Why don't more young people get into cruising?...

[L Dip]

...Because this is all we can afford

Srsly 'tho the bike boat trailer has been a huge hit this past season and I'm $400 all in. A pretty fun little rig for exploring the local islands, but I wasn't quite brave enough to do any overnighters. (more out of worry the bike won't be there when I get back to shore than anything else). The boat stands on end and doubles as a coat closet in the off season. I get a ton of thumbs ups and waves from random people going to and from the beach.

This upcoming year some buddies and I are looking to pick up a larger dingy or even a multi-hull (there's a W17 for sale nearby that keeps making eyes at me) and do a boat-share. Feels kind of silly to do a boat share on a boat without even a cabin, but that's where we are at. Rent's a killer, but there are creative ways to get out on the water. I'm basically making this thread to remind myself not to get discouraged and give up dreams of exploration under sail and to remind anyone in the same boat (hah!) as me that a little creativity and resourcefulness go a long way.

 

[Cruisin Loser]

You don't look all that young..........

 

[SloopJonB]

Inconsistent cell reception.

 

[L Dip]

I age backwards like that brad pitt movie

 

[Israel Hands]

Obviously you havent been watching YouTube…more young people cruising than in recent decades.

 

[accnick]

It's all about time, money, and priorities.

You can't have it all, so pick what's most important to you.

 

[toddster]

I had visions of ferrying the bicycle to the beach in the dinghy (or kayak) then using the boat as a bike trailer to fetch groceries & etc. But if so, I’m gonna have to find a much lighter boat. (And get younger…)

 

[The Q]

For the first few year my laser lived on the roof of the car, as I couldn't afford the dinghy park fees..

Whether cruising or racing, there are always difficulties in affording sailing.

There are a couple of club members (teenagers) you'll see towing their laser on a trolley on foot down to the club and we are one of the cheapest clubs around. Single membership is about £80 and a lasers parking about £100

 

[TBW]

Cruising for a couple of days to a couple of weeks in an open boat that can be hand launched or car topped is pretty cheap. I find you can get boats set up for camp cruising for about $1000 maybe a bit more or a bit less. I have a pretty decent older double leeboard 65 sq ft sliding gunter sailing canoe that cost me $950. I do about 3-4 day camp sailing trips with it, inland waters.

Then you get into trailer sailors. Price goes up a lot. Now you have an outboard to take care of, bigger trailer with lights etc. Electrical systems. I think right now a reliable enclosed trailer sailer set up is going to cost $5000-$10000. The outboard alone a big expense if you want something that is going to be reliable.

Then price jumps massively again when you go to a keel boat in a slip. Summer moorage, winter storage, surveys and insurance, I got out of that game.

 

[Steam Flyer]

You don't look all that young..........

That was mean..... I love it

 

[Ajax]

I'm 50 but I feel 30 so I sort of understand how the OP let that happen.

This past weekend, I met a couple in their early 30's (wife might have been late 20's) who bought a Dickerson 37. They profess a greater interest in cruising than racing. Husband is some sort of sailing coach at the Naval Academy and the wife teaches 9th grade, certainly not a high paying position. Somehow, they afforded a good boat.

I had interesting conversations with them about younger people getting into sailing, how they felt about it, etc. My informal conclusion is that they are not normal for their cohort and are "old souls." They are focused on their goals and make the sacrifices necessary to achieve them.

 

[Steam Flyer]

...Because this is all we can afford



View attachment 548514
View attachment 548515 View attachment 548516

Srsly 'tho the bike boat trailer has been a huge hit this past season and I'm $400 all in. A pretty fun little rig for exploring the local islands, but I wasn't quite brave enough to do any overnighters. (more out of worry the bike won't be there when I get back to shore than anything else). The boat stands on end and doubles as a coat closet in the off season. I get a ton of thumbs ups and waves from random people going to and from the beach.

This upcoming year some buddies and I are looking to pick up a larger dingy or even a multi-hull (there's a W17 for sale nearby that keeps making eyes at me) and do a boat-share. Feels kind of silly to do a boat share on a boat without even a cabin, but that's where we are at. Rent's a killer, but there are creative ways to get out on the water. I'm basically making this thread to remind myself not to get discouraged and give up dreams of exploration under sail and to remind anyone in the same boat (hah!) as me that a little creativity and resourcefulness go a long way.

"Cruising" can mean a wide variety things. It could even mean riding around with the pram.

Suggestion: put the main sheet on a span, instead of bending the boom like that. Sooner or later it's going to break, and it will choose the worst possible time.

For future cruising boats, keep in mind that it's a substitute of time for money, there are a lot of boats with huge potential for right next to free. Think about your goals and make decisions that move you toward those goals; IMHO camp-cruising on a small(ish) beachable boat can be magnificent cruising. My wife and I did this on a 19-footer for a little over a decade.

 

[Jud - s/v Sputnik]

I'm 50 but I feel 30 so I sort of understand how the OP let that happen.

This past weekend, I met a couple in their early 30's (wife might have been late 20's) who bought a Dickerson 37. They profess a greater interest in cruising than racing. Husband is some sort of sailing coach at the Naval Academy and the wife teaches 9th grade, certainly not a high paying position. Somehow, they afforded a good boat.

I had interesting conversations with them about younger people getting into sailing, how they felt about it, etc. My informal conclusion is that they are not normal for their cohort and are "old souls." They are focused on their goals and make the sacrifices necessary to achieve them.

I’m a bit older (incredibly to me), but feel like my former 1980s teenager punk rocker self. If you want to get into cruising, and you don’t have the means, you gotta harken back to that kind of DIY aesthetic and make it happen. I’ve been on my feet or on my back every day after work the past two weeks redoing my bottom and swinging wrenches to replace all my through hull valves.

One of my favourite stories is that of Tim Carr of Curlew reknown. Bought the derelict (“rescued from a scrap heap in Malta”) nearly 100 year old Falmouth quay punt, young and poor, heads south from England, rebuilding the boat as goes, eventually meets Pauline, eventually sails around the world, to Antarctica, and to South Georgia Island.

So, my tentative answer to the OP’s question is a grumpy old man type of answer: they’re not trying hard enough .

Totally respect his point of view- “I’m making this thread to remind myself not to get discouraged”. 100%. Don’t stop. It can take a hell of a lot of work, sometimes luck - creating situations for yourself where luck is more likely occur. “Creativity and resourcefulness” indeed - exactly.

EDIT: I’m also reminded of an “old man with wooden boat dream” story I was subjected to last night. Big, rotted out, restorable classic wooden sailboat. Owner goes on ad nauseum about the boat, I could-do-this-I-could-do-that, and also admits he’s maybe too old, but if he hauls it up next to his house he’ll be able to work on it right there. He’ll be buried in it right there, near as I could tell. Has the (not insignificant) money and (not insignificant) know-how to restore it, but neither the time or energy. Don’t fall in that trap.

Photo credit

 

[Kris Cringle]

...Because this is all we can afford



View attachment 548514
View attachment 548515 View attachment 548516

Srsly 'tho the bike boat trailer has been a huge hit this past season and I'm $400 all in. A pretty fun little rig for exploring the local islands, but I wasn't quite brave enough to do any overnighters. (more out of worry the bike won't be there when I get back to shore than anything else). The boat stands on end and doubles as a coat closet in the off season. I get a ton of thumbs ups and waves from random people going to and from the beach.

This upcoming year some buddies and I are looking to pick up a larger dingy or even a multi-hull (there's a W17 for sale nearby that keeps making eyes at me) and do a boat-share. Feels kind of silly to do a boat share on a boat without even a cabin, but that's where we are at. Rent's a killer, but there are creative ways to get out on the water. I'm basically making this thread to remind myself not to get discouraged and give up dreams of exploration under sail and to remind anyone in the same boat (hah!) as me that a little creativity and resourcefulness go a long way.

Because cruising, the 60's on culture lifestyle, is no longer as popular as it was in the hay-day of Cruising World magazine?

Media at the time popularized the term. It required a life-changing commitment for younger people, at least a year or so, plus a boat.

That lifestyle lured a large audience but few could (or would) make the commitment. I guess the lure today is Youtube. Maybe it is not as effective?

If you just want to sail recreationally, being in a coastal place with tons of old boats and affordable ways to keep them makes it possible for many.

Maybe the lifestyle, 'sell up and sail' sort of thing, will return?

that's a cool little boat. After watching Roger Barnes, you are cruising!

 

[slug zitski]

Because cruising, the 60's on culture lifestyle, is no longer as popular as it was in the hay-day of Cruising World magazine?

Media at the time popularized the term. It required a life-changing commitment for younger people, at least a year or so, plus a boat.

That lifestyle lured a large audience but few could (or would) make the commitment. I guess the lure today is Youtube. Maybe it is not as effective?

If you just want to sail recreationally, being in a coastal place with tons of old boats and affordable ways to keep them makes it possible for many.

Maybe the lifestyle, 'sell up and sail' sort of thing, will return?

that's a cool little boat. After watching Roger Barnes, you are cruising!

Access to the waterfront these days is expensive or impossible

 

[L Dip]

"Cruising" can mean a wide variety things. It could even mean riding around with the pram.

Suggestion: put the main sheet on a span, instead of bending the boom like that. Sooner or later it's going to break, and it will choose the worst possible time.

For future cruising boats, keep in mind that it's a substitute of time for money, there are a lot of boats with huge potential for right next to free. Think about your goals and make decisions that move you toward those goals; IMHO camp-cruising on a small(ish) beachable boat can be magnificent cruising. My wife and I did this on a 19-footer for a little over a decade.

Yep, riding around on the pram was basically my cruising this year. It was a lot of fun. I set foot on islands I had never been to, met interesting people, swapped sea stories, had some narrow scrapes. Pretty much ticked the boxes for me.

That's a good idea about the main sheet. I've actually already broken the boom once and epoxied it back together. Turns out the sabot was not made for hiking out in 15 kts.

Camp cruising in a bit of a larger boat is definitely on the radar for next year. I had an O'day 23 that I really loved but sold it in 2020 because I thought I would lose my job and it was already a bit of a stretch. Probably not going to get back to that level anytime soon, but all ya'll who said to keep any eye out for deals are spot on. I'm very munch in the "where there's a will there's a way" camp and I hope the tone of the OP was more tongue in cheek than whiny. We shall see what materializes for next year.

 

[Ajax]

That lifestyle lured a large audience but few could (or would) make the commitment.

Judging by the number of failed YT sailing channels, that's still the case. Now add in the couples who try it but don't bother publicizing it on YT.

 

[Jud - s/v Sputnik]

Access to the waterfront these days is expensive or impossible

Only for the creativity-deficient.

 

[Ajax]

Yep, riding around on the pram was basically my cruising this year. It was a lot of fun. I set foot on islands I had never been to, met interesting people, swapped sea stories, had some narrow scrapes. Pretty much ticked the boxes for me.

That's a good idea about the main sheet. I've actually already broken the boom once and epoxied it back together. Turns out the sabot was not made for hiking out in 15 kts.

Camp cruising in a bit of a larger boat is definitely on the radar for next year. I had an O'day 23 that I really loved but sold it in 2020 because I thought I would lose my job and it was already a bit of a stretch. Probably not going to get back to that level anytime soon, but all ya'll who said to keep any eye out for deals are spot on. I'm very munch in the "where there's a will there's a way" camp and I hope the tone of the OP was more tongue in cheek than whiny. We shall see what materializes for next year.

View attachment 548654

In this photo, the mast seems quite tall for the size of boat. Not sure if this is a trick of the lens or what.

Even though I have a 33 footer, I'd love to toss a sleeping bag and a Jet-Boil into my Dyer 9' and do this sort of thing. There are just no places where I'm allowed to land for the night within reach of my starting point. I think it's too heavy to car-top by myself.

 

[Jud - s/v Sputnik]

I'd love to toss a sleep

There are just no places where I'm allowed to land for the night within reach of my starting point. I think it's too heavy to car-top by myself.

Beaches up to the high tide line aren’t public land where you are?! You can’t land?!