SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

What would you rather own?

  • Sailboat

    Votes: 99 90.0%
  • RV

    Votes: 11 10.0%
  • Motor Yacht

    Votes: 4 3.6%

Would you rather own a sailboat or a RV?

20K views 134 replies 67 participants last post by  LessTacksing 
#1 ·
So here's my dilemma.

I really want to buy a new sailboat. Has been wanting one for a while now. But I also want to get a RV of some kind.

With a sailboat you have a house on water. You could explore islands, remote coasts, lakes, rivers.

But with a RV you could explore the remotest parts of North America. I think RVing is alot cheaper too.

What do you guys think?
 
#8 ·
OK I'll play.

Do you like sailing? If yes one for the boat
Do you like exploring new places on short time frames weekends at a timext One for the rv.
Money? The rv was cheaper for us. We could keep it at home. Turn off the key the money bleeding stops.

We liked the rv but love sailing so sailboat it is.
But if you could keep/want a trailer sailer at home and a rv do both. I have a rv I can borrow and still have our tent and camping gear from our backwoods 4x4 jeep days.

Life is short. Play hard, try it all see what sticks.
 
#10 ·
khammett,

EASY! Here is a 1-2 punch,

Find a new or used Nor'Sea 27! YOU can trailer it in all 50 states legally! It can (and many have) sailed around the world! We have stayed in ours many times on the way to new cruising grounds. We have friends who were camping in there's at a BIG car race and were interviewed on TV about it.

Greg
 

Attachments

#16 ·
Personally I'll go with the sailboat 'till I'm too old to get the anchor up by hand. Then I'd go RV. But it'll have an anchor tied on the front of that RV. Every campground I stop at, I'll get out, throw that anchor 4 to 6 feet in front and give the hand signals to the "first mate" to back up to set the anchor. Anyone around that indicates understanding of what just happened is who I'll have a drink with that night!
 
#18 ·
We do both. Take the RV north in the summer to cooler weather to escape the Texas heat. Spend time on the boat in the fall, winter and spring. I would love to have the boat on the Great Lakes in the summer and the RV in a park nearby. The admiral cannot climb the ladder to get in the boat when it is on the trailer so traveling with only the boat is not possible. The boat is not big enough to spend more than a week in, not enough storage space for food & clothes. I would sell the house, RV, other toys and current boat to get a bigger boat to live on and cruse.
 
#19 ·
Ive been cruising now 5 years and theres a lot of places a boat can't go.

I am looking at RV'ing in North America (Alaska right down to Panama) and Europe, and later back in Australia.

So at some stage I will lay the boat up for a season and hit the roads.

But it wont be a big RV. A camper van is smaller, can be neatly fitted out, better chance of parking on streets etc.

The photo below shows the type of vehicle I have alread done about 22,000 kms (14,000 miles) in the USA about 10 years ago. Very economical - 2 litre engine and fully set up.

I travel to go placees. Sailing is a means to get there and accomodation. So is a camper van /RV
 

Attachments

#55 ·
The pop top campers you show in the photo are getting fewer and harder to find. Vdub no longer makes it's van. That said, the type of vehicle you are talking about is known in the USA as a B class motorhome. You can find them out there from basic to tricked out. And it's a very good way to go!

Buttt, if you really want to see the USA, how about a touring bicycle, and some panniers or a trailer?

Sounds crazy? maybe it is? The exact trip you are talking about has been done and more by bicycle. Consider the possibilites! Check this out:

crazyguyonabike.com: Bicycle Touring: A place for bicycle tourists and their journals
 
#21 ·
We have had a similar question. Moving from Colorado where we had been 10yr Rockies campers, our new digs in Charleston presented the sailing challenge. We sold the camper and bought the boat a year ago. The decision feels good at this point. Our main rationale is that the boat CA provide a lot of satisfaction in just 2-3 hours. Not so camping. Once retired I think an rv towing a catalina 25 or thereabouts might be cool.
 
#22 ·
For many yrs, I used my rv as a ski hut. EVERY weekend my family from friday afternoon until the lifts closed were at the local area. Including other thru out the nw. Then a few trips around the western states also occured int he summer. More nights were used Dec to march that april to november.

Sold that, now have the size style of boat I dreamed of as a teenager. As noted, you can play for 2-4 hrs a day easy with a boat. Or wed night races with my crew, ie 3 of 4 kids. one gets sea sick, but would come if this was not an issue.

I've also had a canoe for 30 some yrs. We took the canoe camping in the summer, kids luved that too in some mtn lakes, or other wise as we traveled.

To say there is ONE better/best way......BS to the inth degree. BOTH are fun ways to recreate, neither is better than the other.

Marty
 
#23 · (Edited)
How much time do you have? We've had both at the same time but the camper wasn't being used enough and we sold it, if we didn't have this inconvenience called work getting in the way we might have time for both...or just sail more. We had a huge slide in truck camper that alowed us to tow our Hobie 16. That was a lot of fun but when we moved up into the bigger boats that required more commitment. It's all a matter of what you like best and how much money and time you have...like anything else.
 
#24 ·
Not to move this thread in a different direction, but I have a quick question.

We talked about an RV for after we cruised, part time or full time. BUT, when I looked at the places to use it along the way, I found that most were close to the same price as a low cost motel! Is this always the case? When we anchor out in the boat, it's free.

Greg
 
#51 ·
Not to move this thread in a different direction, but I have a quick question.

We talked about an RV for after we cruised, part time or full time. BUT, when I looked at the places to use it along the way, I found that most were close to the same price as a low cost motel! Is this always the case? When we anchor out in the boat, it's free.

Greg
You also can cook in the rv so this adds to the cost savings over motels.
 
#25 ·
Greg,

A lot of RV'rs will stay in Wal Mart parkign lots, some areas this is allowed, other not. Some in AZ will overwinter in actual sites, the overnight cost goes down some. I've stayed in rest area's, truck stops etc overnight also. Federal forests are free many times also, depending upon the where you stay etc.

This also depends upon the how setup you are just like a boat. If you have a genset, solar or equal, you can stay in one place for a bit before using up the battery bank. Many of the items in RV's are similar if not the same as on boats.

You can go to forums like rv.net, escapees.com and a few others to get how some will do things on the cheap in there $500K type A MH with every liveable option one needs, including washer dryers, marble.......Just like boats, there are entry, mid level upper level costs, livaboard, semi liveaboard, weekend to day use designs of RV's. All have different levels of niceties if one will on board. ALong with how much tankages, niceties, etc.

Marty
 
#26 ·
I don't like hotels all that much, that was a big plus to us when we had the camper. We also went on a lot of trips with a bunch of friends who also had campers, we had a lot of fun.
 
#29 ·
This thread is almost as much fun as one of those "I want to sail around the world for 10 grand and need advice"... :)

But seriously... if your question is genuine, I would get an RV and pull a boat behind me.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top