Madness setting in!

by John
(Nr. Leicester UK)

What a great site.

In the last few months I have developed an irresistible urge to buy/own a wooden sailing cruiser.

I have never sailed!!!

I have never even been onboard a sailing boat.
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My only experience of water borne transport is kayaking,which I greatly enjoyed.

But the weather got colder and I get older, so the need for some comfortable way of getting around on the water has to be found.

And to make matters worse I am drawn to old boats that need lots and lots of care and attention.

I should really know better at my age (65).

Cars I understand and have restored 2 or 3 in my time, but wooden boats!!!!

My wife thinks I have maybe developed some form of mental illness.

However the idea of restoring a boat is getting stronger day by day.

Finding your website has not really helped.

It is great, so much helpful information.

I need to find someone to take me out on a boat, either to confirm the problem is treatable and I forget the whole idea or that I enjoy it so much the outcome is inevitable and I start on the journey to old wooden boat ownership.

Once again a great informative site

Hopefully my wife will come around in the end!!


Regards

John Patterson

email: johnjpatterson@aol.com

Comments for Madness setting in!

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Normal is Boring
by: Mike

Hi John,

Maybe your wife is right, and it is a form of mental illness.

But would she still love you if you were boringly 'normal'?

However, the notion that wooden boats need lots and lots of care and attention is an exaggeration that has been encouraged by the manufacturers of mass produced plastic boats.

Wooden boats do need attention but it doesn't have to be a full time obsession, and the wonderful thing about it is that with just a bit of care wooden boats improve with age, just like the patina on an antique sideboard.

You say that you know about cars and have restored two or three, would you say that that older ones were easier to maintain than the newer 'more convenient' ones?

I don't know much about cars but I have had a succession on old bangers and I'm sure that the ones I had in my youth were easier to work on than the newer ones.

But then I guess that's the point, 'they' don't want you fixing stuff, 'they' want you to buy a new one.

Ops, my 'mental illness' is beginning to show, better get off my hobbyhorse (one of many).

So, back to you, yes do try before you buy.

But at least you have been kayaking and you know that you enjoy being on the water.

The best way to learn to sail is on dinghies, they are so much more responsive than something larger and being close to the water makes it easier to grasp how all the various forces interact.

And I would imagine that there are some dinghy clubs near to you, OK their boats are most likely to be 'plastic' and at this time of year there might not be much activity, but they are worth checking out, some even run RYA courses.

If you are still infected with this bug in the spring time you are most welcome to come out with me on my boat.

So keep in touch.

In the mean time there are some blogs in the link library which you might find interesting.

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