The boat you want to sail Vs. the boat you want to restore
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:55 am
I have recently sold my Pearson Triton, feeling that she was simply too much of a commitment for me to take on at this time. Although I wavered in my commitment to selling her, I had set the processes that would lead to her sale in motion some time ago and I knew in my heart of hearts that this was best for both me and the boat. So around the same time I began the process that would lead to my purchase of a new boat, one that fit my time and budget constraints.
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I now I have the opportunity to buy one of two boats, both of them at very attractive prices. One is a 1960-something Pearson Ariel with a soft foredeck, bad paint job and dirty interior. The other is a 1973 Pearson Wanderer with no electrical wiring and some cosmetic issues that need to be addressed, including new topsides paint and new paint inside. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, one is a relatively big project (but still much smaller than the Triton I just sold) but a small boat. The other is a big boat, but a much more limited project. Of course, I could simply not buy either boat and hold out for something else, and there is a good chance I will do this. But it's got me thinking. The problem is that one boat is the boat I want to sail, and the other is the one I want to restore. To me, they are two sides of the same coin. I love the idea of both equally. I prefer the Wanderer as a boat, I like it's size, the fact that it is shoal draft with a centerboard, I like the styling of the design and the possibility of real extended liveaboard cruising. The Ariel I find a bit cramped, and certainly it is too small in my opinion for any cruise longer than a few weeks. I would simply get tired of living in a space that small. I found that to be a big problem on the Sea Sprite I owned over the summer. I also like that I could take several people with me on the Wanderer while I would basically be limited to myself and possibly one other adventurous soul on the Ariel. I don't expect that I will be doing a lot of long cruises with other people, but even for two or three nights the Ariel would be too small for more than two, especially if they were not acclimated to living in such a small space. But when I look at the Wanderer, I don't get that excited about restoring her. The idea of giving her a new coat of grey topsides paint, a new wooden toe rail and new varnish isn't that appealing. I certainly don't like how she looks now, she has a nasty shade of green on her hull and I find her topsides too sterile, as she has FG coamings of the late model Wanderer, as opposed to the much more attractive wood of the pre-'68 boats. But when I look at the Ariel, my heart jumps and my mind races as I contemplate the restoration. Recoring the deck! Stripping bottom paint! New woodwork! Varnish! Cleaning the interior!
What does that tell me about the boat I should buy? Am I failing to get excited about the wanderer because she's just not challenging enough? Or is it something deeper. There's no doubt that as much as I like the Wanderer, I find the Ariel subjectively prettier. Do I just not like the *idea* of the Wanderer? Or do I like the idea better than the reality? How have you balanced the boat you want to sail with the boat you want to restore, or have they always been one and the same? And why am I still awake? Should I just take up knitting instead? These are the great questions of our age! I am curious to hear other's thoughts.
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I now I have the opportunity to buy one of two boats, both of them at very attractive prices. One is a 1960-something Pearson Ariel with a soft foredeck, bad paint job and dirty interior. The other is a 1973 Pearson Wanderer with no electrical wiring and some cosmetic issues that need to be addressed, including new topsides paint and new paint inside. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, one is a relatively big project (but still much smaller than the Triton I just sold) but a small boat. The other is a big boat, but a much more limited project. Of course, I could simply not buy either boat and hold out for something else, and there is a good chance I will do this. But it's got me thinking. The problem is that one boat is the boat I want to sail, and the other is the one I want to restore. To me, they are two sides of the same coin. I love the idea of both equally. I prefer the Wanderer as a boat, I like it's size, the fact that it is shoal draft with a centerboard, I like the styling of the design and the possibility of real extended liveaboard cruising. The Ariel I find a bit cramped, and certainly it is too small in my opinion for any cruise longer than a few weeks. I would simply get tired of living in a space that small. I found that to be a big problem on the Sea Sprite I owned over the summer. I also like that I could take several people with me on the Wanderer while I would basically be limited to myself and possibly one other adventurous soul on the Ariel. I don't expect that I will be doing a lot of long cruises with other people, but even for two or three nights the Ariel would be too small for more than two, especially if they were not acclimated to living in such a small space. But when I look at the Wanderer, I don't get that excited about restoring her. The idea of giving her a new coat of grey topsides paint, a new wooden toe rail and new varnish isn't that appealing. I certainly don't like how she looks now, she has a nasty shade of green on her hull and I find her topsides too sterile, as she has FG coamings of the late model Wanderer, as opposed to the much more attractive wood of the pre-'68 boats. But when I look at the Ariel, my heart jumps and my mind races as I contemplate the restoration. Recoring the deck! Stripping bottom paint! New woodwork! Varnish! Cleaning the interior!
What does that tell me about the boat I should buy? Am I failing to get excited about the wanderer because she's just not challenging enough? Or is it something deeper. There's no doubt that as much as I like the Wanderer, I find the Ariel subjectively prettier. Do I just not like the *idea* of the Wanderer? Or do I like the idea better than the reality? How have you balanced the boat you want to sail with the boat you want to restore, or have they always been one and the same? And why am I still awake? Should I just take up knitting instead? These are the great questions of our age! I am curious to hear other's thoughts.