Boat Wars...

I was sitting in my boat last night getting ready for a trip to Powell, getting stuff ready and whatnot. Anyway, I started to this about some of the posts I have been reading, posting on the past few days and chuckled to myself.

Like the sun coming up….WW gets a This vs That post here…. Soon after, there is a load of owners with “ownership goggles” who come in with guns firing away. Some of them usually brought into the mix by a young man who blasts in with some inflammatory comment about your 40-50-60 K boat…..

It is hard to believe that a SAN is better than a VLX, that is better than an X-2, which is better than a SSV, which everyone knows is better than a 22V…bla…bla…bla. I read what seems like the craziest stuff to justify why one boat is better than the other…. Space, storage, seating, vertical wake, ramp wake, playpen seating, “best fit and finish.”

It would be easier for Dave to just add a place on the front page where Supra owners tell everyone why there boat is far superior to all the other boats out there for the money. Or Mastercraft/Correct Owners tell that they are king of the hill and there is no substitute. Then we can get Malibu owners laugh at everyone for wasting their money when they could have had a ‘Bu….. I am sure Tige owners will then pipe in with the fact that they have a huge boat to go along with a huge wake…..with no lip Joe & Doug… Then Sanger owners will come from behind as the darkhorse and tell of their…. Centurion is coming on strong….and feels left out.

………likely you would hear about hulls that have not changed for 20 years….and wedges that sheer off, clamshell seats, wakes that do this, that and the other, lack of ballast, pump issues, sacks vs tanks, gelcoat problems, vinyl that doesn’t hold up or it too stiff, resell issues, wood, my dad can beat up your dad…..

I would like to think that every person has a boat that comes close to being a perfect fit for them. Even more so than that, I would like to think that there is a dealer out there that someone thinks is such a quality shop, that they feel buying a boat from them is going to make their experience that much better.

I own a boat and cannot ever remember posting that it is superior to any boat out there, other than my Cobalt that I got rid of…. Note, my wife will not agree that it is even superior to the Cobalt and I think it is only better at its purpose, being a towboat. I would have been happy to purchase any top end V drive on the market. I looked through all of them for the previous 2 years before making my purchase. Though I am an educated man(to steal a line from Jack in “A Few Good Men”) I cannot speak intelligently about which boat is best. I ended up with my boat because the dealer who sold me the Cobalt also sells the boat I ended up with. From top to bottom the place is solid as a rock and thus it was comfortable. The boat was no better or worse than an X-2 or VLX....or….or….

In my opinion, the biggest questions when you have narrowed a relative price range are great dealer? Better than average price? Not least expensive boat, but getting a better than average deal, on the boat you buy….. Everything else…well….unless you are going out with 10 people everyday, is a tradeoff…. If you are going out with 10 people every trip…. God bless you, you are a Saint….

As I am typing this I understand that there are people out there who are going to reply, don’t read the posts then, which I guess works…. And what all this means….I don’t know. And now that I think about it….how else would I kill all this time at work…

E.J.

You said it.

The best boat in the world is the one you buy. If it is not the best boat in the world, you bough the wrong boat.

Notice I never said what brand is the best, because it does not matter. Everybody has their reason for buying tha brand, and that makes it the best.

I would rather be on the water in a bayliner than sitting on the dock.

Wow, if I was getting ready to go to Powell, I am pretty sure there would only be one thought in my mind, of all the Glass I was about to tear up.

I am jealous.... Have Fun!!!

I think Dave needs to post this on the front page!

Well put E.J.

Good Post E.J.

E.J. Greta post. I guess everybody thinks their boat is the best available because if it were not then they would have to admit to a dumb purchase and a waste of $5000 to $60000. I don't know wanybody that would say they bought the 2nd or 3rd best boat. The key is this. Your boat is the best - for you - and let's leave it at that. Happy Boarding E.J.

E.J.

Good luck with anyone reading, much less comprehending what was said.

If someone asks a pointed question, I will try to answer with facts.

My stock answer for the "best boat" is and always has been, "the one your blessed enough to be behind."


(Message edited by dfish on May 24, 2004)

Yes Dan, the post is a bit convoluted and has numerous errors, which seems to go against my statement of being educated. That said, I would guess most people will get the gist of it.

As far as good luck with people reading it…. I don’t know what to say, I am not trying to win a contest or anything….just killing a little time on Monday morning.

E.J.

Great post!

So anyway, getting back to my 22V... :-)

EJ, Nice tige banner in your profile pic.

Indeed, We are all very fortunate to have any boat at all.

EJ, I agree one hundred percent!

Powell's going to be a bit chilly this early in the season, ain't it?

Yes...my dealer also sells Tige.

Matt, we will be on the Wahweap side & I'm guessing that water temps will be above 65, air in the high 80's. Just crossing my fingers that we don't get a BIG Springtime storm. Houseboat is there if things get a bit chilly at night or a storm rolls in.

E.J.

...or if you get drunk and need to pass out somewhere?

EJ, you are right on as far as the temps go - Mead is up to 70-72 degrees and Powell always seems to be just 5-7 degrees behind.

It's been a bit windy lately, but I bet you can find protected coves at Powell better than I could find at Mead Saturday. (The whitecaps were only 18" tall or so - kind of hard to wakeboard in that.

The issue is finding the fine line between having pride of ownership, and realizing that not everyone else shares your point of view. I agree with the above post, however, I have been proud to have been able to upgrade my own boat to one more suited to my skills and abilities. One can certainly agree, that there is no such thing as one boat for all people. If that were possible, we would all vote for John Kerry.

By the way...shouldn't you be working?

holly bajesus a Kerry Boat. Everybody in the boat can drive that one without a wheel. Imagine that everybodys boat would look the same the rich had to pay for them. holly bajesus !!!!

Which is why I asked him if he was working...so his taxes can pay for my new boat ;)

EJ, great post. As far as boat wars go, you're right, you're exactly right, it's not about what kind of boat you have, but that you have a boat at all. We absolutely LOOOOOVE our little I/O. My family counseling advice has always been . . . buy a boat. There's nothing much better to bring your family together and strengthen familial bonds.
BTW, we're hittin Powell this weekend as well. Launching with a houseboat out of Wahweap on Friday, staying til next Thursday. If you see our houseboat, name is "Grand Reflection", stop by for an adult beverage, beverage, capri sun, or water.

Brad,

We are also launching out of Wahweap....I wish I could explain the houseboat we will be on, but since Thursday will be the first time I see it....I am of no help.

I will look for the Grand Reflection and would love to stop in for a adult beverage... So if you see the boat in my profile towards the Grand Reflection....dont shoot!!!!

E.J.

Well put EJ! When I first came to this board, it was to do research for my first boat purchase. I was overwhelmed with the amount of "mine is better, no mine is better" in the forums. Although, I did find a lot of useful info.

i like yellow boats, and black ones too, oh, and blue, and, reds good for me too, i really like green and orange, oooh, silver is good to. the best boat is that one with the ballast, you know, its got that tower, and the motor is in it, and i seats between 3 and18 people, you know, that one?

EJ, its a deal, we won't mistake you for a pirate.

I agree 100% E.J. You know the funny thing about most of the really negative posts are that alot of them are from people who are under 22 years of age. That means that they aren't even buying the boat, their dad is buying it for them. Everyone has a right to their opinion but I find it hard to take the advise of someone who does not have to work and pay for the boat. When you have a family and have to work and pay for it, there is alot more involved in the purchase of a boat. The truth of the matter is most of the arguments are just brand loyalty or they want to feel really good about spending 70k on their new boat. Me personally, I work to hard to spend 60-70 on a boat.

EJ,

Sweet boat there. They must pay social workers a whole lot more than they do in AZ to be able to get such a nice boat.