Should I Do it?
Reader Burtt Fidler would love some feedback as he decides on the next boat. He writes:
I was quite intrigued with your enquiry about the process of deciding on "the next boat.” Very timely. I’m sure that quite a few of the Small Craft Advisor readers are going through the process of trying to decide what the next boat will be. I seem to be constantly experiencing that process.
I am 74-years-old and have owned and built a variety of boats during my life. It has been an interesting journey, and I’ve lost count after more than 25 boats of the number of boats that have come and gone. I currently own (I think) nine boats. It’s not a static number and in order to keep maintenance and storage issues manageable, I have tried to limit it to less than 10 boats at a time.
I have never owned or intended to own a boat of more than 20 feet. Currently I have the following: A Chesapeake Lite Craft Wood Duck 12 Hybrid kayak, A 1930's vintage 13 ft Georgia Strait Handliner / troller, a Westlake Boats 15 ft Brightsides plywood rowing troller take off, a Mackintosh 9 ft canvas on frame row boat dinghy, a Bolger 8ft Nymph, a one sheet plywood ship to shore dinghy, a 12 ft Platt Montford Nimrod double paddle canoe and a 20 ft. Halman sailboat. Oh and I am currently building a Ken Smith foam nesting wedge boat to store on the foredeck of the Halman Sailboat.
I had to build a 16 X 32 foot shed to store the small boats and the Halman 20 is kept at a local marina where I can day sail it on a whim or easily go cruising the BC Southern Gulf Islands when the weather is favourable. The Nimrod suffered some damage on some sharp rocks the last time I tried to launch it on a local beach, so it is now an art installation on display above my dining room. Recently I have given away three boats (including a Steve Redmond Whisp) to a local maritime society for a tax receipt.
I love the Halman 20 as a “forever sailboat” and I also like the rowboats as a great way to get out and get some exercise on local waters. But there are no perfect boats. As a result, I am constantly on the prowl for the next boat project. I have a two-drawer file cabinet with a rather eclectic collection of plans as well as quite a few full-sized rolled up plans in a closet. I have owned some of my cherished collection of boat plans since my youth. Many hours have been spent ogling and dreaming of building and sailing everything from William Jackson's 27-foot Starlight and that cute little 7-foot Bannock, to the latest offerings from Paul Fisher, Tad Roberts, Sam Devlin, Paul Gartsides and others.
My latest acquisitions of boat plans have included such desperate choices as the Steve Redmond Elver sailboat, the Matt Layden Paradox and the Paul Gartside 16-foot Shanty Boat. It is an ever-evolving list and it would take some time to explain the considerations that go into my ever changing criteria for the favourite boat of the day.
The main thrust of my search is the certain knowledge that at some point in the next few years the Halman 20 will have to be replaced with a smaller boat that is more easily trailered and launched at the boat ramp. It will also have to be capable of sailing in some very thin water in my ever increasing desire to escape the madding crowds of local anchorages and the need to easily store the boat in my shed next to the house. Meanwhile, I am enjoying the boats I currently have, as well as the ever on going search for the next boat. •SCA•
Your Halman 20 seems to be similar to my Bristol corinthian 19. These are boats for the long haul, but not for hauling out every weekend. I have a mooring. As i get older, maybe i will get a slip to ensure that I can safely get onboard. I have everything rigged to the cockpit including a jib downhaul. the problem with smaller boats is how uncomfortable they can be. Also a capsize could be a death sentence.
Sorry to be argumentative but I have to disagree with the there are no perfect boats line. I have one. Yes, there are compromises but that doesn’t mean perfection isn’t achieved.