Important Traits and Characteristics for Boats Every Enthusiast Should Know
There are various criteria you have to keep in mind when choosing your dream boat. The choicest of them all is not the price, contrary to your gut feeling, but the upkeep factor. Let’s face it, if maintaining is such a pain, how much harder it is to keep intact something that’s constantly exposed to inclement atmospheric conditions. Of course, the predominance of high-end materials in a watercraft significantly raises its cost. But there must be a low-cost solution for the enthusiasts in low waters, right? At least we are led to believe so. Let’s get familiar with the different types of boats before drawing any conclusions.
Sailing Yachts
Built of high-end composite materials, those nimble yet luxurious vessels usually use timeless, classical designs that play on the retro appeal. In respect of sailing performance, it all depends on how tall is your rig and the capacity of the sail area. Largely speaking, sailing yachts are capable of averaging 15 – 20 knots true wind. If you are into aesthetics and proof of concept, don’t think twice – this is the vessel for you.
Catamarans
The first thing you need to direct your attention to is the condition of the catamarans as dragged out units can take away from your experience. You can find clean, well-built boats for less than a million pounds. But if you’re looking for top quality rigging and a saloon with panoramic windows you might have to dip deep into your savings. Besides the spacious boats that create the much sought after airy feeling, you could downgrade to a more utilitarian vessel if you’re on a budget.
Motor Boats
This is the perfect high-speed watercraft to take for a spin. They couple together the excitement of sports car racing and the brilliance of modern boat design. For additional polish, you can order a custom-made hull, since this is a ubiquitous practice. Carbon fiber reinforced plastic is now the norm for much of the quality pieces. Normally twin engine-powered boats can kick the top speed up to 40-45 knots, which is more than enough to cover great distance over a short period of time.
Speedboats
Those bad boys are the equivalent of dragsters – powerhouses without much finesse. The sheer horsepower has its pros and cons. One major drawback is the lack of comfort but how could you expect anything else from such a mean machine equipped with turbo engines sitting at the back. If you’re in this not so much to cruise from point A to point B as to be seized by the g-force you’ll be thrilled to bits by this piece of machinery. As far as the interior goes, the choice narrows down to choosing cozy sports seats.
Gullets
Gullets are notorious for their maintenance cost and intricate preservation. Babysitting a capricious wooden boat in the unfriendly warm waters of the Pacific is a tall order even for the experienced sailors. This vessel doesn’t bring much to the table beyond its rustic style. You won’t see this boat skim through the water or shine brightly with a modernistic design. What you see is what you get – a decent watercraft – probably a piece of history – at a decent price.
Mega Yachts
With the mega yachts, you can take your luxurious residence wherever you go. Theses monumental ships are like mobile floating castles reserved for the elite. The biggest of these curvy beauties can reach a hundred meters in length and sustain up to 60-70 people, crew plus guests. You’ve heard the expression “match your weight in gold”. In this case, the length of the yacht times $1 million will give you the final prize of the specimen.
