How much do you use your boat?

So many times during discussions people are adamant that the way they do something is the RIGHT way and can't understand why someone else does it differently. There are so many different uses and places to use a boat that most times there is more than one right answer. I thought it might be interesting to see how different members use their boats so I came up with the above poll.

For the sake of the poll please use the last 12 months for your answer, not what you want or hope to do (we all have dreams).

I am on board every day during the season. I don't live aboard, but I do use the boat daily.

2240hrs in 9 years. Three month long trips down south. Run it at least once a week locally.

Except now. Living on it as I bulldozed my old house and am building a new one. 2/3 framed. Going to be a few to several months before I am back to normal.

I selected other as we spend about 280 days a year boating, about 240 away from home and cruising. 1017 engine hours in 2015. 17,200 nm.

I probably spent 100 days on the boat over the past year. The majority of this was working on the boat, as I replaced the engine, fuel tanks, prop, windlass, re-cored part of the deck, and a bunch of re-wiring.
Although I enjoy doing the work, this year I plan to enjoy using the boat.

Not enough...I spend more time per year on other peoples boats. I did manage to spend 6 hrs last sunday on mine de-sliming and scrubbing..fun times.
Hollywood

We live in Woodbridge, Suffolk, on the east coast of the U.K., and Content is tied up in Port McNeill, BC. We manage to spend 100-140 days each year on board. She's a wooden boat, 85 years old, but with new engines, electrics and plumbing, so she fires up first turn of the key, once the raw-water sea-cocks have been opened. But she's kept outside, so I spend a chunk of each summer perfecting my woodwork fettling skills!

Wouldn't have it any other way

11 weeks and 270 hours. A lot nights spent on the boat getting it ready for the late spring.


Jim
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Other. Strange poll options. I go to the boat most days, sometimes just for a coffee but usually doing something maintenance related. I might not be there more than an hour or two. In terms of using the boat, it seems to average several times a month for a few days at a time, but not often weekends. But this year I'm hoping for some longer periods cruising further afield.

We use our PNW cruiser like a getaway cabin. We will often drive the 100 miles to the boat for one or both days of a weekend and just stay on it even if the weather is not condusive to going out. We generally manage to get a two or three week cruise in the fall into BC unless work gets in the way. Hopefully we'll get more time to work on and use the boat in the not-too-distant future.

We keep the boat behind the house so we spend most every day on her for an hour or two. We go out for a few days each month durring the cooler season and durring the summer it is two or three times a month.

I've never actually taken the Rose out. I've run the engines at the dock but I don't even know how fast she goes. Going on 7 years now! Maybe this summer is the lucky summer.

We live 20 minutes from the boat . We are there 3 or 4 times a week after work checking on stuff . During the season we are on it every weekend and also some nights during the week .

Use to spend 4 or 5 days a week on my boat. Now that it's out of the boatyard, maybe a little less.

Ted

Northern Lights is on the Mississippi 250 miles from our home in Kansas. I pretty much liveaboard from mid March into the 1st week in December, because of the mild winter I went thru the 1st week of January this year. I take the boat out 3 to 4 times a week to anchor out for the day or overnight, and make 1 or 2 longer cruises each season. I put 100 to 125 hours most years, 2013 was 30 hours because I spent 4 days a week for 13 weeks in Mn helping a friend get a 44' aluminium houseboat ready to bring down the river. In July we are going to Chicago and out on to the lake for a month or so. I use a iPad with the app and these polls don't show up for some reason.


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Does it count if your boat is a live aboard that seldom if ever leaves the dock? Using one's boat is a pretty nebulous concept. Hence the reason for cruising organizations like CCA where pot lucks are held in some very interesting places on the world wide waters.

I probably use mine 2-3 a week on average. Mostly day cruising. But we do a lot of overnights as well. Will be going to Galveston for Mardi Gras this weekend. It is gonna be a beautiful day today so will likely take a little cruise this afternoon. I live 3 miles from the boat. We are members in a couple of different very active boating groups. And they coordinate many weekend cruises as well. So hour wise....250-300 hours a year.

Typically 70-100 days per summer, cruising SE Alaska and/or BC.
6,500 engine hours on this boat since retiring in 1998.

Baker said:

I probably use mine 2-3 a week on average. Mostly day cruising. But we do a lot of overnights as well. Will be going to Galveston for Mardi Gras this weekend. It is gonna be a beautiful day today so will likely take a little cruise this afternoon. I live 3 miles from the boat. We are members in a couple of different very active boating groups. And they coordinate many weekend cruises as well. So hour wise....250-300 hours a year.

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This summer I was thinking about cruising up to Galveston with the entire family. Where would be a good marina to stay where we would have access to the fun parts of Galveston? We like the Strand area.

Spend at least one month a year plus some weekends.

Weekends and vacations.


Aren't those both about the same thing?


We typically spend most weekends on the boat at the marina. We take a cruise for a month or two in the spring and a shorter one in the fall. That could change though.

cardude01 said:

This summer I was thinking about cruising up to Galveston with the entire family. Where would be a good marina to stay where we would have access to the fun parts of Galveston? We like the Strand area.

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Harbor House would be the best. The problem is they only have about 8 slips to begin with and they have been leasing those out to commercial operators like "Dolphin Watch" and things like that. So for the summer you better book months in advance. During the week should not be an issue. The backup to that would be the Galveston Yacht Basin. They always have space but it would be a good long walk to the strand. We bring our bicycles and ride to the strand. That is where we are staying this weekend. A lot of times we will put a car down there and I think someone in our party will be doing that...a little easier when you are only 25 minutes away. The Nicest marina in Galveston would be Pelican Rest on Offatt's Bayou. But it is not walking distance from anything really. A very nice and very well run marina. We go there a lot during the summer. The restaurant there excellent but it shows in the prices....very high end grub...mostly a steak house with steaks on the menu upwards of $50. Harborwalk is another one in the area....very nice but in the middle of nowhere. They do have a nice bar and restaurant as well as a very nice pool area. We go there a few times a summer as well. Moody Gardens has about 12 slips. They have fireworks Friday AND Saturday during the summer. And you have access to all of the moody gardens "free" attractions...like the lazy river and waterslides and stuff. We actually do this at least once a summer but always have a blast. Depending on the age of your children, Moody Gardens would be a blast for younger ones. I guess we are hijacking....PM me if you want more info....or closer to your trip time!

We are full time livaboard for the past two years. We love the water and the life style. This summer will be the first BIG cruise to the "Inside Passage" from the Columbia River. Funny when we were on the hard last week neither of us were comfortable on the boat. Just couldn't get our land legs back.

We have had Willy on the hard most of time we've been back from Alaska. (3yrs) Worked almost daily on her during the last 2/3rds of last summer (3+ months) and launced about mid September. Went to an Albin get-together at Mill Bay in Saanich Inlet near Sidny/Victoria. Four days underway. We also went to the Willard Rendezvous in Anacortes ... probably not even an hour underway. So our cruising hours have been extremly low since we left Alaska.

Then we listed Willy for sale on Craig's List and started to prepare her for a better effort at marketing next summer. Then we decided to keep her for at least another year. While showing her I discovered the anchor capstan wasn't working. Went to Surrey BC yesterday for service and bought a new winch .. same kind and type but much much differend and improved especially re noise, serviceability and design details. Got a scream'in deal re the weak Canadian dollar and the prototype (first few to be sold) and army green paint. Actually powder coat.

So now we'll continue to get her ready for cruising. Still want to go to the South Sound and do some early cruising in the Poulsbo-Bremerton area and lock through to Lake Washington to see what Willy actually does re speed. I think we can anchor in the south end of the lake by Seward Park.

We may soon decide to spend our time and money elsewhere (road trips and other travel) and part w Willy but I'm looking fwd to cruising this summer.

We've been on the since Dec. 21st. Due to my med issues last year, we were off the boat for 9 months. We live close to 900 miles from the boat. We returned to the boat & everything worked. Since we are now staying on the boat full time, we've been getting flack from the marina, that we are live a boards. We have been doing a lot of upgrades to the old girl. Bottom line she's not been used much. Last year we took her out for a few runs, nothing great, just up & down the Columbia River. Buying an auto-helm. Ordered a new exhaust elbow for the port Lehman 120. It blew out a few days ago while teaching my wife how to do a cold start.

We have not lost sight of our dream of going to Mexico. New issues are raising their ugly heads because we are not in Mexico. Bottom needs attention & zincs. Last year we had installed two line cutters per shaft, due to an incident. We wanted the bottom done in Mexico where they use the good stuff. So yes we are on the boat butt we're not putting miles on here like we want to. One nail at a time.

TONTOROSS said:

We've been on the since Dec. 21st. Due to my med issues last year, we were off the boat for 9 months. We live close to 900 miles from the boat. We returned to the boat & everything worked. Since we are now staying on the boat full time, we've been getting flack from the marina, that we are live a boards. We have been doing a lot of upgrades to the old girl. Bottom line she's not been used much. Last year we took her out for a few runs, nothing great, just up & down the Columbia River. Buying an auto-helm. Ordered a new exhaust elbow for the port Lehman 120. It blew out a few days ago while teaching my wife how to do a cold start.

We have not lost sight of our dream of going to Mexico. New issues are raising their ugly heads because we are not in Mexico. Bottom needs attention & zincs. Last year we had installed two line cutters per shaft, due to an incident. We wanted the bottom done in Mexico where they use the good stuff. So yes we are on the boat butt we're not putting miles on here like we want to. One nail at a time.

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Keep plugging away and keep the faith you will go!!!! We are currently on the lower Columbia River.

Last year we probably only put about 75-80 hours on her. We put in a pool a couple of years ago and that has seriously cut into the boating time.

Not since November of 2014. I guess that's going to happen over the decades of living on board. But it sucks IMO. I expect 2016 will be much unsucky.

However I did a ton of boat camping in the little boat. I enjoyed that, alot.

I voted Other, We only had the boat out 5 times last year. We got the boat running in August and had folks out with us each time having lots of fun. The dog loves it too, lol. I have spent an average of 3 days a week on the boat working to get it ready for regular use/living aboard cruising the loop in a year or two. In that sense I'm a lot like AusCan right now.

Kevin

We are pretty much full time during the season, and part time off season. 2 years ago we cruised Galveston to NY. Last year we concentrated on Charleston to NY. This year will start the season by going from Charleston to Savannah in March.

GFC said:

Last year we probably only put about 75-80 hours on her. We put in a pool a couple of years ago and that has seriously cut into the boating time.

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And you, sir, are the main reason why I still have $50k in my pocket. I have the dream of a pool. But in reality, I am on the boat as much as I can be. So the pool would just be nice to look at. And the marina has a nice pool anyway so I can just use it!!!

Thanks!!!!