[PUP] PPM - An idea for how to restructure the topic

[Ken Williams]

As many people have said, there is no such thing as a Perfect Passagemaker.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone has different budgets,
cruising plans, and comfort needs. No one boat can be perfect for everyone.

 

That said, here's a thought for the group. Could we swap the topic to
"Things to think about when buying a Passagemaker?".

 

Hardly a week goes by that I am not contacted by someone who is putting
together a boat order, and asking my advice in selecting equipment for their
boat. I tend to have lots of opinions, and certainly share them, but suspect
there is a better way to do this, than for new boat buyers to contact each
of us, and solicit our opinions one by one. Worst yet, most don't know
anyone to ask questions of (other than their salesman, which can have mixed
results), and don't know what questions to ask.  I suspect many of you get
these same queries. Perhaps it is possible to pool our thinking and come out
with a simple list (or book) we could email to people that gives them lots
to think about (and, hopefully doesn't frighten them).

 

Specifically, I'm suggesting that to the extent we want to continue this
discussion, and convert it to something that might have some real merit, we
consider changing the goal for the discussion. I am suggesting we break a
passagemaker into its component systems, and then think about the kinds of
decisions that someone should be thinking about as they  pick out the
systems for their boat, OR, as they do a refit of their boats. My thought is
that there are lots and lots of options and upgrades that are never
considered because people weren't smart enough to ask the questions.

 

If we were to do this, I'd say that a basic ground rule should be that there
are no wrong answers. Virtually any device or option has a place in the
market. One device might be better suited to someone on a tight budget than
another. Different devices (decisions) have pros and cons. An option that
makes no sense on a million dollar boat that will rarely leave the dock,
might be a "must have" on a half million dollar boat that will be
circumnavigating. For instance, I would argue, with respect to
stabilization, that active stabilizers, paravanes, anti-roll tanks, and the
complete absence of stabilizers, are ALL valid options. Which is "the" best
solution for a particular buyer depends on the buyer, and what they plan to
do with the boat. As a group, we can probably outline what the options are,
and what the criteria are that someone might want to think about as they
choose "their perfect passagemaker."

 

I was thinking we could slice the pie something like:

 

Hull

-          Material

-          Type of hull (semi-displacement, displacement)

-          Aft pilot house, forward pilothouse

-          Narrow beam, wide beam

-          Etc

Propulsion

-          Twins vs singles

-          Get home options

-          Props (normal, feathering, hundestat)

-          Transmissions (normal, v-drives)

-          Etc

Interior

-          Sound proofing

-          Layout

Electronics

-          Options for internet (vsat, bgan, wifi, cellular, ocens, ssb,
etc)

-          Nav systems

-          Auto pilots

-          Radars

-          Sonar

-          Monitoring Systems

Watermakers

Electrical Systems

-          Shore power converters

-          Isolation transformers

-          Step up/down transformers

-          Grounding

-          Shore power cables

-          International power

-          Generators

Ground Tackle

-          Anchoring

Tenders

Misc

-          Licensing

-          Taxes

-          Davits

-          Fuel (polishing systems, bladders, ???)

-          Security systems

 

I only had a few minutes to think about this list, but suspect the group
could easily double it in size, and that each of us has good information
about each of these categories, and what the right option is at different
budgets, and cruising plans.

 

Were we to work this list in a organized manner, one system at a time,  I
suspect we would come out with something that would teach all of us a great
deal (via learning from others), plus be of tremendous benefit to newbies,
and even ourselves as we think about refitting our boats.

 

-Ken Williams

 <http://www.kensblog.com> www.kensblog.com

Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68