ranger58sb
Guru
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2013
- Messages
- 7,346
- Location
- Annapolis
- Vessel Name
- Ranger
- Vessel Make
- 58' Sedan Bridge
I think it's worth highlighting this into it's own thread, especially for potential newbies who might think boating is always a piece o' cake:
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/weebles-la-paz-baja-mex-70268.html#post1204434
Starting in the "shopping" phase, a clear assessment of boating intentions and personal capabilities (various skills, but also including patience, fault tolerance, etc.) relative to specific boats can maybe head off issues altogether, or at least set expectations in line with potential reality...
Example: I like electronic common-rail diesels, and that fits with our boating use. OTOH, if we were to plan to be out in the middle of zip-all-nowhere with no access to parts or our go-to diesel techs... I'd more likely want a simple diesel I can repair with some tubing and maybe a rubber band or two. IOW, without regard to my conceptual preference.
And all those skills Peter cites sometimes aren't worth squat without parts... and parts stores seldom appear right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (for example). Finding (the correct) parts is sometimes difficult enough with full-up Internet, service manuals, etc... but actually getting your hands on said parts doesn't necessarily come easily -- at least probably until next port of call -- so dealing with the situation in the meantime might be an exercise is patience and/or frustration at best. (Of course carrying spares can speak to some of that. A whole boat's worth of spares gets a bit crowded though...)
Coastal cruising? Drop ship to the next port of call. Way out there in the water someplace... ummm... stand by...
I suspect many shoppers are able to visualize the good bits -- relaxing with sundowners every evening on a boat that actually works -- without knowing or expecting all the background noise that can make that happen. Relaxing over sundowners once a week might be more like the norm.
I'm not meaning to discourage; only to suggest cruising dreams and related boat shopping may be best if done with eyes wide open... and with some honest assessment of personal capabilities and related budget issues... like what it costs to pay people to do all that stuff you don't know how to do... or don't care to do yourself.
-Chris
Pete, I would like to frame this for you. This is bottom line and the more remote you travel, the better you need to be and the more stuff you need to carry.
If you either don't enjoy working on boats or do not posses the ability, long distance cruising will be scary, frustrating, and your destinations severely limited. This goes way beyond single/twin debate. This is about keeping refrigeration cold, pumps pumping, watermakers making water, generator generating, inverters inverting, solar charging, etc. It's an endless list of to-dos, some more serious than others. I don't know why this topic is so rarely discussed on this forum (and other forums). But the amount of mechanical work required to keep a boat moving is astonishing.
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/weebles-la-paz-baja-mex-70268.html#post1204434
Starting in the "shopping" phase, a clear assessment of boating intentions and personal capabilities (various skills, but also including patience, fault tolerance, etc.) relative to specific boats can maybe head off issues altogether, or at least set expectations in line with potential reality...
Example: I like electronic common-rail diesels, and that fits with our boating use. OTOH, if we were to plan to be out in the middle of zip-all-nowhere with no access to parts or our go-to diesel techs... I'd more likely want a simple diesel I can repair with some tubing and maybe a rubber band or two. IOW, without regard to my conceptual preference.
And all those skills Peter cites sometimes aren't worth squat without parts... and parts stores seldom appear right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (for example). Finding (the correct) parts is sometimes difficult enough with full-up Internet, service manuals, etc... but actually getting your hands on said parts doesn't necessarily come easily -- at least probably until next port of call -- so dealing with the situation in the meantime might be an exercise is patience and/or frustration at best. (Of course carrying spares can speak to some of that. A whole boat's worth of spares gets a bit crowded though...)
Coastal cruising? Drop ship to the next port of call. Way out there in the water someplace... ummm... stand by...
I suspect many shoppers are able to visualize the good bits -- relaxing with sundowners every evening on a boat that actually works -- without knowing or expecting all the background noise that can make that happen. Relaxing over sundowners once a week might be more like the norm.
I'm not meaning to discourage; only to suggest cruising dreams and related boat shopping may be best if done with eyes wide open... and with some honest assessment of personal capabilities and related budget issues... like what it costs to pay people to do all that stuff you don't know how to do... or don't care to do yourself.
-Chris