Parallax wrote:
I been doin a lot o thinking about sailin lately, especially as my
date to go cruisin gets closer, mostly wondering why I do this. I
came up with several reasons.


1. Just cuz its fun to sail.

Yes. Big time.


2. Seeing new places that can only be seen by boat is fun.

Not sure about this... there are not many places that can "only" be seen
by boat, and there are much more cost-effective & comfortable ways to
travel.


3. Companionship

Most people have to drag along an unwilling spouse.


4. Thrill seeking

Many hours of placid enjoyment interspersed with moments of stark terror.


5. An obsession with problem solving (my personal fav)

Not for me.


6. Choose yer own reasons.

1. Now, I have long had a larger boat (28' and before that 23') but
only recently built two 12' Minicups. For just plain sailing fun, the
Minicups beat the big boat by a mile.

That's because you chose the wrong big boat. See current thread on "fast
cruising boats." If you think the Minicup is fun, what would you do with
a Finn or a Johnson 18?



2. Most large boats kept in the water see the same places and cannot
easily go far afield without taking a lot of time.

Very true.


.... I wonder if a trailerable boat would
be better. The Minicups have already taken me several places I could
never sail in my big boat so although they are small, they have been a
great success. They cannot go to the Bahamas but thya go other
places.

My wife and I cruised most of the East Coast between Cape Cod &
Savannah, a few spots on the Gulf Coast, and many of the notable inland
lakes, in a 19' trailerable. We had it for ten years and loved it. We
went much further afield, more often, than anybody we know with a big
in-water boat... including retired friends...


3. I have always enjoyed the people I have met while cruising and the
boat nuts I have met at other times. With the two MiniCups, my kids
have enjoyed them immenseley, especially my son who can sail with his
friends and girls he meets.

This is a very big plus. There are a few jerks who sail, but they're in
the minority.


4. I havent had the Minicups out in enough wind to scare me to death
so cannot compare to the big boat yet. The big boat has been a thrill
sometimes (as distinct from pure fun).

That's when the real fun starts.


5. Both big and little boats allow for lots of problem solving.
However, the big boat allows me to excercise my real favorite,
navigation (yes, I am nuts, I like Trig.)

Don't know if that's nuts, it's an unusual taste. I like to work things
out on paper just because that way I am independent and I *know* it's right.


All this makes me wonder, are small boats more fun than big boats?

Heck yeah. Small boats are (usually) more responsive and give more
feedback. Greater sensation of what the boat is doing. Also the risks
are much lower (usually).

Should my next Big boat be a smaller trailerable big boat? Is the old
saying about boats being used in an amount inversely proportional to
their size true?

Most often that's true because the owner is busy working to make
payments. Sometimes it's not true... when I was a kid, one of the
biggest yachts in our club was a Cal 40 owned by a retired codger who
sat on it all day... he did not like to singlehand but he & I would take
the boat out. We got to be quite good friends.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King