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Jere Lull wrote in message ...
In article ,
(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.
2. Seeing new places that can only be seen by boat is fun.
3. Companionship
4. Thrill seeking
5. An obsession with problem solving (my personal fav)
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. Given a choice, I'll sail
them over the big boat. In the past 20 yrs of sailing, I have had
maybe 20 times of good sailing fun on the big boat, not a good
investment if sailing fun is the only reason.
2. Most large boats kept in the water see the same places and cannot
easily go far afield without taking a lot of time. However, the
dream is to go very far afield and this is seldom done. I am not
sure the investment has been justified. 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.
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.
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).
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.)
All this makes me wonder, are small boats more fun than big boats?
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? What do y'all think?
A Minicup was my first boat; even did overnights camped out under the
tented sail. FUN boat & taught me a lot about sailing. It IS great for
the kids and around the anchorage. They're capable of pretty solid
winds; but I broke the mast step in the second season. It got a little
old when we ran out of nearby places, but I'd love to have it behind Xan
some days.
Moved up to a 21' trailed boat. Allowed having a friend for overnights &
longer. Gave us more regular weekend jaunts, and more reason to drive
further for a long weekend or so. Since it still handled like a dink and
couldn't sink, we got some great sailing skills in conditions far
tougher than we should have been out in. Since it floated in 6", we got
into some mighty nice places. Again, ran out of places within easy range
and a week (solo or dual) was a real trial. After a while, stepping the
mast each time got old, so we moored it out, anyway. Could do the
Bahamas in it, but stablity, stowage and creature comforts are low. That
boat would be pretty equivalent to your 31' tri.
Our current boat is similar to your 28. A month of two-up a wonderful
dream. I normally single-hand even when Pat's aboard. The sailing isn't
as intense (most days) or immediate, but there's a certain satisfaction
to coaxing past another boat on a long set of beats, or actually
fetching the anchorage you've been steering at for hours. Getting out of
a situation is a *real* rush -- after the shakes go away.
Finding yourself in the same situation and it not being a problem ....
priceless.
I find our 28 about a perfect size: Large enough to be comfortable for
two (plus) and stable; small, tough and manouverable enough that I do
not hesitate to try to get places that I wouldn't try in larger --or
smaller-- boats.
We got around the "same places" problem by moving the boat every year or
two to untouched areas. We're now docked about 2 hours away from home,
and have our choice of a half dozen or so sweet anchorages any weekend.
If we can get out Friday night, that number at least doubles.
As it happens, we often get "there" before the multi-hulls. When it's
rough, we usually do. If they're cruising like us, we almost always beat
them because we are designed for the "extra" weight; they aren't.
And I can stand up to put my pants on. After a few days out, that really
does make a difference.
If we weren't in such a primo cruising area, I would consider trailing
Xan before the 31' Tri you're considering. Trailing either is about
equivalent, but Xan's more capable and comfortable.
-----
Separate item. I have been a cabinent maker for many years,
professionally and privately. Though I completed the MiniCup in about a
week, building a larger boat --particularly a tri-- is out of range. I
can buy a proven boat for less than the tri could be built for,
particularly if I considered my time at even minimum wage. [One of Xan's
sisters sold for $4500 a few months ago. The sister was in better shape
than Xan's pics.]
The Minicups (I built two) are a lot of fun and got me adicted to
boatbuilding. Currently I am building the Two-Paw-9 nesting dinghy to
replace my old Nautilus-8.
The threads getting sorta long so I'll address build vs buy in
another.
Thanks
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