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Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
Learn me about nice sailboats please?
Okay... I'm developing a new major character for my 3rd Mitch King mystery novel. She's either an Aussie or Kiwi, and a top trauma surgeon. Mitch is badly wounded and he's under her care in the hospital. Later, they strike up a friendship and I think she'll become the love of his life.
The character is late 30s, highly intelligent, clever, sarcastic, and besides being a trauma surgeon, she's a recreational sailboating enthusiast.
I know nuttin about boats so I'm asking for help setting her up with a great sailboat. Here's some of the stuff to start...
She makes big bucks so she can afford the best, so her boat is top of the line, but not gaudy. A good comparison would be for a top rated tough pickup truck -- you'd have the tow package, big engine, all the handling and carry options, but this would be "real" stuff and not gaudy junk like flashing lights in the wheelwells.
So her sailboat is top quality and has all the navigation and safety and keen features but only stuff a "serious" boater would have, not showoff junk.
The boat would be the type that a single person can operate, designed for this, although 2-3 people can also sail it nicely.
The boat would have a small 2-person cabin and nice galley and whatever, designed for being out on the water maybe 2-3 days at least.
The boat is not a racing boat although it's sleek and nifty. It's however meant for serious sailing enthusiasts.
The gal takes her boat out into the Gulf of Mexico routinely for several days at a time, so the boat's equipped for this, and has all the latest navigation and safety gear, electronics and all.
This is not a fishing boat. She may drop a line for fun, but fishing isn't her deal -- it's recreational sailing.
If you guys can provide me some brand names and models, new stuff only, and like I said, top of the line, pricey is okay. She's got the bucks.
Yeah, I know I can search the net or read some books, but I'm not writing a book on sailing technique, only need the fundamentals so I can put my private eye character on the boat with his future lady, and provide the needed background details so it will seem authentic.
Realize also that the whole scenario will be described from the point of view of my PI, and that Mitch knows zero about boats. So he'll be learning just the basics and that's all we want to put in the novel -- not an instruction manual but just an accurate overview, exactly as a newbie would view it when he comes on board and learns a bit about sailing.
I'd also appreciate, if you can, some "gotchas" that landlubbers might mess up the first time, and be teased about. I want the introduction of sailing to not be dry or lecturing, but humorous and entertaining.
Links to boat sites of course are appreciated but I also want your personal feedback and help. That makes things seem more authentically realistic.
Those who can provide me some good help here, I'll be happy to list your names on the book's dedication page when it's published.
Thanks.
The character is late 30s, highly intelligent, clever, sarcastic, and besides being a trauma surgeon, she's a recreational sailboating enthusiast.
I know nuttin about boats so I'm asking for help setting her up with a great sailboat. Here's some of the stuff to start...
She makes big bucks so she can afford the best, so her boat is top of the line, but not gaudy. A good comparison would be for a top rated tough pickup truck -- you'd have the tow package, big engine, all the handling and carry options, but this would be "real" stuff and not gaudy junk like flashing lights in the wheelwells.
So her sailboat is top quality and has all the navigation and safety and keen features but only stuff a "serious" boater would have, not showoff junk.
The boat would be the type that a single person can operate, designed for this, although 2-3 people can also sail it nicely.
The boat would have a small 2-person cabin and nice galley and whatever, designed for being out on the water maybe 2-3 days at least.
The boat is not a racing boat although it's sleek and nifty. It's however meant for serious sailing enthusiasts.
The gal takes her boat out into the Gulf of Mexico routinely for several days at a time, so the boat's equipped for this, and has all the latest navigation and safety gear, electronics and all.
This is not a fishing boat. She may drop a line for fun, but fishing isn't her deal -- it's recreational sailing.
If you guys can provide me some brand names and models, new stuff only, and like I said, top of the line, pricey is okay. She's got the bucks.
Yeah, I know I can search the net or read some books, but I'm not writing a book on sailing technique, only need the fundamentals so I can put my private eye character on the boat with his future lady, and provide the needed background details so it will seem authentic.
Realize also that the whole scenario will be described from the point of view of my PI, and that Mitch knows zero about boats. So he'll be learning just the basics and that's all we want to put in the novel -- not an instruction manual but just an accurate overview, exactly as a newbie would view it when he comes on board and learns a bit about sailing.
I'd also appreciate, if you can, some "gotchas" that landlubbers might mess up the first time, and be teased about. I want the introduction of sailing to not be dry or lecturing, but humorous and entertaining.
Links to boat sites of course are appreciated but I also want your personal feedback and help. That makes things seem more authentically realistic.
Those who can provide me some good help here, I'll be happy to list your names on the book's dedication page when it's published.
Thanks.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
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Replies
With the intellectual and financial level of the characters that you are talking about, I suggest that you consider putting her into a CUSTOM BUILT CLASSIC BOAT! One by one of the classic New England designers (seen on occasion in the Gulf of Mexico). Winthrop L. Warner is a classic designer. Check this one out, and there are others. Mystic Seaport museum will be a quick check-in source, too. I bought a 33 foot classic Warner cutter rig in the early 70's in Mattatuck, Long Island and brought her down here to the northern Gulf and lived aboard for almost a year. Awesomely beautiful boat, looked like she was underway at about 10kts even while tied up (raked mast!), and easily sailed by one person. I really think your "character" would command/demand a custom built boat. Kinda the difference in a high-end Beretta SXS that a "monied" quail hunter would use, and the J.C.Higgins single barrel plastic stock single that I grew up with :tooth:!
JAY
Beneteau's are definitely nice boats and although a bit above something like a Hunter or a Catalina, they don't compare to some of the customs. I recommended a J27 because of the performance aspect. It's a boat you can race or cruise and Beneteau's are built for comfortable cruising. I know four people with Beneteau's and three of them are retired.
http://www.bavaria-yachtbau.com/index.php?id=10712
At least she somewhat fits the profile of your character in age and personality (Husband's an architect btw), and has raced as part of the crew of her father's sailboat in the local sailing championship, so knows her way around the ship. We've been aboard only once (Well, really twice, but boarding them from a paddle board for a beer raid doesn't count) , so couldn't fully appreciate the boat's potential since it was a late-evening ride in the bay and a little of calm open seas under a clear sky and nice sunset, with a mild 18-ish knot wind.
Might be a tad too big for what you need, but can easily be operated by two (As our friends use to do when they can or the guests are sailboat-challenged).
"Newbies" mess-ups? well, failing do duck or leave clearing space when you change direction and the mast's boom moves in an arch from one side to the other, either hitting you in the head or even tossing you overboard.
At least in my book, shoes other than topsiders or some specialized ones are needless aboard; have seen women go on board with high-heel footwear with usually disastrous results for them or the wood floorboards & hardware. It's also quite funny seeing someone get seasick (But not funny to clean after them if they are your guests) and/or thinking that any anti-seasickness gadget to which they usually cling will actually work beyond the placebo effect (Pressure-point bandwrists are the most common).
Many also show some evident signs of discomfort than might turn into panic when the boat is tilted while sailing with the wind, specially when they're at the toilet trying to hold their feet, or eating. The about-to-turn-over sensation is usually overwhelming for 1st-timers (Almost impossible or at least VERY unusual do to the keel's size & counterweight); usually your smiling face of enjoying the ride slowly eases them down, but you can still see them strongly grabbing themselves to anything firm.
Dress code seems to be an issue for the ladies, many asking what's "kosher" to wear or wrongly assuming that fancy dressing is a "must". In summertime wife usually wears a short & t-shirt over the bikini (With an extra one in her beachbag in case a dip is available), and carries a thin long-sleeve shirt if wind gets a tad chilli; local winter requires a jean, thin socks and a windbreaker, and that seems to be "standard-issue" for sailboat-seasoned women. Usually owners will have on board spare cold wear to share with the guests, and it's not unusual for them to buy it specially in a single color and custom-label it after the boat's name.
It's important to add that a boat is a fiberglass & wood hole in the water where you pour money in, and the best boat is not the one you own, but the one your best friend owns; wife and me like sailboats a lot, although we've been "motor people" all the time. Getting one, even a small Catalina 23 or something like that is among our future wishes; meanwhile we enjoy our friends' sailboats as much as they enjoy (We hope) our company.
Hope this helps.
This are the saIlboats you want if money is not an issue, the 42 footer, my high school days dream runs around 2 million.
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NRA Endowment Member
I usually go barefoot, unless cold or some serious sailing with high winds and "all able hands on deck" that forces me to loose my grip on my beer is in the itinerary; my topsiders are usually close and ready in the usual on board "shoe basket" in those cases. So far all toes remain and no toenails have been lost.
On fiberglass I've used WD-40 for most, the really bad stuff Break Cleaner used sparingly works great and doesn't damage the deck.
JAY
The boat is NOT a racing boat.
A SINGLE person can operate the boat.
I love the help here, but sometimes you guys are kinda skewed, like I asked for recommendations on a pistol and you recommend a .308 rifle.
Lemme also say this: I know NOTHING about sailboats. So how the hell could I spec out a CUSTOM sailboat and talk about it in my book, a boat that's made to order when I know zero about sailboats? In the real world, yes, some enthusiast with bucks can do this, but I cannot. So a custom made boat is impossible for me to describe. Verstehen sie? I need this instead:
But thanks to those who actually DID read my original posting and recommended boats that actually fit the specs. I'll check those out and may come back with some questions.
And if you're very knowledgeable about the sort of boat I'm talking about, and would like to be my source, PM me and I'll include your name in the list of credits when the book's published.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
Sleeps one couple, four good friends, or fourteen drunks!"
:tooth:
Jerry
ASK-HOLE Someone who asks for advice and always does something opposite
Catalina 23 or J24 might fit.
A couple of great sailing terms are "In Irons"... Stopped in a head-to-wind and "Close Hauled" having the sails set for sailing as nearly against the wind as the vessel will go
While Perini Navi specializes in superyachts, they can custom build any size boat the customer wants. The Dyna Rig is an unstayed rotating mast, reminiscent of the Aero Rig, though much improved, and is virtually free of lines and jacks - furling and tacking are completely computer controlled, it is ideal for a one-woman crew to handle, since there is almost nothing to do but pushing buttons. And being a surgeon, our heroine will be well able to afford it.
Any conventional sail plan, even a so-called automated one with electric furlers and so forth, is still festooned with lines and such, and would be quite a bit for a woman alone to handle, especially a woman who depends on her hands for her living, and can't afford for them to be cut or damaged. Enjoy.
Most everyone immediately understood. But to recommend a custom built boat? Yes, as I said, in the real world if I were an enthusiast with lotsa bucks. But I'm creating a fictional scenario and I'm totally ignorant about sailboats. So recommending a custom craft is evidence that the person just didn't quite catch what I was asking for: a FAKE and FICTIONAL boat that I, ignorant of boats, could at least paint a modest picture of, take a hit from a website with photos and specs, visit Wiki for some lingo and other facts, and create a reasonable environment for the fictional characters to play around in.
Most suggested specific models and that's exactly what I wanted. Yes, were I actually shopping for a fancy boat, I'd go the custom route too.
My snarky response was spot on, dude. It happens all the time here, mostly about guns, of course, but you see it in most "tell me" threads. A guy will ask about which brand of BBQ grill to buy and he'll get some recommendations for BBQ sauce.
And we tussle with each other all the time, thank you.
But thanks so very much for the handy bold-text guide to what I already know I'd written. My original request was quite lucid. And I won't list your name.
For others, thanks a lot, the info should really help me spin 3-4 nice and entertaining chapters that aren't completely off the wall. I appreciate the help and would be pleased to repay the help as most authors do, by listing the person in their acknowledgement list.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
Horse, I've seen these auto-furl and such automated systems and I'll check them out. I'm thinking that the gal is a more "hands on" type and might eschew too much automation, even if she can afford it.
I'm thinking more of a sleek, smallish craft, beautiful and elegant, not too gussied-up, cozy more than roomy. Which works best, I think, for a vigorous and spirited single gal.
Thanks, dude.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
Folks spend their time providing lengthy responses and this is your response? Get over yourself....
Do some searches for endurance sailing, solo circumnavigation, and things of that ilk. There are events where people race boats probably best suited to a several man crew, but can run them by themselves. Figure out what they're drivin' then tweak your needs from there.
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
the ones i know of are Catalinas and Cals.
Ive seen some people sail 25+ size boats solo on the river here.
You may want to google some sailing terminology and look for some sailing books. If you have a sailing club in your area, how about taking a class and learn it. Its fun and maybe another hobby?
just so you know, there is no such thing as a "rope" on a boat. Its either a line, halyard or sheet.
just something for you to look up. since this is a solo boat it will probably have:
> roller jib
> roller main
> all the sheets are run into the cockpit with maybe self trailing wenches.
> maybe a 2 banger inboard
> if you care to have her sail into dock.
> the cabin in the front is called the "V berth"
> the one in the transom/aft is called the "aft berth"
> bathroom = head
when i was sailing a lot and took our lessons we did it eventho the club owners frowned upon it, but its cool to use just the wind to sail into dock. The thing is you have to know the wind, when to drop/dump the sails and then have enough momentum to make the turns into the slip. Cross winds suck and make it harder to do, but it can be done. Some boats that sit higher in the water act as sails and will affect how well you can maneuver without being blown around.
if it was me, i would find a boat with a old style round wheel instead of a tiller style steering.
also, you may want to see if that person will fly a spinnaker. Not sure of the winds in the gulf, but i would bet you could do some serious sailing down there.
good luck
- Don Burt
Sam, just remember, there's a helm or a tiller. Port is left and right is that other word. If you move your helm to port, you go left. If you move your tiller to port, you go right. If your sailing lady is a real captain...then Mitch is gonna be sissified really quickly when she cuts his landlubber's nuts off the first time he makes a mistake!
Well, the Mustang thing is interesting because the gal Mitch is friends with has a vintage Stang. So that's in my book already.
Airplanes are tough to make love in while flying, also to joke about. And I know about as little about planes as I do about boats.
The luxurious yuppie boat is not what my doc would have. She'll have a small, sleek, and nicely tricked out but not gaudy boat. The gaudy boat stereotype is what I'm trying to avoid and I apparently didn't describe the concept clearly.
But yes, you're right, and although my book isn't a movie I'm well aware of the pitfall of stereotype. What mystery books have you read, by the way, where there's a rich yuppie person with a fancy sailboat? You may be thinking of the Brit-style "cozy" mysteries, ala Agatha Christie? Ick. As some wag said about Patricia Cornwell mysteries, the plot is always the same: "Someone gets murdered and everyone else goes skiing!"
I appreciate the caveat, Pel, because I could easily fall into that yuppie sailboat crap. I'll however do some checking around with the boats that have been recommended here, and one of them will hit the mark, I'm sure. I do need to AVOID the big fancy yuppie "hole in the water" type of boat, for sure. Thanks!
Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
That's apparently a nautical joke that's akin to sending some kid brother to buy striped paint, right? I'm a bit confused on that, if you could please expand on this, because it might be a joke that the gal teases Mitch about but he won't "bite" -- where would the bosun chair be on a small 1-person sailboat, so I can check out photos and so on? Thanks.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
Sorry to intrude on Your Holiness and Your Impeccable Judgment and disturb you in your lofty position as Forum Judge and Holy Arbitrator, where you sit on high and issue pronouncements to lowly members regarding their merits. I grovel at your feet, Oh Holy One!
I realize that you've been appointed FJ&HA and you can therefore observe events unfold like The Watcher from old Marvel Comics, and when a member has a spat with another member, you swoop in and declare anathema. Some others here might think that if there's a small tweak or dispute on things between members, that they usually offer a bit of jazzy and sarcastic horseplay between themselves for a few posts, and since the disputes are silly anyway, things calm down and "no harm no foul" is the accepted exit route for these little spats.
But Your Holiness is different, and we're all lucky to have Your Immense Presence and Great Judgment to bask in, that you can observe us lowly mortals until one of us breaks Holy Protocol, and then you toss the Holy Hand Grenade! Wondrous!
Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
Well, weird isn't a disallowance here, as my doc character will be somewhat eccentric anyway.
I can easily make her a Kiwi and have enlisted the help of a certain certified Kiwi in outlining the background info for the doc's bio.
The new character is based on a real doc I had a couple years back when I was in the hospital. She was a Brit, and funny, and I decided to "steal" her and cast her as an Aussie, just for grins, make her a new major character. I've known a couple of Aussie doctors (pathologists) and had a small amount of knowledge about Aussie med schools and so on. I also read a book that described Aussie water recreation, including sailing. So with these small elements, I've tried to research the other stuff, as any writer does, and fill in the gaps.
Kiwi would be fine, very acceptable alternative, and will be totally considered. And yeah, by the way, all the Aussies I've known are indeed weird in some way. But good weird. Thanks!
Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx