What our boats say about us

Dougcole · Jul 24, 2012

So, we are in the market for a new (to us) boat, or will be as soon as we get our old one sold.

Problem is, I don't know exactly what I want to buy, a unique situation for me as I've always had my eye on my next boat before I sold my old one. Heck, most of the time wanting my next boat was WHY I sold my old one.

Now though, I'm confused. We have loved our old Gulfstar, but we want something a little faster, a little bigger and newer. Has to have 2 cabins, has to have twins, has to have a flybridge, has to have a liveable galley, has to be salon style with a cockpit. We can spend around $200,000.

The boat that fits this bill is the Mainship 400. We like the layout, etc. But I have heard so many bad things about Mainship's quality that I have always turned my nose up at them. No offense to any Mainship owners out there....heck we may buy one. I guess I just don't like what people SAY about them.

That got me to thinking, why does that matter?

I think boats put us into tribes. Most of us here are members of the "older classic trawler tribe" a bleach jug like a rivera or a Bayliner might do really well what we use our boats for, but most of us wouldn't be caught dead in one.

There is also the sailboat tribe, the sportfish tribe (my brother is one of those, and even thoguh I fished professionally for 15 years I don't see myself there). The cat tribe, etc. etc.

We have always taken pride in our boat and what it says about us, or at least what we THINK it says about us. Boats speak to our hearts, there is no logical reason to own one.

The problem is, how do we meet our expectations of who we are, and meet our needs in a boat.

For me, a 42' Sabre flybridge is the perfect boat, I just can't afford one.

Then again, maybe I am just a shallow person.

G DUb · Jul 24, 2012

When I purchase my old girl (Sangria Nites) I had no idea as to what I wanted. I looked at Grand Banks and fell in love with the nostalgia of the teak and old world feel. It was my plan to spend around 150k and buy in the 40’+ range. I looked on line and went to see several and while I was a Kemah Boardwalk I saw an old dilapidating Gulfstar 43 and fell head over hills in love. Did not see her for what she was but what she could be….. Now she has new Teak throughout, engines are in top notch shape and looks great.
so I guess what I am saying is for me my plan and what I connected to were nowhere in the same ballpark.

psneeld · Jul 24, 2012

Dougcole said:
So, we are in the market for a new (to us) boat, or will be as soon as we get our old one sold.

Problem is, I don't know exactly what I want to buy, a unique situation for me as I've always had my eye on my next boat before I sold my old one. Heck, most of the time wanting my next boat was WHY I sold my old one.

Now though, I'm confused. We have loved our old Gulfstar, but we want something a little faster, a little bigger and newer. Has to have 2 cabins, has to have twins, has to have a flybridge, has to have a liveable galley, has to be salon style with a cockpit. We can spend around $200,000.

The boat that fits this bill is the Mainship 400. We like the layout, etc. But I have heard so many bad things about Mainship's quality that I have always turned my nose up at them. No offense to any Mainship owners out there....heck we may buy one. I guess I just don't like what people SAY about them.

That got me to thinking, why does that matter?

I think boats put us into tribes. Most of us here are members of the "older classic trawler tribe" a bleach jug like a rivera or a Bayliner might do really well what we use our boats for, but most of us wouldn't be caught dead in one.

There is also the sailboat tribe, the sportfish tribe (my brother is one of those, and even thoguh I fished professionally for 15 years I don't see myself there). The cat tribe, etc. etc.

We have always taken pride in our boat and what it says about us, or at least what we THINK it says about us. Boats speak to our hearts, there is no logical reason to own one.

The problem is, how do we meet our expectations of who we are, and meet our needs in a boat.

For me, a 42' Sabre flybridge is the perfect boat, I just can't afford one.

Then again, maybe I am just a shallow person.

Some of us are past that....we bought what we bought because we have been far enough around the block to know what will work for our needs, budget and yes partly our hearts.... but for me my heart was DEAD LAST. Many boats that people describe as butt ugly don't phase me in the slightest...if I thought they would have done the job at the right price...what do I care???

Yes for some that is important..for other's it isn't. I know there is no perfect boat out there...just like there is no perfect marina, anchorage, weather....etc..etc...hopefully whatever you drive, wherever you are, whatever you think is making you happy...it sure isn't gonna just be a hull.

Marin · Jul 24, 2012

As I've said in other threads, the boat is every bit as important to me as the experience. Even if we were to have the most amazing experience on the planet out boating, it would not be quite as amazing if we were having it in a boat that didn't meet our aesthetic requirements. I'm not a form-follows-function person when it comes to things like cars or boats (or planes for that matter).

While GB is not our favorite design, it comes closer than anything else for the money we had earmarked for a boat purchase 14 years ago. Were we buying a boat today, our choice would be different but it would still meet our aesthetic requirements as much as being suited for what we want to do with it.

In the recent Manatee thread I could not fault all the benefits the fans of that boat listed--- great use of space, high "liveablitly," and so on. But I would be embarrased to be seen driving one. No one else (other than my wife) would care, but I would and that's what counts. I feel pretty much the same about what I call the "cabin cruiser" boats---- Tollycraft, Uniflite, Carver, Californian, Hatteras, etc., etc., etc. They just don't look like what I think boats should loook like regardless of how well they're built, appointed, and so on.

The picture below is pretty much my favorite boat right now. In fact we hope to charter it next year (with its crew). While I would not want the tremendous upkeep a vessel like this requires, and while it is considerably larger than what we want or need, to me the Gikumi embodies everything I like in a boat design. Anything less is a compromise, and I'm not much on compromises when it comes to designs.

Dougcole · Jul 24, 2012

Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder, or so they say. While I don't think the sole reason or perhaps even the main reason to buy a boat is because you like how it looks, I do think it is a factor for most people. It is for me, anyway.

If it weren't for this would "trawlers" sell at all?

skipperdude · Jul 24, 2012

I don't know if I cvould sell my boat.
I have just about built it myself. It was just a hull when I got her.

I sometimes think I would like the perfect boat but I have no idea what that would be.
Mine is perfect for me and where and how I use it.

As My wife is wheel chair bound she is unable to go with me.
She doesn't stop me from using my boat.

She is an old boat and nothing works on her but me.

Sd

Phil Fill · Jul 24, 2012

My wife found and liked/wanted the Eagle, surveyed well, price was 50% of our budget, financing and insurance was approved, so we bought it. We did not know what it was or what we were buying, except it was big and made a great dock condo on Lake Union down town Seattle. :socool:

Nomad Willy · Jul 24, 2012

Skip,
Well put. I've got a lot in Willy and feel much the same. Not the perfect boat and I went looking but just couldn't move away from her. A lot of it was the cost of moorage down here.
Marin and psneeld seem to be extremes But many yacht owners choose and buy their boat for how well it would fit them into a certain "tribe". The OP Dougcole expresses himself well and his thread name suggests that why we buy the boat we do is a very pretentious undertaking w a very specific mission. Few if any of us would probably admit our guilt but many (or even most in some places) buy yachts mostly for that reason. If we were the last persons on earth and ther'e were lots of boats and fuel to use what boats would we mostly use .... if any. I don't think most of us know how much of our boat buying decisions are pretentious or serving our boating needs exclusively. I'm sure some of my needs are a bit pretentious in that I probably want people to perceive of me as a self taught and objective thinking person prone to go my own way for reasons from within and not subject to fads or trends not based on objective and practical reasoning. I know I'd like my boat to say such things about me but I can't conceive of myself spending $50K to accomplish that is something I would actually do. So I'm not going to admit to pretentious spending re my boat to any significant degree and anyone here who cares much about what other people think probably won't admit to pretentiousness either. One could come close to the truth about oneself by taking stock of their past. We can all learn at least a bit by looking in the mirror.

jleonard · Jul 24, 2012

I owned an old Mainship, a 1978, and I know many many Mainship owners. I still am a member in the local owner's group as we have many frinds there.
I agree that the quality is not the best, but all in all they are good boats. You should not be embarrassed to own one.
They all have their "quirks", just join the owner's group in Yahoo and find out from current and past owners what the isues are and factor that in to your decision.

Woodsong · Jul 24, 2012

I for one, truly and honestly hope I am never found dead aboard a bayliner- that would NOT be a good day whatsoever in the earthly sense.

BaltimoreLurker · Jul 24, 2012

skipperdude said:
She is an old boat and nothing works on her but me.

Sd

Amen, brother!

skipperdude · Jul 24, 2012

Woodsong said:
I for one, truly and honestly hope I am never found dead aboard a bayliner- that would NOT be a good day whatsoever in the earthly sense.

So where could we find you on a good day?

SD

Dougcole · Jul 24, 2012

I told my brother the other day that a sportfish is mostly just a way to impress people who are pretending to be your friends while quickly diminishing your personal net worth.

That got me thinking about what MY boat is, and what it says about me.

Dougcole · Jul 24, 2012

jleonard said:
I owned an old Mainship, a 1978, and I know many many Mainship owners. I still am a member in the local owner's group as we have many frinds there.
I agree that the quality is not the best, but all in all they are good boats. You should not be embarrassed to own one.
They all have their "quirks", just join the owner's group in Yahoo and find out from current and past owners what the isues are and factor that in to your decision.

We may very well go down that route, we are certainly going to look very closely at a few. You know, the engines and the systems are mostly the same, a yanmar is a yanmar whether it is in a Mainship or a Hinkley. Same is true mostly about fridges, heads, pumps, fuel filters, wire, panels the list goes on and one. And our budget puts us in a super clean mid to late 2000's mainship 40, as opposed to other brands that may be 10 years older for the same price. I'm not so sure that doesn't swing the pendulum in the end.

Dougcole · Jul 24, 2012

manyboats said:
Skip,
Well put. I've got a lot in Willy and feel much the same. Not the perfect boat and I went looking but just couldn't move away from her. A lot of it was the cost of moorage down here.
Marin and psneeld seem to be extremes But many yacht owners choose and buy their boat for how well it would fit them into a certain "tribe". The OP Dougcole expresses himself well and his thread name suggests that why we buy the boat we do is a very pretentious undertaking w a very specific mission. Few if any of us would probably admit our guilt but many (or even most in some places) buy yachts mostly for that reason. If we were the last persons on earth and ther'e were lots of boats and fuel to use what boats would we mostly use .... if any. I don't think most of us know how much of our boat buying decisions are pretentious or serving our boating needs exclusively. I'm sure some of my needs are a bit pretentious in that I probably want people to perceive of me as a self taught and objective thinking person prone to go my own way for reasons from within and not subject to fads or trends not based on objective and practical reasoning. I know I'd like my boat to say such things about me but I can't conceive of myself spending $50K to accomplish that is something I would actually do. So I'm not going to admit to pretentious spending re my boat to any significant degree and anyone here who cares much about what other people think probably won't admit to pretentiousness either. One could come close to the truth about oneself by taking stock of their past. We can all learn at least a bit by looking in the mirror.

"One could come close to the truth about oneself by taking stock of their past"
I really like that. Very nicely said.

ksanders · Jul 24, 2012

Well, I'm in the wouldn't be caught dead in a bleach bottle Bayliner tribe. :blush:

I've always picked my boats not based on a tribe or impressing someone at the dock. They've been picked with an eye on functionality. Beauty grows from that functionality.

For us its simple. What do I want the new boat to do that the old boat wouldn't do?

So here's a photo of my Bayliner bleach bottle. Take away the name for a moment and just look at the boat. What do you see?

Well... I see a pilothouse design (for a nice weather protected dedicated place to pilot the boat from)

I see a large boat deck with skiff storage and lots of room for entertainment, along with a helm station for nice days

I see a covered cockpit (to protect us from the rain)

Inside I see a full width salon, a large galley, three staterooms, and two full bathrooms.

I see a stable coastal cruiser that can make open ocean crossings up to 400NM safely.

I see a boat that I could cruise to Alaska (done that twice), cruise the coast to Mexico (planning that). Cruise the carribean (another plan), or the great loop (the plan of all plans)

Others might see a bleach bottle and "not be caught dead in one" I see a lifetime of adventures waiting to happen.

Woodsong · Jul 24, 2012

Kevin,
Are you serious? You own a bayliner? Holy cow- who on earth let you on this forum?!!!

Bendit · Jul 24, 2012

I'm 6'6" tall and worked out that to get full head-room in a OK looking boat, we needed a 50' er. The only way we could afford this was to do a conversion on a commercial boat. We went over budget by 30% which I thought wasn't too bad, but the Admiral still likes to remind me every so often - 8 years later!
It has turned out to be all we want in a boat - apart from a Fleming 55... or a Selene 53...or a Nordhavn 57...or a ....

Steve · Jul 24, 2012

I am happy with my Monk 36, not much teak on her but a toothpick would be too much for me.
One of our cruising buddies has a Mainship 43, he is very happy with it I have spent a weekend onboard thought it was very nice.
Steve W

johnma · Jul 24, 2012

We bought our 390 Mainship 5 years ago and would not hesitate to buy another. It's a middle of the road boat, but i think it looks great. It's easy to maintain without exposed teak (but the inside is all teak), great covered cockpit with molded in steps to the bridge. Everything works and nothing leaks.. My last two boats were Bayliners and i thought they were pretty good also. I once went to a boat show and a salesman from another boat company asked me what i was in the market for. i told him we were looking at Bayliners. He said they were the Chevy of boats. that sold me. The best car i ever owned was a chevy and the worst car I ever owned was a Porsche. It looked nice, every one admired it wherever I went but it spent at least 1 week out of every 4 in the shop. i bought that Chevy so I could get to work!
John
proud owner of a 2003 Mainship 390

refugio · Jul 24, 2012

I don't know what tribe I belong to - except that every boat I've owned has had a single engine (except a CDory 22 with twins I sold earlier this year). Sail, power, displacement, planing, steel, wood, frozen snot (aka fiberglass), and now cement.

My wife, however, has only given me approval to buy a Hinckley or a Fleming - she was impressed with a large Nordhavn but it didn't feel like "her kind of boat"! In case you hadn't already guessed, I'm not likely to be getting another boat in this lifetime...

refugio · Jul 24, 2012

I'll tell you one are where I'm a snob - basic seamanship. You can have the nicest boat in the harbor but if your cleat hitch looks like a dog's breakfast, I'm going to find it hard to even look you in the face.

psneeld · Jul 24, 2012

refugio said:
I'll tell you one are where I'm a snob - basic seamanship. You can have the nicest boat in the harbor but if your cleat hitch looks like a dog's breakfast, I'm going to find it hard to even look you in the face.

Totally agree...especially right after the guy tells you how he's been boating his whole life!!

Dougcole · Jul 24, 2012

My wife and I were saying this exact same thing just the other night. It is a good feeling to have someone compliment you on your boat (no matter how utilitarian you think it is) but it feels better to have someone compliment you on your docking.

markpierce · Jul 24, 2012

Most every time I'm on the boat in the marina (like today), passerbys on the dock say they like the looks of my boat. In fact, week or so ago the mechanic who fixed my propeller shaft was all excited for the opportunity to come aboard when I visited the boatyard to arrange the fix.

While the boat's appearance appeals to me (and able to choose its color scheme), it wasn't the top priority in selecting the Coot. Single-engined, keel-protected prop and rudder, 360-degree deck and pilothouse visibility, etcetera were higher priorities.

Northern Spy · Jul 24, 2012

Dougcole said:
Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder, or so they say. While I don't think the sole reason or perhaps even the main reason to buy a boat is because you like how it looks, I do think it is a factor for most people.

Been to a marina lately? They are chock full of ugly boats. I'll admit that I am a boat snob. Cars and trucks look "right" with the proper "stance". Boats look "right" with a proper sheer line. Poor cabin lines can ruin a pretty hull, but nothing can make an ugly sheerline look good.

I would venture that many trawler owners are a bit of anachronists; and I'm not talking about the silly people who dress up in chain mail and play swords in the park on Sunday afternoons. I mean pragmatic, Keep It Simple Stupid, form follows function, if it ain't broke don't fix it type of people.

On that note, I have to say that Nordic Tugs look downright silly and cliche with the faux stack; Spy's is removed and stored in my shed at home. I've had many people tell me that I have the nicest looking fishboat conversion that they've ever seen. To me, that is a high compliment to Lynn Seynour, the designer.

Dougcole · Jul 24, 2012

Northern Spy said:
Been to a marina lately? They are chock full of ugly boats. I'll admit that I am a boat snob. Cars and trucks look "right" with the proper "stance". Boats look "right" with a proper sheer line. Poor cabin lines can ruin a pretty hull, but nothing can make an ugly sheerline look good.

I would venture that many trawler owners are a bit of anachronists; and I'm not talking about the silly people who dress up in chain mail and play swords in the park on Sunday afternoons. I mean pragmatic, Keep It Simple Stupid, form follows function, if it ain't broke don't fix it type of people.

On that note, I have to say that Nordic Tugs look downright silly and cliche with the faux stack; Spy's is removed and stored in my shed at home. I've had many people tell me that I have the nicest looking fishboat conversion that they've ever seen. To me, that is a high compliment to Lynn Seynour, the designer.

We agree on that. A sheer line should be higher at the bow than the middle. I've never seen a reverse sheer boat I thought was attractive.

Budds Outlet · Jul 25, 2012

Dougcole said:
My wife and I were saying this exact same thing just the other night. It is a good feeling to have someone compliment you on your boat (no matter how utilitarian you think it is) but it feels better to have someone compliment you on your docking.

Right on! One of the highlights of my relationship with Budds Outlet was the day I was having her hauled and as I brought her up to a rather short empty spot at the dock I used some smooth manuvers I'd been taught to settle her just right against the dock. A couple of the yard guys had come to help dock her and they just stood there and said ' you sure didn't need us here." Yeah, but I sure did like having them there to see it.

I don't have a clue what I'm trying to project with my selection of boats. I am already in love with our next boat and it's nothing like Budds Outlet. It is a "cabin cruiser" as Marin calls them and to me it represents in looks and utility everything I want our little ship to project. I'm in love with her lines.

I'm sure I care what other people think but I must not get too hung up on it. I'm the guy in the Meyers-Briggs exercises that is off standing in one corner of the room by himself (really, it has happed to me). I'm just real fortunate to have an Admiral who has stood by me 42 years and likes the same thing in boats that I do. Her only issue is that I'm not buying that bigger boat fast enough for her.

twiisted71 · Jul 25, 2012

Boat shopping can do some strange things to you. Several years ago we were in the market for a liveaboard (situation changed before we got one) and we went to a shipyard in Marathon FL Keys. To this day I can't for the life of me remember what boat we went to see. What I do remember is that it was one of the very first boat hunting expeditions we went on for a boat that size (40-44'). Well the boat we went to see like 99% of them didn't even come close to what we actually wanted. The savvy broker said "Wellllllll, I do have another boat you might want to look at". It ruined our boat shopping mindset for atleast a couple of months! We wanted a nice slow, heavy, thrifty, full-keel trawler. The link below is the boat he showed us!! It is still for sale atleast 3 years now (probably closer to 4+)! It still sticks out in my mind as one of those Oh wow boats and if it hadn't been for the monster engines I think we'd have made an offer. Back then it was a touch under $200K, its owner was supposedly the west marine owner/manager's and he had relocated out to the west coast. This boat wasn't perfect but as I say it did stick out in our minds strongly enough that we kept comparing everything we saw to it and to get into a trawler that had that same feeling was in the $250K and up bracket and even then they didn't have nearly as much space. I can't speak to the quality of these boats, but if you have the opportunity, check out one. Its in the link below

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...rency=USD&access=Public&listing_id=76035&url=

D'oh missed that part about the cockpit. This may not appeal to you at all then.

FF · Jul 25, 2012

"Most of us here are members of the "older classic trawler tribe" a bleach jug like a rivera or a Bayliner might do really well what we use our boats for, but most of us wouldn't be caught dead in one."

So you are willing to pay 500% to 2500% more for a boat that will offer the same water pleasures , so you can strut the dock ?

WOW!

What our boats say about us

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