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The lighthouse is a navigation aid that may warn
the sailor off a dangerous reef, or guide him to safe harbor.
Without a chart, and the ability to read it, the sailor knows
not which it is.
"The last I heard, the sea is still the sea."
-- Rudyard Kipling
Despite the fact that we have posted on our front page the notice stating
that we don't answer questions on what kind of boat to buy, every week
we still get numerous requests. Perhaps the most surprising thing is what
these letters tell us about how little so many boat buyers know about
boats.
A typical example is one where the writer lists a number of boats he's
considering, asking which on the list is the better quality boat.
The list may look something like this: Bayliner, Silverton, Luhrs,
Egg Harbor, all of the early 1980's vintage. Obviously, one of these is
the odd man out, but the inquirer isn't sufficiently informed to know
the difference. He's not even aware of the reputations, let alone any
facts.
About all we can say is that if you know so little about boats that you
can't distinguish good quality from poor quality, you probably shouldn't
be buying a boat. Its really that simple. There are over 60 essays on
this web site to help educate you, but apparently you either haven't read
them, or if you did, you were reading without comprehension.
The bottom line is, if you know so little about boats, but are determined
to buy one -- especially a larger one -- then you are either going to
educate yourself, or you are going to learn the hard way. Yet learning
the hard way is hardly the practical way when you propose to spend fifty
or a hundred thousand dollars or so.
These letters also tell us a lot about the nature of "consumerism"
(that wonderful word) these days. But it is an "ism" simply
by virtue of the fact that consumers apply a certain philosophy with respect
to things they purchase. To wit, they demand the right to be able to go
out and buy a very expensive product without discernment, apparently feeling
that the rule of caveat emptor has been repealed. It hasn't, but
modern mass production has simply made it too costly for major manufacturers
to make big mistakes these days. In modern manufacturing, production runs
typically run in the millions of units, and to make a mistake could be
disastrous.
Thus, the modern manufacturer's motive is less to turn out defect-free
products over concern for quality, but rather is motivated by the fear
of the cost of defective production runs. This has lead to a situation
in which consumers have come to expect all products to be defect-free.
It has also lead to consumers making large purchases without discernment
as to quality, simply because they are conditioned to expect it to be
right. And when small products are defective, its a simple matter to return
it for an exchange or refund. Try doing that with a boat and you're in
for an unpleasant surprise. Boat builders are not only reluctant to exchange
a defective product, many of them are reluctant to even make good on repairs.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to apply this "ism" to boats.
Boats are NOT mass produced; they are hand made items. They're not cranked
out by a computer programmed machine that's going to turn out the same
identical parts every time. No, no, no! They're made by human beings who
are turning out consistently DIFFERENT quality parts every time. Ergo,
boat quality is only as good as the builders dedication to quality, or
dedication to fast profit. Even Hatteras and Viking have turned out some
real clunkers.
Let me tell you about the days when the aerospace company, North American
Rockwell, owned Hatteras in the 1970's.. They couldn't even wire a 12
volt system right. But what did NAR know about boat building? Nothing.
Of course, when it comes to used boats, there's nothing to fall back
on at all. You either get it right the first time, or you're out of luck.
What you don't know about, and will never hear about, are the thousands
of people who buy junk boats, send tens of thousands of dollars down the
drain, and have no choice but to pass their problems on to some other
unsuspecting fool. The reason is that not many people are willing to admit
to making big mistakes. Show me a guy who is nearly bankrupted by his
crummy boat, and I'll show you a guy who runs around telling everyone
how wonderful it is. There's a lot of ego involved here.
True, judging the quality of boats is not easy, nor is the acquisition
of the knowledge that facilitates that ability. But its your choice.
You have no right buy a boat and expect it to be free of major
defects. None at all. You say the law gives you that right?
So what! Boat builders come and go with amazing frequency, a turn over
rate in excess of 50% every ten years. If you want to rely on consumer
laws, just think about trying to sue a bankrupt company. Not much
help, is it? Even Bertram, Blackfin and Egg Harbor have gone belly up.
Got a warranty claim? Sorry, Charley . . . . .
If you believe that large boats should be "affordable,"
then you are a victim of consumerism. Yachting is the rich mans sport.
The industry has changed the name to "recreational boating"
in order to increase the market. But good quality boats are not affordable,
and never will be. If you're going to buy an affordable boat, you might
as well buy an affordable airplane too. And cross your fingers.
We have endeavored to provide you with just about everything you need
to know to make an informed purchase decision on this web site. But its
up to you to educate yourself and learn how to discern what constitutes
good quality. And if you don't want to do that, you can always hire a
good surveyor as a consultant to do this leg work for you. But if you're
the sort who thinks he can take a short-cut by shooting an e-mail off
into cyberspace and get all the right answers, you're sadly mistaken.
There are no short-cuts to self-knowledge. Wisdom always comes at a price,
whether you pay for it, or acquire it yourself.
Life is a beach. But they don't mention what its like stepping on a Portuguese
man-o-war or getting a sunburn. Both sting.
And there is no such thing as an affordable boat.
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