Our emphasis is on safety, crew comfort, and more sailing
Issue 51 : Nov/Dec 2006
One definition of a good old boat is a sailboat that is continuously undergoing some project or other at the hands of a loving owner. Mystic, our C&C 30, fits that description. Most of our projects have little to do with cosmetics, alas.
Our boat projects make her safer, more efficient, and more comfortable. And there are always repair and replacement projects. But do we worry about this 30-year-old’s good looks? Not as much as we might.
We painted her blue topsides with one-part Brightside one year when the fading blue hull embarrassed us more than I could stand. It was a big job. The next summer (2001) was the year of the lightning strike that damaged some fiberglass in the hull. So she was repaired and repainted once more, but professionally this time, thanks to our boat insurance policy.
Now, five years later, she’s starting to go again. They told us not to paint her blue: dark colors hold the heat, they fade more quickly, and they show every blemish more readily. We knew all that. But Mystic started her life as a blue boat, and we love her as a blue boat. So blue she remains.
Besides the fading, she’s got a rash from the unkind effects of fenders. Fenders do their job, but (covered or not) they are tough on painted boats. And there are the marks from “docking incidents,” some of which I’m personally distressed about and some of which occurred (thank goodness) through no fault of my own. In some of the more remarkable circumstances the remorse came later. We were glad to have escaped with only cosmetic loss. We try to keep those occasions to a minimum.
I wouldn’t have chosen Mystic’s upholstery material, but it’s clean and wears like iron. Perhaps if I wait another 15 years, it will come back into style or at least be stylishly “retro.” Mystic’s not into style anyway. She’s much more sensible than that with our clear focus on safety, efficiency, and crew comfort.
As long as cosmetics are not the goal of boat ownership, I’ll sleep better at night. I’ll be less devastated when some “helpful person” at the dock yanks our baby into the corner of the dock with an exuberant tug of our dockline. I’ll feel less remorse when I am the reason for the new gash or ding. If we worry less about her cosmetics, we’ll certainly relax and enjoy our time aboard more. And we’ll sail more often.
Another definition for a good old boat might, therefore, be a sailboat that goes out sailing as often as possible.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
