What do you love (and adore) about your boat?

The fact that even though she is 20 years old she is still safe and strong in a blow, and is totally self sufficient for us as a liveaboard family.The deck saloon gives us a 360 deg view while sitting inside and the doghouse can be enclosed if the weather decides not to play along.
The ketch rig enables easy sail handling short handed.
Unfortunately we have to enter port to aquire diesel and for the missus to go shopping.
 
The side decks and rail so the young children can move about safely. The wheelhouse that gives us an extra saloon and makes winter sailing a beeze. That everyone has their own cabin. That she sails so well. That she's pretty to look at. That she has a get-you-home-no-matter-what-the-weather-does engine. That the whole family can live on her for weeks.
 
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As others have said, the quiet when the sails go up and you switch off the engine. I love the fact that there's minimal upkeep and when we stay on the boat we go sailing. I love the heads and the fact that you can have a shower, and you have plenty of room. I love the Mikuni central heating. I love the nice roomy bunk we sleep in. I love the saloon cabin, that's comfy enough for both of us to sit and put our feet up. :)
 
I love the fact that she is older than me, far, far more capable than me and while sat on my swinging mooring going no-where, watching other intrepid souls sail on their boats rather than sip on them; I can muse about setting off to anywhere on the planet accessible by sea that I wish - (but will now get fined as she full of red diesel.)
 
I love being able to steer when going astern.
After 20 years of a long keel boat and bouncing off pretty much anything in the same harbour that wonderful feeling of being in control whilst exiting in astern from a narrow marina is something else....
Sad, I know!
 
I love the fact that on a 32' boat if we decide to, she has enough space for our family of 4 to take off for a couple of years.

I love the deep safe centre cockpit that makes a great playpen for our young kids.

I love the fact that although she is old and there are plenty of jobs to do.... none of them are going to get worse if they have to wait a year or 2 (unlike the clinker stella we used to have!).

I love the massively oversized sprayhood that means the kids can always be cosy and dry in the cockpit.

I love the fact that she was significantly under budget leaving money in the pot for upgrades etc.

And I love the fact that though we thought we were buying a tub, and were happy to compromise on sailing performance in order to have "family friendly" she actually sails rather well!
 
I like the space and comfort, decent boatspeed, and the nicely balanced rig, but most of all I like the fact that SWMBO loves helming it and is comfortable with it even in a blow, which she never was with either of our previous boats. Sometimes I sruggle to prize the wheel out of her hands (which is great).
 
I love our double berth in the fore cabin in our little boat where I can lay in bed at a peaceful anchorage with a cup of tea and watch the day start. I love sailing without rolling all over and cooking under way without risk of injury. Even a bit of sailing too....
 
I love:
The way she slices through the big waves
Coming off a cold watch and cosying up in my warm berth and being rocked to sleep
The great people Ive met through sailing
 
I thought about this quite a bit, I like most things about it, obviously. Right up there would be the easy sailing on and off a mooring.

Being a small, handy size with low freeboard and furling genoa I sail on and off more often than under power. In fact, for most day sailing, I never call on the engine room at all.

There are loads of other things I would like to bore on about, but one is enough.
 
Mainly the fact that we have been together so long that most of the things that needed replacing rebuilding or making just a bit stronger have been attended to, and that I have a pretty good idea of what she will do in any given situation.

But also:

... the nice wide side decks and fore deck

... carrying a 9ft sailing dinghy on the cabin top, where it is completely out of the way, and an Avon as well

... the coal stove that stays in overnight

... the fact that she is almost always the prettiest boat in the anchorage, marina or whatever

... the fact that she is built of low maintenance material - pre-WW2 Burma teak!

.... her gentle manners - light and responsive to the helm, yet steady on her course, with a gentle motion.
 
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FlyingDutchman said:
The swimming pool aft of the helicopter deck!
Click to expand...

I should get your lawyers onto the designer, if I were you. You were done.

It cannot be nice getting JP4 fumes and smuts from the chopper drifting down on you when you are in the pool and he should have put the weight of the pool nearer the pitching centre, and the light helideck outboard of it.

You just can't get the staff, these days, can you?
 
Minn said:
I should get your lawyers onto the designer, if I were you. You were done.

It cannot be nice getting JP4 fumes and smuts from the chopper drifting down on you when you are in the pool and he should have put the weight of the pool nearer the pitching centre, and the light helideck outboard of it.

You just can't get the staff, these days, can you?
Click to expand...

Ahh, no, we only use the helicopter as a hair dryer. :cool:
 
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