To sail or to motor boat

[smallboatlover]

iv'e bin thinking of this awhile now and i still can't come up with a decision. I kinda want a motor boat like i have but i also want to sail. Any advise on this subject i like sailing because of the freedom of just the wind moving you and nothing else but i can also go on a short motor cruise with just the motor. A motor boat i like because of the speed but it cost a lot to use every time i wanna go out and i can go fishing with motor boat not so much a sailboat. but with a sailboat i would need a dinghy to get to it that i could use to fish off of every now and than. this has bin bothering me for a while and my job is starting up soon so i will have more money soon. The other thing is that my dad and uncle like sailing because thats what they grew up doing and that what they like so it would be a plus for them if i got a sailboat. so i could in may or june sell my boat and get a 18-19 cc or a 18-22 sailboat. i know ive bin a pest sometimes around here but this question i would like some advise on bin thinking of this for a while.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: To sail or to motor boat

the decision you want to make has to be an informed decision. Be sure you really understand what sailing entails; it's nothing like the Pepsi commercials.
Be sure you know what you can buy a decent sailboat, a decent motor boat and what you can sell yours for.

And then there's that insurance thing we discussed previously. Fix that first.

But no one can answer your question. It's like asking a stranger (me) which girl you should marry or if you should move to California or Maine. There is no question that a general purpose motor boat allows you to do more than a sailboat does--except sail.

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

i will be getting the insurance thing together when i put the before i put the boat in the water. I was asking this because i don't know all the cons and pros of sailboat vs motor boat thats the thing.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

I've rediscovered sailing and wanted to feed the fix without giving up my love for power boating. For now I bought a small 12 foot dinghy to mess about with. Its grown-up marconi rig means enough sails, lines, and blocks to play with while still being small enough to be economical to own, fix and operate. Small sailboats can be huge fun for relatively little dollars.

This ratty little thing cost me $350 including trailer and is undergoing a slow refit. My problem is that I have so much fun using it, working on it sometimes takes a back seat.

 

[ChampionShip]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

Doesn't Hunter make a sailboat with a flat bottom that has like 90 hp on the back for cruising?

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

that looks nice and fun iv'e seen those around i like something like that. Last year i was sailing a 12' mini fish but that was crazy small for my i'm 200lb and that was just to small for me cramped and i don't like being that close to the water and i don't really like the smaller sailboats that tip it freaks me out if i'm not prepared for it i know how to get back in and flip it over but just scares me some times. if i can't get my own sailboat i will be borrowing that mini fish again and learn and get better at that till i can get bigger one.

 

[superbenk]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

Both Hunter & Macgregor make sailboats with planing hulls capable of being driven like a powerboat. They're in the 23-26' range and are trailerable. They have enough room to sleep roughly 4 people. From everything I've read they aren't great for either sailing or powerboating because they try to do both. We looked into them for a bit, but weren't excited about the idea.

My wife & I definitely go back and forth on the sailboat vs. powerboat topic ourselves quite a bit. For now a powerboat is just more useful for us.

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

ya but one of the pros for me that i would't have to spend $50 every time i wanted to go out for the day. i would send $20 and that would last a few weeks. it's tricky for my seeing i have a small motor boat and that even cost me to me a lot of money every time i know when my summer job start next month the money will be coming in but still it gets tight paying for it some times. all the stuff it needs. i kinda think a sailboat would be better maintaince and a little less stress free. if i get one with good sails.

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

don't you have a boat that you are restoring? why not just use that one? you already have all that money sunk into the thing... unless you were thinking about selling it (i dont know if i missed something)... or maybe it sunk??

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

ya i am restoring it it should be ready in about a month hopefully if we get some good weather soon. well that was what i was wonder should i use my boat for a little longer sell it and get a bigger sailboat or just keep it and save up for small sailboat?

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

i've never sailed before but i know that if i spent all my time and money on restoring a boat, i wouldn't just turn around and give it away for something else... all that time and effort (and posts on here) wasted.

stick with what you have (what you are working on) and go have fun with that for awhile... then decide what you want for your NEXT boat.

 

[jrs_diesel]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

If fuel cost is a factor for you then I'd lean towards the sailboat.

We bought an O'Day 22 last year, and put a new Mercury 6 HP on it. That Merc came with a 4 gallon gas tank. I filled it full after we got it. Bought the boat in early July, pulled it out of the water at the end of October. That gas tank had about 2 gallons left in it.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

I recommend oars until you are finished with high school and your college is funded.

 

[tschmidty]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

They are really awfully different. I'd hang on to your powerboat until you have enough money to get a sailboat and then keep both. That's what I do. Went out Saturday on the sail boat, great wind that day and just kicked back and went around the lake. They are different experiences. For a young un, I'd stick with a power boat even though it costs money to run just because it tends to me more social. Sail boats take more attention to sail and they don't have as much room for girls in bikinis

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

i know i will be trying to get a sailboat and keeping the motor boat so i don't have to get rid of one or the other, rather have both.

 

[BTMCB]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

Either way you go, at least you can keep your screen name SBL. (smallboatlover or sailboatlover).

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

I love power boats, human-powered boats and sail boats and do some of each. The key to it all for me is setup time. Sailing a trailered boat is tedious because you have to step and unstep the mast every time you use it. Also, small lakes (at least where I live) can be pretty aggravating to sail on because the wind is usually shifting and variable in force. It's no fun to spend 30 minutes getting the boat ready to launch, drop it in a lake, sail out a mile, and paddle back, and then spend another 30 minutes taking all the rigging down for trailering, when the wind dies...

If the lake is small enough to explore in 4 or 5 hours by canoe, that's my boat of choice. If it's bigger than that, a trailered power boat makes sense. If you have a dock or a mooring on a smaller lake, where you can leave a sailboat rigged, or have access to big water with steady wind, sail boats are a blast. I have all three types of boats at my disposal on my favorite lake, and I enjoy them all.

 

[sasto]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

I recommend oars until you are finished with high school and your college is funded.

I agree.....go sailing, smallboatlover. I recommended a sailboat for your needs when you first arived here. I still do. Good Luck little buddy.....as the skipper would say!

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

well i don't go on a lake i go on a saltwater bay that near the ocean and i have it will stay in the water at a mooring. so there would be trouble setting it up just one time a season.

 

[tbagger]

Re: To sail or to motor boat

Get a small daysailer, keep an eye open for one on craigslist. You can usually find one for cheap and there's no better way to become a good sailor than to learn on a small boat. Last year I found a newport surprise on craigslist for $300 a 14ft with a trailor and it seats 4 people, be patient and keep looking something will pop up.