charles_reed
Active member
Culled from a US Trade paper:
The percentage of middle-aged and older sailors is high, so equipment manufacturers have adjusted by making products intended to appeal to people who are seeking a less physically demanding sailing experience.
The significance of appealing to the needs of older sailing enthusiasts becomes obvious after an examination of the data gathered by the National Sailing Industry Association (NSIA).
Cruisers are the oldest segment of the sailing population, with 40 percent being from 55 to 64 years of age. Meanwhile, day sailors are the second oldest, with 28 percent being 45 to 54 years old, the NSIA reports. Consequently, it is easy to see why sailboat manufacturers and suppliers would want to make sailing easier through the use of hydraulic and electric motor-powered winches.
American electric winch manufacturer and supplier Lewmar Marine Inc. is one company that has seen an increase in sales from new boat buyers and owners looking to refit their boats, says John Keithan, sales manager.
It's mostly "baby boom generation" members who are around 50 years old who are looking for electric winches at consumer shows, Keithan says.
"We have been fielding inquiries from people buying new boats who want an upgrade package," he adds.
Even though winches make trimming and raising the sails easier, modern materials and applications are making those tasks less strenuous.
The AeroRig, by Hamble, England-based Carbospars Ltd., is a design that a few years ago would have scared sailors confident with the wires and turnbuckles of the Marconi rig.
The rotating, free standing spar is made with lightweight carbon fiber and allows the deck to be clear of standing rigging as well as streaming sheets and the accompanying hardware.
Only a main sheet winch is required for sail trim. The jib uses a furling system and hydraulic furling can be added to it and the mainsail to further simplify the process.
The England-based Sparkman & Stephens Association (sic) designed a 19.8-metre boat using the AeroRig for a customer who wanted easy sailing for his family. "When they first came out there we were apprehensive but the more we look at them we see the logic," says Bruce Johnson, chief designer.
Seeking to place the rig on a production boat, Alan Massey of Forespar Products Corp., the US distributor for the AeroRig, says the company approached California-based Catalina Yachts. Catalina President Frank Butler agreed there was a need for an easy sailing boat.
The result is Catlina's Aero 20. Butler says it's ideal for people who have done a lot of sailing but who now want a boat that's easy to rig and sail yet still performs well.
John Peterson, director of sales and marketing at US-based Hunter Marine Corp.,agrees ease of sailing is an important factor.
"Leisure time in that [middle-aged to older] market is at a premium," Petersen says. "People want to use their boats without making a big production out of it".
Older sailors also want features that are not performance oriented, Peterson says. They want bigger heads and more living and entertaining space, according to focus group research by Hunter, a unit of US-based Luhrs Marine Group.
The Hunter research indicates 66 percent of the owners of Hunter boats that are 14.0 m and longer are age 45 and older.
Catalina's experience also indicates, "The larger the boat the more elderly the buyer," Butler says.
The percentage of middle-aged and older sailors is high, so equipment manufacturers have adjusted by making products intended to appeal to people who are seeking a less physically demanding sailing experience.
The significance of appealing to the needs of older sailing enthusiasts becomes obvious after an examination of the data gathered by the National Sailing Industry Association (NSIA).
Cruisers are the oldest segment of the sailing population, with 40 percent being from 55 to 64 years of age. Meanwhile, day sailors are the second oldest, with 28 percent being 45 to 54 years old, the NSIA reports. Consequently, it is easy to see why sailboat manufacturers and suppliers would want to make sailing easier through the use of hydraulic and electric motor-powered winches.
American electric winch manufacturer and supplier Lewmar Marine Inc. is one company that has seen an increase in sales from new boat buyers and owners looking to refit their boats, says John Keithan, sales manager.
It's mostly "baby boom generation" members who are around 50 years old who are looking for electric winches at consumer shows, Keithan says.
"We have been fielding inquiries from people buying new boats who want an upgrade package," he adds.
Even though winches make trimming and raising the sails easier, modern materials and applications are making those tasks less strenuous.
The AeroRig, by Hamble, England-based Carbospars Ltd., is a design that a few years ago would have scared sailors confident with the wires and turnbuckles of the Marconi rig.
The rotating, free standing spar is made with lightweight carbon fiber and allows the deck to be clear of standing rigging as well as streaming sheets and the accompanying hardware.
Only a main sheet winch is required for sail trim. The jib uses a furling system and hydraulic furling can be added to it and the mainsail to further simplify the process.
The England-based Sparkman & Stephens Association (sic) designed a 19.8-metre boat using the AeroRig for a customer who wanted easy sailing for his family. "When they first came out there we were apprehensive but the more we look at them we see the logic," says Bruce Johnson, chief designer.
Seeking to place the rig on a production boat, Alan Massey of Forespar Products Corp., the US distributor for the AeroRig, says the company approached California-based Catalina Yachts. Catalina President Frank Butler agreed there was a need for an easy sailing boat.
The result is Catlina's Aero 20. Butler says it's ideal for people who have done a lot of sailing but who now want a boat that's easy to rig and sail yet still performs well.
John Peterson, director of sales and marketing at US-based Hunter Marine Corp.,agrees ease of sailing is an important factor.
"Leisure time in that [middle-aged to older] market is at a premium," Petersen says. "People want to use their boats without making a big production out of it".
Older sailors also want features that are not performance oriented, Peterson says. They want bigger heads and more living and entertaining space, according to focus group research by Hunter, a unit of US-based Luhrs Marine Group.
The Hunter research indicates 66 percent of the owners of Hunter boats that are 14.0 m and longer are age 45 and older.
Catalina's experience also indicates, "The larger the boat the more elderly the buyer," Butler says.
