NUTS & BOATS The monthly newsletter for to-be and already-are cruisers Volume 3, Issue #11 - November 2005
Publisher: Trish Lambert
www.takehersailing.com
(C) P. Lambert 2005
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DIDN'T TAKE THE THS CRUISING SURVEY? THEN YOU DIDN'T GET 55 CRUISING TIPS! Respondents to the THS Cruising Survey will be receiving my booklet of cruising tips in appreciation for their participation. If you are interested in receiving this booklet full of all kinds of tips about the cruising lifestyle, you can purchase it for $4.97!! You will find a wide range of little hints and tips, ranging from my adage that "you can never have too many electrical ties, bungee cord, or ziplock bags" to safe anchoring ideas. It is in electronic (PDF) format, and will be emailed to you upon receipt of payment. Purchase this handy little tips booklet now! It's a fun read!
Interesting Answers… by Trish Lambert The results are in!!! Over 100 of you responded to the Take Her Sailing Cruising Survey, and the results are pretty interesting. This was a survey for the rest of us. NOT Jimmy Cornell surveying ARC participants (skewing the results toward people who are in bluewater boats and have the desire and money to join an official regatta), NOT Cruising World Magazine getting information from their subscribers. Being a web-based (and free) entity, I figure that Take Her Sailing is more likely to be frequented by those in the center of the cruising bell curve. So the results are therefore more likely to represent more "mainstream" (if anything about cruising could be considered mainstream!) people, interests, and plans. Here is a synopsis of the survey results as they stand today. And, being a cruiser, I will of course add my own two cents as I report the answers! Question 1: The most important factor affecting my choice of cruising boat is (select one)...
Nearly 60% chose "comfort and safety at sea," with almost a quarter (22.3%) coming in second with "price." "Type of boat" got 12.5% of the attention and "size" was just under 5%. The most surprising result from this question is that zero--that is nil, nada, zip--of the respondents noted "speed" as the most important factor. With all of the debates that go on live and online about boat speed, I found it interesting that not even one person noted this as an answer. Yes, I know, only one answer could be selected. And, yes, I know, speed may be important but not the MOST important. But still… Question 2: The ideal size for my cruising boat is...
Responses to this question fell into an almost perfect bell curve. The center of the curve was the "35 to 40 feet" selection with nearly 40%. Second place was the "30 to 35 feet" answer at nearly 30%. On the other side of center, the "40 to 45 feet" answer pulled 17.5%, with "under 30 feet" (10%) and "greater than 45 feet" (5.8%) sitting in the bookend positions. Having 35-40 feet as the highest response doesn't surprise me, but I will admit to raising my eyebrows at the fairly high percentage of responses that hit the 30-35 feet range. I would have predicted a higher response in the 35-40 range, with the 40-45 feet coming in second. I think my expectation is based on the conversations in magazines and online discussion boards, as well as the boats I have encountered out on the water. Frankly, I am pleased to know that so many folks are looking at the lower end of the size scale--very prudent for a lot of reasons. Question 3: The type of cruising boat I prefer is...
This was a tad surprising. The overwhelming majority (84.5%) went with "monohull sailboat," with "multihull sailboat" and "trawler or pleasure tug" tied at just under 8% each. Even though I expected monohull to dominate here, I AM surprise that the other two had so few responses--I would have though they each would have been into double percentage points. Question 4: My/our cruising plans include...
Another bell-curve-like result. "Protected bodies of water" (4.9%) and "circumnavigation"(3.9%) were the bookends on this one. "Coastal travel with a few offshore hops" formed the center of the curve with 39.8%. "More than one offshore passage" and "all of the above" were about the same, with 24.3% and 27.2% respectively. Bottom line for me on this one: People are planning to cover a lot of nautical miles! Question 5: I/we plan to cruise for...
Alright! This is what I like to see! Just over half (51.5%) have open-ended plans--my idea of the best way to cruise!!! About 20% were in the "one to three years" range, and the rest of the responses were distributed between "less than a year" (7.8%), "three to five years" (9.7%), and "over five years" (10.7%). Question 6: The crew will consist of...
Two-thirds of the respondents plan to double hand with their partners/spouses. Just under 20% plan to single hand, and 15.5% will be cruising "en famille" with the kids along for the ride. This isn't surprising, and pretty much matches my experience out on the water. Question 7: My budget range for boat purchase (NOT including fitting out or additional equipment) is...
Responses form more of a "bell mesa" with the three middle answers around the same frequency. The bookends were "under US$20K" (11.7%) and "over US$110K" (13.6%). I find it surprising that the other three budget categories each pulled close to the same number of responses--"US$20K to 50K" at 27.2%, "US$50K to 80K" at 25.2%, and "US$80K to 110K" at 22.3%. Considering the meaning in these responses, the most appealing answer I came up with is that cruising is a lifestyle that appeals to people in many different economic situations and philosophies. And that's a good thing! Question 8: Among the characteristics of a boat that impact its safety at sea, the most important is its...
Okay, I admit it. This was a trick question. And almost nobody fell for it. Nearly 62% noted "all of the above," with "singlehandleability" coming in second at around 30%. "Righting ability" garnered around 7%, with "windward ability" a mere 1%, and "low freeboard/windage" getting zero. Frankly, I'm glad most people didn't fall for this question--to me this means that folks do understand that there are several important aspects to consider when buying a cruising boat. Question 9: When it comes to boat repair and maintenance...
Nearly 80% plan to do as much work themselves as possible and contract out when necessary, while almost 13% plan to do it all themselves, and just under 8% going half DIY and half contractors. No one plans to contract out all the work, and no one plans very little maintenance because they will buy a new boat. So there you have it. You may not be as surprised as I was by some of the answers, or you may be more surprised. I do think that these results differ from those I've seen elsewhere--and I'd like to think they are more representative. But pay no mind to me...I'm biased!! | 
