blueleader
New member
Many of the cruising yachting fraternity have extended their shore range beyond easy walking distance by carrying a couple of folding bicycles on board. My wife and I have these. They are fine for short trips to the shops, post office, cafe, etc. and a little further. We have done trips up to 15 km away on them. I have been thinking about what would be needed to extend well beyond comfortable bicycle range to visit places and friends located say fifty miles or more from the coast and what minimum size and models of sailing boats would be needed to accommodate this. Large motor yachts of the Paul Allen size carry 4 wheelers for use on shore, as well as a helicopter. Obviously this is way beyond the practical and financial reaches of ordinary yachties and their much smaller cruising sail boats, so let’s consider the minimum to get us motoring ashore. The next step up from pedal power for two people would seem to be a small scooter. A single seater vehicle, such as a moped, would be unacceptable.
A Vespa 125 or similar sized scooter would enable two persons to comfortably visit a place or person fifty miles or more away from the harbour. Some overnight gear could be carried under the seat and in a backpack. I have been thinking about the practicalities and problems of a scooter for boating use. An online search did not turn up anything so I will appreciate the thoughts, experiences and suggestions of others.
Here is a review of the Vespa 125: www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/9344405/Vespa-LX125-3V-review.html Similar sized scooters, some at lower prices, are available from Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean makers. Here are some comments on these small scooters: www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorb...ters-and-motorcycle-buck-the-sales-trend.html The Vespa weighs about 114 kg (251 lb)
Let’s look at some challenges:
A cruising yacht would have to be large enough to carry this fairly large and weighty object and have the space to store it without compromising other onboard activities.
Next would be getting the scooter down below to a suitable storage position and securing it so it will stay in place during a rough trip. Access to get it below would seem to be the main problem here as most cruising yachts are not designed for carrying scooters.
Next, getting it on and off the boat. This would mean being alongside as using a small inflatable dinghy to transfer the scooter from an anchored yacht to a beach would be rather impractical. With booms, halyards, blocks and tackle, etc. already available it should be fairly easy to hoist the scooter between the boat and a landing stage/pier/quay that does not tower too far above the boat.
If the pier or landing stage is at the same level as the deck then it should be possible to wheel the scooter ashore and aboard on a suitable gangway and it could be stored on deck between trips while in port.
In some situations it might be convenient to be able to keep the scooter on shore during an extended stay, instead of transporting it between boat and land for every trip. In this situation is adequate security available in or near most marinas, harbours, etc to stop it being stolen or vandalised, particularly at night?
What other problems might there be?
As mentioned, I drew a blank with an online search so perhaps this will stir up some advice and suggestions for anyone else who might be interested in the concept. So, what would be the smallest size of sailing yacht and some suggested models that would be able to carry such a scooter? I will appreciate the thoughts and hopefully some experiences of others.
A Vespa 125 or similar sized scooter would enable two persons to comfortably visit a place or person fifty miles or more away from the harbour. Some overnight gear could be carried under the seat and in a backpack. I have been thinking about the practicalities and problems of a scooter for boating use. An online search did not turn up anything so I will appreciate the thoughts, experiences and suggestions of others.
Here is a review of the Vespa 125: www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/9344405/Vespa-LX125-3V-review.html Similar sized scooters, some at lower prices, are available from Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean makers. Here are some comments on these small scooters: www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorb...ters-and-motorcycle-buck-the-sales-trend.html The Vespa weighs about 114 kg (251 lb)
Let’s look at some challenges:
A cruising yacht would have to be large enough to carry this fairly large and weighty object and have the space to store it without compromising other onboard activities.
Next would be getting the scooter down below to a suitable storage position and securing it so it will stay in place during a rough trip. Access to get it below would seem to be the main problem here as most cruising yachts are not designed for carrying scooters.
Next, getting it on and off the boat. This would mean being alongside as using a small inflatable dinghy to transfer the scooter from an anchored yacht to a beach would be rather impractical. With booms, halyards, blocks and tackle, etc. already available it should be fairly easy to hoist the scooter between the boat and a landing stage/pier/quay that does not tower too far above the boat.
If the pier or landing stage is at the same level as the deck then it should be possible to wheel the scooter ashore and aboard on a suitable gangway and it could be stored on deck between trips while in port.
In some situations it might be convenient to be able to keep the scooter on shore during an extended stay, instead of transporting it between boat and land for every trip. In this situation is adequate security available in or near most marinas, harbours, etc to stop it being stolen or vandalised, particularly at night?
What other problems might there be?
As mentioned, I drew a blank with an online search so perhaps this will stir up some advice and suggestions for anyone else who might be interested in the concept. So, what would be the smallest size of sailing yacht and some suggested models that would be able to carry such a scooter? I will appreciate the thoughts and hopefully some experiences of others.
