From: wwalker@qualcomm.com (Bill Walker)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: Beginner
Date: 27 Aug 92 20:32:15 GMT
Followup-To: rec.boats
Organization: Qualcomm, Inc.

In article <1992Aug27.184237.4739@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>,
dtp1@donner.uucp (80733-patricia) wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> This is my first post to this news
> group and, as you will soon discover,
> I am totally new to boating.  
[...]
> 
> I would like to purchase my first boat
> and I would just like to have reactions from
> any of you experienced people out there to 
> this:
> From reading this newsgroup for a couple of
> weeks I've become discouraged from owning a power
> boat.  When I hear stories of automatic oilers
> that don't work, improper fittings pulling out
> and corroding, greasy water in the bilge,
> thin-skinned Bayliners, cranky I/O units,
> and a host of other problems, legal and 
> mechanical, it scares me off.  I was hoping
> to spend more time having fun with my boat than
> with fixing it.
> 
> So now I am seriously considering a sailboat for
> use on large lakes and in bays in the northeast.  
> I won't have more than two people to crew it, but
> I would like to be able to sleep on board if necessary.
> Also, it would need to be trailerable.  Is this what
> is known as a daysailer?  Or is that what I would be
> known as (in addition to other things).  I intend to
> go to school to learn how to sail properly (I'm self-taught)
> and how to navigate, etc.   
[stuff deleted]

Hey, sailboats (particularly those large enough to sleep on) have lots of
things that go wrong with them, too, and many of them are the same things
(engine woes, for example, since a sailboat of that size will have an
engine).  Having a stick and some big rags on your boat won't repeal
Murphy's law.  However...

For me, there's nothing like being out on the water, in any size or type of
boat, sail or power.  Sail is more peaceful, relaxing, and romantic, but
power has its uses, too (water skiing, for example).  The breakdowns really
don't happen that often (we just write about them more), and the ability to
get out on the water whenever you want to makes the maintenance worth it
(assuming you're not the kind of person for whom maintenance work is
entertaining anyway).  Different boats require different levels of
maintenance, and you really can't generalize and say power requires more
maintenance than sail (I'd venture that in boats over a certain size,
sailboats require more work).

The boat you're discussing, by the way, would probably not be considered a
daysailer, simply because it has a place to sleep.  A daysailer is a boat
that you take out for the day.  By definition, it has no cabin, although
some have a small cuddy cabin.

I think sailing is a good way to start boating.  Because some amount of
education is required in order to get anywhere (you can't just turn the
key, mash on the gas, and steer like you can in a powerboat), I think
sailors tend to be better educated in the ways of boating than
powerboaters.  Too many people buy a powerboat and immediately start using
it without learning the rules of the road or anything else, whereas most of
these things are taught in a basic sailing class (BTW, just to show lack of
bias, I should point out that I own a powerboat, and I do not own a
sailboat).  However, you need to examine what you really want to do with a
boat to decide what's right for you.  If you just want to get out on the
water and cruise around, sail is a good choice.  If you want to get
somewhere in a limited time, or water ski, or pull water toys, then power
is a good choice.  In either case, I'd recommend you start with something a
little smaller than what you're discussing until you gain more experience
(smaller boats are easier to handle, IMHO, and don't cause as much damage
when you hit something).  Smaller sailboats are simpler, too, which makes
for easier setup, easier trailering (how much can your car/truck tow?), and
less maintenance.

Have you tried renting boats?  Particularly after you take a sailing class,
you should be able to find someplace that will rent you a small sailboat
(this is how I do my sailing).  This is a good way to find out how you like
it, and see what you like to, without investing tons of money.  You also
avoid all the maintenance, but at the price, typically, of using
less-than-perfectly maintained boats.

Bill

----------
Bill Walker - WWalker@qualcomm.com - QUALCOMM, Inc., San Diego, CA
All opinions expressed are mine, and do not reflect those of my employer.
"First thing we do, we kill all the lawyers." - Shakespeare
Newsgroups: rec.boats