INFORMATION LINKS

• NOAA WEATHERFAX

• LOCAL WEATHER

• LOCAL LIVE WINDS

• LOCAL TIDES

• LOCAL OCEAN CAM

• LOCAL MAP

• LOCAL AERIAL

• LOCAL CHART

• LOCAL ROADS

• STRAIT OF GEORGIA

• HOWE SOUND

• KNOTS

• SAFETY EQUIPMENT

• BUOY SYSTEM

• COLLISION REGS

• SPEED RATINGS

• YACHTWORLD

• WEST MARINE

YACHT PURCHASE

The 'yacht purchase' has been called the best day of a boater's life. The next best day has often been applied to the day said boat has been relinquished. Not so, if one makes the right choice in the purchase. Far too often a poor first choice is made from the myriad of sailboat models. No one design is perfect and each is a compromise. It is a statistical fact that most sailboat owners tire from maintenance and get bored from poor speed and performance. That's why our courses teach you sail fast and also teach you to appreciate boat features that relate to performance and ease of maintenance.  

Speed is related to yacht design and sails, and is normally overlooked in favor of 'presumed sea worthiness'. A traditional appearance, long keel, and small, inefficient sails will fool many into believing a boat is 'seaworthy'. But speed is safety more often than battleship design. The longer you are out there, the more chance you have of running into bad weather, getting run down, or hitting flotsam due to inattention from fatigue. Indeed, in the strong tidal current waters of British Columbia, a slow 'seaworthy' sailboat may not be capable of making any 'way' against the currents at all, hanging there stationary all afternoon and possibly becoming a navigational hazard (i.e. getting run down). Darkness falling unexpectedly has added peril, and the faster boat allows you to be at your weekend destination in a timelier manner, even if winds are light. 

Dedicated racing designs have certain extreme sacrifices of comfort for speed, which may not be good if you want to spend a few nights. However, a well designed and constructed 'racer cruiser' is a compromise between all the design parameters and will invariably be strongly constructed, comfortable, and fast. Deck designs will be strong, clutter free, and workable (which translates to safety). Such is the design of the TikiTours primary vessel.

For maintenance woes, wood or other 'old fashioned' boats can be an issue, as well as a cluttered and gimmicky deck/cabin gear layouts. Less wood, and beefy well-designed and simple deck layouts mean less gear breakage and less maintenance. Cleanliness below means less packing and securing. More time is then spent sailing and enjoying the sun.

In summary, you can make the most of your yacht investment by first understanding the systems and principles of sailboat speed. Becoming a 'fast' sailor through quality sail training is excellent to prepare the prospective yacht owner for the purchase, and concentrating your sailing around speed will ultimately direct your purchase to vessels which are modern, well designed, efficiently laid out and well built.