I've come to the conclusion that sailing, in its various guises, is an activity increasingly monopolised by the ancient. I spend much of my sailing time with like-minded geriatrics - not through choice, I might add - and even at my club, where much work is done with RYA courses for school age learners, it is rare to find teenage/twenty-something sailors out on their own. Most of the young people I do come across are into sailing around the cans rather than cruising and, if not having the cash for a competitive boat, the Saturday afternoon procession around the lake can get a bit monotonous for them and they gradually disappear. In contrast, there is a growing interest in other outdoor activities such as hill walking, backpacking, cycle camping and mountain biking, where all ages are represented. The one aquatic sport they are taking up in any numbers is kayaking.
Why?
I'm fairly sure the limiting factor is financial. It's possible to kit yourself out quite well for any of these activities for less than ￡1000. You would be hard pressed to find a ready-to-go cruising dinghy for the same figure....and what does a nice new BayRaider Expedition cost? Now, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that in 2002 Swallow Boats approached Chesapeake Light Craft on the subject of building the "Storm Petrel" in the U.S. under license. They weren't interested - no doubt because they were promoting their own "Skerry" - a simple 15' double ender - and this type of boat, "proper" sail-and-oar boats, sailing canoes and the like, is increasingly popular with all ages in the States, as shown by the number of raids and rallies held each year. We all know what happened to Swallow Boats in the following decade-and-a-half and everyone reading this has reason to be grateful (...and who knows where Swallow Yachts is going in the next 20 years!) but there is now a dearth of relatively cheap but capable camp/cruising boats available in the UK. Even suitable kits are drying up ....and as for Matt's own sailing canoe (the Aircraft Carrier), I last saw it hanging on a wall!
Is there a UK market for such a vessel?
If one could be "knocked out" for the price of a mountain bike would a market develop?
Would this kind of cheap boat attract a younger clientele?
Unlike the States, beach launch sites and slipways in the UK - not to mention associated trailer and car parks - are gradually disappearing or being taken over by expensive marinas catering for 30' AWBs crewed by the older (and richer) generation. Without more young people coming into the sport, dinghy cruising UK style doesn't seem to have a very bright future.
In parenthesis:
I like the idea of the minimal car-top boat capable of being camp/cruised in sheltered waters ....but being 'fair, fat, and (just a tad over) forty' I do not like the inherent instability of the type (or the prospect of wearing a wet suit all summer) so something with outriggers or a multihull type would suit me better.
http://www.solwaydory.co.uk/products/sailing-canoes/shearwater-decked-sailing-canoe/http://www.angusrowboats.com/sailing.htmlhttp://www.salmoboats.com/projekty-lodzi-i-jachtow/salmo-19-outrigger-canoe/http://www.hobiecat.com/mirage/mirage-adventure-island/All the above would cost more than a mountain bike.....but this, below, isn't really an option, is it?
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-an-open-kayak-from-recycled-bottles/