20 years ago a friend told me that 27 feet was the threshold above which everything gets a lot more expensive. he was referring to gear sizing (blocks, sails and everything else) as well as berthing fees, etc ... I always remembered that I also have observed over many years the equivalent of the Peter Principle in boat ownership. i suspect it applies to a lot more than boats. Owners of small and inexpensive boats trade upa acouple of times until tehy have a substantial investment in a larger boat. Once that boat gets to a time where it is not used sufficiently to justify the costs of the funds tied up in ownership, maintenance, etc ... it gets sold and often signals the end of boat ownership for the indiciduals involved. by contrast a small 24 footer costs so uch less to own and maintain that it is more affordable to use infrequently than a larger boat for these reasons. For those of us on more restricted budgets an bigger more costly venture needs to be used A LOT to justify tying up a larger percentage of abvailable funds and time. A third interesting point of view is with regards to racing. A larger boat for cruising is more feasable than a larger boat for racing as there is continuous replacement and upgrading on a racing boat re sails etc that is pretty expensive the larg the boat. there are usually a lot more sails required for racing which compounds the cost. One friend once told me he could probably afford a 40 footer but for racing a J29 can be properly outfitted on his budget (and it is indeed very well taken care of). To offset this viewpoint was yet another axiom "A race boat is a social place so you need a large enough boat to have at least a crew of 8" whatever ...
________________________________ From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of David Risch Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2013 2:49 PM To: CNC CNC Subject: Re: Stus-List Bigger Boat Question For me it was simple... There are what I call "boat sectors". Size bands that incorporates additional amenities (some call them complexities) and additional costs. I sold my (not C & C) 30 looking for the next band of amenities and commenced looking within that band and within my price range. In my case the 37-42' size range. In my opinion costs do vary according to the size within the band but for me it was not appreciable. It then became an issue of what boat struck my fancy within that size band. For me it was love at first sight. And although my 30 footer could not sail itself out of a paper bag, I was still sad to see her go. But I love my 40. It is amazing how small they get after you get used to it. I would not be too afraid of size if that is a primary consideration. I sail/dock/moor/deliver her single-handed all the time and she makes me look good. David F. Risch 1981 40-2 (401) 419-4650 (cell)
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