How far from home would you keep your sailboat?
Posted by Chromecoast@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 64 comments
Based on some personal decisions I need to make around (my first) sailboats and boat slips, I'm curious how far you all think is too far to have to travel to get to your boat slip. I realize some of you have your boat in your backyard and some of you probably travel quite a bit, but I'd be curious to see what everybody's limit is. would you drive an hour every time you have to go to your boat slip?
issue9mm@reddit
My options were to either drive an hour to the boat, or motor the boat an hour out to where I could hoist sails
My car cost less than the cost to replace a 40 horsepower diesel, so we chose to put the miles on the car instead so we can have our sails up within 10 minutes of stepping aboard
gc1@reddit
That’s an interesting one. I’ve had a boat in a slip with a long distance to motor to a main channel, and, while it’d take being one the water over being in car traffic any day, it does get old fairly quickly and puts a damper on anything less than a half-day sail.
issue9mm@reddit
It helps that our marina is in an extremely rural area and so is my home, so yeah it's a drive, it is very rarely a heavily trafficked drive
We haven't done it at rush hour so perhaps that'd change it, but on bright sunny weekends filled with Sunday drivers, it's still a leisurely, pleasant drive
If it was (eg) through a heavy metro area, I would probably have chosen the other way around
Foolserrand376@reddit
Normally an easy hour drive. Could be 90 minutes. Just depends on dc traffic.
When I go normally it’s for a couple days. But I will drive for an hour each way just to go sailing for a few a hours.
Intelligent-Salt-362@reddit
Mine will be about an hour and a half (maybe 45) from my primary residence most of the year. However, that is because it will be tied to the dock at my parent’s house in the keys. I’ll run down and stay for the weekend, or sail for the day and run back that night if I need to be back in Miami the following day.
Aplay1@reddit
9 hour drive. I usually stay on the boat for 1-2 weeks at a time, about 3-4 months total a year. Worth it!
katielovescats666@reddit
30 mins drive. Of course I would like to be closer but it’s a pretty drive over the hills and super easy for day trips or even if you just want to work on a project aboard after work.
Baldbold192@reddit
My boat (31 foot)is located a 3 hour drive away (another country). But I am very happy with its location, also it’s not an option to move there or even closer. I usually stay for at least one night. Would be nice to have the after work sail option, but im fine the way it is :) I think more than three hours would be a little to much even for frequent weekend drives. Personal opinion.
That said, three hours would be my limit for driving to the location where my sailboat’s slip is.
GrandpaSteve4562@reddit
I did 2 hours for 13 years. It was worth it.
TheVoiceOfEurope@reddit
8 hours away: 1 flight and 2 trains. Amazing cruising area, 1.000 euro mooring fees for the year.
bigDeltaVenergy@reddit
For me it either under 30 min so I can go for an afternoon. Or. 5+ hours so when I go, I go for 2 weeks. The in-between is not a good deal for me
CommunicationTime839@reddit
I have the boat 4.5 hours it’s a bit. I normally do 2+ weeks at a time especially during the summer months.
If it was doing day trips to the boat my would be an hour.
Everyone’s limit is different and the amount of passion you have for it will ebb and flow. Think about how far you are willing to go to do a boring boat job and that should be your answer. That was mine till I fell in love with the a boat and the area.
Switch-in-MD@reddit
Love this answer. It is the nautical romance compliment to mine.
Switch-in-MD@reddit
This is part of the usage computation.
Right now I am 20 minutes (house to dock) + 20 minutes (dock to freedom=clearing the tight channel). To me this is too far because it feels like a chore to go out with the kids. Chore factor reduces usage and enthusiasm.
Ps the above is for a powerboat.
The friend’s sailboat I race on is 30+45 =75 more effort for sailing yet ITS SAILING and adult team motivation makes the chore factor lower.
Don’t forget the other factor. $. It’s really lifecycle dollars per fun hour.
Lifecycle dollars is purchase + expenses (Do not assume any return in resale) - mentally if labor is effort, it counts. If labor turns neutral or fun, doesn’t count.
Maximize # of fun hours!!
Wooden-Quit1870@reddit
I had a client who had his sailboat in our marina, about 20 minutes from his home/work (North Shore Long Island NY).
He bought a boat that was down in North Carolina, that needed some fixing up before the trip north, so he planned on keeping it there for the rest of the summer and through the winter, traveling down to do the work himself.
He wound up keeping it there, as he found that close to home, if he planned a 4 day trip, his departure kept getting pushed back by work and family conflicts, and he'd often have to come back early for local minor conflicts. Evening sails were likely to be called off more often than not. When he went Down to NC for a week, he kept to his schedule.
He found he was actually spending more time on the boat, and enjoying it more. Not using it as often, but using it longer.
Last I checked, he was retiring south.
Chromecoast@reddit (OP)
Want to thank everyone for answering my question. Actually resulted in being far more interesting than I'd anticipated as a topic, and gave me some things to think about. 'Preciate you all.
I-Am-The-Jeffro@reddit
2 hours for me. Located at one of the best sailing locations in my country. Get to the boat every fourth weekend or so. Would like it closer, but the mooring is in a perfect place, so it kind of makes it worthwhile.
seamus_mc@reddit
I used to be a half hour away, now I am two miles and can walk there.
wooyoo@reddit
Not sure how that answers the OPs question
DogtariousVanDog@reddit
By answering OPs question asking how far people are away from their boat.
wooyoo@reddit
Id read it again
Successful-Image4296@reddit
Estou a 40 min de carro do meu!!! Leça da Palmeira, Portugal! Acho longe mas, é o que é!
millijuna@reddit
Mine used to be about a 30 minute drive away, but we were restricted on when we could get to sailing waters by tides (boat was in Burrard Inlet in North Vancouver) as it’s illegal to sail in the harbour.
Our marina was shut down, and we were forced to find new moorage, and found it on Bowen Island. The downside is it’s now a 45 minute express bus and a 30 minute ferry ride. The upside is we are now 4 or 5 hours closer to where weto like to go. And our schedule isn’t constrained by the currents in the Narrows, or by port operations.
clarkbw@reddit
I’m in Victoria and have heard from many boat owners that keeping the boat up island, at least in Sydney is better. Drive that distance you’d sail to get to gulf islands faster.
Mehfisto666@reddit
Depends on the use, if you want to sail it a couple hours in the evenings 1hr is far. If you go there every weekend is not much. If you live aboard weeks or months at a time it could as well be flights away
smedlap@reddit
I drive an hour all the time. Would love to have one closer, but I crew on other folks boats.
T1D1964@reddit
The answer is how far are you willing to drive?
Chromecoast@reddit (OP)
Actually, that's the question.
slamgranderson@reddit
30 mins. An hour tops. Depends on how thirsty you are to sail.
outdoors_guy@reddit
Obviously there are a lot of variables to consider, but when my boat was 45 min away, I visited it less. (Though sailing out of that marina was very convenient)
Now that she is closer I ‘pop down’ a lot more. Sometimes I’ll even just go down, have a beer, then go home. Sailing takes a little longer to get places, but if I forget a tool at home while doing a repair, it doesn’t take me two hours. And- did I mention I go down way more frequently!
Waterlifer@reddit
3 hour drive to mine. Wish it were closer but closer options are poor.
Candygramformrmongo@reddit
Smaller boat: 10 mins at my town mooring. Larger boat 2 hours, but the sailing there totally makes it worthwhile
Fantastic-Hamster-21@reddit
10 minute drive across the Tappanzee and a few minutes for launch. Can't wait for the season to start.
bedpimp@reddit
It’s outside my bedroom window.
SpunkyDaisy@reddit
1.2 miles away.
When we bought our home being walking distance to a harbor was a non negotiable.
Being in Chicago, that still gave a lot of options.
jonnohb@reddit
We're 15 minutes from the dock. I'd only consider being further away if we bought water access property on another lake and could dock it at the cottage.
mgrassman@reddit
I’m 1.5 hours it’s pretty far and not good for day trips so I usually go for the weekend but the area the boats at makes it worth it even though it makes it hard to get to. There a racing club 20 minutes away so I use that for quick day sails.
postamericanism@reddit
Funny, this is almost exactly my situation right down to the distance numbers. It’s a good setup!
mgrassman@reddit
If you live in Minneapolis I probably know your marinas ;)
AgitatedOrdinary4239@reddit
It depends on how you plan to use your boat. If you just plan to use it for day cruising, I recommend keeping it within an hour drive. If you plan any kind of live aboard, then you can venture a little further. We are about 3 hours from our boat, but we spend every weekend from early May to late September living on our boat. I wouldn’t mind if the boat was a little bit closer, but I kind like the distance because I feel like I’m getting away on a vacation every weekend.
enki-42@reddit
Ours is a 20 minute drive away (maybe up to 30 on the weekend if traffic is bad). We could be closer, but we like our marina and our kids love jumping in the water at the beach there - the closer options would be in a bay where the water quality is absolute garbage, where our boat is currently on an open lake where the water quality is great.
jonnohb@reddit
Huh sounds like Hamilton harbour lol
Mynplus1throwaway@reddit
Mine is about 2cm from my house. But I have to trailer to the lake
dwkfym@reddit
I think 2 hours is my hard limit. Much prefer inside 1 hour. If its under 1 hour, I'll actually casually drive there on a week day to work on it for 2 hours after work.
indigoinblue@reddit
It depends on how handy you are and how much work your boat needs. I frequently find myself running home to get that tool that I couldn’t anticipate needing.
tokempole@reddit
I live on my boat, but when I go "home", it is about 3.5 hours plus border wait. When we were in long Beach it was only like an hour and a half. Post where I'm at now, I wouldn't be going home very often
ncbluetj@reddit
Currently sitting 3.5 hours from the boat. Definitely wish it was closer.
j_andrew_h@reddit
Not far at all, which unfortunately is why I don't own a boat yet. I live in central Florida so one coast is an hour and the other closer to 2 hours. That's just too far for me to be a responsible boat owner and take proper care of it. I'm sure for some, that's not too far; but for me it is. I know myself and it wouldn't work.
ElProfeGuapo@reddit
about half hour. not my favourite, but not bad
Human_Management8541@reddit
We keep ours in Trinidad for hurricane season, about 2500 miles from home... Probably not the answer you were looking for....
checkpointGnarly@reddit
I wouldn’t wanna be much more than 20-30 mins. My mooring is 4km away to the public dinghy wharf where I leave my tender. Sometimes I keep it on a mooring that’s about 1km away, but at that mooring I need to trailer a tender to the boat ramp
the_lullaby@reddit
Used to drive 60-90 minutes and that commute was responsible for my waning interest in sailing. Eliminated weekdays, and getting on the water every weekend (to avoid 'wasting' slip fees) became a burden instead of a joy.
30 minutes is about as far as I would drive unless slip fees were so low that it didn't matter.
Windmill-inn@reddit
I just got my boat into a slip at the neighborhood marina, I’m so lucky. I used to be 1.5 hours away. I moved to a house in a community close to the water, and then a slip happened to open up. I can’t believe how fortunate I am.
The slip is probably a little too small for my boat but I couldn’t pass it up
trevbeeemcg@reddit
30 min bike ride. Easy enough to go right after work
dudeman618@reddit
I had a boat nearly 6 hours away on my parents dock in the Gulf ICW. It was great the first two years, then it wasn't great. I sailed 500 the first two years then 8 miles the next two years. Every time there was a hurricane approaching I would need to drive down ahead of it to pull the boat off the dock and park it in the bay. Then there were barnacles, paid a boat yard to do another bottom job. But, I have some fantastic memories of cruising the Gulf Coast, mostly solo, 2-5 days. I grew up fresh water lake sailing so I never had to worry with tides, currents, and barnacles.
IceTech59@reddit
Used to be just over an hour, now I can see her from my front porch & walk to her in 5 minutes.
yeeaarrgghh@reddit
4 hours. Some day I'll move closer to the boat
Strict-Air2434@reddit
7 minute drive. 3 minute walk. Start engine, donn the PFD's, back her down 30-40 yards. Raise main, ghost her to the channel, unroll genoa and out on Lake Michigan. All in, 20 minutes. I'm lucky in Racine, Wisconsin.
SchoonerSailor@reddit
It depends a lot on how you want to use it. I used to be about 30 minutes away and was able to get out on nice evenings after work, in addition to the longer outings.
Now I'm about 2 hours away and can't just pop out for an evening sail. Maintenance and outfitting are a little harder than when it was close, but not enough to be a real problem.
As soon as I can get a closer moorage, though, I'll move it in a heartbeat.
Powerful_Bluebird347@reddit
4hr drive to mid coast Maine for the cruising boat. Lake sailboat 5 minutes away.
hamboner5@reddit
It's really gonna depend on how much free time you have and what your level of disdain for driving is. I used to keep my catalina 25 \~40-45 minutes away in a slip and I'd go to it almost every saturday, spend 1-2h working/cleaning, take it out to sail for 2-3h, and drive back home. It was at a point in my life where my schedule was really predictable and I was only working 40h weeks so wasn't a big deal. Now I work a lot more and my schedule is less predictable so I enjoy having my current sailboat only 15 minutes away. I'm not sailing more than I used to, probably only about 50% of how often I used to go out, but if it was 45 minutes away I'm sure I wouldn't make it there nearly as often.
DarkVoid42@reddit
i keep mine 4500nm away.
devalk43@reddit
i live about 5.5 hrs away . Not Ideal, but we spend at least a week a month on board. No distance is too far if you have enough desire. Things will change in the future but for now just keeping the dream alive.
Bigfops@reddit
Mine is an hour away and I think it’s a bit too far.