This is not about guns. But it is about an activity that makes current gun ownership costs seem pale by comparison.
Sailing.
This is a call for opinions from my three readers who might have an interest in sailing. For those of you not familiar with the topic, some definitions help:
Definition of boating: A hole in the water you throw money into.
Definition of sailing: The art of getting wet and ill going nowhere slowly at great expense.
With these definitions in mind, here is my dilemma...
I have an opportunity to acquire a sailboat. Despite traditionally being the worst time of the year to buy a boat (summer is typically a seller's market), the economy is making some very nice deals available. I have two boats available and I have to make a decision on one of them.
The first is an O'Day 22, a small trailer sailer. It lacks a trailer but is presently in the water in Washington, DC. The boat has been well cared for, includes a low hours Yamaha outboard and is in a slip paid until April of next year. Asking price with the paid slip included is $3000.
The second is a Tidewater 26, a fixed keel racer/cruiser. It is strictly an in-water boat and is presently in land storage in Annapolis. Likewise, this boat has been cared for, includes a good Yamaha outboard. The owner has had offers of $1600 but would be willing to take $2000 cash on the spot.
The appeal of the O'Day is locality. It is where we would like it to be. We would be 15-20 minutes from the marina so heading out to sail for the day is very convenient. And since it is in the water, it is literally and pay and play situation. Virtually no effort for me to buy today, sail tomorrow.
The downside to the O'Day is size. At 22 feet, it lacks full headroom in the cabin. With its short keel, it is really a light-to-medium conditions boat and ideal for the Potomac River. If we got a trailer over the next year, we could move it to the Chesapeake Bay at will but the Bay wouldn't be its best place. It would sail fine there but other boats would perform better in the Bay's usual conditions.
The appeal of the Tidewater 26 is cost and headroom. It has a full 6 feet down below and offers a couple of extra sails. Since it was designed on the Bay, it is well-suited for the conditions there and its sailing qualities, by all accounts, are near perfect. It is an enlarged version of the boat used to train naval cadets seamanship. At a potential low of $1600, it is a very good buy.
The downside is it is on land. I would need to get her prepped and launched (launch is included in the price) and then move her to a new slip. Slip rates are $1600/year and up for boats of this size. Figure $1800-$2000 and that is roughly what I would have to cough up immediately afterward to bring her to her new home.
I can move her into the Potomac but her sailing options would be more limited than the O'Day due to the deeper draft. There are several shallow shoals at low tide that its 4 1/2 foot draft couldn't handle. Plus it would take me 2-3 days at a minimum to sail her out of the Chesapeake and up the river to Washington DC.
But if I leave her in the Bay, I have all of the options the Bay has to offer. Leaving her on the Rhode or South Rivers, I'd have Annapolis an hour to the north, marinas and beaches all along the Western Shore and attractions on the Eastern shore 2-3 hours sailing away such as St. Michaels.
But my drive to get to the boat goes from a straight shot down the GW Parkway to a 40-50 minute drive to the Western Shore. I am specifically avoiding Annapolis and immediate vicinity to avoid weekend bridge traffic. Convenience and willingness to drive to sail for fun can become an issue.
My dilemma is which boat to buy? The O'Day 22 is $3000 and I'm off. Long-term, I could have issues with just feeling it is too small. My wife has liked the full headroom of the 26-28 foot boats we've looked at.
The Tidewater 26 is a little more pricey in running costs due to the extra length but is roomier and sails better. But it would be further away and my out-the-door costs will be between $3500 and $4000.
Help me out! Post advice in comments. Thanks!
Sailing.
This is a call for opinions from my three readers who might have an interest in sailing. For those of you not familiar with the topic, some definitions help:
Definition of boating: A hole in the water you throw money into.
Definition of sailing: The art of getting wet and ill going nowhere slowly at great expense.
With these definitions in mind, here is my dilemma...
I have an opportunity to acquire a sailboat. Despite traditionally being the worst time of the year to buy a boat (summer is typically a seller's market), the economy is making some very nice deals available. I have two boats available and I have to make a decision on one of them.
The first is an O'Day 22, a small trailer sailer. It lacks a trailer but is presently in the water in Washington, DC. The boat has been well cared for, includes a low hours Yamaha outboard and is in a slip paid until April of next year. Asking price with the paid slip included is $3000.
The second is a Tidewater 26, a fixed keel racer/cruiser. It is strictly an in-water boat and is presently in land storage in Annapolis. Likewise, this boat has been cared for, includes a good Yamaha outboard. The owner has had offers of $1600 but would be willing to take $2000 cash on the spot.
The appeal of the O'Day is locality. It is where we would like it to be. We would be 15-20 minutes from the marina so heading out to sail for the day is very convenient. And since it is in the water, it is literally and pay and play situation. Virtually no effort for me to buy today, sail tomorrow.
The downside to the O'Day is size. At 22 feet, it lacks full headroom in the cabin. With its short keel, it is really a light-to-medium conditions boat and ideal for the Potomac River. If we got a trailer over the next year, we could move it to the Chesapeake Bay at will but the Bay wouldn't be its best place. It would sail fine there but other boats would perform better in the Bay's usual conditions.
The appeal of the Tidewater 26 is cost and headroom. It has a full 6 feet down below and offers a couple of extra sails. Since it was designed on the Bay, it is well-suited for the conditions there and its sailing qualities, by all accounts, are near perfect. It is an enlarged version of the boat used to train naval cadets seamanship. At a potential low of $1600, it is a very good buy.
The downside is it is on land. I would need to get her prepped and launched (launch is included in the price) and then move her to a new slip. Slip rates are $1600/year and up for boats of this size. Figure $1800-$2000 and that is roughly what I would have to cough up immediately afterward to bring her to her new home.
I can move her into the Potomac but her sailing options would be more limited than the O'Day due to the deeper draft. There are several shallow shoals at low tide that its 4 1/2 foot draft couldn't handle. Plus it would take me 2-3 days at a minimum to sail her out of the Chesapeake and up the river to Washington DC.
But if I leave her in the Bay, I have all of the options the Bay has to offer. Leaving her on the Rhode or South Rivers, I'd have Annapolis an hour to the north, marinas and beaches all along the Western Shore and attractions on the Eastern shore 2-3 hours sailing away such as St. Michaels.
But my drive to get to the boat goes from a straight shot down the GW Parkway to a 40-50 minute drive to the Western Shore. I am specifically avoiding Annapolis and immediate vicinity to avoid weekend bridge traffic. Convenience and willingness to drive to sail for fun can become an issue.
My dilemma is which boat to buy? The O'Day 22 is $3000 and I'm off. Long-term, I could have issues with just feeling it is too small. My wife has liked the full headroom of the 26-28 foot boats we've looked at.
The Tidewater 26 is a little more pricey in running costs due to the extra length but is roomier and sails better. But it would be further away and my out-the-door costs will be between $3500 and $4000.
Help me out! Post advice in comments. Thanks!
8 comments:
It's all greek to me. What happened to the other one you were looking at? As a potential rope puller, I definately like the shorter drive, especially since I'm further south (making anything longer for me than you).
Two thoughts: Can you support the higher fees long term, and would the longer drive mean you went out less?
Joanna,
Fees are a function of length. The 26 is more expensive because most services are charged by the foot and as boats get bigger, so do the bits that fit on them. Smaller winches, masts, shorter lines, smaller sails and so on. The 26 would likely be 10-20 percent more expensive since it really is the next major size up from a 22. A 24 would comparable to a 22 and the 26 would be comparable to a 27 or 28. Shorter lengths but the sizes of stuff on each are roughly the same within their class.
The longer drive is one of the downsides my wife has raised with having a boat on the Bay in general. We'll be more tempted to sail more often with it a jaunt through DC instead of a planned run east.
The 26 is going to cost more in the long term but it offers more potential comfort, better sailing qualities and more "growth". The debate is whether we want something to grow into or just trade up in a few years to a 26-28. Hard call. My wife likes the headroom but generally not the cost that comes with it. A typical 26-29 is between $2500 and $6000 just for the boat.
We normally wouldn't be looking at the full headroom 26-27 foot class boat but we are because we are finding options that are affordable and in usable condition. I can find project boats cheap but the costs of refurbishment are horrifying.
Friend you have a family decision to make. Since you asked for public advice here goes. Go with the larger boat. You will not be able to get this kind of deal forever. As you said you will have room to grow. That's my 2 cents.
If you and/or your spouse were to lose your jobs in the next month, would you comfortably be able to afford all of your expenses including the new ones associated with the sailboat? If the answer is no, then don't spend the money.
Great blog! Another one you might enjoy:
www.freedoms-fight.blogspot.com
A guy on a powerboat has someplace to go.
A guy on a sailboat is already there.
I'd go for the larger vessel. More options...
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