Did you name your Capri?

Winston29

Active Member
When I was little, my dad had a real POS, wooden trailer-sailor that was such a pig, he named it the "Sea Cow".
He didn't live long enough to actually put the name on the transom, but we all knew what it was called. Eventually the boat deteriorated and was crushed at the local landfill.

Now that I have my first sailboat, a '92 Capri 14.2, which is definitely no speed demon, I thought it would be nice to name it the "Sea Cow II", in honor of my father and his lifelong love of sailing. I didn't want to go with just "Sea Cow" because that was his boat, so I thought "Sea Cow II" was more fitting. I also figure it will have people thinking, "There's a Sea Cow 1 ?!?! " ;) Could be good for a laugh.

I've already ordered a manatee sticker for the transom, which should arrive in about week, and now I just have to find a place that makes stick-on lettering for the name.


- W
 

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Cheers to you, Winston, for honoring your father's legacy! He's smiling down on you and chuckling at the same time I'm sure!

A fellow sailor told me long ago that if you don't have any conversation starters for a boat owner, ask them how they came up with their boat's name, and they'll talk your ears off. It's proven true for me many times since then :cool:.

I haven't named my C14.2 yet. Actually I did have a catchy name, but when I told my son about it, he decided it should be his boat's name instead. So the search goes on.

The sailboat I had previously, I had named "Bad Kitty" with the attached graphic. The guy I sold it to seemed hesitant when I asked if he'd keep the name, so who knows if it's still out there somewhere. But I thought it was pretty cool!?
 

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I call mine "Mistress". My wife is a non-sailor so Capri is the other woman! Saw a Pintail in my marina he had "OCHIT" painted on the stern, thought that was amusing. Now just a sidebar to the picture showing the trolling motor tilted to lift the motor/prop clear. I have a Minkota that allows for the whole unit to be raised vertically then turned sideways 90 degrees. Doing that completely clears motor from any contact with traveller/mainsheet lines. Most importantly 90% of the motor's weight is in the bottom unit, and I didn't like the fact that it was fulcrumed way out behind the transom, only supported by the tube connecting it to the control head. That puts a lot of unnecessary strain on both the motor and the transom.
And with my 3rd season well along have gotten past the "squirrliness" of Capri. After all, it is really a huge sailing dinghy. The more you sail it, the more natural and instinctive the boat handling becomes. A flatter bottomed design is initially more stable but once it hits the tipping point then over you go with little warning. It also digs into the water rather than gliding through when going to weather. Had a few seasons renting Barnett 14's, so I know from experiance.
 
No motor for me, thanks. I'm a purist. :p

I'm lucky that in where I sail, a trolling motor isn't needed.. The wind always, and mean always, blows towards the dock. Sometimes at slightly different angles, but it never changes 180 degrees. At least it hasn't yet. And even if it died completely while I was a mile out on the creek, I'm never very far from shore (it's a creek after all), and the Capri is super easy to paddle.

Don't think I didn't consider a motor, because I did. I just find it fun to try, and sometimes fail, to dock downwind or in a crosswind.

The marina is used mostly by sailing clubs, a lot of them youth clubs with dinghies, so motors aren't even really an option for most folks. Only the keelboats from Spinnaker Sailing have outboards to get them out of the marina and into the channel.

Given the kind of crowd where I sail, I'd only draw looks of pity or scorn, were I be seen motoring my tiny 14.2 back to the dock. :D
 
Advantages to having a small electric trolling motor:
*I sail many different lakes. The one I most often use has a narrow channel that runs a few hundred yards before deep water is found. Would be impossible to sail there without the motor getting you to the open water. And it gives you options when dealing with the unexpected.
*Some lakes also have boat traffic to deal with when docking. No motor would mean forget about going there.
*Under certain conditions motor comes in real handy, say when you're trying to do a quick come about, wind is not cooperating, and motor gives that quick kick in the pants to get you around. Or say you hit an unexpected shallow and need to do an emergency change in course.
*I enjoy Capri for more than just sailing. On hot light air days I'll not even bother rigging the canvas. My first season was not pleasant under those conditions, just sitting there with flapping sails, baking in the heat. Now on hot windless days I just motor out to a quiet area, drop anchor, and relax. I have a nice canopy that furls out over the boom, completely shading the cockpit. A swim ladder that allows me to jump in for a bit of exercise and cooling off time. Even swim over to a fellow boater in the anchorage for a bit of socialization. Or I can take my non-sailing wife for an easy motor around the lake under the canopy, which she enjoys. The motor will go about 3 hours of running time at 30% power. Now this beats staying home sitting in the A/C to escape the heat!
*My setup allows for hoist/drop sails while underway, just like I did with my Catalina 22. I prefer to do this operation in clear water rather than having the sails flapping around at the dock. There can be enough drama out on the water without risking a screwup when docking, especially if and when winds pick up. And that's the biggest issue, you could leave looking like a pro and then if conditions have worsened upon return, end up looking like an idiot if something goes sour.
*Now I would not want to have a gas motor. They'r, heavier, smelly, vibrate, not allowed on many lakes, more expensive, etc.

Cheers!
 
I wasn't being serious in my comment above. I can think of all sorts of advantages to having an electric motor on a dinghy. The first Capri I was serious about buying had a motor mount on the transom, and it was a big selling point for me.
My main reason for not mounting a motor is the added cost. I've already sunk (Oooh, bad choice of words!) too much money into the new rigging, shrouds and sails, so a motor and battery would be too much of an investment. I'm already going to take too much of a financial bath on this thing, should I every try to sell it.

Often the dock/ramp I launch and land at is crowded with fleets of dinghies or 7.50's, and I have to come back later, or heave-to, to avoid the traffic jam and risk of collision. Having a motor would certainly help there. Also, the winds can, and generally do, reach very high speeds in the afternoon, making a downwind landing a nerve-racking experience.

Redwood Creek has some fun little channels that run a circuitous route through the wetlands, that are great fun in a kayak, but due to the shallow water and limited space, completely out of the question in a sailboat. Nobody sails back there. It would be great to motor back in there and just relax under a canopy.
Maybe someday.
 
Now that I have my first sailboat, a '92 Capri 14.2, I thought it would be nice to name it the "Sea Cow II", in honor of my father and his lifelong love of sailing. I didn't want to go with just "Sea Cow" because that was his boat, so I thought "Sea Cow II" was more fitting.




I was watching a sailing documentary the other day, and it seems that you don't add the "II" (2, 3, 4, or whatever the case may be) to the name of your next boat, unless the original boat is still in existence.

If the first boat was destroyed or sank, you can use the same name, but without the number after it. So I guess I'd have to call my 14.2 "Sea Cow".

Now I've reconsidered. The 14.2 may not win many serious races (even though I was able to keep up with the local Club 420 fleet), but it's still a pretty nimble little boat that commands your complete attention in a stiff breeze. That doesn't seem like the sort of craft I should be calling a cow.

Maybe I'll just adhere the little, teal manatee sticker to the stern and leave it at that. :)

~ W
 

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Previous owner had a Hobbit theme, so we kept half that to continue the legacy. Then my wife liked "Lina," obviously influenced by Catalina on the side! It works.
LinaTransom.jpg
 
I named my refurbished Omega 14 ( precursor to Capri) li'l Diva and she's out of Lummi Island, WA. I've gotta a Mac26D for cruising, but picked up Diva for those days I want to get on the water with no fuss and sail, motor, fish or crab. She's my utility fun boat. I got my lettering discount from BoatU.S; as a member. I was wondering if anyone has added a seat, serious and properly sized oars to their dinghy and how it worked out. I'm looking for a workout.
 

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