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posted to rec.boats
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Ideal size boat
"JohnH" wrote in message
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On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 16:25:25 -0500, " JimH" wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
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wrote:
wrote:
We all occasionally wish for a larger boat but would we really buy one
if we were able? I have decided "No", my 28' S2 is ideal for me. A
larger boat would have more to go wrong and require more expense. My
28 is ideal for me as she is large enough to do a lot of things but
small enough for me to easily single-hand which I do a lot. The older
I get, the happier I am to not have a larger boat. This past 6 months
is the first time I have ever had her in a marina ( I kept her at pvt
docks for years) and I have noticed what I have heard about for years,
"A boats use is inversely proportional to her length". Do others here
have a simialr experience of realizing they do not want a bigger boat?
Sort of going through that at the moment.
We love our boat, but there are a few "isms" we'd change if we could
and we think that a 40-footer would be just a bit bigger than our 36
while still retaining a manageable size.
Our boating budget is adequate, but not extravagant. It was our good
luck to realize a professional windfall recently, and we have
considered using a portion to upgrade the boat. We thought that adding
$100k to what our current boat should bring would keep our total
investment down to a reasonable total, so a new 40-footer ($350k and
up) is definitely out of consideration.
Our next problem is that our boat is reasonably unique, and we wouldn't
find the same characteristics in most available boats.
Looks like we'll spend a good chunk to repaint and refurbish
"Indulgence" and keep her at least a while longer. I've got one bid for
stripping the bottom, repainting the hull and the house, taking all the
teak down to bare wood and refinishing with a first "soak" coat, and
replacing some water-stained interior veneer that seems pretty
reasonable in the mid-30's.
With the 2-year old engine and a face lift, we'd be able to be as proud
as if we found a near bristol used boat- and just the sales commission
to sell "Indulgence" and tax on the difference for a $100k upgrade
would run about half of our cost to make the boat we like so well look
fairly new again.
I crawl through at least one larger boat, 55-70 feet, every month. Nice
to dream about, but
I think that the smallest boat one can safely enjoy in local conditions
is at least as good a choice as the largest boat one can (supposedly)
afford. :-)
If I sell my current boats, I'm looking at a couple of 30-32 footers,
one
a "name brand," and the other built over on the Eastern Shore. After
many
years, I've decided that is the optimum size for what I want to do on
the
water, especially since I'm usually the only person aboard with
boat-handling skills, and larger boats typically require at least one
additional crew member willing to learn line-handling. Most of my
fishing
buddies feel at the top of their form if they can get into the boat
without falling off the dock.
We know what you are looking to get for the Parker.
How much for the 36 footer? What is she equipped with?
Check your email.
--
John H.
"Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to
resolve it."
Rene Descartes
That is not a true email address. I just sent you one John and you can
reply to that.
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