[PCW] CS-42 power cat

[Robert Deering]

Henry,

I was at the Seattle Boat Show a few weeks ago.  Hadn't been there in quite
a few years and was amazed at how large it had become.  The show was packed
with hundreds of 'sleek & stylish' monohulls - very shiny with lots of
curves.

While looking at these boats it struck me that I almost NEVER see these
stylish creations up here in SE Alaska.  For many boaters, spending a summer
exploring the Inside Passage is a lifelong dream.  And Seattle is the
obvious starting point for such a journey - any reasonably seaworthy boat
can make the trip from Seattle.  Based on the number of these boats on
display, and the number tied up in the Seattle harbors, it's obvious that a
lot of people lay down many hundreds of thousands to own them.  So why
aren't they using these boats to explore the world-class waters just to the
north of them?

I've concluded that the people who buy these boats have entirely different
objectives than to actually use them to GO anywhere.  I'm not sure entirely
what those objectives are, but for this crowd it appears that swoopy curves
and stylish lines coupled with lots of onboard amenities such as big plasma
screen TV's, hot tubs on the aft deck, high-end domestic appliances, and
white carpeting (on a boat??) are the "killer apps".  So when you talk about
mundane practical considerations such as fuel economy, range, stability,
etc., you're missing the point.  These aren't the salient features for this
buying crowd.  Hey, to each their own.  

What's needed in the power cat market is a builder to focus entirely on
aesthetics while ignoring performance.  That builder will doubtless sell
hundreds of boats...

Bob Deering
Juneau, Alaska