Re: his 'n' hers schooner
Chuck,
Great news that you've picked up the schooner. I agree with you that
classifying a Bolger "Box" on a different level with production plastic, at
least in a detrimental way, is entirely wrong. I just received my Chebacco
sails from Bohndell up in Maine. (Having nearly divorced while my wife and
I sewed up the dinghy sails I felt the extra couple hundred dollars a good
investment) But looking at the sails I notice Bohndell sewed nice red
telltales off the main & mizzen, and as I laced them on the wood masts, it
felt so much different than hoisting new canvas up my Hobie 16 or even the
Catalina 38 I sail sometimes. I've had a lot of discussion over these past
5 years about why build wooden spars when I could get an aluminum mast with
sail track etc. My response is always one of trying to preach to the
unconverted. It's not the maintenance, it's not the resale value, it's not
even the safety, security and certainly has nothing to do with initial cost,
(I could have purchased twice the plastic boat with what this Chebacco has
cost over the years), and it's not that when the Chebacco's finished it will
be a gold plater. My handiwork is certainly not world class by any stretch.
It's all about what I want. There's no price I can put on it. I showed a
picture to a sailor lady friend a while back and she said "That's absolutely
not the kind of boat that I like." and my response was "And that's why
they make 100 different kinds of beer."
Enjoy the schooner!
Great news that you've picked up the schooner. I agree with you that
classifying a Bolger "Box" on a different level with production plastic, at
least in a detrimental way, is entirely wrong. I just received my Chebacco
sails from Bohndell up in Maine. (Having nearly divorced while my wife and
I sewed up the dinghy sails I felt the extra couple hundred dollars a good
investment) But looking at the sails I notice Bohndell sewed nice red
telltales off the main & mizzen, and as I laced them on the wood masts, it
felt so much different than hoisting new canvas up my Hobie 16 or even the
Catalina 38 I sail sometimes. I've had a lot of discussion over these past
5 years about why build wooden spars when I could get an aluminum mast with
sail track etc. My response is always one of trying to preach to the
unconverted. It's not the maintenance, it's not the resale value, it's not
even the safety, security and certainly has nothing to do with initial cost,
(I could have purchased twice the plastic boat with what this Chebacco has
cost over the years), and it's not that when the Chebacco's finished it will
be a gold plater. My handiwork is certainly not world class by any stretch.
It's all about what I want. There's no price I can put on it. I showed a
picture to a sailor lady friend a while back and she said "That's absolutely
not the kind of boat that I like." and my response was "And that's why
they make 100 different kinds of beer."
Enjoy the schooner!
I want to tell a story about the his 'n' hers schooner, to
illustrate a point about value.
When I went sailing in the his 'n' hers schooner with Tony
Groves, a few years after the boat was built, I had an
experience that I believe one can have *only* with one of
Bolger's small schooners. Or similar hypnotic small craft,
at any rate.
We launched from the Dana Point ramps. This is a
heavily-used marina, people coming and going all day on
weekends. Tony pulled up in his battered pick-up about
mid-afternoon, this exquisite little hull hitched up behind.
We shook hands and chatted in that perfect California
sunlight (it was Winter time, as I recall), and he began to
put the boat together.
Just as she was rigged up, and ready to launch, a fellow in
a big SUV rumbled up to the next ramp over. He was towing
an indecently oversized cigarette-style boat, all
metal-flake paint and chrome, you know the kind. The thing
must have been 40 feet long. Easily over a half-million
dollars of gas-guzzling boat sitting there. He too began to
get his boat ready to launch.
By this time, Tony had his schooner and trailer in the
water, and would have launched the boat..however, he'd drawn
a crowd. Five or six people were gathered around talking
with him, Tony pointing out this and that feature of the
boat. Grown men looking dreamily at the schooner rig,
looking so graceful and romantic. Phil knows how to
proportion these boats exactly right.
So, here's Tony, with his little home-built Bolger box (if
you want to call it that), with a growing crowd around him.
And right next to us, Mr. Cigarette Boat, gunning his
engine, and stumping around his boat, getting her off the
trailer. Not a soul nearby. No-one cared. And, you know,
I'd swear, from observing closely, that Mr. Cigarette Boat
was not terribly thrilled by this.
We may debate the relative merits of value, and I find such
debates fascinating for what they reveal about each of us.
But the memory of the lovely sail Tony and I had in his
schooner that afternoon has stayed in my mind, and was one
of the reasons I bought the boat yesterday.
A Merit 22 and its endless plastic ilk may be perfectly fine
boats, for instance (and they are, I've sailed them a few
times)...but magic? Nah. For that, something else is
required. At least for me. And that is, after all, the
point.
Quite aside from the shallow egoboo to be enjoyed from the
crowd you draw at a ramp with a Bolger schooner...there is
the view from the aft cockpit, underway, of those three
sails drawing strongly. What's that worth?
And, moreover, where else can one have that experience for a
few thousand dollars? Nowhere. Aside from two weeks on a
charter vessel, perhaps. Not quite the same thing.
Charles Andrews
SoCal
PS: by the way, I'm not trying to justify a high price for
anything. This boat was worth it to me. Other boats are
worth what they're worth to other people...which would
explain why there are so many different kinds of boats in
this world. Although the endless jib-and-mainsail boats now
common do get awfully boring..
illustrate a point about value.
When I went sailing in the his 'n' hers schooner with Tony
Groves, a few years after the boat was built, I had an
experience that I believe one can have *only* with one of
Bolger's small schooners. Or similar hypnotic small craft,
at any rate.
We launched from the Dana Point ramps. This is a
heavily-used marina, people coming and going all day on
weekends. Tony pulled up in his battered pick-up about
mid-afternoon, this exquisite little hull hitched up behind.
We shook hands and chatted in that perfect California
sunlight (it was Winter time, as I recall), and he began to
put the boat together.
Just as she was rigged up, and ready to launch, a fellow in
a big SUV rumbled up to the next ramp over. He was towing
an indecently oversized cigarette-style boat, all
metal-flake paint and chrome, you know the kind. The thing
must have been 40 feet long. Easily over a half-million
dollars of gas-guzzling boat sitting there. He too began to
get his boat ready to launch.
By this time, Tony had his schooner and trailer in the
water, and would have launched the boat..however, he'd drawn
a crowd. Five or six people were gathered around talking
with him, Tony pointing out this and that feature of the
boat. Grown men looking dreamily at the schooner rig,
looking so graceful and romantic. Phil knows how to
proportion these boats exactly right.
So, here's Tony, with his little home-built Bolger box (if
you want to call it that), with a growing crowd around him.
And right next to us, Mr. Cigarette Boat, gunning his
engine, and stumping around his boat, getting her off the
trailer. Not a soul nearby. No-one cared. And, you know,
I'd swear, from observing closely, that Mr. Cigarette Boat
was not terribly thrilled by this.
We may debate the relative merits of value, and I find such
debates fascinating for what they reveal about each of us.
But the memory of the lovely sail Tony and I had in his
schooner that afternoon has stayed in my mind, and was one
of the reasons I bought the boat yesterday.
A Merit 22 and its endless plastic ilk may be perfectly fine
boats, for instance (and they are, I've sailed them a few
times)...but magic? Nah. For that, something else is
required. At least for me. And that is, after all, the
point.
Quite aside from the shallow egoboo to be enjoyed from the
crowd you draw at a ramp with a Bolger schooner...there is
the view from the aft cockpit, underway, of those three
sails drawing strongly. What's that worth?
And, moreover, where else can one have that experience for a
few thousand dollars? Nowhere. Aside from two weeks on a
charter vessel, perhaps. Not quite the same thing.
Charles Andrews
SoCal
PS: by the way, I'm not trying to justify a high price for
anything. This boat was worth it to me. Other boats are
worth what they're worth to other people...which would
explain why there are so many different kinds of boats in
this world. Although the endless jib-and-mainsail boats now
common do get awfully boring..