Sailing vs. Airstreaming

[tlars]

JonDNC,
With your sailing background, I would recommend chartering a sailboat in Bayfield WI (Apostle Islands) and sail to Isle Royale National park. It's a great sail north across the lake. Alternates are the tourist ferries from Michigan (3 hours) or Minnesota (2 hrs. ). It's a 24 hr sail from Wisconsin. Watch the water temp as the air temp will be the same as soon as the sun goes down. We spent the coldest 40 degs we had ever felt overnight on the fourth of July. My wife Susan is from Ashland on the Chequamegon Bay. She grew up swimming in it.

[JonDNC]

Originally Posted by tlars

JonDNC,

With your sailing background, I would recommend chartering a sailboat in Bayfield WI (Apostle Islands) and sail to Isle Royale National park. It's a great sail north across the lake. Alternates are the tourist ferries from Michigan (3 hours) or Minnesota (2 hrs. ). It's a 24 hr sail from Wisconsin. Watch the water temp as the air temp will be the same as soon as the sun goes down. We spent the coldest 40 degs we had ever felt overnight on the fourth of July. My wife Susan is from Ashland on the Chequamegon Bay. She grew up swimming in it.

Not high on the list, have a friend who hopefully will do the inside passage to Alaska on their trawler now that’s on the list. Alaska by boat or Airstream that’s a decision I’d like to have.

[tlars]

Sure.. only suggested it as its one of the few National Parks you can't take an AirStream to.

[Mollysdad]

Speaking of National Parks, I sailed from Tampa to Dry Tortugas NP. Spent a week, and never ate better. Since the only thing you can buy is a $.50 post card, you provision so well it's wonderful! I remember going to Loggerhead Key by dingy. Walking into the Coast Guard station and it was deserted. Pool table, dog, doors open, nobody there.
Back on Garden Key I was surprised to find dead birds. Egrets get blown offshore, end there and because there's no bugs, they starve. The Audubon Society tried remedies from asking boaters to take some home, to importing food, but nothing worked, so there's a drinking fountain for them, and nature takes its course. Sad.
I had the seaplane take off about 20' above my mast. "Yikes! Pull Up!"
Great memories.

[hampstead38]

When we retire, we'll pick up a trawler and do "the Great Loop." I doubt we'll keep it. If we end up retired on Maryland's Eastern Shore (or somewhere on the Delmarva peninsula) we'll keep a smaller boat. As fans of the National Park passport program, we found out most of the parks in Alaska aren't accessible by vehicle. The lower 48, a different story.

We would buy a new Airstream? No. We choose to renovate a vintage (1967) Overlander for a number of reasons. One is that we wanted an interior design suited for our specific preferences. Another is that the build quality on the newer models isn't great. We used marine appliances (like a Princess stove) rather than typical RV stuff. If you strip an vintage Airstream down to the frame, you can build it like sailboat. It just takes time and money... more of both than I'd care to admit.

For us, we'll probably do more camping than boating. It's just a better fit for family and friends. I'm looking forward to our post-work years when we can decide the weather is getting brisk and meander from the West back east. We took 18 months off as a slice of early retirement, but there was always some pressure to get from point "A" to point "B." Sailing or camping, better without a schedule.

[skyguyscott]

Originally Posted by hampstead38

We used marine appliances (like a Princess stove) rather than typical RV stuff. If you strip an vintage Airstream down to the frame, you can build it like sailboat. It just takes time and money... more of both than I'd care to admit.

Yes, I have found that in general just about anything from the recreational marine industry is superior to the relatively cheap, plastic stuff found in the RV world. Since Wally seemed to be a marine enthusiast, I’d wager that if he were alive today he would be eschewing much of the cheap RV stuff and appointing his trailers from the marine side of things.

And yes, redoing a vintage trailer does indeed take far more time and money then your wildest imaginings you had at the start of the project, Especially so if you source the better quality stuff from the marine world.

Buy a brand new, overpriced Airstream off the lot? Where’s the fun in that?

[tlars]

I'm heading to the Dry Tortugas next winter as our friends will be doing the loop and they are not comfortable in big waters. We may go to Hemingway marina if Cuba opens up again.
I agree the solid teak interior of my 80"s production boat (Jeanneau) would be insulted if compared to an RV product. However, most of it is structural bulkhead so it better be good.
Here is an interesting tie-in to Airstreams. I signed on to sail across the Atlantic last year on a 90ft maxi yacht built in the 90's. I jumped on the opportunity as it had a professional Skipper and was lightning fast (ocean sailing is cool but getting there quick is really nice)

Well, a week before sailing they were giving her a new bottom job and she nearly split in half on the stands. She would have sunk like a rock a week or two later. It's all tied up in courts so I'm not completely sure what happened. I've been told it split at the generator room. That is also where the battery bank was. The crew is thinking acids from the batteries may weakened the skin. There is no way to get into the battery storage area as the battery banks slide out like a drawer. Spillover from overcharging batteries could have gone unnoticed.

[lsbrodsky]

Like we used to say, "the flooding would put out the fire". That could have ruined someone's whole day.
Larry