[PCW] Using versus having a boat

[Grahame Shannon]

I had a discussion yesterday with a marina operator. The marina has 200+
boats in Vancouver Harbor, also a good jumping of place for Alaska.
According to him, most of the powerboats, regardless of size, seldom leave
their slips.  They charge the same for dry-storage as for in water moorage
and it is becoming a popular option. No need to paint the bottom, reduced
maintenance. If you never go anywhere, and the boat isn't even in the water,
why do you have it? 

A partial answer comes from the owner of a gorgeous wooden powerboat moored
opposite my sailboat. He is on his boat more than I am, although it never
leaves the boathouse. He is always polishing, varnishing, and sometimes just
drinking beer in the cockpit. According to him, it is his summer cottage,
garden shed, and workshop all rolled into one, and the pleasure he gets from
those activities is what matters. He is an honest man.

My gut feeling is that the owners of most boats, both power and sail, have
them for their prestige value, and perhaps esthetic satisfaction, and only
secondarily for actual boating.  It seems to me that 40 years ago when I
started sailing there was great pleasure in planning a voyage, amassing the
guidebooks and charts needed, and talking with other boating people about
those plans. When we went to a new harbor back then, we always met people
from other boats, were invited aboard, often for dinner, but at least for
drinks, and we reciprocated. This happens much less often now, as it seems
those flat screen TVs and entertainment centers have largely replaced the
card games and social banter we used to enjoy back then.  Of course this
happened to land based society decades ago, but took longer on the water due
to the technical difficulties involved in providing TV reception, internet
etc. on board.  The future is here now, and I find it a lonely one.

We are sailing to Alaska this summer, and if previous experience is correct,
the number of swoopy fiberglass powerboats will decline rapidly as we head
north, and once past Port Hardy, we'll see mainly sailboats and trawler
style motorboats, and I hope, some power cats. It is easy to get into
lengthy discussions of which boat is best, how wide the side decks are, how
much headroom, etc.  The best boat for YOU is the one that gets you out on
the water, going places and doing things.


Kind Regards,
Grahame Shannon
2101 Philip Avenue
North Vancouver, BC V7P 2W5

-----Original Message-----
From: power-catamaran-bounces+designer=aviadesign.com at lists.samurai.com
[mailto:power-catamaran-bounces+designer=aviadesign.com at lists.samurai.com]
On Behalf Of Robert Deering
Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2008 8:15 AM
To: 'Power Catamaran List'
Subject: Re: [PCW] CS-42 power cat

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
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