Anyone here a sailboat owner or sailor?

[Fifi_ulla]

Just wondering about getting into sailing next spring and if i was to get a keelboat, which is the best yacht club around for the amenities/social element and keeping a boat in the GTA or West End.

I've heard RCYC, but the thought of driving downtown and crossing the ferry every time i want to go sailing isn't very appealing.

 

[SchlongConery]

RCYC has its own Tender to bring members over.

What area do you live? Bluffers and Port Credit both have yacht clubs and marinas.

How big of a boat are you thinking? Any brand/model/budget in mind?

 

[drstrangelove]

Just wondering about getting into sailing next spring and if i was to get a keelboat, which is the best yacht club around for the amenities/social element and keeping a boat in the GTA or West End.

I've heard RCYC, but the thought of driving downtown and crossing the ferry every time i want to go sailing isn't very appealing.

There are a couple of clubs in Humber Bay park too with lots of sailboats. Best to check web sites for all clubs to see how long their waiting lists are.

 

[Butler1000]

Make sure you get a slip before you get a boat. That's the more difficult part.

 

[explorerzip]

I visited Royal Canadian Yacht Club years ago and found it quite stuffy. It probably has something to do with having Royal in the name and being around since the 1850's. The club actually banned Jews for a period of time, which is how Island Yacht Club was founded. RCYC has a dress code on the premises and even on the private tender that goes from their parking lot on land near Cherry Street. They won't even let you on the tender if you're wearing jeans.

The facilities are very nice though including a swimming pool, tennis court, access to Center Island and the main the dining rooms has an amazing view of the city. They also have a club house on land somewhere. The food at the restaurant is nothing special and the service was mediocre at best.

I'd advise not to join a club that has a restaurant or bar because they have a minimum you have to spend every month. Restaurants / bars bleed money because of paid staff, health inspections, spoilage, etc, which is why the club has a minimum spend. Most clubs in Toronto are a short drive to restaurants anyway.

Some other yacht clubs to consider are National Yacht Club at the end of Bathurst Street and directly across from the Island Airport, but it has a restaurant. Alexandra, which is right next to National. Queen City and Island Yacht Club are on the islands. In Etobicoke, you have Mimico Cruising Club, Etobicoke Yacht Club and Lakeshore Yacht Club. I think that most have long waiting lists though. There's also Port Credit Yacht Club in Mississauga

Further east is Ashbridges Bay, Highland and Bluffers Park.

Do keep in mind the difference between marinas and yacht clubs. Marinas are not much more than a parking spot for boats. They will have locked doors to the dock (to prevent theft) and usually private washrooms, showers and laundry. Marinas don't typically have a private area for BBQ, etc You're not usually allowed to BBQ on board your boat because it's a fire hazard. The marinas I've been to almost always have their facilities in a separate building that is outside the dock area.

So that's why you pay a premium to become a member of a yacht club.

 

[Fifi_ulla]

I visited Royal Canadian Yacht Club years ago and found it quite stuffy. It probably has something to do with having Royal in the name and being around since the 1850's. The club actually banned Jews for a period of time, which is how Island Yacht Club was founded. RCYC has a dress code on the premises and even on the private tender that goes from their parking lot on land near Cherry Street. They won't even let you on the tender if you're wearing jeans.

Thanks for the description bud. That was very informative. That's funny that RCYC don't allow jeans, but sailors tend to be a scruffy...no laundry on a boat

You make a good point about the lock. I was at a marina over the weekend and it seemed there was no gate or lock and anyone could walk onto a dock. Just a sign said "private dock, members only"...which wouldn't keep people out.

@schlong i'm still looking into what i want for next year. Nothing decided as yet. With all international travel shut down, if nothing opens up to the Caribbean or Central America, I might as well put the travel money into Yacht parties - also get on the water here even if i do get a small boat..probably a small cruiser to allow overnight or weekend travel (powerboat or sailboat).

 

[|2 /-\ | /|/]

Try renting with these guys they are amazing. The also offer training and have some nice boats to rent for the weekend or the whole week at a good price. Can even hire a captain or someone to cook for you.

Every time I rented with these guys it was a great experience. However you will need to demonstrate you competence before renting.

I suggest you rent a few times to really see, experience and feel what type of sailing you are after and before you buy. The prices are reasonable as well.

COSMOS Sailing Cruises and Charters - Hunter 340 Sailing Yacht available for bareboat charters.

www.cosmosyachtcharters.com

Around here I think the best is Toronto Sailing and Canoe club based on taking to people who are part of it

Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club - Home

www.tscc.net

 

[Fifi_ulla]

RCYC has its own Tender to bring members over.

What area do you live? Bluffers and Port Credit both have yacht clubs and marinas.

How big of a boat are you thinking? Any brand/model/budget in mind?

Rinker cruisers look nice at a mid-level budget price for a used one. I only just started doing my research. I'm keeping my budget at 100k. Sailboats seem to be more work...and what girls really want to pull ropes to work as crew?

I have enjoyed being crew on a sailboat and i got to helm for a little bit too. Choices choices.

 

[Fifi_ulla]

Try renting with these guys they are amazing. The also offer training and have some nice boats to rent for the weekend or the whole week at a good price. Can even hire a captain or someone to cook for you.

Every time I rented with these guys it was a great experience. However you will need to demonstrate you competence before renting.

I suggest you rent a few times to really see, experience and feel what type of sailing you are after and before you buy. The prices are reasonable as well.

COSMOS Sailing Cruises and Charters - Hunter 340 Sailing Yacht available for bareboat charters.

www.cosmosyachtcharters.com

Around here I think the best is Toronto Sailing and Canoe club based on taking to people who are part of it

Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club - Home

www.tscc.net

Thanks for the referral to Cosmos!

I did contact TSCC a couple of months ago but since everything was closed I couldn't really do anything about it. I'll reach out to them again.

 

[Butler1000]

Rinker cruisers look nice at a mid-level budget price for a used one. I only just started doing my research. I'm keeping my budget at 100k. Sailboats seem to be more work...and what girls really want to pull ropes to work as crew?

I have enjoyed being crew on a sailboat and i got to helm for a little bit too. Choices choices.

You can buy a lot of boat for $100 k used. I see starter ones 30 ft, power for under 30, under 20 all the time now.

Dreaming now, 3 years mortgage is done and I get to buy.

 

[Fifi_ulla]

You can buy a lot of boat for $100 k used. I see starter ones 30 ft, power for under 30, under 20 all the time now.

Dreaming now, 3 years mortgage is done and I get to buy.

Cool, 3 years is not too far away.

I was talking to a friend who bought a powerboat and is friends with a dealer who said this year is the worst time to buy thanks to Covid. Boat dealerships and brokers are seeing record sales - people who can't travel now are buying boats and RVs, so prices are up, new boats are backordered and all the good used boats are sold pretty much as soon as they are listed. So i'm hoping next year things settle down next year when the season opens up again.

 

[chodge]

Cool, 3 years is not too far away.

I was talking to a friend who bought a powerboat and is friends with a dealer who said this year is the worst time to buy thanks to Covid. Boat dealerships and brokers are seeing record sales - people who can't travel now are buying boats and RVs, so prices are up, new boats are backordered and all the good used boats are sold pretty much as soon as they are listed. So i'm hoping next year things settle down next year when the season opens up again.

You get some used boats on Kijiji cheap if you dont want to waste a lot of money st start if you are just learning

 

[Butler1000]

Cool, 3 years is not too far away.

I was talking to a friend who bought a powerboat and is friends with a dealer who said this year is the worst time to buy thanks to Covid. Boat dealerships and brokers are seeing record sales - people who can't travel now are buying boats and RVs, so prices are up, new boats are backordered and all the good used boats are sold pretty much as soon as they are listed. So i'm hoping next year things settle down next year when the season opens up again.

Fall may be better. Prices drop then as people don't want to pay storage fees. But the dealer will be in the know.

I follow either starter boats under about $12,000 right now as that will be my in. Long term I'm looking at a 45+ foot for extensive travel and live aboard. I want a boat I can work and learn on initially.

 

[Butler1000]

You get some used boats on Kijiji cheap if you dont want to waste a lot of money st start if you are just learning

Facebook as well too. Extensive marketplace. And Yacht world for bigger ones.

 

[explorerzip]

Thanks for the description bud. That was very informative. That's funny that RCYC don't allow jeans, but sailors tend to be a scruffy...no laundry on a boat

You make a good point about the lock. I was at a marina over the weekend and it seemed there was no gate or lock and anyone could walk onto a dock. Just a sign said "private dock, members only"...which wouldn't keep people out.

@schlong i'm still looking into what i want for next year. Nothing decided as yet. With all international travel shut down, if nothing opens up to the Caribbean or Central America, I might as well put the travel money into Yacht parties - also get on the water here even if i do get a small boat..probably a small cruiser to allow overnight or weekend travel (powerboat or sailboat).

RCYC doesn't allow jeans because it has the Royal image to keep up. I assume their attract those type of people too. Perhaps take a sailing course (assuming that's the type of boat you're looking for) so you can learn hands on. With a power boat you put the key in the ignition, set throttle and steer. Sailing is about the experience of being on the water. Power boating is about getting to the destination. Very different philosophies and experiences.

Also keep in mind that you will be using premium gas in a power boat. Gas at the marina is almost always more expensive than on a land-based station. There are diesel power boats, but they tend to be the large 30 foot cruiser variety that you can sleep on board. Most keelboats are diesel, but there are gas powered ones out there too. Whatever fuel you're using, a sailboat will use a lot less because a) you're only using the engine to get out of your harbour and b) the hull is displacing water not planing on top of it and that saves fuel. A tank of fuel on a sailboat could last an entire summer depending on how much you use the engine. A power boat could burn through that in hours.

 

[explorerzip]

You can buy a lot of boat for $100 k used. I see starter ones 30 ft, power for under 30, under 20 all the time now.

Dreaming now, 3 years mortgage is done and I get to buy.

100K does buy a very well equipped boat. I dof ind that sailboats tend to be a bit more luxurious than power boats, but that depends on the model. I heard that sailboats hold their value longer vs power boats. I think the theory is that people are more reckless in powerboats, which can cause more wear and tear and accidents. You can't be as reckless in a sailboat since there's a limit to how fast you can go. Not sure how true that is though.

If you're prepared to spent a decent amount of money on a used boat then make sure to get a professional survey or inspection before you make an offer. A good surveyor will inspect the engine, electrical systems, plumbing, and structure of the boat like hull, fittings, etc. You don't want to buy a boat just to find hidden problems down the road. Some of those problems happen at the worst of times.

 

[Butler1000]

100K does buy a very well equipped boat. I dof ind that sailboats tend to be a bit more luxurious than power boats, but that depends on the model. I heard that sailboats hold their value longer vs power boats. I think the theory is that people are more reckless in powerboats, which can cause more wear and tear and accidents. You can't be as reckless in a sailboat since there's a limit to how fast you can go. Not sure how true that is though.

If you're prepared to spent a decent amount of money on a used boat then make sure to get a professional survey or inspection before you make an offer. A good surveyor will inspect the engine, electrical systems, plumbing, and structure of the boat like hull, fittings, etc. You don't want to buy a boat just to find hidden problems down the road. Some of those problems happen at the worst of times.

The power boats hold value on Diesel engines and at a certain price point. It's all about engine hours with them. At the ten year mark I've found the price levels. Then it's about interior care and hull care.

Long term I'm looking at power for travel. We plan to do coastal and inland and ship the boat to Europe at some point after North America and the Caribbean.

Maybe Trawler, maybe Cruiser.

And at $250,000+ price point.

 

[Frankfooter]

RCYC has its own Tender to bring members over.

What area do you live? Bluffers and Port Credit both have yacht clubs and marinas.

How big of a boat are you thinking? Any brand/model/budget in mind?

QCYC and IYC also have tenders, I recall.
They're a bit more downscale, but totally fine unless you're there for the clubhouse.

 

[explorerzip]

QCYC and IYC also have tenders, I recall.
They're a bit more downscale, but totally fine unless you're there for the clubhouse.

Yes, both of these clubs have their own tenders. QCYC also has access to the rest of the Toronto Islands and the ferry in a real pinch.

QCYC is an odd club in that some of the slips are on the Toronto Island side and the boats are freely accessible to the public. You have to be very mindful of your stuff.

Some slips also do not have docks along side the boats. At least it was like that the last time I went there. They call it Mediterranean mooring where you reverse the boat into the shore side dock. You attach the bow line to a mooring point in the water and the stern line gets attached to the shore side dock. Backing up a boat can be tricky because of how propellers work and older boats (especially sailboats) don't allow you to easily enter or exit from the stern. There's almost always a rail and motor well in the stern. You can't nose into this kind of dock style because the bow of most boats have rails, anchor lockers, lights and sails, which makes entering and exiting (especially with cargo) quite difficult if not dangerous. The only reason they have this strange arrangement is to get as many boats into the club as possible. QCYC has no more shore line area to expand or add docks along side.

There are newer boats however that have flip down sterns to let you enter exit a lot easier.

 

[Fifi_ulla]

Try renting with these guys they are amazing. The also offer training and have some nice boats to rent for the weekend or the whole week at a good price. Can even hire a captain or someone to cook for you.

Every time I rented with these guys it was a great experience. However you will need to demonstrate you competence before renting.

I suggest you rent a few times to really see, experience and feel what type of sailing you are after and before you buy. The prices are reasonable as well.

COSMOS Sailing Cruises and Charters - Hunter 340 Sailing Yacht available for bareboat charters.

www.cosmosyachtcharters.com

Around here I think the best is Toronto Sailing and Canoe club based on taking to people who are part of it

Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club - Home

www.tscc.net

FYI, Cosmos has stopped bareboat and crew charters for 2020 due to covid for safety.