Quiet, innit? Decline in boating?Parallels/extention to manufacturing decline?

[Twister_Ken]

vjmehra,

yes I'm glad you spotted my tongue in cheek...

However another tangent this thread has taken is, why are people bothering with the expense and hassle of daftly large boats, the ' boat show image ' does not exactly inform newcomers that they don't need a second mortgage to have fun in safety and dare I say probably more comfort than you remember on 1970's small boats !

Seajet is still not getting it. What he likes is not - often - what others like. There are those who prefer daftly large boats, who think they are more liveable than stupidly small ones. And the daftly large seem to outvote the stupidly small, judging by the dearth of stupidly small cruising yachts available today.

Having personally made the move from the best 28 footer to the best 34 footer, there a few things I miss about smaller, but more things that I appreciate about larger.

I guess, though, 34' is small by many people's standards.

 

[deuc02]

If you're carting around a fridge, dishwasher and 35' of joinery with wheel steering you ain't gonna get such a pleasurable helming or indeed crewing experience

Why not?

 

[maby]

...

I guess, though, 34' is small by many people's standards.

Just don't get a cat. We were very happy on our 33' till we gained a cat, but his bed and dirt box simply pushed us over the limit and we had to upgrade - well, that's our excuse, anyway!

 

[Vara]

If you're carting around a fridge, dishwasher and 35' of joinery with wheel steering you ain't gonna get such a pleasurable helming or indeed crewing experience, which is what I thought it's meant to be about.

..

You don't half spout a load of cobblers, loads of pleasure helming and crewing here, even though we don't have a dishwasher. I would never go back to my cramped uncomfy old days sailing.

 

[Tranona]

Seajet is still not getting it.

Methinks he never will. Great that he enjoys and appreciates what he has. Just wish he would allow others to be equally content with their lot!

 

[Twister_Ken]

Why not?

Because there are some who get real pleasure from going below and crouching over an Elsan to excrete. Who enjoy standing up and thumping their heads on the underside of the deck. Who regard the pumping of the bilge as a religious office. Who get real pleasure from sharing the cabin with a centreplate case, and just love the smell of mud that seeps out of it.

 

[deuc02]

Because there are some who get real pleasure from going below and crouching over an Elsan to excrete. Who enjoy standing up and thumping their heads on the underside of the deck. Who regard the pumping of the bilge as a religious office. Who get real pleasure from sharing the cabin with a centreplate case, and just love the smell of mud that seeps out of it.

Seajet might have his faults but....(is a centreplate case the same as a nutcase?)

 

[Seajet]

If people don't appreciate real helm feedback - NOT weather helm ! - that's their problem.

The thread is based upon people voting away from large boats in droves, and people like me and others suggesting boats have become too large for no good reason.

If you wish to come out with bigotted comments about elsans you're the one not getting it.

 

[Twister_Ken]

If people don't appreciate real helm feedback - NOT weather helm ! - that's their problem.

The thread is based upon people voting away from large boats in droves, and people like me and others suggesting boats have become too large for no good reason.

If you wish to come out with bigotted comments about elsans you're the one not getting it.

Plenty of real helm feedback from a Jefa wheel with 1.5 turns, hard over to hard over, and water flowing over the rudder at 7 knots on an average day.

Where's your evidence that people are voting away from large boats in droves. The premise of the thread is that people are sailing less in boats of all sizes.

I'd say there are very good reasons that boats have become larger for very good reasons. People prefer sailing them and living on them.

So, what sort of heads does your A22 boast? And is that with hot and cold running, fluffy towels, a holding tank to keep the harbour clean, and a shower if needed?

Face it, your view is the minority one.

 

[deuc02]

There's alot of things/people etc in life that people are bigoted about. Never realised that the humble bog was one of them. Ho hum

 

[pmagowan]

I had a bit too much helm feedback and the tiller snapped (a bit of rot may have been involved). Made a new one out of some old teak lab benches and bought a correct sized genoa and all is fine. I have made my 28 foot quite comfy apart from the leaks (above and below) but that doesn't stop me daydreaming about a 56 (meters not feet) Perini Navi sailboat for my imaginary life as a billionaire!

P.S. my bog started off as a broken S&L replaced with a bucket and now a fully working Jabsco

 

[prv]

So, what sort of heads does your A22 boast?

A plastic poo-suitcase, as he's always keen to tell us

Pete

 

[Seajet]

A plastic poo-suitcase, as he's always keen to tell us

Pete

Which also works when the boat is dried out and discreetly in marinas

As opposed to floating in poo; whatever turns you on.

 

[Tomahawk]

Boys and girls...

Time to shake hands and make up...
You too Twister.. and Seajet..

This is not the lounge
Now I want you to all get along like good friends ...

 

[deuc02]

As opposed to floating in poo; whatever turns you on.

I'm sure Anderson 22's aren't that bad

 

[Tomahawk]

I'm sure Anderson 22's aren't that bad

22 Ft long..
How heavy is it?
Will it hang off the davits
Can I use it as a tender?



I'll get my coat.. time to wash my mouth out with beer

 

[Otter]

We had a Hurley 22 when I was early teens. I have repressed many of the meories of sharing it with my dad, mum and brothers. I hated it, it was hard, small, smelly, noisy and a visit to the loo required - oh I just can't bear to think about it. A year later mum and brothers gave up sailing.

We chose our Colvic Watson because it's perfect for our young family, there are two twin forecabins so friends come with us, it has a proper aft cabin not a bunk under a cockpit and best of all a wheelhouse so no one falls out and it makes the weather much nicer. It's slower than some and faster than others, heavier than most and great fun to sail with absolutely no feedback on the helm at all. But it's niether an Anderson 22 like Seajet nor an AWB 34 like Kens. Yet miraculously it's right for us. I know this is going to sound radical but maybe there's a different perfect boat for each person? Crazy notion I know.

Having said that - Seajet don't stop evangelising about the A22, it's one of the defining charms of the form.

 

[jac]

But I think that Seajets attitude is part of the issue for new people coming to sailing. (Not him personally you understand)

There are a large group of established sailors who did it the Seajet way, start small in 1960's / 1970's boats. For whatever reason some stayed there.

Now when a new victim starts saying they have £50k to spend on boat for family or as couple, what is the standard response? Get a £2k boat and learn, don't waste your money. If they take the advice will it meet SWMBO's needs and if they don't there will always be someone saying my £2k boat built by Noah proves that I'm a better sailor than you as you don't understand it.

This applies to most technical sports, the whole "All the gear, No idea" attitude.

Link that to the perception of older members of clubs by new younger recruits (who expect to deal with an organisation on the basis of we pay you money, you provide us service) and it makes a less attractive proposition than many other less traditional activities.

 

[Otter]

Yep but sports are ciclical in nature. Sailing will have its good decades and bad decades, right now we are in a slump from arguably an over large sailing community. It's making some marinas keep costs down.

 

[jac]

Yep but sports are ciclical in nature. Sailing will have its good decades and bad decades, right now we are in a slump from arguably an over large sailing community. It's making some marinas keep costs down.

Agree and it gets my vote!! Make them compete for the custom.