Power Boat or Sailling Boat

Carry Out Your Own Survey

Well, I’ve spent the last couple of months thinking about this project of getting on the water on a ‘low income’, and I’m fairly convinced that a sailing boat will meet my needs and my pocket better than a power boat. Just to be sure though, I set myself the task of analysing and scrutinising the logic of my thinking. In the end I developed a survey questionnaire which I applied to myself. It would be helpful if you could try it for yourself and see if it works for you – essentially it needs road-testing.

WOULD A SAILING BOAT SUIT YOU?

1.   What is more important –

a) being on the water

b) getting there

2.   When you think about buying a boat do you -

a) consider the ‘environmental’ impact

b) set those issues aside

3.   Do you want to -

a) work with nature

b) have the power to overcome it

4.   Do you prefer to -

a) carry out most of your own maintenance

b) have a technician do it for you

5.   When it comes to buying a boat Are you -

a) limited by budget considerations

b) not worried about purchase and maintenance costs

6.   What is more important to you -

a) comfort

b) speed

7.   Does the challenge of learning something new -

a) excite you

b) fill you with fear

8.   What do you have more of -

a) time

b) money

9.   Which sounds do you prefer

a) the call of gulls, the hiss of the sea, a moaning wind

b) a roaring diesel engine

10. At the end of the trip what would prefer to remember

a) the beauty of the passage

b) the speed of the voyage

Now the way it works is that you should give yourself 1 point every time you answer ‘a’. Score more than five points and you should think about taking up sailing. Score ten and you probably already own a sailing boat!

This book, by the way, is an excellent starting point for learning about sailing :

The New Complete Sailing Manual

Steve Sleight
Published by Dorling Kindersley 2005

You might pick up a second hand copy on Amazon (scroll down)

Seaward