GlennR
Veteran Member
I grew up on a lake, so have been around small boats all my life. Whenever we'd visit the coast I always enjoyed checking out the marinas with all the big saltwater boats. They always seemed too fancy & expensive to own unless you lived nearby, or actually lived full-time on the water.
Now that I'm retired and sitting around bored during the COVID-19 closedown I've been killing a lot of time surfing the web, which eventually led to looking at boats that are large enough to live & travel on. Browsing the yachtworld.com classifieds it's obvious that powerboats are much more popular than sailboats. I assume that's mainly because they fit under bridges, go where you point them, and don't depend on the wind.
I'm sort of drawn to the romantic freedom of a sailboat. Crossing big water, visiting exotic lands, being one with nature, etc. I realize that the wind doesn't always blow, but a powerboat is limited by the range of its fuel tanks. I do imagine that zigzagging upwind is probably a drag in a sailboat, especially when you're running late, or out of alcohol or TP.
I live near Charlotte, NC and there aren't any navigable rivers nearby, so I don't know much about cruising inland by boat. It must be popular, but it doesn't seem very exciting compared to visiting tropical or foreign places. I'm sure it's a lot less stressful than worrying about hurricanes and pirates, and also very comforting to always have assistance nearby.
Can someone share a link of a map that shows all the navigable inland waterways in the US, or around the world if available?
Also, I'm curious about the fuel costs, and the typical range of trawlers. I assume you can't cross the Atlantic on most of them, but maybe I'm wrong about that? I guess you could cross both the Atlantic or the Pacific if you take Northern routes, but that doesn't seem practical.
I realize I've posted a number of rambling general questions. So, feel free to answer whichever you like and ramble as much as you want. Also, feel free to straighten out any and all of my ignorant misconceptions.
Now that I'm retired and sitting around bored during the COVID-19 closedown I've been killing a lot of time surfing the web, which eventually led to looking at boats that are large enough to live & travel on. Browsing the yachtworld.com classifieds it's obvious that powerboats are much more popular than sailboats. I assume that's mainly because they fit under bridges, go where you point them, and don't depend on the wind.
I'm sort of drawn to the romantic freedom of a sailboat. Crossing big water, visiting exotic lands, being one with nature, etc. I realize that the wind doesn't always blow, but a powerboat is limited by the range of its fuel tanks. I do imagine that zigzagging upwind is probably a drag in a sailboat, especially when you're running late, or out of alcohol or TP.
I live near Charlotte, NC and there aren't any navigable rivers nearby, so I don't know much about cruising inland by boat. It must be popular, but it doesn't seem very exciting compared to visiting tropical or foreign places. I'm sure it's a lot less stressful than worrying about hurricanes and pirates, and also very comforting to always have assistance nearby.
Can someone share a link of a map that shows all the navigable inland waterways in the US, or around the world if available?
Also, I'm curious about the fuel costs, and the typical range of trawlers. I assume you can't cross the Atlantic on most of them, but maybe I'm wrong about that? I guess you could cross both the Atlantic or the Pacific if you take Northern routes, but that doesn't seem practical.
I realize I've posted a number of rambling general questions. So, feel free to answer whichever you like and ramble as much as you want. Also, feel free to straighten out any and all of my ignorant misconceptions.
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