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On 19 Jan 2005 07:43:23 -0800, wrote:
Jaxashby wrote:
1985 was the high point in boat ownership in terms of units in the US
of A.
kids, now in their early 40's at the top side, are not taking up
sailing/boating. One yacht club I know of has just two members under
50.
You are correct that we need to get younger people into boating, but
that will be a challenge with much of generation X. A lot of these
"kids" are in their mid 30's, with little desire to own anything that
will tie them down, little desire to marry or start a
family.....(average age of first marriages is now close to 30 YO,
compared to early 20's a generation ago)....and many of them
don't have enough disposable income to contemplate spending the
$1000/month and more it usually takes to own, insure, maintain, and
operate even a modest boat. These kids have done the jet-ski thing and
crossed "boating" off the list of things to do, or are eating tofu
snacks on a remote island with a kayak beached nearby.
I'm not so sure I want to see boating further promoted. Many of the
places where I go have become so crowded that I have opted to take
days off during the week to go boating so as to avoid the mob at the
ramps on the weekend. Weekend camping/ boating trips have now turned
into Wed-Sat trips.
It's also safer on the water when you have fewer moving targets to
track at any one time. If the amount of stress exceeds the pleasure,
then you're not having fun anymore....
Just my two cents on the issue.
Dave
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