Shortwave Sportfishing wrote:
On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 14:58:40 -0600, Skipper wrote:

Select at random 10 pre 1990 East Coast boats and 10 West Coast boats of
similar vintage. Notice how invariably the East Coast boats are more
dilapidated, age stained and grungy. Line them up and realize you can
pretty well determine the East Coast boats from the West Coast boats by
condition alone. Why is this so?

A- The best boat architects are on the West Coast.
B- Most East Coasters simply don't know how to care for their boats.
C- The best built boats are from the West Coast.
D- East Coasters must contend with horrible boating conditions.
E- All of the above.

quite beyond the fact that this is an obvious troll, the simple truth
is that east coast designed boats are much tougher, more pleasing
lines and dont look like ersatz trawlers or tug boats.

id put a davis design, or a zimmerman, or hinckley or just about any
other east coast design up against those tubs you pretend are
-cruisers- anyday, including those horrible riding barge boat
catamarans that chuck is particularly fond of.

no offense meant chuck - i know you have a job to do. :)

and by the way, i really enjoyed the past issue of or'westin - very
informative.

Thanks for the kind remark about the magazine. We hit 180 pages this
issue, probably the thickest in our 41 year history. Glad you found
something informative in there.

Horrible riding catamarans? Been out on one? I think the ride is one of
their top attributes, at least in our local waters where a moderate but
steep chop seems to be an ever present reality. I know that tales of
running into head seas at full (and reltively fast) cruising speed with
no sign of splashing, slamming, or water on the foredeck sound
incredible- but I've been there, done that, and wrote the T-shirt.

But fear not- I'm just now taking a quick break from a write up about
the new Meridian 391. Went out for a short cruise this morning. I've
got to finish this afternoon because the Canadian magazine goes to
press this weekend, but I'll soon have a report about a good ol'
traditional monohull for everybody to pick apart, cuss, and discuss. :-)