Two things I learned crawling
over the beautiful Cape Cutter the other day. First, I am naturally drawn to traditional
looking craft. Second, I’m a potential sucker for them. There is a real danger
that I could end up buying a completely unsuitable boat because I have become
so smitten with her looks that I forget to consider her qualities (or lack of
them). There are two particular dangers here. One is that I purchase a
beautiful craft which is unsuitable to my needs; the other issue is that in
considering her beauty I may fail to appreciate how much work will be required to
bring her back to an effective sailing standard. I could easily fall victim to either
failing – or worse I could end up with an unsuitable boat, too far gone to
repair.
So, here is a strategy. I
have to accept that, when buying a boat, logic can sometimes fly out of the
window. Sometimes a boat simply speaks to you; something about her tells you
that she is the one for you. At that point the trap is set.
From that point onwards, in my
eyes, the boat has no faults. Peeling paint and spongy wood is no longer a sign
of rot, rather it is part of her ageless charm. The musty smell inside the
cabin is nothing more than a sign that she has been unloved for a while, that
she is crying out for attention and the patched hull merely shows that she has
a ‘history’ – here is a boat that has been places. Rose coloured spectacles or
are they binoculars?
At this point I will need a critical
friend, someone who will see the boat in more realistic terms, someone who will
ask a few serious questions and challenge my ideas. The person I take with me
doesn’t have to be an expert – soft wood is soft wood, rust is rust, all he or
she needs to do is look carefully and pose the question – ‘that is rust isn’t
it?’ ‘Is the rudder supposed to be there on the ground?’ ‘Is that trailer
really road worthy? The tyres look bald’. ‘I thought you were looking for a motor
vessel – this is a sailing boat. Do you know how to sail?’
This friend doesn’t have to
be confrontational and some of the comments may be naïve but one or two
questions will hit the spot and make me think before I commit to an unfortunate
purchase. I of course will be free to listen to the questions or dismiss them
but if I can’t give a satisfactory answer then I should think long and hard
before committing to purchase. After all, there is nothing worse than someone
saying ‘I told you so’.
Chances are though that the
friend will have to be patient, understanding and pretty thick skinned. Walking
away from a potential relationship ( even with a boat) can be painful and
people who try to offer support often find themselves bearing the brunt of
resentment.
Seaward
Hi David that is a really beautiful boat you are looking at in the top picture. I was thinking that it is difficult to give advice without projecting ones insecurities. For example without knowing too much of the geography if you are 35 miles from one point to the other, then if you think that in the best case scenario you may get 5 knts, which means. 7 hours sailing time as a min. The weather can change quite a lot in that time, hence the big ugly motor cruiser comes into its own. The second insecurity regards projects. I know personally that I take forever and a day to do repairs, so would worry that if I bought a project it would never get completed for years meanwhile you lose all that sailing time. However there is enormous pleasure in repairing and restoring boats so that could be a good reason to get a project boat.
ReplyDeleteI think these characterful boats are on the whole much more interesting than the plastic fantastics. I think sometimes though you've got to go with your heart. Mir you are going to be owning something for a long time why not select something that every time you look at it you think wow that's beautiful. I can't see the details of the top boat but I think if you are doing the trip you are thinking of it might be a good idea to have somewhere to shelter in if it gets a bit rough. Just my humble opinion.
Michael
Hi David... sounds like you are me a few years ago, though hopefully you aren't quite so ignorant of all things wood as I was. Two tips from my own experience:
ReplyDelete1. Buy a boat small enough so that you can afford (time + money) to not only maintain her, but improve her, over time. Size and condition matter... a small boat with a sound hull and deck is the best starter boat. Don't bite off more than you can chew with pleasure.
2. It's a buyer's market. I bought my Blue Moon Yawl for the price of the new sails that came with the boat, on eBay. In other words, I bought the sails and the boat was free. NEVER think that there is any urgency about a particular boat. However nice she is, you can find another one next week you'll love just as much. Wait for a boat that's 1/2 the money you can afford, so you have the other 1/2 left to fix her up and fit her out.
Good luck! Have patience.
-- John (UnlikelyBoatBuilder, Huntington NY)