Motorboats - pain or pleasure?

[longjohnsilver]

Although I love my boat I sometimes wonder whether it's all worth it, driving down to Exmouth on a wet windy day to check all is OK. Or as I did earlier this week spending hours sealing a leaking portlight then cleaning boat with running hose, only to discover yesterday inside of boat soaking wet. Yes I'd only gone and resealed the wrong window!!! Of course I only muttered something like oh dear to myself as I then decided to do all windows on boat. I expect that they'll leak all the more now!

I do enjoy all the chores that come with owning an older boat in the UK, but with the shortish season of good weather I sometimes wonder if all the time effort and money are worth it . But on the other hand there's nowhere else I'd rather be, even on a wet windy day (except the Carribean, BVI, Maldives etc etc!!!)

What do you think (and don't tell me I'm a prat - I already know that)

 

[Geoffs]

Re: Course It\'s Worth It

For certain. I was so disappointed at not being able to visit Chichester to see MVII, that, yesterday, I took an hour and half drive to Poole to take my little tub for a spin. I bit blowy and choppy, but great fun.

Warm sunshine all year would be nice, I was envious when Arthur Wood said how fine it was in Florida, the other day. Then I thought, 'ang on, come July & August he's got hurricane after hurricane.

I'm sure you wouldn't dream of ditching your girl, you'd be lost I'm sure!

 

[paulineb]

Of course it's worth it. And surely, without the pain, the pleasure wouldn't be as intense - or am I talking about something else !!

Pauline B

 

[ArthurWood]

Longjohn - I love the UK, my homeland, but I'm b******d if I could be bothered with having a boat there for the reasons you mention. We were in Brighton in April to friends' anniversary celebrations and walked several times along the sea front to the marina in horizontal rain and asked ourselves "What the hell are we doing here?" It's bad enough in Florida where we have year-round boating to come back after a two week absence and find the boat covered in pelican, osprey, heron, gull and other bird poo because we now have a sailboat either side of us in the marina. And the marina has a lot of dead fish in it again because the red tide returned after trop. storm Gabrielle blew it away, but the sky is blue. Life is hard.......... Nil desperandum!

 

[ChrisP]

For all the reasons you've listed and a good few you haven't call me a prat too. I could never afford or enjoy a game of golf or sit and watch the horse racing. So what would I do paint the house? No chance. Pottering on the boat beats them all into a cocked hat.

 

[paulineb]

What about racing your motorbike around Brighton ?

Pauline B

 

[ArthurWood]

Re: Course It\'s Worth It

Geoff, no hurricanes on this coast yet this year, only a tropical storm, but the H season doesn't end till Nov 30. This part of Florida has not been hit by a hurricane since the '20s, but it's bound to happen again sometime. The rainy season has passed, so from now till June it will be mainly dry and sunny, daytime temps in the 70s and 80s and lower humidity. I can put up with the hurricane risk. There's plenty of warning, unlike tornadoes or earthquakes, so we have time to get our stuff together and evacuate if necessary. We are <1mile as the crow flies from the Gulf of Mex and 12ft above sea level, so a category III would push the Gulf into the house. We just make sure our insurance is current!! No, I wouldn't swap it for boating in the UK!

 

[ChrisP]

Can't be done with a bottle of beer in your hand.

 

[Geoffs]

Re: Course It\'s Worth It

I AM envious really, Arthur. But I bet even a tropical storm can be pretty violent, especially compared with the little blows we get. Quite a few of our lows are blown out ones you send us! Mind you, there's quite a biggy coming this weekend. Not many of us will got, I shouldn't think. Bit of a shame 'cause a lot of boat vendors have got demos on this weekend, as a follow up from Southampton.

Enjoy your sunshine, I'll be putting the covers on and going into hibernation soon.

 

[ToMo]

In that case.....

....Arthur Wouldn't!
Oh I know its dreadful, but what do you expect; I'm sitting here in Cornwall with my nose ressed against the window staring at the rain and listening to the wind howling!.. and you bang on about warmth and sunshine etc etc.

 

[ArthurWood]

Re: In that case.....

Tomo - I won't mention sun again till next June!
I actually do envy you being in Cornwall, rain, wind and all.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Longjohn, my wife asks me this question regularly and its a question I ask myself sometimes especially when I have one of those 'Hamlet' moments such as you've described.
I have to admit its difficult to answer. How many perfect motorboating days do we get in a season in the UK? You know what I mean - when the sea's flat enough not to spill your G+T and its warm enough to sunbathe at 20knots. 2, maybe 3 of those days a year when it all comes together?
For the money I've got invested in my boat I could have virtually any dream car I wanted sitting in the garage and for the money I spend on mooring and maintaining the thing the family could have several posh holidays a year
Why do we do it, then?
For me, there are a number of reasons. There's a definite feel-good factor from being out on the water, communing with nature/men against the sea type thing. There's the stress relief as well; I forget all about work/business when I'm on the boat. There's the family thing as well; what other hobby can you do and take the family with you as well?(caravanning!!!!)And the sociability side; there's nothing better than emptying a few bottles of vino with some good friends on a sunny afternoon at anchor
The time of year brings these depressive moods on, as well. Soon be spring!