I fear if I want to sail, I'm going to have to get a different boat.

Winston29

Active Member
I love my 14.2, but as I age, I find my already "dodgy back" just isn't up to the challenge that sailing a dinghy creates.... Hiking-out is completely out of the question!
Heck, sometimes (often), just sitting on the rail or bench for too long is enough to set off my back and ruin my life for a month..... or two...... And I'm not retired, so I can't just go sit at home and wait for it to get better. I have to go to work! :(

That's why I spent so much time trying to design a harness system for the boat. So I could sit with my back supported, like sitting in a chair. Alas, my efforts have proven less than efficient or practical. My trapeze rig was a complete failure. I'm still trying to perfect a system utilizing adjustable-length lines, strung across the cockpit to a wakeboard harness I wear, but designing something that isn't too cumbersome, won't pose an entanglement danger, or that won't get tangled in the sheets, isn't going so well.

I knew going in that it was a possibility the boat would hurt my back. I agonized over it for months. But I really wanted to sail my own boat in the same waters my dad took me on in his boat when I was a child....... And I have, and it was great, but I don't know how much longer I can keep it up. Maybe if I only sailed once a month, but I'd really like to get out on the water every weekend.

Since I'm not ready for the expense of a keelboat, I'm thinking a Hobie Adventure Island might be the trick. I've kayaked for years with no back issues at all, other than lifting them, and I've always had a thing for multihulls, esp. trimarans.
And while not a true sailboat, it looks like a blast to sail in strong winds! Stable as heck, too! I love the way you can furl the mainsail to de-power the rig, should conditions get too rough or when landing at the dock. And the "Mirage Drive" means I always have a way back to shore if the wind dies. :cool:

It's just too bad we're about to find ourselves in another crushing recession and boat prices (selling them, I mean) are going to tank. I've got a small fortune invested in my Capri, having replaced and upgraded every single component and part on the boat and trailer, so there's no way I'm putting it on the market right now. Not unless I found someone with a late model Hobie AI who wanted to trade me for it. :D
Not really the best time to be dealing, face-to-face with strangers right now, anyway.

Sorry for the lengthy post. It's late and have no place to be in the morning and have been in isolation for over a month, so I'm up, bored, and looking for something to do. :)

Thanks for listening.

~ W
 

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Well, let's look at the bright side. Now you can spend some time thinking of what you would like to sail and what that would be like when you make it happen. Your Capri is beautiful but I think you have a very valid point that there is likely a ride out there that is better for your back.
I wish you luck with your search.
Since you mentioned the AI, I came across this one for sale this morning. It is not mine but I thought you might like to see the post.
 
Bummer about the back... I remember toward the end of my hard Laser sailing days, I'd be stiff & sore after a long day of hiking out, even when hiking correctly, and I had no back problems. When I was younger, I would often joke about Laser sailing making one bulletproof, and it did when a skipper was young... but age creeps up on us, ya know? I've had to give up some activities as I age, that's just the way it is... :rolleyes:

A good example would be skateboarding: at double-nickel (age 55), I pulled some frontside grinders at the Show Low Skatepark, but I also picked up a nasty hipper that lasted about a week, and in one wipeout I slammed my shoulder with existing tendon damage--that pain lasted about a month. By that time, I had enough of reliving my youth, and I gave that phat poolriding board to a youngster before I wound up killing myself, LOL. :eek:

Sometimes ya just gotta give up the pleasures of your youth... gracefully surrender 'em if possible. I still ride dirt bikes, but not the same way I did when I was young, Crusty Demon style, LOL. A guy I know calls 'em 'murdercycles'---and they'll do a number on ya if you're not careful, especially as ya get older. Going back to your situation, that Hobie AI would be a good compromise, aye? A little more comfortable, as far as seating goes... :D

I wouldn't mind having one of those for these AZ lakes, but it's not in the cards right now, I'm hunkering down to get past the economic fallout about to happen. Definitely do NOT sell your boat at a loss, it's too nice to let go for peanuts in this idiotic viral crisis. A trade would be better, maybe there's some 'yak sailor out there who wants more room aboard ship, LOL. Try some free ads, maybe you'll score a rig more suitable for ya... :)

GOOD LUCK, AND KEEP YOUR CHIN UP, THIS VIRAL BULL$H!T WILL PASS... CHEERS!!! :cool:
 
Hey, here are a few pics of my local scene during this Coronavirus scare:

IMG_9567.JPG IMG_9559.JPG IMG_9568.JPG IMG_9573.JPG IMG_9575.JPG IMG_9574.JPG

Bought some Mexican beer to go with my hot & spicy homemade chicken burritos last night, LOL. Gotta have the lime wedges, they make all the difference when it comes to Mexican beer... :rolleyes:
 
Fortunately it's only $50 a month to store my boat where I do, and it's very safe. I can easily budget fifty bucks a month for however long it take for this crisis to pass, so I'm not worried or in a hurry.

I'll figure it out.

Gray Young. Thanks for the link. A 2016 would be great! If that boat were on the west coast, I'd be all set, but NJ is a bit further than I'm comfortable driving, especially with all that's going on right now. :D
 
Nice crisis hoard Cactus!

Hate to hear about your situation, Winston. You've brought a lot of insight to this forum over the last few months. Would hate to see you go silent here.

I feel your pain (pun intended). I have a 17-foot project sailboat that I was raising the mast on for the first time and it almost got away from me. Back has been hurting like crazy for two days. Hoping I didn't seriously injure something. Was really hoping to keep it but it may be too much to handle at the ramp alone at my age.
 
Hate to hear about your situation, Winston. You've brought a lot of insight to this forum over the last few months. Would hate to see you go silent here.

Thanks, I'd like to stick around, too.

It's possible that with a strict diet (I could stand to lose a few pounds) and a comprehensive exercise regime, I could get into good enough shape to handle it better, but who knows... I'm not getting any younger, and my condition isn't called "degenerative disc disorder" because it's going to get better as I age. :p

Originally my plan was to lose 50lbs, eat smarter, and work on my core strength. That sounded great in my head, but then I landed a job with one of those tech companies with the complimentary / free cafes, stocked with really unhealthy snacks, and the dietary half of that plan flew right out the window.
I also found that my work schedule left zero time for exercise.

I've never been good about sticking with exercise, other than riding one of my bicycles, but that doesn't address core strength.

Hopefully, if I can adhere to my diet / exercise plan, stick to fairly low wind days, and use my harness, maybe I can still pull it off. We'll see. I'd sure love to. The 5 or 6 times I've been out on the boat, I've really enjoyed the experience.

Right now we're in really uncertain times, so I'm not going to stress about it too much. Survival is a much higher priority.

~ W
 
Here's another possibility if you can access a lake with a low cost in water mooring........
Check out the Catalina 22's for sale site. You can find a vintage model in need of some TLC for I'll bet as low as $4k! I owned one years ago and found it to be easy to sail. Very stable with lots of cockpit room, no hiking required. Now I bought my Capri for $1,200 and probably have invested another $1,000 to get her into tip top shape, so it was a pretty low buck investment for the pleasure. A Capri that's a creampuff such as yours probably goes for about $3000 so (my guess) you're not that far away from the C-22 budget if so inclined.
I'm 66 years old with a bit of a gut myself but agility and muscle strength are still pretty good. And there's a lot of days when it's either too windy or no wind at all where I just motor out and drop anchor to relax so don't stress the old bod too much. Hoping for at least another 5 years of Capri enjoyment before I need to get something less physically demanding. At that time I'll probably explore the C-22 option myself, or if I happen to get really feeble will get a nice little pontoon boat and just walk on, turn the key, and head out.
If you're in love with the water the most important thing is to find a way to keep enjoying it, whatever it takes. Best of luck!
 
I'm 66 years old with a bit of a gut myself...

If you're in love with the water the most important thing is to find a way to keep enjoying it, whatever it takes. Best of luck!

That's not a gut... it's additional live ballast, LOL. :cool:

And that second line? Words of wisdom from Aquaman... felt the same way till I moved to Arizona, but this place has its own attractions and I'll get out to the coast eventually, once all this hullabaloo dies down. :rolleyes:
 
Here's another possibility if you can access a lake with a low cost in water mooring........
Check out the Catalina 22's for sale site. You can find a vintage model in need of some TLC for I'll bet as low as $4k! I owned one years ago and found it to be easy to sail. Very stable with lots of cockpit room, no hiking required.

You mean like this? Catalina 22 - boats - by owner - marine sale :D

This one doesn't have a motor (not a big deal to find, I don't imagine), and I actually like that it doesn't come with a trailer. Just one more thing to store ($$$) when the boat is in the water. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of headroom in the 22, even with the pop-top open, for my 6' 4" self.
Nice looking boat, though.

Catalina is a good make to get, what with them still producing boats. Makes them easy, if not entirely affordable, to find parts for.


No lakes with moorings around here, unfortunately. The nearest is about 5 hours away.
The closest marina to me does have slips available for $7 a foot, but I don't think they have anything smaller than 35'.
It's also not the best marina to rent a slip in, because it's not in a very interesting part of the SF Bay.
 
Wow! That C-22 is a bargain! With the wing keel it's a very seaworthy boat. I had a swing keel version on Lake Michigan for 5 years and it handled some dicey conditions quite well. And yep in your area I can understand that there's not a wealth of nice medium sized inland lakes like we enjoy in the midwest. If you want to see a prime example of a favorite lake of mine check out Lake Geneva in southeast Wisconsin. Try Google Earth for a view. I've enjoyed that Lake for about the last 55 years of my 66 years on this earth. I currently launch Capri there, reasonable fees, friendly people, super clean water, etc.
Best of luck in chasing your aqua dreams!
 
Wow! That C-22 is a bargain!

Actually, that boat is a pile of junk, or at least has the potential to be, and likely isn't worth 25% of what they're asking.

~ No trailer and no engine
~ Hasn't been sailed since the 1990's and was only hauled out for hull cleaning in 2016.
~ The seller admits to using Duct Tape to fix a leaky seal that's readily available, inexpensive and easy to install (what other issues did they fix with chewing gum and Duct Tape, or not fix at all?).
~ No mention of the, likely original, sails, sheets or rigging condition.

I'm glad to see the interior is in great shape, but this isn't a classic car that sat in a garage for 30 years. It's a boat that sat under the baking sun, in salt water, for three decades.

So for 5-Grand you get a boat that's sat in the water for 30 years, needs to be hauled out, cleaned and painted ($$$), needs repairs and, due to the Duct Tape, suggests that either maintenance and repairs aren't address, or at least aren't addressed properly.

This image appears to show a heat lamp, which could have been used to heat the cabin, as it was stated the boat has been used as a "water cottage" for years, or could, given its location under the leaky hatch, be used to dry the rot from years of water intrusion.

It sounds like somebody bought a boat they had no intention of sailing, used it for dock parties, and now want to flip it for a profit, even though they've done very little upkeep.

No thanks.
 

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Yep but I would see it as a diamond in the rough. If it passed a survey inspection I would drop some $$ into her and probably still end up cheaper than buying one in great condition. That's what I did with my Capri. Bought it for $1200 (it needed some TLC) and custom fitted it out to my needs. I've seen that same model C-22 (creampuff) go for almost twice as much as this one. And with the fixed keel you have no maintenance issues like I had with the swing keel on my C-22. There's a 550 lb piece of iron hanging there and if something goes wrong you're in a world of hurt!
 
Yep but I would see it as a diamond in the rough. If it passed a survey inspection I would drop some $$ into her and probably still end up cheaper than buying one in great condition.

Well you may not be alone in that feeling. The CL ad is gone, so perhaps someone snatched it up.
 
Thanks for the link! I recently saw one of those on my local CL. Now it, and most, boats are disappearing from the CL listings.
I guess people feel this isn't the greatest time in the world to be selling a boat, or anything else.

I also heard the DMV isn't open for most procedures, so I'm not sure what effect that will / would have on transfer of ownership and registration for a new purchase.

I'm being really , really good about SiP and social distancing, so the idea of dealing with sellers right now holds zero appeal.
Even when we're released from captivity, I still won't be very comfortable about getting close to strangers.
 
Wouldn't you know it... A 2016 AI shows up locally for $3,500, right in the middle of the SiP lockdown and plague.

Unfortunately it doesn't come with the trailer, so I have no way to haul it.
 

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Well, those boats appeal to a unique group. Maybe it will still be there when things get better and you could find a trailer for it as well.
 

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