dylanwinter
Well-Known Member
I have had to keep it to ten for the time being
all comments gratefully accepted
Ten tips for sailors on a budget
1/ Don't own a boat – but feel free to ignore number 1 because most of us spend our working lives taking orders from other people and sailing gives us a real taste of freedom.
2/ fixer uppers are money pits – buy the boat you can afford now and buy one that is ready to sail.
3/ Buy a boat you can sail single handed – that way it will be a smaller boat with lower overheads and gear replacement costs ….. and you have no other mouths to feed.
4/ Don't fall in love with a beautiful boat – remember it is the view from the cockpit that counts. Learn to row away from the boat backwards so that you do not have to look at it.
5/Saggy old sails provide 90 per cent of the drive of brand new ones when going upwind – downwind they are just as good as new ones.
6/Sail more often – it spreads the overheads over more days afloat. Do more winter sailing – some marinas offer brilliant winter deals making winter sailing for the unwaged possible
7/ Eat and drink on board – you have a galley – use it. Drink cheap whisky and box red wine, neither of which need a fridge.
8/Sail gently – old boats need nurturing – go steady on the engine revs and sailing with the lee rail in the water is hard on the rig. When the wind is high - stay in port. Stuff breaks more often on an old boat than a new one – always have a plan B for when things go wrong – make sure it is a good one because your Plan B is likely to become your plan A. An outboard bracket on the stern and a cheap long shaft slumbering in the quarter berth means that you have a plan B when the old volvo finally gives up the ghost.
9/ wizzy electronics – pah! A Tesco tablet with navionics on it can replace the log, compass, echo-sounder. An old chart and an ebay GPS is also fine.
10/ Screwfix/Oxfam sell excellent sailing clothes. Dubarry boots and Musto offshore jackets are too good for the budget sailor.
all comments gratefully accepted
Ten tips for sailors on a budget
1/ Don't own a boat – but feel free to ignore number 1 because most of us spend our working lives taking orders from other people and sailing gives us a real taste of freedom.
2/ fixer uppers are money pits – buy the boat you can afford now and buy one that is ready to sail.
3/ Buy a boat you can sail single handed – that way it will be a smaller boat with lower overheads and gear replacement costs ….. and you have no other mouths to feed.
4/ Don't fall in love with a beautiful boat – remember it is the view from the cockpit that counts. Learn to row away from the boat backwards so that you do not have to look at it.
5/Saggy old sails provide 90 per cent of the drive of brand new ones when going upwind – downwind they are just as good as new ones.
6/Sail more often – it spreads the overheads over more days afloat. Do more winter sailing – some marinas offer brilliant winter deals making winter sailing for the unwaged possible
7/ Eat and drink on board – you have a galley – use it. Drink cheap whisky and box red wine, neither of which need a fridge.
8/Sail gently – old boats need nurturing – go steady on the engine revs and sailing with the lee rail in the water is hard on the rig. When the wind is high - stay in port. Stuff breaks more often on an old boat than a new one – always have a plan B for when things go wrong – make sure it is a good one because your Plan B is likely to become your plan A. An outboard bracket on the stern and a cheap long shaft slumbering in the quarter berth means that you have a plan B when the old volvo finally gives up the ghost.
9/ wizzy electronics – pah! A Tesco tablet with navionics on it can replace the log, compass, echo-sounder. An old chart and an ebay GPS is also fine.
10/ Screwfix/Oxfam sell excellent sailing clothes. Dubarry boots and Musto offshore jackets are too good for the budget sailor.
