Motor boats and yacht clubs

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paul salliss

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I am a member of a couple of yacht clubs, I freely admit that I joined them to make use of the facility to use for business meetings as many seem to do, and did not join to participate in club activities as never thought it would be my thing. I did up front inform the clubs of this plan they were happy to take my membership fee , no problem.

Until recently I have never had any exposure to yacht clubs, but my question is, are these the domain of the sailor as my ignorant view is that would appear to be the case, do yacht clubs cater for, or is there even a need for a yacht club that "does" Motor boating. I can see there is an actual Motor Boat yacht club out there so I know this scene is not totally defunct but just wandered if any motor boaters are members of yacht clubs and if so what do they get out of being a member, I am not being critical, just genuinely curious
 
I had a motor boat and joined a yacht club because I wanted to learn to sail.

My experience is that they are VERY yachty. There are a few MB's in the haven but they tend to be ex club officers that have retired etc and can't sail anymore. If you want to put an MB in the haven then you have a minimum period of membership and then have to seek permission from the club.

Motorboating seems to be pretty frowned upon, unless you need PB2 for safety boat duties on the club rib.

As someone who enjoys both motorboats and sailing, I really can't understand the animosity that seems to be aimed at the other activity.
 
Many Yacht Clubs cater for different forms of boating. We moored at a yacht club for several very happy years and we remain members despite no longer keeping the boat there. It is fair to say that we are boaters in the fullest sense i.e. we have a mobo and we sail when we can but oddly, virtually all of our boating linked to the club has been with our mobo or RIBs.

A big element is the clubhouse and the social side but to answer your question I suspect a reasonable number of yacht clubs are not the preserve of sailors (e.g. the Royal Southern has a mobo and cruising section) and my experience has been that here is much to be gained from being a member of the right club with a mobo.
 
rhino_mac said:
I had a motor boat and joined a yacht club because I wanted to learn to sail.

My experience is that they are VERY yachty. There are a few MB's in the haven but they tend to be ex club officers that have retired etc and can't sail anymore. If you want to put an MB in the haven then you have a minimum period of membership and then have to seek permission from the club.

Motorboating seems to be pretty frowned upon, unless you need PB2 for safety boat duties on the club rib.

As someone who enjoys both motorboats and sailing, I really can't understand the animosity that seems to be aimed at the other activity.
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You must be at our YC (we arestill overseas members), namely Parkstone YC in Poole and there were quite a few mobo owners when we berthed in the Haven. There is of course Royal Motor YC in Poole ( also has a marina). and they have some saily boats too. We had a41 foot Jeanneau Sun Legende ( Heartbeat), berthed on F pontoon IIRC, but went to a trawler style motor yacht when we emigrated to Florida and lived aboard it, but we are now back to sailing again and having a condo apartment on dirt. Salterns Marina in Poole also claims to have a YC but is probably 98% power boats so it does work both ways, even Cobbs Quay marina claims some kind of club and that too is probably power mainly .
 
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I am looking to learn to sail , I did do some sailing last year and plan to do more, perhaps I will look into the instruction side of things re sailing.
Thank you for the replies, I am already better informed
 
The club I belong to (which I think is the one rhino_mac refers to) is specifically for sailing "for the working people of ****" to distinguish it from other clubs in the harbour, albeit over 100 years ago! So of course the emphasis is on sailing, but as he says there are some MOBOs, limited by club rules to no more than 15% of boats in the haven. As he says, mostly owned by retired members who have switched from sail. given the waiting list for berths it is difficult for new members to get one, and unlikely to get it with a MOBO if not had a berth for a sailing boat first. Not prejudice, just a reflection of the club's aims. Interestingly most of the MOBOs are older, more sedate examples, and given the length limit of 40' smaller than is common in other marinas in the harbour.
 
I used to be a member of Chichester Yacht Club which at the time had a huge motor section, often with 20+ motor boats cruising in company. In one year alone I went on 32 club organised cruises. This was when diesel was 20p - 30p a litre. There were definitely more 'active' motorboat members than yachties. Then the price of diesel went up and the dynamics of the club changed. I image there is less than a handful of 'active' mobo members now with just a handful of club cruises per season if you're lucky.
 
Tranona said:
The club I belong to (which I think is the one rhino_mac refers to) is specifically for sailing "for the working people of ****" to distinguish it from other clubs in the harbour, albeit over 100 years ago! So of course the emphasis is on sailing, but as he says there are some MOBOs, limited by club rules to no more than 15% of boats in the haven. As he says, mostly owned by retired members who have switched from sail. given the waiting list for berths it is difficult for new members to get one, and unlikely to get it with a MOBO if not had a berth for a sailing boat first. Not prejudice, just a reflection of the club's aims. Interestingly most of the MOBOs are older, more sedate examples, and given the length limit of 40' smaller than is common in other marinas in the harbour.
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Hope my comments weren't taken as a criticism of the club (I'm sure it is the same club we're talking about), just an observation from a new member who used to own a motorboat and has had little experience on sail boats.

As a new member, with no preconceptions of other clubs (motorboat or yachty) I'd say this is what I have learned so far. Most people that I have met at the club are very generous with their time and knowledge, particularly with someone like me who is 40 (so no spring chicken) and hasn't ever sailed before. In fact, as a bit of a liability onboard at the moment, people have been incredibly patient with my lack of knowledge, especially on the basis I am crewing on a racing yacht. Things are pretty fraught at times and yet the skipper and crew still take time out to explain what's happening, why and what I can do to help. This racing experience isn't something I think I would easily get outside of a club environment.

The club I belong to (happy to say it's Poole YC) is filled with people who are very passionate about sailing and the club encourages racing (it has pretty healthy fleets) and cruising particularly. Having sat the interview last October, the impression I got from the panel was that they were looking for people who would get involved in the club activities on a regular basis. Participation was key to joining. I'm not party to the membership aims of the club overall, but I would imagine if you said you owned a motorboat and only wanted to join for business reasons, they might consider your application more carefully if they are full and have other people looking to join and sail. Volunteer and get involved and you'll be welcomed with open arms.

Just to clarify my comments about yachts/motorboats, here's what I would say about my experience of both over the last few years. I enjoyed my motorboat immensely and I'd buy another one again. Sailing is a different discipline and my experiences so far have given me a much better understanding of some of the things that motorboaters who maybe haven't sailed, criticise sailing boats for. For example, yachts are very maneuverable, but there is more to tacking a yacht than turning a steering wheel. There is a lot more to consider on a yacht than a motorboat and I think anyone that buys/uses a motorboat would benefit from some time on a yacht. I certainly have.

So to the OP, I am sure there are clubs out there (not sure where you're based) that are MB friendly, but I would go along, have a chat with the officers/members and see how they run the club and what its aims are. But I would say you'll only get the best from any club if you actively try to get involved and meet people (I've found volunteering and believe it or not, an RYA First Aid course they ran the best way so far). I'm not the most confident person in the world, especially when meeting new people, but I've met some (really) great people by being involved.
 
rhino_mac said:
Hope my comments weren't taken as a criticism of the club (I'm sure it is the same club we're talking about), just an observation from a new member who used to own a motorboat and has had little experience on sail boats.
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No, you summed it all up nicely. difficult to maintain a common aim when the club gets so large, but this one does better than most.
 
The Motor section of Chichester Yacht Club is very much alive and active, one of three sections in the club (the others being yachts and dinghies). The current club Commodore is in fact a motor-boater and former RC of the Motor section. The section organises plenty of cruises in company throughout the season as well as a large number of social activities organised more generally by the club. More interesting recent cruises (ie in addition to "normal" destinations both around the Solent and further afield) have included a photographic cruise (you get your boat photographed at speed at sea) and a Treasure Hunt and Mystery Tour (answer clues to berth at a mystery destination), the latter a joint event for yachts and motors. I will express an interest as I'm on the Motor Section Committee! But for anyone looking for an active motor section in the Chichester area it's ideal. PM me and I'll get you introduced.
 
I'm currently a member of two the first being RNSA, the second, Fawley powerstation SC, the latter is now internet based as we no longer have premises, I've applied to two other local sailing clubs with poles apart attitudes toward motor boat membership, Ashlett SC I was proposed and seconded by two members, invited to be interviewed, (I wasn't looking for a job, I'm retired) my boat fitted all the club rules on their size criteria, I gave over a cheque for membership and joining fees, my photo and application were put on their notice board for any objectors to object for the one month as per their rule book, after the month on the notice board got a telephone call to come to their "new members meet the committee social event" my wife and I duly turned up with bottle of brandy for the evening raffle, we were greeted by the committee members more akin to a Black couple attending an installation of the grand master at a KKK meeting,

The next day I arrived at the clubhouse to inquire about my paperwork regards membership, and the club commodore asked me to come to one side for a private chat, which involved telling me that they had had an emergency meeting earlier that morning and that 7 out of 12 committee members voted against me joining, on the grounds of my boat was two big! but knowing there were at least three sail boats bigger than mine, that for me destroyed any belief in the integrity of yacht clubs, or more specifically committees of yacht clubs, by stark contrast Hythe SC members invited me with open arms, but I declined their offer, a great bunch of people no predigest towards motor boats whatsoever.
 
epervier said:
I'm currently a member of two the first being RNSA, the second, Fawley powerstation SC, the latter is now internet based as we no longer have premises, I've applied to two other local sailing clubs with poles apart attitudes toward motor boat membership, Ashlett SC I was proposed and seconded by two members, invited to be interviewed, (I wasn't looking for a job, I'm retired) my boat fitted all the club rules on their size criteria, I gave over a cheque for membership and joining fees, my photo and application were put on their notice board for any objectors to object for the one month as per their rule book, after the month on the notice board got a telephone call to come to their "new members meet the committee social event" my wife and I duly turned up with bottle of brandy for the evening raffle, we were greeted by the committee members more akin to a Black couple attending an installation of the grand master at a KKK meeting,

The next day I arrived at the clubhouse to inquire about my paperwork regards membership, and the club commodore asked me to come to one side for a private chat, which involved telling me that they had had an emergency meeting earlier that morning and that 7 out of 12 committee members voted against me joining, on the grounds of my boat was two big! but knowing there were at least three sail boats bigger than mine, that for me destroyed any belief in the integrity of yacht clubs, or more specifically committees of yacht clubs, by stark contrast Hythe SC members invited me with open arms, but I declined their offer, a great bunch of people no predigest towards motor boats whatsoever.
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David, that is just terrible.

I have followed the Groucho Marx rule of club membership for quite a while now “I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members."
 
Hi James

I have to say my memberships as per my OP were purely business based, I did look at the Royal Southern and was made aware that there was a forthcoming event which was Black Tie and Bermuda shorts, without wanting to take the Micky too much I ran a mile at the thought of that event, I think I would feel like an idiot turning up dressed like that. Each to their own but not my thing at all, and goodness knows what my wife would have to ware
 
The "southern" is a bit like that, I was a junior member there.,,,for about 10 years, but that was just a few years back now!!

My parents are members, all their friends are members, they know everyone and everyone knows them, they love it and get loads from it...but they are in their 80's
 
Good on them James,

Are you down next week ?? we will be as it is Father's Day, so no dispute about where I would like to spend the weekend, do please feel free to pop in for a drink, you would be very welcome
 
Firefly625 said:
David, that is just terrible.

I have followed the Groucho Marx rule of club membership for quite a while now “I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members."
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James,

The best part was, the commodore suggested that I ought to sell my Weymouth and buy something like a Drascombe lugger and the committee would have a change of heart on my membership, I'll leave you to guess what sort of tirade reply he got, and the best bit, he was so embarrassed to have to speak on behalf of the others, the spineless ********s couldn't even face me, they remained hidden inside their clubhouse! for me that spoke volumes of their character.
 
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