The 'never launch' brigade

[JumbleDuck]

... and do you think such a notion is always impossible and/or dumb?

Always? No.

Almost always? Yes.

 

[Sandy]

I agree, and happen to think anyone thinking of buying a yacht should first be forced - at gunpoint if necessary - to do at least a week, preferably a year, intensive dinghy sailing first.

I am afraid I lasted all of two miserable, wet, cold hours in a dinghy and don't ever intend to get in one again. I am not sure that John Masefield was thinking of a dinghy when he wrote:

Sea-Fever

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

By John Masefield (1878-1967)

 

[Kelpie]

Sounds like you were in one of them newfangled plastic tubs where the sea comes and goes through the open transom as it pleases. Not my idea of fun.

Now a proper little dinghy that you sit in, rather than on; with a stiff and steady breeze on the beam, flat and warm water, the sun on your face... Why on earth would you swap that for a yacht?

 

[Seajet]

Camelia,

you obviously didn't have Arthur Ransome as a mentor !

It's not too late for your salvation , I suggest you start with ' We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea ' then devolve to ' Swallows and Amazons ' - surely no-one can really enjoy sailing unless they follow the spirit of these books; note no mention of fat arse transoms with treble aft cabins, or restaurants by marina berths.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

... and do you think such a notion is always impossible and/or dumb?

As ever, the answer to this question is not a simple binary one....there are 'first time buyers' and 'first time buyers'... i'm a case in hand.... I bought my 'first' boat just 10 year ago (admittedly a 33'er, not 55'er as referenced), but had spent my life sailing... from parents boats, through dinghies of every shape sort and size, through teaching on dinghies and then yachts, thousands of miles of cruising, delivery skipper, and lots of offshore racing... it just took me until 10 years ago to be a position both family wise and financially to be able to afford my own boat.... so some 'first time buyers' will be stepping on that boat as their first ever time afloat bar the dolphin spotting trip in the Balearics that spawned the idea, and some will have many years of real experience before that purchase.

On the subject of suitability of a particular boat size, I believe that as in many walks of life, some will have more aptitude than others, and that isn't neccessarily just a function of experience... i've sailed with people that I worry about being in charge of a bath tub plastic boat, but who have years of experience, and with relatively new skippers who seem to be making sound and intelligent decisions and making the boat go well and in perfect safety after very little time on the high seas.... and that IMHO is a bigger factor than the boat size.

 

[Koeketiene]

so some 'first time buyers' will be stepping on that boat as their first ever time afloat bar the dolphin spotting trip in the Balearics that spawned the idea, and some will have many years of real experience before that purchase.

Yes, but the latter are unlikely to come on here and ask 'is a XXXXX 55 a good first boat'.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Yes, but the latter are unlikely to come on here and ask 'is a XXXXX 55 a good first boat'.

Fair point!

 

[Sniper]

Camelia,

you obviously didn't have Arthur Ransome as a mentor !

It's not too late for your salvation , I suggest you start with ' We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea ' then devolve to ' Swallows and Amazons ' - surely no-one can really enjoy sailing unless they follow the spirit of these books; note no mention of fat arse transoms with treble aft cabins, or restaurants by marina berths.

And never any mention of any lavatorial arrangements either! The layouts of both the 'Goblin' and the 'Wildcat' fastidiously exclude a heads arrangement.

 

[npf1]

99% of the time: YES

Not too sure if I fall in the 99% or 1% group. My first boat - a fireball dinghy. My second boat, a rufty tufty 1970's 58' ketch.

After 11 years and around 14,000 nm of ownership, I can safely say it was amongst the better decisions I've made in life. But there have been a few wallet bashing stressful moments along the way along with some, but not enough, fantastic adventures.

And reading this thread struck a note with me as I've been both a sailor and the nutter in the yard that many thought would never launch.

 

[Concerto]

There are so many first time buyers at a boat show - new or used show. They see the interior as a floating caravan and ignore the intended purpose of the boat. Just watch at your next show how many people immediately head below without glancing at anything on deck. I can remember being told off for walking on the foredeck of one boat. I think the problem is far worse with motor boats than sailing boats, most buyers think they are just like driving a car. They never realise it can be like driving on ice with no brakes, hence so many accidents in marinas.

 

[LadyInBed]

That certainly seems to explain the prices and appearances of many of the Colvic boats on the market,

Very true, there are some real Countess 33 dogs around (and 28's). I was so lucky to come across my 33 that had been well built with high standard woodwork and electric cabling.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Very true, there are some real Countess 33 dogs around (and 28's). I was so lucky to come across my 33 that had been well built with high standard woodwork and electric cabling.

Same with Hunters ... factory built are fine while home completed can be anything from Stradivarius to tea chest bass.

 

[snowleopard]

I bought my 'first' boat just 10 year ago (admittedly a 33'er, not 55'er as referenced), but had spent my life sailing

I was talking about the people who have never sailed before and want to start with something big enough to do serious damage, not those with real experience.

Apart from the handling issue, those who buy a boat without having tried a variety almost always change their minds later - even if they didn't buy it on eBay after a few drinks!

 

[snowleopard]

There are so many first time buyers at a boat show - new or used show. They see the interior as a floating caravan and ignore the intended purpose of the boat. Just watch at your next show how many people immediately head below without glancing at anything on deck. I can remember being told off for walking on the foredeck of one boat. I think the problem is far worse with motor boats than sailing boats, most buyers think they are just like driving a car. They never realise it can be like driving on ice with no brakes, hence so many accidents in marinas.

"How can it have drifted away, I left it in gear?"

Not just mobos. In an article in YM a few years ago the author recounted going for a sail in an friend's new pride and joy - a big boat with wide flush decks. As the boat heeled and some spray came over he realised for the first time that there was nothing to hold on to when going up to the foredeck, just an unrelieved expanse of wet sloping but immaculate teak.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I was talking about the people who have never sailed before and want to start with something big enough to do serious damage, not those with real experience.

Yes - a "starter boat" is the boat you start sailing on, not the first one you actually own.

 

[BobnLesley]

...There are the enthusiasts: the world girdling blue water types...for whom the boat is a means to an end.

Yep, that's us; with eleven years and perhaps 25-30,000 miles under the keels, I still insist/believe that we're not 'real/proper sailors'; we're just a couple of itinerant travellers who happened to think 'doing it by boat' might be fun/a good idea, for a while at least.

 

[Firsthome]

I've been 3 years in my refit.... I manage by having a thoroughly structured approach. I have a complete list of all jobs still to be done (OK, a few get added every now and then), and planning before every visit, what this visit's tasks are.

That, and having a clear idea of why I am doing it.

For me, the end is now in sight... I should, all things being equal, get out on the water in 2015.

 

[Firsthome]

Are you afloat?

 

[FullCircle]

Are you afloat?

No, sadly not in this case.

 

[reginaldon]

My wee boat had been 'refitted' for 5 years, when the owner moved away, it was in good order, I bought it and sailed her to my home port 50+ miles away. Since then I've done little sailing - one or two accidents/incidents and an invalided wife. - but I haven't given up, although very much on the wrong side of eighty.
NB Just noticed how long this thread's been around. Wow!