Salt water destroys everything eventually.
I always believed this was changed by the advent of epoxy/polyester hulls/floats?
Aircrafts are time machines – they save you time
Only the more expensive aircraft; some would even say “the most_expensive private aircraft”. While my own is on the very low cost side, a lot of investment both in money and in learning effort is needed to have an average faster travel over, say 1500 km or so, by plane than by car. Except for some exotic destinations like Greek or Croatian islands. Most of my travelling is on the European continent and, as much as I enjoy flying, I reluctantly admit my campervan is more comfortable, less expensive, and generally faster overall than my microlight plane.
Vacations bore me and I get restless after 2 days.
Exactly my feeling, too. No boat for me, apparently – not that I considered the option. Actually, it would seem my kind of flying is closer to boating than to the average private flying.
I agree that sailplanes and sailing are very similar from many points of view. For me either is great when invited by others, but I’d be bored doing either regularly as a main gig. Motorcycling remains my main interest for travelling and holidays, generally in a group and in nice places. Its more exciting and visceral than flying, and for me a better way to vacation, but after decades of motorcycling my flying presents more challenges. Obviously what we do with our free time depends on ourselves and our circumstances…
My hangar is as comfortable as my living room and the scenery is better. No problem with socializing with friends and family there, in particular with the fridge well stocked and barbecue lit! 
Jan_Olieslagers wrote:
I always believed this was changed by the advent of epoxy/polyester hulls/floats?
Good joke Jan! Epoxy hulls suffer from osmosis which is a very nasty and and costly problem to deal with. Eventually it gets to all of them, only a matter of time. The saltier and the warmer the water, the faster. Did I mention that I operate my boats in probably the saltiest and warmest sea there is?
One thing is true: boats are more expensive than aircraft. The biggest factor is whether the boat can be trailored and stays outside when not used. For boats in water, it is expensive. If you buy an aircraft for 1m€ and a motoryacht for 1m€, the latter will cost you 2-3x more per year. I personally hate motoryachts, they are pretty useless toys that get boring quickly. You can’t do anything with them but sit in the marina, they’re very uncomfortable on the sea because they’re not stable. Sailing yachts are totally different animal.
Flyer, yes ten, and fourteen. The adventures keep us all together….it is the main reason I bought the boat.
I used to sail a lot.
It has its plus points; there’s nothing like the moment when the wind fills the sails, the boat heels and accelerates and you kill the motor to be soothed by the quiet progress.
Racing yachts is also good fun; being part of a well trained team is not something that I would ordinarily aspire to but when it works well it’s great.
As Achimba says, motor yachts are as tedious as anything. Noisy, smelly, uncomfortable and damned expensive.
I got fed up most though with being responsible for my crew. They would be the ones having a great time whilst I was the one constantly being aware of, well, everything.
I love my flying and particularly because I can do all my own tinkering to my hearts content just a 10 minute drive from home.
The drive from the M25 to Southampton is soul destroying if you do it often enough.
I went the other way….
I started sailing as a kid in my dad’s mirror dingy, and from that went into windsurfing. Then my brother and I bought a Hobie 18 which we used to chase the windsurfers in…We had some great, exciting times in that (I remember one of our last sails in it, in a November, his words were “right, lets try not to get wet this time”…2 seconds later I have a vivid recollection of flying through the air then I was under water with him on top of me)….Then we matured a bit, bought a Nicholson 35 and sailed all over the place. It was a good cruising boat, he went to St. Lucia in it….then he had kids and the boat had to go, and I bought a ski boat….and I took up flying and haven’t looked back since. The boat had to go when I got divorced but luckily I retained my plane
When and if I lose my medical / have had one to many scary moments, my flying buddy and co owner will pack it all up, and buy a Gin palace with a fly bridge, and sit on it drinking G n T’s in the sunshine (preferably in the Caribbean) . I have always been an engine-man myself, and although I enjoyed sailing, we always had to leave everywhere at 3am to get the tides. I’d prefer to roll out of bed, start the engine, get out into the bay, set course and put the autopilot on while drinking a beer…..
My home overlooks a small harbour. I’ve owned and lived on a sailing cruiser and a 9 metre diesel fishing boat – long before I retired here. I’ve no desire to own a boat again. I’m amazed at how little use the local pleasure boats get. I sold my last boat when I could afford flying again, 1987. When I lose my medical, I can’t see myself going back to boats.
PS I did boats on the cheap, just like I do flying on the cheap.
PPS Radio and gps have made cruising boring.
Sailing to flying then to having an 81 year old wooden motorboat. Promised myself I would never own a boat and even if I did it wouldn’t be a motorboat. Lost on both counts.
Even aviation is my strongest hobby since childhood boating won good points in the latest years, I even built several boats of Selway Fisher design, the biggest being a Lobster boat 15’ (forum building log with pictures, no English language). Having no serious water around keeps me more in aviation though.
Really interesting stories! Surprising how many people get so passionate about sailing…
Myself, I never had any interest in boats – they always seemed to be something gradually corroding at the moorings at Brighton Marina, and with “interesting” bathroom facilities which mean you get to know everybody on board quite well Unless you went seriously upmarket, towards the “gin palace” end, and then you are looking at fuel flows of 500-1000 litres/hr to do 20kt. I did windsurfing for about 25 years and enjoyed that a lot. Eventually gave that up as the hassle increased (lack of a car with a roof rack so I made a trailer, later bought a car which turned out it could not have a towbar legally fitted) and eventually a lack of time. I used to do it at Shoreham Beach which was nice if the sea wasn’t too rough. I also tried a really nice lake up the road (Weirwood Reservoir) but there you had to join the sailing club and if you didn’t attend a certain # of mandatory activity participation days they booted you out. I never got that far because when I asked if I could join, the chief told me I didn’t have big enough t*ts! He clearly knew what brings the business into the bar One good thing about windsurfing was that you could just turn up, do a bit of chitchat, sail for a few hours with a bit more chitchat in between, then pack up and go home, whereas the “proper” sailing activities around here seem to all involve all-weekend hanging around and if you don’t do that you aren’t “in”. A good friend of mine got all kinds of ratings (lots of exams etc) but eventually gave it all up because of the mandatory social scene.
If I lived on a Greek island, that would be a different proposition – a powerboat, purchased same day
