Splitting the season: riding vs boating

KEV.SV

KEV.SV

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Triumph Speed Twin

So my buddy bought a Speed Twin and it “reminded” me that I have a Streetfighter collecting dust in the garage 😟 due to buying a boat at the start of Covid…
Anybody else got conflicting hobbies? How well are you managing the 2?
How long before the significant other said to pick one?
 
KEV.SV said:
Triumph Speed Twin

So my buddy bought a Speed Twin and it “reminded” me that I have a Streetfighter collecting dust in the garage 😟 due to buying a boat at the start of Covid…
Anybody else got conflicting hobbies? How well are you managing the 2?
How long before the significant other said to pick one?
Click to expand...
I do both. The boating season is quite short - realistically pleasurable from June to Sep. Riding season is longer - and the best riding IMHO is before and after boating season.

Getting a boat big enough to carry a motorcycle is a solution.

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True, you’re about about riding before and after
I’ll plan better next spring and save save some vacation time 😆
 
Picked up a new seadoo this summer and I had a similar dilemma as to what to pick on a beautiful summer evening, going for a ride on the sportbike or take the doo down to the water for a couple of hours. Add in the dirt bikes and an ATV and it's an even bigger dilemma on the weekends what to choose. :LOL:
 
Mad Mike said:
I do both. The boating season is quite short - realistically pleasurable from June to Sep. Riding season is longer - and the best riding IMHO is before and after boating season.

Getting a boat big enough to carry a motorcycle is a solution.

is-it-a-boat-is-it-a_1280x720w.jpg
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I've trailer boated a longer season than that but it was more proving a point than normal enjoyment. Our marina kept boats were May to Thanksgiving (No choice) but a lot of that was off peak weather. It would be different if I lived on the water.

I've been away from the boats for a decade or more and I don't think they've gotten cheaper. Dockage and fuel on a six figure piece of glass wasn't for the thin wallet crowd. I also suspect crowded anchorages and docks.
 
Mikedezo44 said:
Picked up a new seadoo this summer and I had a similar dilemma as to what to pick on a beautiful summer evening, going for a ride on the sportbike or take the doo down to the water for a couple of hours. Add in the dirt bikes and an ATV and it's an even bigger dilemma on the weekends what to choose. :LOL:
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Crazy to have that kind of issues right ? But yeah! Such a short season
 
Boating is only second to flying as an expensive past time. Once the boat gets over 30' -- flying a small plane can be cheaper.

Figure about $120/ft for a big boat slip on Lake Ontario -- You can double that in some marinas on Simcoe.

Fuel is the real killer. I can go 18km on 1 liter of fuel in my car l of fuel in my car. In the boat, 1 liter moves her 400 meters.
 
Up till a few years back, I had a 23 foot Formula with a 454 that I kept docked in Port Credit. Had some fun times for sure, Hanlan's Beach included, except for dodging the morons on SeaDoos who know the rules regarding rights-of-way.

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We bought an older Limestone 20 (with a carbureted Mercruiser 5.7) late last summer. I've been riding a lot less on the roads lately, mostly because weekends are busy and speed limits are low in my neck of the woods. The boat is something I can do with the wife and friends (though the days of anchoring up with a case of beer are behind us), so it quickly became the go-to for a sunny weekend. We've had fun, but as others have noted, it ain't cheap.

Mad Mike said:
Fuel is the real killer. I can go 18km on 1 liter of fuel in my car l of fuel in my car. In the boat, 1 liter moves her 400 meters.
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This is definitely an issue for us, especially with older stern-drive units with motors essentially designed in the late '60s. I understand newer outboards are much better, but they're also insanely expensive (not to mention difficult to find these days)...

When I'm thrilled to get a hair over 3 mpg, it's not a cheap way to cover ground. A day trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake ends up costing hundreds. We're going to see what the fuel bill actually works out to this summer, and may move to a 30+ foot sailboat if it's too much (I have a particular fondness for CS boats). Takes a lot longer to get from A to B, but opens up a lot of options for covering ground and exploring.
 
Mad Mike said:
Boating is only second to flying as an expensive past time. Once the boat gets over 30' -- flying a small plane can be cheaper.

Figure about $120/ft for a big boat slip on Lake Ontario -- You can double that in some marinas on Simcoe.

Fuel is the real killer. I can go 18km on 1 liter of fuel in my car l of fuel in my car. In the boat, 1 liter moves her 400 meters.
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I sold my plane 30 years ago and there are some pluses and minuses compared to boats. With a plane they're only fun when the engine is running on expensive fuel. There's a joke about hundred dollar hamburgers.

Light planes get decent mileage but go through a lot of miles per hour.

Flying is a year round deal. Performance is better but dress warm for the prep stuff.

You are also captive at the local airports with limited ground transportation.

With the boat, an older Chris Craft, I figured about 3 MPG. However I docked at the narrows in Orillia and we had fun all day by a trip into town for take out food and drinks. Then we spend the day anchored at a beach and chug back. Less than $10 a day for gas.

I budgeted $5000 a year total fifteen years ago.

Water skiing teenagers can burn through hundreds in fuel a day.

IIRC we spent about $1500 on gas to do the Trent Rideau but the most relaxing vacation I ever had.
 
Priller said:
We bought an older Limestone 20 (with a carbureted Mercruiser 5.7) late last summer. I've been riding a lot less on the roads lately, mostly because weekends are busy and speed limits are low in my neck of the woods. The boat is something I can do with the wife and friends (though the days of anchoring up with a case of beer are behind us), so it quickly became the go-to for a sunny weekend. We've had fun, but as others have noted, it ain't cheap.



This is definitely an issue for us, especially with older stern-drive units with motors essentially designed in the late '60s. I understand newer outboards are much better, but they're also insanely expensive (not to mention difficult to find these days)...

When I'm thrilled to get a hair over 3 mpg, it's not a cheap way to cover ground. A day trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake ends up costing hundreds. We're going to see what the fuel bill actually works out to this summer, and may move to a 30+ foot sailboat if it's too much (I have a particular fondness for CS boats). Takes a lot longer to get from A to B, but opens up a lot of options for covering ground and exploring.
Click to expand...
Marine outboards have become a lot more efficient when compared to 70s era 2 stroke outboards. A 70s era 260hp Crusader or Mercruiser pushing 260 HP uses less fuel than 60l/hr, a 2022 Verado 250 outboard drinks 99l/hr when you wake up all the ponies.

On a runabouts the economy may be closer as the weight savings allows for smaller engines. Your old Merc is a probably 260HP, I'll bet you use around 50l/hr at 25knots . A new Limestone would use a 200 Verado, at 25knots it would be drinking 60l/hr.
 
Mad Mike said:
Marine outboards have become a lot more efficient when compared to 70s era 2 stroke outboards. A 70s era 260hp Crusader or Mercruiser pushing 260 HP uses less fuel than 60l/hr, a 2022 Verado 250 outboard drinks 99l/hr when you wake up all the ponies.

On a runabouts the economy may be closer as the weight savings allows for smaller engines. Your old Merc is a probably 260HP, I'll bet you use around 50l/hr at 25knots . A new Limestone would use a 200 Verado, at 25knots it would be drinking 60l/hr.
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Years back one of the boating rags did a comparison between the 4.3L, 5.0L and 5.7L Mercs. The 5.0 was the dog. It had the weight of the 5.7 without the power. The 4.3 didn't have the power but was lighter and the boat balanced out better.

My 26 foot Chris had a 5.0 L GM / Mercruiser and I feel a 4.3 would have performed better, particularly in my case. The hull was designed as an inboard and the I/O moved too much weight aft. It seems like everything that was heavy got moved to the back.
 
I boat Early May to late Oct in Lake Ont and ride my motorcycle to the harbour , which is only 2 mins from the house but that still counts . I’m $110ft in Oakville for a dock with electrical, don’t buy a sailboat thinking it’s cheaper than gas, sails are expensive.


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Those sailboat masts were howling/singing in the high winds yesterday at Bronte harbour.


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crankcall said:
I boat Early May to late Oct in Lake Ont and ride my motorcycle to the harbour , which is only 2 mins from the house but that still counts . I’m $110ft in Oakville for a dock with electrical, don’t buy a sailboat thinking it’s cheaper than gas, sails are expensive.


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Sailing friends I had wouldn't set foot in my stinkpot (that's what they called it) :-)
 
crankcall said:
I boat Early May to late Oct in Lake Ont and ride my motorcycle to the harbour , which is only 2 mins from the house but that still counts . I’m $110ft in Oakville for a dock with electrical, don’t buy a sailboat thinking it’s cheaper than gas, sails are expensive.


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com
Click to expand...
I like to be in the water April 1st, and out Oct 31. My club is in the east end -- there's an initial equity chunk, I had to buy a proper cradle, and a fair $50/mo clubhouse minimum. But the annual is quite reasonable at $70' and includes sprong/fall lift/launch and winter storage on the hard. I can also leave her in, the club is bubbled, but I don't see much value in that.

I'm thinking about trying Ontario Place next summer. Apparently, a small cruiser docked cruiser downtown can fetch $100-150/night as an Air BNB. 3 nights will cover my gas bill on the weekends.

I agree a sailing yacht could cost more in the long run. Fuel is one consideration, then maintenance and broken stuff. A good sailing day finishes with a stop at the chandlery for things that I broke or wore out.

Since switching to power, I do spend more on fuel, less time working. I also dropped the spending on watches, footwear, and jackets, food and bev. It's OK to serve hamburgers and beer at sea on a powerboat.
 
I never liked pontoon boats that much, but the new Sea Doo Switch models might have changed my mind... they sure are popular though, apparently they have sold out across Canada for 2022 already.

 
Robbo said:
Those sailboat masts were howling/singing in the high winds yesterday at Bronte harbour.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I',m not a fan of storing a boat mast up, mine always comes out. Especially Bronte harbour. A CS27 suffered some serious deck damage saturday and a Catalina 36 actually shifted in the cradle and had to be re blocked. Static loads on boats that cant rock in the water is a terrible idea. Sure buddy saves $400 not pulling the mast out , thats about 3 hours labour for a fiberglass repair guy.
I miss the chriscraft 34 we had for a couple years , if you kept the throttles back it was cost effective for cruises , but I race the sailboat 2-3 times a week and we could not afford both and felt guilty using one while the other sat at the dock.
I'm no sailboat snob , I'll gladly get on a powerboat and enjoy the day. At some point we will buy a Limestone ( original not the new US version) or a Bruckmann and be very happy.
Ordered new spinnaker for next years racing , that's about 2000 L of marina gas LOL
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