'; go for 'new' if you are lucky enough to have the cash, but don't confuse the two! All boys don't want to sail in a swamp; but some girls do. Maybe it's as much about attitude as gender!?

:)
 

Ubergeekian

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My wife wanted features, and I give them to her. I have also spent hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds making the boat surrepticiously safe and as seamanlike as possible.

I fully intend to take my AWB to the big boys sea, as many others have done. It is a matter of record that all boats spend at least 85% of their time at anchor or in marinas, so I would rather have the 15% of potential unpleasantness than the other way round.

The unpleasantness at sea might kill you, while the unpleasantness in the marina might mean inviting two fewer people to your next cocktail party. It's a bit like saying that cars need neither brakes nor roadholding because the average car spends more than 99% of its time parked.
 
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Ubergeekian

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All boats are compromises. I believe that, for the overwhelming majority of leisure boat users, comfort and convenience are more important than heavy weather seakeeping. The sarcastic photographic response you made to the OP indicates that you do not belong to this group. That's your prerogative.

If you think I shouldn't be here, aren't you saying that it's not my prerogative? Anyway, the OP is more than welcome to buy a block of flats furnished to look like a coffee shop. That's her prerogative.
 
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FullCircle

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The unpleasantness at sea might kill you, while the unpleasantness in the marina might mean inviting two fewer people to your next cocktail party. It's a bit like saying that cars need neither brakes nor roadholding because the average car spends more than 99% of its time parked.

What utter tosh. You obviously believe that my boat is unseaworthy, and I am unseamanlike. Both incorrect.
Consider also this: My newer boat is faster, and I will have a shorter passage time than your old machine. I amy well be able to route weather better than the old boat. Second, my newer boat will go downhill a lot steadier than your pinch sterned thing, and gentlemen don't beat unless necessary. Third, my newer boat will likely have a much higher engine power to weight ratio, and is a propulsion device rather than an auxiliary for puttering into a marina.
Fourth and last at the moment, my wife and I enjoy what we have, and have been in some nice weather and our boat has not frightened us.

There are many other advantages which you will not consider, as, even though you appear to be an educationalist, fail to see the logical speciousness of your own trumpet.

Have you not spectacularly failed to sell the old boat you are trying to offload for ages now?
 

Ubergeekian

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What utter tosh. You obviously believe that my boat is unseaworthy, and I am unseamanlike. Both incorrect.

Not at all and I am sorry if I gave that impression. I was taking issue with the general idea that a boat spends most of its time in harbour and therefore that discomfort while sailing is less important than discomfort at rest. The former can be actively dangerous - the latter is, well, just uncomfortable.

Consider also this: My newer boat is faster, and I will have a shorter passage time than your old machine.

I do note that you"have also spent hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds making the boat surrepticiously safe and as seamanlike as possible". Could you perhaps give a list of the hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds that were necessary in order to make your nice new boat safe and seamanlike? It might be helpful for anyone else thinking of buying the same type and unaware of how much work is needed ...

Have you not spectacularly failed to sell the old boat you are trying to offload for ages now?

Spectacularly is the word. You try selling an old 21' fin-keeler in the Solway and see how well you do. I'm clearly a bad yacht salesman, but I don't think I'm outstandingly bad.
 
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Silent Lady

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What do you mean

Women are far more realistic about how the boat will actually be used,

True to a degree..... but we do need to keep them happy to keep them coming back..... who else is going to "jump off at the end??!

Jump OFF .. Where have you been .. They expect to step off the sugar scoop onto the pontoon .. They may and I say may take a line ashore for you it just depends on how well you have behaved while out at sea.

So you have to make your way down a line of boats BACKWARDS so that you can turn and go in BACKWARDS :eek: :rolleyes: .. But its worth it . Hugs and kisses for putting the boat the right way in .. Priceless .. :rolleyes:
 

bbg

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Angonamo. I've seen the pictures of your boat! :D
My boat is neither average, nor white. Nor is it manky, nor auld. Don't really know where that leaves me.;)

PS - I don't think many women would want to take an extended cruise in my boat either.
 
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