mode of transportation while visiting harbors

We are used to having i car with the rv for re-supply,parts ect. I see scooters and bikes but are you using things i may not be aware of. We looked at a couple electric bikes today. They had a smaller folding bike that could prove space saving but the larger model seemed more stable for old people.I have a 1000lb hydraulic davit to get them topside.
Thanks
Rod

Shanks' mare.

We don’t carry anything like a bike. My wife isn’t the most coordinated and I would not let her on a bike particularly as we get older. She fell about 5 years ago and it took almost the last 5 years and 5 different surgeries to get her fixed. No way I let her on a bike. We use Uber and taxies when marinas don’t have a courtesy car. Also we have a folding aluminum dock cart with bicycle tires that pulls easily and carries a big load in case we have to walk.

Need to be careful with Uber. If they pick you up at the marina and take you to a less populated area, they may not provide service to that area to get you back. Had that happen once in upstate NY. Now I check the availability of the return trip before arranging the departure trip.

Ted

I would like to find a full size electric scooter that could be off loaded with my dinghy crane. The compact electric ones seem too small with too short a range.

Ted

Uber and Lyft seem like a good way to get Covid, especially as it cools off and car windows get closed. Prior to the arrival of COVID19 I caught a bad case of bronchitis from a coughing Lyft driver that lasted for months. No way would I risk it now with a potentially fatal disease out there.

We use Enterprise car rental now: they drop off the car at the marina and pick it up afterwards. We just wipe it down inside with bleach and alcohol as soon as we get the keys. At $33 a day it is cheaper than Uber too if you go more than one place a day: in Marathon it was $15 one way from the marina to Home Depot for a $2 part!

I also keep a 125cc Chinese scooter up on the boat deck for shopping, sightseeing and running errands. Even a 49cc scooter is going to be more useful than any electric scooter or ebike. And if you shop Craigslist it will be much cheaper too. I have had several ebikes before moving aboard and I was not impressed with their corrosion resistance and that was in a dry climate. We have had the scooter for almost two years now and while it has some surface rust it still starts right up.

BTW, the scooter weighs 240lbs, well within the capacity of most davits.

Woodland Hills said:

Uber and Lyft seem like a good way to get Covid, especially as it cools off and car windows get closed. Prior to the arrival of COVID19 I caught a bad case of bronchitis from a coughing Lyft driver that lasted for months.

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This is about where I am, too. I've caught some doozies of colds etc. after flying and can't imagine that or a Lyft now. Granted, I'm on the careful side of the spectrum.

Woodland Hills said:

We use Enterprise car rental now: they drop off the car at the marina and pick it up afterwards. We just wipe it down inside with bleach and alcohol as soon as we get the keys.

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Great tip. If you have the car for (I'd imagine) 24 hours you can wipe 'er down, open the windows, and let it sit for a bit. Then it's "yours and yours only" for the duration of the rental.

*******
I've been giving this a lot of thought since I'm trawler shopping and it's a different world than when I was sailing back in the day (the only other time I lived without a car for an extended period). The Enterprise rental sounds like a great solution, and I could probably even do my now-favored curbside pickup for groceries.

My boat will not be large enough for scooters (darnit). But I may be able to bring my old Dahon pedal bike along. That'd be more for fun excursions than "big" errands though.

Frosty said:

This is about where I am, too. I've caught some doozies of colds etc. after flying and can't imagine that or a Lyft now. Granted, I'm on the careful side of the spectrum.



Great tip. If you have the car for (I'd imagine) 24 hours you can wipe 'er down, open the windows, and let it sit for a bit. Then it's "yours and yours only" for the duration of the rental.

*******
I've been giving this a lot of thought since I'm trawler shopping and it's a different world than when I was sailing back in the day (the only other time I lived without a car for an extended period). The Enterprise rental sounds like a great solution, and I could probably even do my now-favored curbside pickup for groceries.

My boat will not be large enough for scooters (darnit). But I may be able to bring my old Dahon pedal bike along. That'd be more for fun excursions than "big" errands though.

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I summer we wipe it down, park in the sun and close it up. The same extreme heat helps kill the virus: the dashboard and steering wheel are usually black and can get over 150* in direct sun after a couple of hours.

Woodland Hills said:

The same extreme heat helps kill the virus: the dashboard and steering wheel are usually black and can get over 150* in direct sun after a couple of hours.

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Might as well use it to your advantage! "Why yes, we DO want the black interior for our August afternoon rental"

I jest, but in reality I was actually reconsidering my plans to get a trawler and do some longer term coastal cruising. All of a sudden with COVID there was a new and unwelcome dimension added to not having my own car at my disposal. Sure, distancing would be easier (one of the things l like about "my own island" even in pre-COVID times), but suddenly errands ashore, felt like I'd be "exposed" without my own car, which I have when shore-based. (Of course transportation is something to work out even in "normal" times, but usual inconvenience suddenly felt more serious.)

So thanks again. Good to have options.

I’m considering a pair of Rad Mini foldable e-bikes for getting around on land. Friends have the full size Rad models and rave about them. (Note we are retired and act like sheep. One person gets something they like and we all have to have it. Haha).

Range is claimed to be 25m on throttle only and 45m if you peddle assist. Add some saddle bags and we’re set for most dockside adventures shy of a full provisioning.

Pete

Dahon Mariner folding bike with a rack/bags, less than 30#, less than
$200 on CL.

20" wheels, so its not a monkey-bike. Sleeps in a bike bag when not in use. And I don't get any guff for running a moto on a pier (not that that would stop me).

But "racing" light scooters from pal's place on San Juan Island over the hill to Rosario was an absolute hoot! No davits/crane on my boat for that sort of equipment.

We have a couple of Rad Mini Step-Thru electric, folding bikes. Larger and heavier than a Dahon but far greater range and an absolute blast to ride. We've done 35 mile round trip trips with them without killing the battery.

There are two answers to this, the THEN and NOW.

Then is before Covid 19 and we used bus, taxi, uber, car rentals and limousines. All were used as appropriate for our group and needs. If it was just the two of us we would have electric bikes and we've ridden some and loved them. IF we're going to be somewhere more than a day or so, then we rent a vehicle. Too many of the marinas and ports are in areas without taxi's and without Uber or Lyft. Some are borderline and we've run into the problem of getting an Uber to actually come and then even more when wanting to return to the boat. Not just a NY problem, although the NY problem pointed out earlier is a real problem as taxi's are required to take you to any area and Uber and Lyft are not.

Now. Car Rental would be my choice and I'd do my own thorough disinfecting on top of theirs. I'd just rather go through the sterilizing one time than dealing with 6 or so different Uber drivers. Uber claims to be requiring drivers and riders to wear masks but I don't know how well they're adhering. With masks and sitting in back seat and opening the windows partially or all the way it should be pretty safe. I'm just not convinced Uber drivers would all police it well. Even where selfies are required, nothing stopping people from taking it and then removing the mask. If we were cruising to other locations today, we absolutely would have electric bikes.

We use folding electric bikes. 20" wheels. Range is about 20km...but one can still pedal to extend the range or, um, get some exercise.

I keep a road bike onboard for exercising. I often go for 30 mile rides. Here in the PNW there are only a Handful of locations that extend beyond walking distances. Take the San Juan Islands. Except for an Alpaca Farm, everything you might want is with in walking distance of a dingy dock.

I carry a Citizen Miami folding bike with 20" wheels and 6 speeds on Sandpiper. Weighs 32 pounds.

Most marinas in the PNW are walking distance to groceries and other necessities. Once in a while, I may have to travel a distance for parts and the folding bike comes in handy.

Peddling a bike is a good excercise after sitting in the boat for days at an anchorage.

Everywhere is walking distance if you have time. - Steven Wright.

Feet and public transportation.

Wifey B: I read where people say everything is within walking distance but I like to explore everythng and everywhere and that takes you beyond walking distance.

Publix delivers .....
I suspect other grocery store deliver too.
CVS will deliver your Rx

Ah, when I say "deliver", I mean to the dock or marina office or you can meet them in the parking. I dont mean they will ferry the stuff out to your boat. LOL

A number of larger cities have bike share systems that can be convenient. We use one in Charleston. Register online, go to a hub and enter your code, ride the bike and leave at a hub when done.

I got rid of my scooter when we moved aboard and got a Tern folder- aluminum frame, belt drive, internal gears and disc brakes. I’d rather get some exercise from pedaling when I can.

Next month will mark our 1st complete year of living aboard, so not a ton of experience, but I will share what we do. Most of that year we have been moving around vs sitting in one place. We have not had a car with us, but we might bring a car to FL since we are likely going to hang around here a while.

Walking: Fortunately we are healthy enough (knock on old teak that needs to be refinished) to walk a lot, so we do. Last night, dinner and back was a little over 5 miles, half of which was along the beach -- nice night! We do it and enjoy it, and know someday we will not be able.

Biking: We use our bikes a lot to see towns and to run errands when cruising. We have put several hundred miles on both bikes and would not cruise without them. With a couple of back packs, one can provision pretty well using the bike. Ours are just old bikes we had before we moved aboard. Nothing special. Not electric, and not particularly corrosion resistant. They were very good bikes in their day, but old enough we were OK sacrificing them for this journey.

Uber: We have no concerns using Uber and have used it as needed when walking or biking didn't seem appropriate.
One Wheelers: I'm seeing more and more cruisers using them and they seem great given their small size, decent speed, and good battery life. However, I've never been on one and worry I might crash more times than I like, so I just admire them and wish I was younger, in which case I would likely get one for the boat. The good ones do seem pricey, though.

Woodland Hills: Really nice setup. Well done.

We have had the Rad Power Rad Mini's for a few years now. We've done over 5o mi rides with battery to spare. Can ride on just about any surface easily. Downside is the weight...transferring from boat to dinghy to shore. These are not designed for the marine environment but have been able to keep the corrosion to a minimum with judicious use of rust protectant on susceptable hardware. These are not small bikes as the name might suggest.

Made in China but sold and distributed in the US. Relatively reasonable price for what you get and good support from the company.

Cheaper by Bus

We traveled up and down the US East Coast and enjoyed great public bus service. Since we are both over 60 our fare was normally $1. Can't beat that and with Google Maps it is very easy to figure out which bus to catch to take you where you want to go.

Rose Loper
KK42 Catharine

Bus travel will not be safe until a vaccine is available. At a bare minimum, it will have to be warm enough to open the windows and be in a state that wears masks. Sad......

MV Wanderlust said:

We have a couple of Rad Mini Step-Thru electric, folding bikes. Larger and heavier than a Dahon but far greater range and an absolute blast to ride. We've done 35 mile round trip trips with them without killing the battery.

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We also just bought a couple of Rad Mini's for our boat. They are heavy, but there are a couple of different storage configurations and are a blast to ride. They are also not too intimidating to ride, as my wife is fairly petite. I think they are a good option for many.

Woodland Hills said:

I also keep a 125cc Chinese scooter up on the boat deck for shopping, sightseeing and running errands. Even a 49cc scooter is going to be more useful than any electric scooter or ebike. And if you shop Craigslist it will be much cheaper too. I have had several ebikes before moving aboard and I was not impressed with their corrosion resistance and that was in a dry climate. We have had the scooter for almost two years now and while it has some surface rust it still starts right up.

BTW, the scooter weighs 240lbs, well within the capacity of most davits.

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I've been thinking along these lines also. I always wanted a little Honda 'monkey' bike but these are now antiques selling for around $4-$5k. Also I would look pretty silly on one! So the cheapo Chinese scooter idea is a sound one for me. I would appreciate some insight on a couple of questions I have: How stable is the scooter on the davit/crane? What kind of bridle or sling did you come up with? I presume you strap it down to the deck, did you install padeyes or did you come up with something innovative that doesnt require more deck hardware? Thanks in advance ~Alan

AlanT said:

I always wanted a little Honda 'monkey' bike but these are now antiques selling for around $4-$5k. Also I would look pretty silly on one!

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Actually they are making the Honda Monkey new for $4k. The seat height is 30” so I think possibly more comfortable than the originals. Then there’s also the Honda Grom at $3,400, sort modern version of a Monkey. I saw someone with a Sundowner Tug with one who has a ramp to roll it into the cockpit.

Stay home.