Beside the bigger boat social climber the other status symbol is the
inflatable dinghies.
At some Yacht clubs you can see what we call long term parkers. Owners that
insist on having dinghy docks. They park their inflatable and RIB's with a
10 - 15 HP outboards at the dinghy docks for most of the summer without
using them while their big boats are at the slips.
The owners that moored their boats and use a rigid rowing dinghy to get to
and from their boats have no space to tie they rowing dinghies. They have
to pull their rowing dinghies on the beach.
One interesting observation is that club employees and members give priority
to inflatable. If you own an Avon your status goes up. When they get
filled with rain water they run to empty the inflatable. It would be
interesting to learn what is the situation at other clubs and marinas.

"Texan" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 19:34:13 +0100, "Nigel"
wrote:


wrote in message
oups.com...
I wanted to get some idea of boat use as a function of length but it
really isnt clear as there are some extreme outlying data points so the
best I can do is less than 30' and more than. There is no cut-off but
maybe a graay area. Yes, my boat is only 28' and I think it may have
so many systems that time-killers that I need to eliminate some. I
suspect that it isnt the size of the boat as much as the complexity and
size allows more complexity.

Having lived aboard and worked on boats for years this is what I see:
Those who can afford the big boats tend to be so busy making the money
needed that they don't have the time to use the big boats.
I don't know how many times I have been called on a weekend by a big
boat owner angry that his engines wouldn't start after being neglected
for 6 months.
" I paid $200K for this boat, the d** thing should at least start.".
I've heard simular words so many times.
Typicaly the smal boat owner is sacrificeing for his boat. The boat,
The slip, The insurance, etc. If he's not useing the boat, he tends to
sell it or at least put it in the driveway.
Yes I know these are generalizations. But it's just been my
observations over the years.

"Denis Marier" wrote:

Beside the bigger boat social climber the other status symbol is the
inflatable dinghies.
At some Yacht clubs you can see what we call long term parkers. Owners that
insist on having dinghy docks. They park their inflatable and RIB's with a
10 - 15 HP outboards at the dinghy docks for most of the summer without
using them while their big boats are at the slips.
The owners that moored their boats and use a rigid rowing dinghy to get to
and from their boats have no space to tie they rowing dinghies. They have
to pull their rowing dinghies on the beach.
One interesting observation is that club employees and members give priority
to inflatable. If you own an Avon your status goes up. When they get
filled with rain water they run to empty the inflatable. It would be

Nothing like this where we are. Of course we aren't at a yacht club.

grandma Rosalie

I like the idea. However, I can hardly see one putting his inflatable with
a 10 HP outboard and gas tank on a rack.
At our club 90 % of the dinghies are inflatable. As they do not row well
98% of the owners have outboard engines. In either case the membership fee
is the same.

"Dave" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 17 Jun 2005 00:39:09 GMT, "Denis Marier"

said:

One interesting observation is that club employees and members give
priority
to inflatable. If you own an Avon your status goes up. When they get
filled with rain water they run to empty the inflatable. It would be
interesting to learn what is the situation at other clubs and marinas.

At our club you pull your dinghy and put it on a rack when you leave.

Texan wrote in
:

Having lived aboard and worked on boats for years this is what I see:
Those who can afford the big boats tend to be so busy making the money
needed that they don't have the time to use the big boats.
I don't know how many times I have been called on a weekend by a big
boat owner angry that his engines wouldn't start after being neglected
for 6 months.


This is an excellent point and any boat owner in this state reading this
would do well to befriend someone like me, who lives near the marina, to
keep the boat in first class condition in his absence. We work for passage
and peanuts. I take care of 4 of them...3 sail and a trawler at the
moment.

Those on the other side, like me who cannot afford a $100,000 yacht, need
to feed the targets of this Texan's posts, in a very appropriate manner.
You need to befriend that guy cursing his boat and help him keep it up.
Not everyone on the dock needs to be a pseudo-captain paying through the
nose, you know. Once cultivated, you find you have many friends with
really nice yachts like Lionheart, Cap'n Geoffrey's Amel Sharki ketch. For
your spare time, some simple labor and just being a nice guy....you get to
sail/power the boat of your dreams, locally and to vacation ports at nearly
no expense to you. These affluent boaters are used to "paying" for
everything they have. It does take them a little while to stop trying to
shove money into your hand for putting in that new bilge pump or simply
watching out for their interest nosing around while the engine guys are
working on the engine. I will, occasionally, allow them to give me a
little money to defray my fuel costs traveling around. I'll always let
them buy me a meal. When asked what I want for all this work, my answer is
very simple..."Just take me with you." Being ALWAYS short-handed because
their big wallets let them buy a bigger boat than they have crew to handle,
you'll be most welcome...especially if you socialize as well as you clean
seawater strainers.

Once aboard, it's politically correct and most beneficial, if, after you've
gone out sailing all day with the owner and his guests, you hang around
after the guests leave and clean the boat! "You go on with them and have a
nice dinner.", I'll say to my captain, "I'm going to tidy up here a bit and
make all the lines and cables fast before I leave." Instead of him having
to stay behind to tend to his boat....he's walking with his guests down the
dock and I'm taking care of the boat I wish I could afford and love to
play with.

Tomorrow, I'm going to wash Lionheart's towel pile left on the deck from
his grandson and friends using Lionheart for a condo during Spoleto. Geez,
while he's off playing on megayacht Mystic between Azores and Gibraltar,
tonight, someone left me this brand new 155 genoa on the deck!...(c; After
I got his boat the way I like to have it, I stayed until dusk sipping
Boddington's Ale listening to his XM satellite radio with the other boaters
on the dock....Life is good!

Lionheart's 4-108 cranked right up, tonight, and I ran it for 20 minutes
until it warmed up good. If it hadn't, I would have fixed it while he's
off working or playing. It's my motor, too!

I don't need to own a yacht. I have 4 of them!

--
Larry

"Denis Marier" wrote
Beside the bigger boat social climber the other status symbol is the
inflatable dinghies......... It would be
interesting to learn what is the situation at other clubs and marinas.


I don't know any social climbers. We have a large group who love to sail and
party. They'll take off for an overnight or two, anchor off a secluded
beach and dinghy in to party ashore. Or they may sail to a nearby town,
anchor out and dinghy in to a popular resturant. They usually sail 2 or 3
weekends a month, some more some less, and spend weekend nights aboard (Most
work during the week). Fun folks but sadly I'm too old to keep up with
them.

Others are planning (hoping) to go full-time. They can't afford to retire
for years but meanwhile they are paying off a bigger bluewater boat they
can't really use right now. They too spend alot of weekends aboard but do
not go out often. Many (most?) won't make it but I'll not slam them for
having the dream.

A few who have gone full time stop by occasionally to favor us with tales of
long passages and far places, but never stay long.

Then there are a few who have health, personal or financial problems or have
simply lost interest. Their boats come in all sizes from 18 to 45 ft. We
don't see them much. There's a CAL 30 next to me that hasn't seen its owner
for over a year but then I was absent most of last winter fighting cancer
and won't get out til fall so I'm not about to criticize.

Last marina we stayed was associated with a new boat dealer. We saw a lot of
folks who'd awoke one morning to find their mortgage and kid tuitions paid
off right in the middle of their peak earning years. Most weren't rich but
had new-found discretionary income and could easily afford to get a $200K
home equity loan and buy a new yacht rather than P it away in taxes. They
tended to sail like hell for a month or so then taper off and loose
interest, eventually selling the boat. I wouldnt knock them either, they
assure a steady supply of lower priced near-new boats for us poor folk g.

Last but hardly least the marina here on base is home to a bunch of racers
who are out every weekend and many week nights. The marina can only
accomodate smaller 22' or less boats so they don't sail far but they sure
sail often. I'm too old to keep up with them either. They prolly think
everybody else is a social climber. After all, how much boat can you race
on a creek?

Denis Marier wrote:

Beside the bigger boat social climber the other status symbol is the
inflatable dinghies.

Yeah, no kidding. To me a dinghy was always a grubby old Sabot you bought at a
garage sale, or the police auction! I get a kick out of the 10 foot RIBs with a
center console. There's 10-20 grand worth of tender all over the place these
days.

I guess that's what yachting's all about though. It's one place in life where
people can have exactly what they want, so they don't mind paying for it.

Matt O.

Yeah, no kidding. To me a dinghy was always a grubby old Sabot you bought
at a
garage sale, or the police auction! I get a kick out of the 10 foot RIBs
with a
center console. There's 10-20 grand worth of tender all over the place
these
days.

Those are not dinghys. Now, THIS is a dinghy!
http://www.wally.com/jumpch.asp

And this modest little thing is a tender. http://www.wally.com/jumpch.asp

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com