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Old 06-25-2020, 05:59 AM   #1
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What Age Do You Think You Will Hang It Up?

So as not to derail the "Do It Now" thread, but at what age have you, or do you think you will, stop boating?

I know this is dependent on a number of things, health, strength and mental ability to run a boat, partner's ability, grandchildren come along etc..

We had some friends over for dinner last Sunday and he turns eighty this year. He just single handed his Larsen over to the boat yard for new bottom paint, and he still cleans his own bottom.

I have another couple, he is also eighty, they own a 36 downeaster and have just put it up for sale and bought a largish RV.

We discuss this often. Our hope would be to stay with Sonas for at least another fifteen years (would make us both 77), then move to a smaller downeaster like the Sabre for another seven or eight years.
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Old 06-25-2020, 06:33 AM   #2
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I doubt I'll make it to 70 with this boat. My cruising is mostly solo and I will probably have gotten to the point where the physical effort will be more than I can handle. Wife isn't interested in cruising and I'm not interested in being dependent on others when I want to go play. Maybe a smaller boat from that point forward.

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Old 06-25-2020, 06:37 AM   #3
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Wifey B: 127. Ok, maybe not that long. I'm thinking 80 or so based on others we have known.

I think it's when you find yourself not looking forward to leaving your home on a trip. I also don't know if we'd enjoy it as much if we couldn't take the helm and be comfortable, could we enjoy a paid crew doing everything. I'm not certain we could enjoy just riding on the boat instead of driving it.

I know one of the most difficult things people face is surrendering their driver's license when they should. Many don't until long after they should. It's painful to not be able to get around on your own. Well, I can't imagine surrendering my Captains License either. It may just be psychologically how it makes you face the reality of aging.

I hope we can admit when it's just not the same anymore and let our friends go and relax at home until they return.
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Old 06-25-2020, 07:00 AM   #4
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Spreadsheet retirement plan says sell the boat at ages 76/80...and transition to cruise ships having unusual itineraries. That plan was devised ~5 years ago. The current pandemic experience may force us to reconsider that plan, as cruise ships are now looking a bit less attractive...
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Old 06-25-2020, 07:00 AM   #5
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Probably around 75 for my present boat (36 foot Albin). Then I plan on downsizing a bit to a trailerable boat to explore some inland chains and rivers. Probably a Cuddy Cabin boat.

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Old 06-25-2020, 07:01 AM   #6
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I'm 68 1/2 and I'm out this season. Tired of chasing problems, climbing in bilges, bottom painting, etc.
BUT we.re changing to RV trailering, so it's not stopping adventures, just changing the scenery a bit.
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Old 06-25-2020, 07:30 AM   #7
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It won't be based on an age. It will be either health and/or fitness to handle, or the ROI for my time and trouble -------- whatever chronological age that happens.

Hopefully won't be anytime soon!
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Old 06-25-2020, 07:32 AM   #8
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We sold our dirt home in 1997. Our only homes have been a sail boat for 10 years and Hobo for the last 13 which will be our last big boat. We made it to the Bahamas this year and found I no longer have the fire in my belly. After visiting 47 countries and crossing a few oceans, we’ve had a good run but it is getting time to move on.
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Old 06-25-2020, 08:18 AM   #9
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I have a close friend who is 78, who is fond of saying "All it takes is one major illness with one of us (he or his wife) to kill the dream". I came to that realization in my early 30's when guy I worked with had been talking about the dreams of what he was going to do when he retired. He worked hard his whole life, raised and lived for his family, saved, did all the 'right things' our movies, TV and media from the 1950's told us was 'living the american dream'. The problem was, he died suddenly at 60 before he retired and had a chance to live his ACTUAL dreams (rather than the one that he thought society expected).

So I bought a boat. I'm trying my best to live my life NOW. I will continue living MY dream until I either have another dream, or I can't physically do this anymore. My knees, hips, and hands will tell me when that is. My wife will tell me if/when my mind can't handle it anymore.

How many times have you known people at the marina who've said something to the effect of "They don't go out because she's lost confidence in him taking the boat out", in reference to the old salt with thousands of miles passed under his keel, who's now bouncing off of the pilings and hitting the dock?

I know the scope was contrary to "Go Now" but honestly, that is because we don't know when Too Old, Too Feeble, or Too Sick, or Too Poor will be.

If I had to answer succinctly "When I can't or don't want too anymore".
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Old 06-25-2020, 08:28 AM   #10
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We recently showed our retirement plan to a financial advisor, who has submitted his ideas to fine tune a few things.

Looks like there will be a point, about 5 years after retiring, where selling the boat and not having to pay moorage and insurance anymore makes sense. By then we'll have explored just about every nook & cranny of BC's north and central coasts. We have a couple favourite spots already, and will have discovered a few more by then.

Our plan after selling Badger will be to explore via backroads and hiking trails, but we'll also hire boats once in a while to drop us off at our favourite places along the coast, to camp for a couple weeks or more at a time. We still have our double kayak, so we'll be able to putter around the camp area, as opposed to going on fully fledged sea kayaking adventures.

This past weekend I met what I hope will be my retired self...my daughter and I were on a day hike into the Seven Sisters Range on the Skeena River, and we met a couple in their mid seventies. They looked like they could both pinch 1/2" on their bellies and were striding through the mountainside forest like it was nothing.

Owning a boat won't be necessary, and hiring one once in a while will be much cheaper!
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Old 06-25-2020, 08:39 AM   #11
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Age hang ups.

In some sense it is not really for us to say. Depends largely on individual health and retirement income. During my working years we spent a few winters on jackstands alongside a beautiful steel sailboat the owner was building. I had a Mainship 400 then, but we occasionally found boating things to talk about. One day another boater asked me if I'd heard the sailboat builder/owner had suddenly passed away (probably early 60's in age). That beautiful and unique boat never got to sail for the man whose dream it was to enjoy it. On the other hand, we have a boating club friend well into his 80's who still single hands his sailboat. Don't give up the dream and keep doing it if you can, but seeking guarantees of future success could possibly just be wasted time and effort.
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Old 06-25-2020, 08:59 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shrew View Post
I have a close friend who is 78, who is fond of saying "All it takes is one major illness with one of us (he or his wife) to kill the dream".
Very timely thread for me as my wife has been very ill for over a year and since she was my chief crewman I have had little use of the boat during that time. Coupled with crawling around in the ER with bad knees and back, I'm slowly dealing with the realization of selling my boat and vacation home and retiring to my rocking chair. (Just kidding about the chair.) It's nothing to do with money as we have been blessed with good investments that will certainly outlive us both. The main reasons are 2...my wife's health and me staring down the barrels of turning 80 in less than a year. What a bummer...life is way too short!
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Old 06-25-2020, 09:04 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Codger2 View Post
Very timely thread for me as my wife has been very ill for over a year and since she was my chief crewman I have had little use of the boat during that time. Coupled with crawling around in the ER with bad knees and back, I'm slowly dealing with the realization of selling my boat and vacation home and retiring to my rocking chair. (Just kidding about the chair.) It's nothing to do with money as we have been blessed with good investments that will certainly outlive us both. The main reasons are 2...my wife's health and me staring down the barrels of turning 8 in less than a year. What a bummer...life is way too short!
Wifey B: If either or us was unable to enjoy boating, then that would be the end of it for both of us. Means if hubby's time is when he turns 80, mine is likely when I'm 71.
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Old 06-25-2020, 10:12 AM   #14
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My wife and I are just starting early retirement but the thoughts expressed in this thread are very much in our mind. Have been lucky to enjoy boating for 35 years to date. Three factors will likely control our boating future.



1. Health
2. Enjoyment

3. Money


I placed money last because since starting early retirement/Covid-19 our investments are still replenishing/growing, savings remain untouched/growing and we pay our bills, boat & house improvements with only 30% of our income. For now the money side is not stressful.





Leonard
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Old 06-25-2020, 10:23 AM   #15
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So much depends on general physical condition and health, which has at least some tie-in with the DNA you were dealt at birth. Every year in Alaska I see husbands and wives pushing 80. I'm 72 and that's my goal. I even quit snow skiing which I saw it as a risk to our boating longevity. A bad knee, hip or shoulder injury at this age would wreck our boating horizons.
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Old 06-25-2020, 10:31 AM   #16
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Quit boating??!!

Whenever we're damn good n' ready! LOL

Considering health conditions continue to keep us up and running!

Happy/Healthy Boating Daze! - Art and Linda
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Old 06-25-2020, 10:35 AM   #17
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Wifey B: If either or us was unable to enjoy boating, then that would be the end of it for both of us. Means if hubby's time is when he turns 80, mine is likely when I'm 71.
How old is your husband at present?
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Old 06-25-2020, 11:27 AM   #18
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My wife and I consider this issue all the time.

For us health would be the determining factor. We are still relatively young - 70 next year and in good physical shape. Boating is a lifestyle for us and since most of our friends are rabid boaters, boating is a social outlet. We hope to boat another 15 years, maybe to just Yacht Club cruises in later years.

We have several friends that are boating in their 80's. One couple, who has been going north of Vancouver Island every year just put their 40' trawler for sale. Another couple living on their 56' trawler has had the boat for sale several years. They decided to stop cruising after the husband had to be airlifted from his boat in the Broughtons.

Another couple with a 52' boat are cruising to the Broughtons every year. Wife is 10 years younger than husband and is fully capable of doing everything on the boat. Another couple with a 46 sundeck stopped cruising north but come to every Yacht Club cruise. There is plenty of help on the dock for them at YC cruises.

We've been big boat boating for 35 years and I've been boating for 55 years and my wife 40 years. We still boat 2 to 3 months in the summer but don't go as far as we used to. Not because of health but just tired of the long runs. We've been staying south of Nanimo the last few years and converted our boat from expedition cruiser to a one bedroom condo with a water view.

I retired from all businesses requiring a skippers ticket and gave up my CG Captains license a few years ago.

We hope nothing major happens to us that prevents us from boating into our 80's. And buying a smaller boat after owning a 40' heavy trawler is not something we would consider. I've seen friends move from 40 something boats and downsize to 26 foot out drive boats. After years of handling a heavy boat, these boaters had difficulty manuerveying a light out drive boat without a keel. After pinballing around marinas, these boaters either moved back to a bigger boat or gave up boating.

Keeping weight off and staying limber and flexible are key points. Most guys quit boating when they either get too big or too stiff to crawl around engine rooms and other tight areas. Or up and down stairs and ladders.
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Old 06-25-2020, 11:36 AM   #19
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The gentleman we bought Sandpier from was 86. He was in physically good condition. He was able to dock the boat perfectly and climbed down the side of the portugese bridge without a ladder. He performed all the maintenance.

He had dementia. He must have known earlier that dementia was in his future. He had a book with picture and illustrations of everything on the boat with descriptions on what they were and how used. He was fine at remembering things at different times but frequently would not know anything.

As an example, he had a picture of the steering wheel. Under the picture it said "Steering wheel, turn right to turn boat to the right - turn wheel left to turn the boat left".

Only reason he was selling the boat was because his wife was confined to home because of poor health. His family forced the sale.

About a year after buying Sandpiper, the previous owner called and wanted the boat back since his wife died and he was ready to go boating again! He was close to 90 by then.
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Old 06-25-2020, 11:54 AM   #20
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I'm 84, do all my own boat work, and run a Predicted Log contest every month, with the Sicilian at the wheel as I never could steer a straight course.
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