Haha. WilliamF’s comment is funny. I have always found super nice people at GA airports (i.e. not the yellow vest brigade) and have had many interesting chats. When I had the floatplane, I met more boat people… there was quite a range of personalities including many similarly super nice ones. However, the bottom of the boating barrel had a couple dozen empty beer cans floating in the bilge and they were yelling at each other. I think the barrier for entry into boating can be quite a bit lower, so there is a wider spectrum of participants 
. Not to generalise of course.
Then there was the time the GPS was stolen from the floatplane when we left it at the dock overnight… We never replaced it and I felt like a proper adventurer after that, with hash marks for a quarter, half and three quarters on my plog and watching for the fuel to match the distance remaining. All good fun.
Canuck wrote:
I think the barrier for entry into boating can be quite a bit lower, so there is a wider spectrum of participants
He looked over, waved, and really wished he owned mine
Yep. Not sure where you sail but we do it in richer waters….. 
Looks lovely! I will have to look under the cushions on the couch to see if I can scrounge up a bit more funding
I guess that is another similarity between boating and flying, there really is no limit on the maximum you can spend!
Although you can’t normally take a nap while you are flying…
I passed this one recently. Mine is about the same as the one on the deck.
Fuji_Abound wrote:
Mine is about the same as the one on the deck
That’s a nice boat!
I used to sail a lot in my younger years, mostly on lakes, which I loved, some cruising in the Med, which I found rather boring. For a long time I didn’t live anywhere close to where I could sail again, but on the invitation of an ex-member of our flying club who had medicaled out and took up sailing I looked at his club. Thanks, not for me. Way to ‘clubby’ and hierarchical for my taste. I think boats are really for individual ownership, whereas shared ownership in airplanes such as our club (equity based) can work well, despite the usual club politics. There’s always – always!! – one….
but you are right, this is the equivalent of a typical GA apron, all sorts for everyone, and surprisingly for some of you the sun does shine occasionally in England and we even have sandy beaches and BBQ’s on them which isnt always to be found on the airport apron.
172driver wrote:
Thanks, not for me. Way to ‘clubby’ and hierarchical for my taste. I think boats are really for individual ownership, whereas shared ownership in airplanes such as our club (equity based) can work well, despite the usual club politics. There’s always – always!! – one….
I totally agree. I really dont know anyone who does the yacht club scene – but there are those that do. If you race of course it is part of the process as you tend to meet up after to see the results. Also when you go cruising many places have a yacht club, and you are always made welcome, in often very pleasant surroundings.
We have something called the Squadron (aka The Royal Yacht Squadron) mind you here in the UK. Some say it is the most exclusive club in the world. You dont apply to join of course, you are invited, and you get to fly the White Ensign, the only other vessels entitled to do so being commisssioned Royal Navy vessel. No one knows who are members outside the Club, but even a past PM has been turned down, because even after being invited to join, you might still find a black ball in the bag. So there are clubs and clubs.
It has its attraction. I did a trip last week and after three hours in the aircraft the airport (which was I hasten to add very pretty) had a lounge to offer up with a young man eating his packed lunch and a very plesant lady taking the landing fees but that was the extent of it – oh an a instant coffee machine.
Interesting that many see a parallel between sailing and power planes, I hadn’t seen it before. I suspect I’d find sailing boring but that’s just me. Boats are slow…
My other life is motorcycling, with which I see many parallels with my flying in terms of weather, planning, achieving spousal interest and mechanical/maintenance issues. Much like a small plane except better all weather capability than my plane (We’ve just returned from a 2200 mile bike trip, seeing sights, dodging hot weather and smoke from fires, picking the most entertaining places to spend overnights en route and so on – really a lot like flying and in particular VFR flying)
I don’t ‘do’ club membership, group ownership or the like for any activity… the best ‘clubs’ are groups of friends occurring spontaneously with little organization and no shared ownership, and I’ve been in a lot of groups like that instead.
Silvaire wrote:
Interesting that many see a parallel between sailing and power planes, I hadn’t seen it before. I suspect I’d find sailing boring but that’s just me. Boats are slow…
It doesn’t feel slow when you’re doing nine knots close-hauled with a lot of heel on and the boat throwing a fine prodigious bow wave.
I do both and love both for similar reasons. Though like @Silvaire I avoid the ‘club scene’ in both. Outright ownership does not work for me because I’m not rich enough (or more accurately, not rich enough to be able to justify the proportion of my wealth it would consume) but shared ownership of aeroplanes and renting boats works well for me. Of course there is there old adage: “If it flies, floats or f*cks then rent it by the hour…”
Canuck wrote:
I guess that is another similarity between boating and flying, there really is no limit on the maximum you can spend!
On both the real limit seems to be what you can handle on your own with the family without hiring people etc. So maybe a 60-70ft boat or a 8ton plane. Beyond that I fear it is often no longer boating or flying but actually managing a small company whith no income but all the problems.
