It's Complicated ... 20 vs 3

[phoenixtoohot]

Waiting to launch my 26M last week, I watched the power boaters launching their rigs with a bit of envy. Those guys have 3 control points to manage ... wheel, throttle and tilt.

So I counted up the control points on our sailboats ... at least 20. 3 for the wheel, throttle and tilt, just like our power boat friends ... 6 for the foresail, 7 for the mainsail, 1 for rudder up/dn, 1 for dagger board, 2 for ballast.

20 to 3 ... Sort of explains something about us, and our chosen form of recreation ... but I'm not totally sure what?

[kmclemore]

That's easy... we're smarter. We can handle it all, whereas they need things to be more 'simple'.

Poor lads. I do feel sorry for them.

[The Mutt]

Sometimes it feels like

Them



Us



My question is who has more fun?

Fair winds
Glenn

[arknoah]

I'm in a leadership program where I live and one of the other participants is into powerboating because she "doesn't want to do all that work." And I thought: "what work are you talking about? You mean all that trimming sails and working with lines stuff that makes the whole thing so much fun?

[Steve K]

At $4.00 plus bucks per gallon, I think I'll keep my sails, thank you. I couldn't have fun in a power boat just thinking about all the gas they suck.

I filled up both my tanks the other day (3 gallons each) and it cost me as much as I used to pay to fill up the two 12 gallon tanks on my 26X. No........... I'll keep my sailboat, thank you very much

How much is marina gas these days $5 or$6 ???

I wonder if my buddy, whom I haven't seen in several years, still takes his boat out. It had a 502cid and an eighty gallon tank. They would hit the water @ Havasu @ about 7:30am and have to come in to fill up @ around 10:00 or 11:00am. I couldn't afford the fuel for his boat, back when it was a buck thirty five per gallon.



I'll keep my sails.......... I like the quiet too anyway

Steve K.
Mac 26D "Three Sheets"

[Catigale]

I spend a week on Cuttyhunk with my girls and four friends....fuel costs of 30 gallons of gas for truck from NY to Cape, 6 gallons of gas max one week of Cape cruising (sail plus motor)

Total fuel bill 144 USD for vacation for 6....add food and it's a cheap gig.....

[Ixneigh]

Well I like to sail anyway and for 99% of what I use my boat for it is waayyyyyyyyy
Faster then any power boat. As soon as I hoist a sail I have arrived at my destination for the day.
That usually takes fifteen minutes to motor out of the harbor and choose the sails for the day. On a powerboat it usually takes anywhere from an hour to several to get to "where" they are going that day. Fishing diving etc.
I use much more gas just "running" the engine to keep it in shape. I go out on those flat days and plane the boat for an hour. If it wasn't for that my fuel bill per month would total like ten bucks.
Now it's probably forty.

As an aside I have seen a huge decrease in the powerboat weekend warriors where I live.
Who can blame them.

Ixneigh

[eddy]

I spend a week on Cuttyhunk with my girls and four friends....fuel costs of 30 gallons of gas for truck from NY to Cape, 6 gallons of gas max one week of Cape cruising (sail plus motor)

Total fuel bill 144 USD for vacation for 6....add food and it's a cheap gig.....

I,m jealous, for 36 gallons i would have to pay more then double the price, yep i sail a lot.....

[vizwhiz]

This is exactly the reason the Admiral and I decided on a sailboat instead of a walk-around cuddy-cabin like we were originally considering...glad we did!

[Catigale]

Apologies eddy....whenever I head to France I'm reminded how cheap our gas is here in the states...about 2x

[canmac27]

Gas here in Montreal is close to $1.50/L or a little over $6.00 a gallon. Thank you oil sands!!

[Phil M]

Gas here in Montreal is close to $1.50/L or a little over $6.00 a gallon. Thank you oil sands!!

With or without the Alberta tar sands, gas prices would be near world price levels, although Europeans still pay more than we do.
Does it make you feel sorry for the gas hungry powerboaters?

Phil

[Ixneigh]

In the near future?

Gas is the equivalent of 10 bucks a gallon. The average recreational power boater has all but vanished. Small commercial waterborne enterprise is on its last gasp. People are forced to get creative in everyday life such as moving much closer to work or ride sharing. Electric cars are becoming practical with the advent of fast charge batteries that can be swapped out at a service station for a fresh one in minutes.
A new sailboat is offered for people who used to drive powerboats.
A computerized control unit gets weather reports over the web, calculates course speed and time to any destination you choose, and can sail the boat there hands off. The sail is a single semi soft wing and mast combo that is electrically raised on lowered. The boat has an electric motor to get clear of the ramp or harbor and a centerboard tied into the depth sounder. On the chart plotter, all shallow areas are outlined in red so you can see where you can go at a glance.
A simple overlay shows travel times in half hour increments. These will be different depending on conditions.
The boat will automatically trim the sail and tack by itself. All the owner need do is sit and maintain a lookout.

The other option is a displacement hull style launch with a clean deisle that might get two hours at six knots on a gallon of fuel.

[arknoah]

Apologies eddy....whenever I head to France I'm reminded how cheap our gas is here in the states...about 2x

Yes, as frustrating as higher gas prices are, we still pay a lot less than people in many other industrialized places in the world.

[eddy]

Ok so far the gas prices all over the world, as long we are healthy and have a job....and mac, im happy