A soft breeze tousles hairs, sun beams are jumping on water and trees, and waves evenly rock a small, but reliable ship... Yes, the charm of water trips can be described for a long time. Tens and hundreds of books, novels, funny and not very much stories are written on this theme. Turning the pages of the entertaining book of the English writer Jerome Klapki Jerome about adventures of the three in a boat, not counting a dog, one desires to give up his work, to pack camping implements in his boat and set out in the search of the new impressions with the couple of good friends.
...So, considering all the pros and cons, estimating the forces and possibilities, it is possible to proceed to the choice of the boat. Different types of water transport are presented at the market of sport and tourism commodities. Some of them are launches and catamarans, rubber, inflatable, rigid framework boats... Their hulls can be made both of fabrics, stretched on metal framework and of ordinary hard materials. Today, as heroes of many adventure novels, we’ll talk about the last one.
Boats made of hard materials can be sporting, excursion (4-5 meters long and containing whole companies), for fishing (with the special equipment) and tourist (for the distant trips). These kind of boats are made of plastic, wood or metal – mostly of aluminium.
To feel yourself confidently in a storm and bad weather, it is necessary to find out one important index, namely: navigability of the boat. This index is determined by two factors. First factor is a freeboard: from a water level to the lowest level of the side. We get the allowed height of the wave which your ship can survive by doubling this value. Let’s explain: if you set out for sailing on a boat with a freeboard 0,5 m, you can boldly storm one metre waves. But it's already gale force 3, which is not uncommon on Ladoge and in Finnish gulf. The second factor is an emergency reserve of boat buoyancy (due to air boxes or filling with a foam). This factor guarantees that even boat fully flood with water will stick to afloat while loading 40% of a passport carrying capacity. As you can understand, this index is serious and vitally important. It is needed to know it and to take into account beforehand. And that guarantees given by sellers were not unfounded, ask if they have certificate of Government Standard and conformance certificate for the boat.
There are rowing, motor and sailing boats regardless of the material. The choice depends on the taste and character of a tourist. It happens that in a lover of a quiet unhurried oars splash and slow sail speed suddenly a venturesome racing driver wakes up with a haunting idea of speed and rapid changing of places. It is necessary in this case that on a transom - board on a stern - was a place for a motor, and then a rowing boat can transform at any moment... in a motor boat. Durability of the transom determines motor power which can be from 2 to 270 horsepower. There are also produced usual motor boats with engines already.
Going under sail requires the special equipment and presence of certain skills. The last one is not unimportant, because inexperienced bad navigator has a good chance to be surfeited quickly with such a romantic, but certainly risky type of rest. It is desirable to acquire proper equipment and accessories for the sail together with a boat.
The choice of material which a ship is made of also depends on the preferences of a traveler. Adherent of modern design and technologies certainly will purchase a glass-fibre-reinforced plastic boat – made of polyester resins, glass-fibre reinforced. Smooth, shining, polished, most various forms, they look effective on a background of any view. Neither sea salt nor burning sun can hurt them. Plastic is not subject to any corrosion or rotting. Such a boat absorbs water less than a wooden one while sailing. It’s simple to take care of it: one needs only to wipe a surface with a neutral detergent and the boat will begin to shine and to sparkle on the daylight again. Holes and cracks are easily liquidated with the help of epoxide resins and glass fibre materials. It is not necessary to ventilate plastic after return from a sail.
But this material does not like sharp and cuttings objects, hard and uneven surfaces, therefore do not pull your favourite boat on sand and stone, but raise it neatly and carry to the water. And do not leave a damp boat on a frost, otherwise cracks will appear on it (however, you hardly may need it in winter).
Constructions of plastic boats are whole, they have a hull. Small boats (weight about 50 kg) is possible to transport on a baggage rack of a passenger car, and those which are bigger - in a trailer. Usual price of plastic boats is 10-15 dollars for one kilogramme of the weight.
Traditional wooden boats are the cheapest and... the most expensive. They usually are not serial. Boats made of the water-resistant plywood sorts or of the coniferous tree species, cost two times less than plastic boats. Expensive exclusive models are also made of wood. The rare species of wood are often used in such cases - for example, mahogany. Such a ship is unbelievable beautiful and elegant; it underlines status of the owner perfectly.
Wood is "alive" material and requires special care. All of boat compartments must be ventilated. The boat must be dried out so that the hull would not rot. Surface of the ship is sanded, stained and varnished periodically. It is prohibited to leave a damp wood on a frost. For sailing on a sea the boat must be prepared - to have a special coverage.
Large wooden ship is heavier than a plastic one and that’s why it is less transportable. But this natural material is so warm and soft to the touch! It is pleasant to walk barefoot on the bottom of the boat in a hot weather and the smell of the wood disposes to the calmness and relaxation.
Metal aluminium boats are actively used by both amateurs and professionals (Emergency Control Ministry, geologists, police). These boats stand heavy, frequent exploitation. These boats are durable and simple in a care and are not afraid of weather changes. Duralumin and aluminium-magnesium alloys are used for their production. First is hard and light in weight, such boats are clamped with rivets. Boats made of aluminium-magnesium alloy are welded. Such a boat has rather coarse “appearance” because of welding stitches. Water transport made of aluminium has lower indexes of an emergency buoyancy and permissible load, and these are essential features which must be considered while choosing a boat for distant trips on unforeseeable water spaces. Duralumin ships are painted again upon termination of sailing season in a salt water. Metal boats cost approximately the same as plastic one.
We’ll mark separately, that boats made of hard materials are nonseparable usually. The collapsible are ships with a hard bottom and soft sides, but they are intended, mainly, for professionals and "experienced" tourists.
Whatever boat you’ll choose: with opened upper part or with cabin, for two persons or for ten, - going to the trip and attaching the ship to the baggage rack, make sure that all of equipment is all right. Make certain that oars, anchor, awning, steering wheels, life buoys and life vests are at there places, that all cracks and leaks are repaired, all electrical appliances are in order. And the most important is a confidence in your own forces and knowledge, since a water trip is not a journey on highway roads: in an extreme situation you can rely only on yourself.
Experienced navigators assert that it's possible to think about launches only mastering details of circulation on ordinary boats. Nevertheless, what can be better and more usefully than a trip on the rivers, lakes and seas? As the known hero of Jerome said, in this case you “would be provided with fresh air, manual labour and peace of mind; the continuous changing of landscape will occupy your mind; and a healthy tiredness will assist excitation of appetite and improvement of sleep".
