It is a simple matter to arrange a sail boat cruise. Book the trip in advance through an agent ( to avoid disappointment), pick up the tickets and, on the day specified, check in on board. From then on, the rudiments of sailing are out of your hand. You are there to enjoy yourself; the rest is up to the competent crew.

How intimate the experience will be is dependent upon the size of the sail boat. Some are 38 footers, others 57’, still others as large as 90 feet. They are schooners, yachts, ketches, catamarans and sloops. Some are meant to cater to only a few passengers; others are intended to provide more people with a grander sense of a sail boat cruise.

As well as a difference in size, there are a variety of sail boat cruises to be had in port towns. In New York, California, Mexico, Florida and the Islands sunset cruises, dinner sailboats, and full moon evening sails are common if seasonal. Some places offer cruises along water fronts or sail out to various landmarks and along the shoreline. As part of the day time or daytrip experience, the companies may include such activities as snorkeling, diving, swimming and fishing.

Europe, New Zealand and Australia also provide the chance to take a sail boat cruise. You can sail across the Mediterranean, feeling like one of the early Greek traders. It is an excellent means of seeing a different side to a new country, of gaining a new perspective. It can make a vacation memorable in more ways than one.

In fact, some sail boat cruises are not island hops, coastal cruises or sunset viewing. There are a few sail boats that are equipped to take you on a sail boat cruise that will last days, rather than hours. These are boatswith several cabins for roomy accommodations, more than one head (bathroom), and various amenities, including satellite television, VCR/DVD players, CD players, Radios, cell phones, air conditioning and heating. Such sail boats have ice makers and barbecues. They provide fishing equipment, surfboards, kayaks and other means of providing entertainment to the passengers.

Below decks, there is accommodation for a crew made up of a seasoned skipper and professional cook. Those who run this type of sail boat cruise, know the waters and their market. It is an alternative worth considering, but don’t ignore the short-term, exhilarating and oft-times romantic offering of the sunset or full moon sail boat cruise.

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A small sail boat is just that: small. It is not a yacht. It is not a keelboat and it is not a cutter. It can be as little as 11-foot monohull. A small sail boat, however, can be a racer or a day-sailer. If a racer, it is frequently a one-design
Small sail boats do not have cabins but may have some form of partial shelter. They may or may not have a portable toilet and they do not have the amenities of the large sail boats.

What the small sail boat offers is a number of things: a good first boat to learn your craft. If you make an error, it becomes immediately obvious. It teaches you how to sail a boat correctly, learning from your mistakes on the way. It also introduces you to many water experiences you would miss if you had a large sail boat. One of these is capsizing. Not that capsizing is fun, it is, however, a way of reminding you of the dangers of sailing while letting you discover how to right a boat and practice a basic recovery plan.

Yachting and other sailing clubs teach children as early as age six on the small sail boats. They learn their craft then progress on up to larger sail boats. The advantages of young boys and girls (and even adults) learning on the smaller size sail boats is not only size, but price. Smaller boats such as the Optimist International are simple and less expensive than their larger counterparts. Single or double-handed, small sail boats provide the best vehicle – pun intended, to learn.

This is not to say a day-sailor is not a family boat. They are. You can take a small sail boat across the bay or along the shore line for that picnic, fishing trip or little jaunt. The O’Day Day Sailer was specifically designed for just such a purpose. The Escape Rhumba and Super Snark are two other possibilities. It is not recommended you broach the blue water. Sailing across the ocean in a small sail boat equipped bets for daytrips is ventured upon by only the brave and, perhaps, the foolhardy.

Yet, where the small sail boat shines is in the racing world. One and two-person dinghies are Olympic classes. Here you find the pick of the litter: the Lasers, the Enterprise, the Sunfish, the Fireball, the Cadet and the Lightning. All are built for speed, if not for comfort.

Remember, a small sail boat can truly be a beautiful and pleasurable thing for everyone in your family.

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What to choose? Where to go for the best buy? New or used? These are a few of the questions to consider when thinking of buying a boat. A sail boat sale should be broached with cautious optimism. It should also not be attended, even in magazine or net form, until you know what exactly you want in a sail boat and how much you can afford.

A sail boat sale can be found among the pages of several respected periodicals. Cruising World, Sail, Multihulls, Ocean Voyager, Blue Water Sailing, Pacific Yachtings, Ocean Navigator, Soundings and Sailing World have amongst their news, views and reviews, advertisements for sail boat sales. There are periodicals for yachts, newspaper listings, club newsletters, buy-and-sell newspapers, boat traders for different areas (on and off the net) and e-mail webpages, magazines, and postings where sail boats are listed for sale. It is up to you to go over them all and decide which is the right boat for you, whether the price quoted is a correct reflection of both the condition and the blue book value of the sail boat and what the real cost will be after shipping, handling and receiving.

Some people go through a broker when buying a sail boat. This is frequently considered best when looking for a boat over 20 feet. In part, this has to do with commission. A broker receives commission for every boat he or she undertakes to sell.

Generally speaking, a larger boat commands a higher asking price and, therefore, a higher commission. The broker will do the showing and the haggling. Under this system, the whole process of negotiation is made simpler and less stressful since the owner is out of the picture until after the deal is done, the price set and the commission exacted. I some instances, dealing with a broker can help you avoid the emotional hassle of haggling with someone who is insulted if you offer a lower price or places on your emotions to obtain a higher and unsubstantiated price leaving, after sanity has returned, a bad taste.

If you do want the personal touch, try the small ads locally, in newspapers and on the net as well as in the aforementioned magazines. This will be a private individual sail boat sale. The advantage is direct bargaining with some one who knows the pros and cons of their boat from actual experience. Such an approach will have the personal touch but don’t forget, the same leg work is required to obtain the best boat to fulfill your desire.

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The toy sail boat has long been a part of childhood. For some, this was their very first sail boat. These toys come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and materials. Toy stores advertise wooden bath tub toy sail boats and sell rubber and plastic ones. You can find ones that appeal to very small children; others are directed towards the older set. All are meant to appeal to a child’s sense of wonder, fun and exploration. They also make water, whether in a bath tub, stream, pond or lake a less scary element.

Besides the manufactured or artisan crafted toy sail boats, are those models made on craft days. Mothers on rainy, creative baby sitters, teachers of kindergarten classes and instructors at day camps and crafty camps have, at one time or another, taught their charges the basics of making a sail boat.

Toy sail boats are as simple to make as you wish. They can be formed by taking molding clay, shaping it into a simple boat-shape and sticking a straw into it. A sail made of paper or bits of cloth is then attached.

A more sophisticated way for a child to build a toy sail boat involves glue and sticks. Take several craft sticks, or even recycled popsicle sticks. Using a glue gun – if older children are involved, or craft glue for the younger ones, let them attach several pieces together to create a wide, flat surface. These sticks will form the basis of the hull of the sail boat. Let it sit to dry or harden.

Next, let them select a thin piece of wood. This could be a pencil, a shish-kebob stick, a skewer or even a wooden needle. In any case, it must be tall, but not overpoweringly so. If necessary, break or cut the stick. Using the glue, once again, attach the stick to the centre of the hull. Standing tall and straight, it is to represent the mast of the toy sail boat. It is to this you will next hoist the sail.

The sail of this toy sail boat can be made of any material that resembles the genuine article. Paper, cloth or plastics are all possible choices. A variety of colors can be chosen. Once this is done, you can seal the entire boat. After it has dried be prepared to set to sea.

Making a toy sail boat can be fun. It can also involve teaching someone the principles of sailing and introduce them to terms they might one day use when they have their own sail boat.

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Some boats are remarkably easily to move from place to place. These are called trailerable sail boats. As far as sail boat transport goes, loading, unloading and even finding the means to do so is easy. They are loaded on a trailer, driven to their destination and launched off a ramp.

Other sail boats do not fit this category. They cannot leave the harbor without being lifted by crane or lift. This is usually due to overall size or keel configuration. In some racing boats, for instance, the keel permits trailering from one race site or event to the next but prohibits launch-ramping or makes it difficult. Fortunately, other racers can be loaded upon the top of a vehicle, folding down into a small portable package for easy sail boat transport. At the end of the journey, they are off-loaded, unfolded, reassembled and sailed off. This is not exactly a trailerable sail boat, but it does make your car or any other type of vehicle used a type of accessible sail boat transport.

If you do have a trailerable boat, or even any sail boat you can place on your vehicle, remember there are rules and regulations concerning taking it on the road. Sail boat transport regulations are not universal. They vary from state to state in the United States and from province to province in Canada.

They are enforceable by the ministries and departments of transportation. The maximum height of a beam allowed can vary from eight feet to eight feet six inches. These beam restrictions affect the greatest amount of trailerable boats – the multi-hulls. These include catamarans and trimarans with their folding Amas or outrigger. If your beam is obviously excessive it may be worth your while to purchase a permit to haul it. The problem here, however, is a different permit may be required for each state or province you plan to trailer across.

Another restriction placed upon sail boat transport is weight. How much does your sail boat weigh? This is a concern in terms of the legal requirement for trailer brakes. The minimum, as in the case of beam height, varies. In one jurisdiction the installment of brakes is mandatory when the load exceeds 1,000 pounds; in another the minimum requirement is 10,000 pounds before brakes need be in place. Some sail boat trailerable experts recommend the minimum a sail boat should weigh before breaks are put in place is 3,000 pounds.

These are significant factors to consider when purchasing a sail boat. The lines may be beautiful, the boat may be fast, durable and everything you have every dreamed of, but can it be transported anywhere?

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As a cruiser, the Hunter sail boat can be used for daysailing or mini-cruising. It can sail you to the islands or hang out in the harbor. It has, generally, plenty of space in its cabin for over night comfort. Even the smaller versions have V-berth and an aft cabin. Some of the latest models - even the smaller sail boats - feature amenities common to larger cruisers. Microwaves, freezers as well as fridges, an enormous enclosed head with privacy possible, large state rooms and an airy salon are becoming common place upon the Hunter sail boat.

The key word in most models seems to be innovation. One series of Hunter sail boats, the mid-sized cruiser, features a cantilevered table designed to move up and down or to rotate outwards. This makes access to the settee behind it an easy task. In the same model, the cockpit has what can be referred to as “ergonomic seating” with the helm similarly designed to work for and not against its occupants.

The signature of the Hunter sail boat is the “B and R rig.” In this system of rig-staying the need for a back-stay is frequently eliminated. Instead of backstays, the Hunter may have swept back spreaders and mast struts. The mast, overall, carries less weight. These aspects make a high roach (the back end of the mainsail projecting beyond a straight line between the clew and head) mainsail possible. It also increases self-tacking of the mainsail. As a result, some Hunter sail boats function well with a huge mainsail.

In addition, the Hunter sail boat can have a small head (fore) sail, creating it highly operable for a one-person crew. The sail and rig feature includes another innovative feature: the mast raising system. This, again, facilitates the putting up of the mast by a single person without excessive difficulty.
Another feature is a large, high aspect rudder and a stability inducing water ballast system. Together with the sail and rig formation, it makes for ease in sailing.

What is a particularly attractive feature of the Hunter sail boat is its trailerability. The mast raising and the easily emptied ballast systems provide the owner with a trailerable sail boat. The Hunter sail boat can be put on a custom trailer pulled by even the smaller vehicles. Overall, it is easy to trailer from home to bay, a veritable snap to launch and set up and, most importantly, a joy to sail.

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Tired of your old sail boat? Require something larger, faster or sleeker? Sure, you may have your eye on a new model, but you need to sell your current sailboat first. Here are some things to consider on putting up your sail boat for sale.
Preparation
Strip your boat of any excess, gear, personal items - anything you can use on your next boat. Do not, however, remove any items required by safety regulations, any thing part of the basic boat inventory e. g. working sails, and anything that will damage the sail boat when removed. You do not want to damage receiving a good price for your sail boat for sale.

Perhaps, it will be necessary to either repair or improve the sail boat for sale. Be careful. You do not want to spend excessive amounts of money if there is no guarantee for a solid return. A touch-up paint job, minor patching, and simple repair work adds to the salability of your boat.

Do not ignore the tidiness. Clean your sail boat for sale from stem to stern. Check every corner for dirt, garbage and mould. A clean sail boat is more visually pleasing than a filthy, untidy one.

Price
To ensure you are asking a reasonable price, review current ads and listings of comparable or identical models. Calculate a high and low end, being sure to add or subtract from the asking price in accordance with any special features or equipment featured on your sailboat for sale. You can also check out the BUC Used Boat Price Guide, the Blue Book for boaters of all stripes. Finally, adjust all factors to reflect your local market. If you want to avoid all this, hire an appraiser to do the work for you.

Marketing

There are several ways to market your sail boat for sale. The most obvious is the internet. There are many forums and sail boating enthusiasts who have web sites including classifieds. Do not, however, forget the more mundane forms of advertising: newspaper classifieds, local club news letters, bulletin boards, “Buy and Sell” newspapers and boating magazines. In all cases, be sure you include a clear photo of your sail boat for sale. Be concise and precise in your description. Remember, you want to sell this boat.

You might also consider putting together a simple brochure or video to show prospective buyers. These can be posted to the net as part of a classified or a web page design.
What is also essential is your availability. If you have a sail boat for sale and post it in any medium, you must be there in some form or other to answer questions and set up appointments. An answering machine may not be enough. It might actually discourage possible buyers. An e-mail address can help, but there is nothing like the personal touch. Talking directly to a perspective customer is the very first step in completing the sale.

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Gone are the days of simple boats in bottles – though there is a still a market for these. Today, you can purchase replica model sail boats that can take your breath away with their accuracy. The very best display an amazing sense of scale and detail. Nothing is skimped in rendering these sail boats. Rendered from actual blueprints, they have a life all their own.

The possibilities are endless, but basically, there are two types of model sail boats: modern and historic. They range from Greek warships to classic yachts. In fact, the variety is wide and inclusive. A glimpse at what is available reveals the more popular ancient offerings. A Viking warship, ancient Greek warships and pirate ships stand in all their glory. Their riggings and mast, hulls and oar patterns clearly visible and, more importantly, authentic to the last detail.

There are ships from the Napoleonic Wars, including Lord Nelson’s ship, the HMS Victory. The American Civil War is also represented as are classic yachts. In this latter category of model sail boats can be found various copies of the Nova Scotia, Canada’s pride – the Blue Nose and the Defender.

A category with an impressive number of model sail boats is called tall ships. A collector or interested buyer can purchase American, British, Spanish and French examples of these once common, but still graceful sail boats. Once the pride of the Atlantic Ocean, they are now relegated to a few tourist attractions. In the exactitude of a model sail boat, however, their glory lives on.

Collecting model sail boats can be an expensive proposition. Depending upon such factors as size, quality, and materials – some use mahogany, others brass, most employ wood of various types, their prices range into the hundreds of dollars. Moreover, once you acquire a model sail boat or two you need two things: a display case, table or shelf to hold it and the space to put the case in. Some models come in their case or with their case, but many do not. This means spending money to buy or build a suitable glass case to hold you new found delight.

Pride of purchase demands the model sail boat be properly displayed. A case is but one aspect. Size is another consideration. Most model sail boats are not tiny. They can be quite large, ranging from 28 to 60 inches. You will have to find the room, or give the model sail boat its own room. It is something to be proud of so find the right setting. Display it so all can see its beauty and, maybe, understand why you love sailboats.

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Why is the public so fond of the Laser sail boat? There are several reasons given. It is tough, fast and accelerates rapidly. Cat-rigged, with only a main sail, it is simple to rig and sail without negatively impacting upon its performance. This simplicity of design makes it more affordable since there is no extra expenditure in obtaining hardware and sails. As a single-person sail boat, the Laser means no problems recruiting crew, no involvement in compatibility questions and no conflicts of goals and/or interests. These are factors that can have an impact on the outcome of a race or destroy the peace you can find in sailing.

Another reason for wanting to own a Laser sail boat is portability. The boat can be attached quite easily to facilitate car-topping. Laser boat racers and fans can even successfully and single-handedly place the boat on top of their car. It, therefore, stands to reason if it is easily loaded, it can be taken off just as simply. Since not all racers are trailerable and many boats cannot be loaded or unloaded without the use of a crane or travel lift, it is considered a bonus to have one that you can fit on the top of your vehicle.

The ability to easily beach the Laser sail boat is another factor in its popularity among boating enthusiasts. The dinghy can beached at a cottage or cabin without a major difficulty. This can not be said for all dinghy types.
The ability of this robust, yet simple sail boat has resulted in it gaining a reputation as strong competitive racer. In Bermuda, in 1974, facing 24 different countries and racing boats, it came up gold. In 1996, the Laser was accepted as a men’s Olympic-class boat in. A version of the Laser sail boat will make it Olympic Debut in 2008 in the women’s Olympic class.

The Laser sail boat now has its very own association to govern the races. The International Laser Class Association (ILCA) is based out of Falmouth, England. The globe is divided into sections with the North American Region governing Laser boat races from Canada and the United States. A periodical The Laser Sailor keeps competitors, interested boat racers and owners up to date on the latest innovations, races, rules and other related events and items of interest.
The Laser sail boat is fast, affordable and puts the fun back into sailing.

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Sail boat bedding also refers to a particular design very popular for children’s rooms. A bedroom may have a nautical theme on the walls that carries to such items as lamps and bedding. The covers, coverlets, comforters and pillows may all be adorned with sail boats bounding over the waves. Some are even specifically decorated with certain types of boats and nautical themes. There are Mayflowers sailing slowly towards the distant shores of America, Viking ships advancing on some unknown land and all types of famous sail boats. These can amaze and delight the child who does or does not sail.

This takes us an obvious meaning of sail boat bedding – what a sailor, crew, commander or family, sleeps on when on an overnight voyage, sailing vacation or cruise. In other words: What he, she and/or they sleep on.

Once upon a time, and still on some replicas of tall ships, the crew slept on rocking hammocks while the captain had his own berth. The former group considered themselves lucky to have a covering of any sort; the latter frequently had sheets and a coverlet of some sort. Sailboat bedding definitely reflected a person’s rank.

Sail boat bedding for the early modern sail boats were somewhat better. Foam pads were attached to bunks. They were, however, stiff, not very comfortable and did nothing to drown out nautical noise. The rigidity of these cushions reflected the state of boating at the time, technology and also where designers felt the thrust of their workmanship should lie.

Today, things have changed. There are still some problems with the comfort aspect, but many sail boats, in particular the chartered and cruising ships have introduced improvements. Boat cabins are now more spacious with beds that reflect the sailor’s desire to have a good night’s sleep. The sail boat bedding can now consist of mattresses that feature an innerspring. This is, according to many sailors, a vast improvement over the thick, or not so thick, pad.

Marine shops have introduced entire lines of adaptable sleeping sets to help in the sail boat bedding department. Since bunk beds do come in a variety of sizes and shapes, these new sheets and coverlets have drawstrings. This allows a person to snugly attach the sheets to the bed. They barrel lock at each corner preventing sliding.

An there are pillows? There are those you bring from home and inflatable ones, air and foam. Problems of mildew and dampness aside, sleep tight.

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