methuselahs

B

binch

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 Jul 2008
Messages
585
Location
gradually diminishing with age. Now Europe
Visit site
The last few days I have seen two marketting analyses which indicate (1)that there are more boats sold to the over 55 age group than to younger
(2) Sailing books are mostly (number not specified) bought by older readers.
One possible reason is that youth is more hard up, but does that stand up? As youngsters we cobbled together a boat of some sort at very little cost. Do modern youngsters only consider the super boat, perhaps with a government subsidy?
In any event, is sailing/boating now an old man's consolation?
Poor old sad. Let him have a boat and get him out of the way.
What is the age spread of YM buyers?
 
Also, most boats spend most of their time on their mooring. Another explanation is, why buy a boat when Dad has just got one, and never uses it?
 
Well, when you can only sail them 1 or 2 weeks a year they're cheaper to rent, retired old codgers can sail all summer so they're cheaper to buy.
 
[ QUOTE ]
The last few days I have seen two marketting analyses which indicate (1)that there are more boats sold to the over 55 age group than to younger
(2) Sailing books are mostly (number not specified) bought by older readers.
One possible reason is that youth is more hard up, but does that stand up? As youngsters we cobbled together a boat of some sort at very little cost. Do modern youngsters only consider the super boat, perhaps with a government subsidy?
In any event, is sailing/boating now an old man's consolation?
Poor old sad. Let him have a boat and get him out of the way.
What is the age spread of YM buyers?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's the over 55's that ar'nt struggling with pensions & have had it good comparatively speaking.Also the price of moorings is very prohibitive.(not to mention hauling out & storage etc).
I agree that as youngsters we were resourceful though & wonder if the modern young have been spoilt by our 'consumer society'.
 
Yes, it may be that the over 55s didn't have the resources to pass on their resourcefulness to their kids.

I suspect though, if you look at the average dinghy racing fleet, the picture may be different, and before drawing conclusions from it, it would be interesting to see what type of boats the survey refers to ( new? lid? expensive?).

As for the sailing books, it's much more fun to dive in and learn as you go, but folk get more cautious as they age, and like to read up on things first.
 
[ QUOTE ]
...wonder if the modern young have been spoilt by our 'consumer society'.

[/ QUOTE ]
Nah, they're just better at maths. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
When I was young (er) A 30' boat was considered big. Now it's more an entry level in the minds of many. A first purchase is therefore a considerable commitment which may perhaps only be envisaged by those who no longer have the vagaries of school fees / house-paying in front of them.

I had many happy years sailing a 17' Lysander when I started.


John
 
[ QUOTE ]
When I was young (er) A 30' boat was considered big. Now it's more an entry level in the minds of many. A first purchase is therefore a considerable commitment which may perhaps only be envisaged by those who no longer have the vagaries of school fees / house-paying in front of them.

I had many happy years sailing a 17' Lysander when I started.


John

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. When my Dad bought a Halcyon 27 in the 1960s, it was definitely a "big boat"; the largest non-commercial vessel in the harbour we sailed from. 27' was at that time regarded as the ideal size for a family boat!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Nah, they're just better at maths. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

And therein lies some of the answer, I believe.

I am of working age (hence only have a limited amount of holiday in the week plus weekends in which to participate in the sport I enjoy). I live a long way from the sea (so a day trip on the water, including travel to/from the coast, is not realistic). SWMBO is not a keen sailor, and the kids are still too young to be effective crew members - so, as a father, I need to save up a fair share of my free time to spend with them. I own the type of boat that I want to sail, but I could charter a similar boat (albeit probably one with slightly less performance).

If I had allowed my head to rule my heart, the simple truth is that, for the number of days a year that I get out on the water, it would have been cheaper to charter.

Ok, I know that many of you own boats where the equivalent is not available to charter, and in many other cases the numbers wouldn't come out the same way. But, I know many people like me, of working age and with a limited amount of time for sailing, who could afford to own their own boat, but choose the charter route instead - because it is cheaper for the type of boat they want to sail (and in the location where they want to sail it).

I suspect that many of those people will buy their own boat when they have more time on their hands - either when they have retired or, at least, when the kids have left home and their free time becomes theirs. I think that is one example where boat ownership logically increases with age.
 
Exactly, I charter one or two weeks each year, for me and the g/f it's about a grand a week for a well maintained boat somewhere sunny.

I'd be off my tits to buy a boat with that level of usage, I doubt I'd even get a mooring at that price.

Society generally has changed, there's been a reduction of holiday allowances - 25 days is now good - and some of you are referring to an era when a flight to Spain was exotic.
 
I feel there is a real issue here that could be getting worse. My club Chistchurch Sailing Club as a thriving Junior section, and the over 50s are very well represented, both Dinghies and Cruisers, however there is a gap in between, we positively encourage Families particularly in cruisers and cost of ownership in Christchurch is probably as cheap as anywhere could be this near the Solent, and we do have some keen Family members. I think the time commitment is one part of the problem, busy lives lot of commitments, but also the need to have it all now, in the past a family might well have started with a dinghy then maybe a dayboat and then the first cruiser. Now there is a tendency to start with the 30ft AWB and I do understand the attraction of these, but think it can produce a barrier preventing more joining in. Also perception of costs maybe worse than the reality.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top