As compensation, you are a heck of a lot closer to the Med

Well sometimes we even have good weather as well! been up to about 12 degrees and sunny

This is the Gloucester to sharpness canal - England, the hills in the background are the cotswolds.



(Sorry about quality, but camera is on phone)

For your sake I hope that 12deg is C, not F

Sorry, forgot America tends to use fahrenheit, when i was in chicago, it confused the hell of out me! weather reports said windy(! i can see why its called the windy city!) 75F so is that hot? i can only work in centigrade!

By Arizona standards 75F is a blizzard

For sure - We went inland to a place called Fon-du-lac and the heat there was unbearable, that had some boats on a small-ish lake.

Well small compared to lake Michigan anyway (a lake the size of my country D'oh)

Most of the lakes around Phoenix aren't all that big either. Do you get many I/O bowrider types on your lakes? Very popular here.

Kelly

Not sure to be honest, i never go lake boating. Our largest lake now has a 10 Knot speed limit.

If you want to go fast you have either trek to the north of england to coniston water or the lochs at scotland.

Where i boat (Bristol channel), we have quite a chop (and tide!) on the water and bow riders are a no-no unless you like it wet and full of water.

So i presume you are based in Arizona (i think) Err, i dont really know that part , how far from the sea are you? or are you lakes only? or tailer boater?

How much is your petrol? we pay £1.10 per litre in the marina or about $2.00, i use diesel its only 45p or about $1.00 per litre.

From Phoenix to the California harbors is roughly a 8 hour drive. Which I haven't done for many years now. My last boat was a bowrider that I trailered around to various nearby lakes. Gas here has been wavering around $2.20US per gal. Which is a huge jump over a few years ago.

I've never seen a canal like that. What sort of boat were you running on it?

Kelly

Eek, 8 hours, no wonder you dont drive that much!
So you are about central in the country then, or more to the west?

My boat is a Senior 26 - made by senior marine, who was then take over by Princess, has a pair of twin 50hp perkins disels, should be good for 13 knots (!) i have had 10 knots max though.

Again sorry about the quality of the image.



In the above image, you can see a bridge in the background, this is a picture from the bridge.
(Bridge is called splatt bridge at a place called Frampton-on-severn)



That gives you a better view, this canal (when completed in about 1815 was the widest and deepest in the world, avg 60 foot wide and 20 foot deep) and it spans the worst 16 miles of the river severn from sharpness to the port of Gloucester. No (or very little) commercial trafic now though, and very different from the normal English narrow beam locks that cannot pass vessels larger than 6' 6"

Sorry about images! cameras on phones are pants!

Do you travel far via the canals?

Mark

Not really, the G&S is only 16 miles long, after gloucester you lock down on the the river severn which goes another 35 miles to Stourport (narrow beam craft can then lock up on the staffs and worcester canal)

I you want to go a distance you need to lock out at sharpness and go down the bristol channel, which is basicaly out to sea.

Back to the original topic:

Not exactly yacht sized, but I think this "cruiser" would qualify as an exotic. And it's made here in the USA!

http://www.renzoyachts.com/Express.html

Kelly

Very good thread on YBW -

Good Sea Handling - what is it?

Various styles for 45' or so sport cruisers in Europe -

http://newimages.yachtworld.com/1/3/7/8/5/1378595_2.jpg?1127517715000

http://www.atlantisyachts.it/eng_modelgallery_47_3.htm

http://www.cranchiflorida.com/med47.html

http://www.pershing-yacht.com/eng/46/navi001.jpg

http://www.primatist.it/images/ingrandimenti/serie_g/43/43-8.jpg

http://www.riva-yacht.com/visitors/index.php?page=modelli&lang=en&mod=rivarama

http://www.cantieridisarnico.it/imgup/1557622778141951637.jpg