T&T: Digging a hole in the water

[C. Marin Faure]

 >So... what manufacturers have earned a reputation for building  
solid boats?

The problem with this question is that everyone will swear that the  
boat they have should be on the list, so you'll end up with a list  
that is as long as the list of all boat manufacturers, past and  
present :-)

But you asked, so here are my opinions based solely on the limited  
boating experience and exposure we have had.  Understanding that an  
owner can make a bad boat out of a good one, manufacturers with  
consistent high quality are (in random order) American Marine/Grand  
Banks, Hatteras, Nordhavn, Willard, Krogen (sort of), Fleming (sort  
of), Tollycraft, Nordic Tug, American Tug, Victory Tug (Lord Nelson),  
Camano Troll (Canadian), and Commander (Canadian).

Boat brands that, from what I have either observed or read, have  
inconsistent quality in at least their older models are Bayliner,  
CHB, Puget Trawler, Californian, Albin, and many of the other so- 
called "Taiwan trawlers."

Three boats that seem to have very good reputations--- but I say this  
only because of things I've read and the occasional comments I have  
heard--- are Ocean Alexander, DeFever, and Island Gypsy.

Some qualifiers:  I have heard--- not experienced--- that some Krogen  
boats can develop problems with their cored construction and that  
there are quality issues with some of the earlier boats.  The one new  
Krogen I had a chance to observe because we were on the dealer's dock  
next to it for awhile had a LOT of warranty and quality issues that  
had to be dealt with before the owners would accept it.  This was in  
1998.  That said, the Krogen design is one of our favorites, along  
with the Victory Tug.  We'd love to have either one of them.

I have also been told by someone in a position to know because he's  
worked on a lot of them that earlier Flemings can be less-than-ideal  
in terms of quality.

The quality inconsistency with some of the so-called Taiwan-trawlers  
stems from the manufacturing process in use at the time (I don't know  
if it's still done this way).  The hulls would be molded by the  
parent company and then sent to smaller, family-owned boatyards for  
completion.  So the quality of the rest of the boat was dependent  
upon the practices followed by the yard that completed the boat.   
Some yards did a great job, some cut corners, usually in the quality  
of the materials that they used.  So where one yard might use good- 
quality marine ply as stiffeners for the fiberglass cabin sides,  
another yard might use old bits of packing crates and pallets.  You  
can't see the difference, but if a window starts to leak and that  
wood inside the cabin wall gets wet, guess which one will rot out  
first?  Because of this, CHB34 #504 might be a very sound boat where  
CHB34 #505 might have soft cabin sides and other problems (I made  
those hull numbers up).  This does NOT mean that Taiwan trawlers  
should be avoided, but if you find one that fits your requirements to  
a T, you should have it very thoroughly surveyed (something you  
should do anyway-- never forget that an owner can make a very bad  
boat out of a very good one).

American Marine/Grand Banks:   American Marine was the company which  
in 1966 introduced the first Grand Banks model, the GB36.  Their  
original wood-boat yard was in Kowloon across from Hong Kong.  They  
also made Alaskans and for a short time a fast boat called a Laguna  
(very similar to the company's current Eastbay model).  Grand Banks  
were made of wood until 1973 when the various models were gradually  
switched to fiberglass construction even though the design and  
appearance didn't change (much).  The first models to be switched to  
fiberglass in 1973 were the GB36 and GB42. So you'll see both wood  
and fiberglass GB36s and GB42s from 1973.  All the fiberglass Grand  
Banks were made in their then-new yard in Singapore.  In about 1988,  
they made all-new molds for the GB36 and GB42, and each model got a  
little longer, a little wider, and a little taller.  As a result, the  
post-'88 36' and 42' boats have a little more interior volume, which  
paid off in terms of headroom, the ability to incorporate a separate  
shower stall in the GB36 PLUS add shower capability to the forward  
head, and so on.

The tremendous popularity of the Grand Banks models, from 32' to  
52' (I don't count the three 66-footers they made a few years ago)  
pretty much eclipsed the American Marine name as everyone simply  
referred to the company and the boats as "Grand Banks."  The company  
finally said the hell with it and changed its name to "Grand Banks  
Yachts" a few years ago.  But it's been the same company all along.

David Pascoe:  I have read a number of his articles (but not his  
book) and I think what he has to say on various subjects is well  
worth reading, based as it is on his impressive experience.   
However.... he has very strong opinions, some of which run counter to  
reality.  So the fact that Pascoe may be "down" on a particular kind  
of boat or engine or whatever I don't think automatically means that  
kind of boat, engine, or whatever is crap.  It might be, but what he  
says is just one person's opinion and should be taken that way.  It's  
good stuff to be exposed to and you'll learn a lot, but it's not gospel.

There are a lot of good boats out there.  I tend to think of boat- 
buying the same way I think of computer-buying.  First figure out  
what you want to do with it, then buy the hardware that will do that  
the best.  Coastal cruising, ocean cruising, river cruising, lake  
cruising, east coast, west coast, Pacific Northwest, Gulf, lots of  
guests, no guests, seasonal use, year round use, etc.  What do you  
want to do and how do you want to do it?  Then find out what kinds of  
boat designs are best suited for this kind of use.  And THEN find out  
what manufacturers made/make boats that incorporate the design  
features you want.  For example, a Grand Banks is great for coastal  
cruising, particularly on protected or semi-protected waters like  
what we have in the Pacific Northwest and up the Inside Passage  
through BC and SE Alaska.  It's why there are so many GBs out here.   
But--in my and our insurance company's opinions-- it's a lousy boat  
for open-ocean cruising if for no other reason than the number and  
size of the windows.  You want to go offshore?  Start thinking about  
Nordhavns.

So define the use first and then fit the boat to match the use.  And  
have fun all the way through the process.  That, after all, is the  
whole idea behind boating in the first place.


____________________
C. Marin Faure
GB36-403 "La Perouse"
Bellingham, Washington