Sailing: much easier than motorboating

[tcm]

Despite what many seem to believe, it seems quite clear that handling a sailing boat is much easier than handling a powerboat. Why? Ask the professionals:

1 ring up a sailing boat company and tellm you have a big powerboat. You'd like to rent a sailing boat please, bareboat, 53 foot should be fine, nice cabin for each of 4 family crew on board. No problem sir, can i have your credit card details?

2. Ring up a powerboat charter company and say that you have a big sailboat, and would like to rent a 53 foot powerboat. No chance.

In fact in UK waters there are few if any bareboat powerboats over 42 feet and even in the med nothing much over 50 feet. Skippered charter only, sir, for powerboats. You'll smash the thing to bits, not like sailing boat, these are complex machines to handle. You'll need skill and expertise to manouevre them, sir.




<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[wakeup]

I think you'll find the same applies to small sailing boats.

If you own a small powerboat and want to hire a small sailboat then again no problem just give em you credit card details.

Try to hire a small powerboat, errr not unless you've go an ICC sir!!

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by wakeup on 24/06/2003 13:48 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[tome]

I'd largely go along with this tcm, based on personal experience.

I tried to hire a powerboat for some equipment trials a few years back. It proved impossible with many hirers having gone out of business. The reason they gave was that powerboat systems were far too complex for the average punter and that the cost of repairing these systems negated the charter income.

In the end we bought a RIB and used that for the trials, selling it afterwards. This wasn't ideal as the trials were mostly conducted at 5 knots and the 150HP Mercury oiled up constantly. Nowadays, I hire a sailing boat (even though we only use it under power) but this limits us to deeper water.

I never heard anyone claim that the boats were damaged through poor manuoevering, only abuse of systems.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Viking]

Re: Sailing: much more \'nicer\' than motorboating

I am an admitted out and out sailor. Yesterday I had a ride, if thats what you would call, it in a large rib with a massive 120hp outboard motor. I have never had a more unpleasant or uncomfortable ride in my life. Even sitting on the soft tube side my teeth rattled and this was just crossing a fjord not even a lumpy sea. Well, it only confirmed my theory 'the bigger the engine, the smaller the brain'.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[ParaHandy]

Niet, non, nein, no .... errr .... you have a point. Got to be that powerboats are such a hopeless risk ..... all those mechanical things that go wrong coupled with high speed ..... You probably can hire 'em but at a price?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[AJW]

Re: Sailing: much more \'nicer\' than motorboating

If you were sitting on the tube then I'm not surprised! Its the worst place to ride in any RIB for any distance in any sea. Now if you had been sitting or more likely standing astride a jockey seat you might have found things a bit more comfortable. And if you then did the same trip in a similar sized sportsboat you'd be surprised how much more comfortable the ride was in the RIB!

'Course what do I know cos I've got 200hp and clearly have a very small um, erm, whats them fings you fink wiv......Brain!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Sybarite]

Re: Sailing: much more \'nicer\' than motorboating

<< 'the bigger the engine, the smaller the brain' >>

...and another part of the anatomy ??


John

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Peppermint]

Re: Some truth

in what you say.

Powerboats, the biggest I've try'd was a 45ft fly bridge thing, are challenging in their own way. Marina evolutions can be quite interesting in a stiff breeze. Trim and it's effect on handling can need a bit of experience to judge. Then there's the gear cost. Blow out a main and you've dumped £3-4k Fry a 250hp engine and your into serious cash. I'd reckon that the cost of replacing the carpet on a 50ft motor yacht would buy you a Bav.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[claymore]

B******S

Point and go
Its the peeps who use em wot is fik and the peeps who shift em have cottoned on to this an so hit em for shedloads to shift em - cos the people wot shift em ave also noticed that the fiks wot owns em is welfy an 'ave loadsamoney.
In addition - the peeps wot rents em also know that the peeps wot wants to rent em is fik so they don't rent em - in fact they dont have any - they just pretend so that the peeps that wants to rent em can have something to do cos they don't work anyway cos they is too fik and don't need to cos they is welfy
QED

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[tcm]

Re: B******S

I can't argue with that.

Howevr, whereas keeled sailboats do indeed go where they are pointed, powerboats don't at low speed. Hence newbies can moor up in a sailyboat, whereas even experienced seafaring types wouldn't be ready to park a trawlery yacht thing, would they?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[claymore]

Re: B******S

Oh this is a spurious argument my old fruitbowl. If I came away from the weekend with anything it was certainty in the knowledge that too many engines, too much power and too many options (Left forward right reverse etc) can lead to the downfall of anyone. There's also this reliance on using reverse to stop the things whereas really skilled sailors don't - they use judgement and measure their boat speed against distance still to go and shut off the power at the right moment, thus always landing like a butterfly on a daisy.
I think you'll find I'm right.

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[tcm]

Re: B******S

Oh, I agree. As you say, proper control of a hi-power multi-engine powerboat ain't at all easy. Plenty options for doing it all wrong. Low-powered single engine deep-keel sailyboat much easier. QED.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[david_e]

Of course, what did you expect? Just look at the different behaviours; sailors go out of their way to avoid everything so are obviously not very good and not fit to drive p/b. Whereas p/boaters can drive at high speed close to sail boats, swimmers, moored boats etc so are obviously competent drivers, obvious I would have fought)

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[claymore]

Re: B******S

Being nice to me and starting by agreeing then trying to turn my own argument against me is a pretty poor tactic and I'm going to have to have a think for a few minutes.
In the meantime, I'd like it to be known, publicly across the WWW that you are displaying a low form of cunning which should not be confused with intelligence.

Now where were we...ah yes motorboats are easier to drive than sailyboats because all you need to do is turn on the engines and go.
The people who charter yachts are aware that no-one would attempt to charter anything so difficult to use - they wouldn't even ask if they weren't confident in their ability - so they know when the phone goes that they have an expert on the line and so all that stuff about competence is merely a formality. On the other hand - you get some right daft twats using motorboats and so the Queen has personally intervened and asked all the people who hire them out not to do so easily and to make it difficult and keep the damage to a minimum. There.

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[Twister_Ken]

Memory lane

Which reminds me.

I was once asked to move a yacht, considerably bigger and heavier than what I was used to, from somewhere to somewhere else, which involved a pitstop in Weymouth for fish and chips and a pint or two of Devenish. Sails were dropped in the bay, the engine started and nicked into gear, the bow pointed towards the harbour. Tally Ho! Coming past the ferry berth, I decided it would be wise to let her coast for a bit while I spotted a parking place and the lads got the fenders and warps on the appropriate side. Spotted a spot, which meant doing a 180 to get into it to best advantage so nudged into ahead, ambled up the harbour, crept across to port, wheel hard to starboard, come out the other way going a bit fast, a drop of astern, and parked beautifully alongside the target vessel.

Butterflies and daisies didn't come into it. This was like baby's breath on an angel's nipple. Only then did I realise that this particular engine control popped into neutral each time the lever went through the vertical, and that all I had been doing since coming past the ferry berth was revving an engine that wasn't turning the expensive folding propellor. She'd just carried her way and stopped where she wanted to. Didn't tell the rest of the crew, of course.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[claymore]

That felt like....

one in the foot. TCM will use that in evidence against - he's being particularly truculent at present

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[Twister_Ken]

Mercury

How hard did you hit that pontoon in your rentabav?

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[claymore]

Re: Memory lane

Exactly - now a motorboat would have zapped itself across the tarmac and in through the window and into the deep fat fryer. Bloody awful things.

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[claymore]

Re: Mercury

Excuse me? What is this? RentaBav, pontoon, collison, TCM?
Well its all gone quiet over there

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: Mercury

TCM. Rumbled.

Head. Hung. In. Shame.

Or he's off making one of those full monty cholesterol specials he calls breakfast.
<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>