Hmm... we don't have any other Europeans in this group? :-/

Some more notes on boating in Finland follows...

We have LOTS of boatable water where our population is concentrated in.
Have a look at
http://tinyurl.com/hxs44 . So no wonder boating is a part of our
history and everyday leisure. There are almost 1 million boats in
Finland but only 5 million people!

I have a catalogue/buyer's guide which lists "all" boats sold in
Finland - 1730 different models. For power boats, the vast majority
are domestic brands. There are also several brands from the US
(Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Caravelle, Formula, Fountain, Monterey,
Rinker, Sea Ray, Stingray) and Italy. A few from others, mostly
different European countries. I think US built cruisers at least are
somewhat popular - one can see quite a few of those in downtown
Helsinki, even ones over 30 feet.

It's interesting to note how the pleasure boat markets change over
time. Like the ebbing popularity of jet boats or the surge of deck
boats.

It seems that the pure runabouts (closed foredeck, windshield, open
deck/cockpit mid/aft) have fallen out of fashion, due to
"impracticality". I think this is true both in the US and Finland - in
that buyer's guide above, the only pure runabouts are high-performance,
expensive deep Vs. Boats have grown and can offer more complex designs
these days.

There are almost no displacement or semi-displacement models available
for power boats now. This means that our traditional cruising boat
style has changed quite a bit. Now a popular concept is a boat with an
enclosed cabin which takes up the middle, there is a small open deck
and a swim platform aft, the bow may have an open deck or be a little
cabin with berths. This kind of boat starts from 19 feet. Eg. look at
the 26 foot boat from Bella,
http://www.bellaboats.fi/service.cntum?pageId=103225, this is a fairly
luxurious boat by Finnish standards and there is a linked review from a
British magazine. I think this is a great concept in our conditions - a
cabin is way more weatherproof than the open spaces on day cruisers or
hardtops, the boat still has some advantages of open boats, and a 20
foot variant can still be somewhat affordable. Is this kind of a boat
concept unknown in the US?

The larger, sporty Busters (like the XXL) are quite popular in these
areas. I haven't been around marinas for long yet, but I've spotted at
least 2 Buster Magnums (their flagship). Compared to housing prices in
Helsinki, it's not that expensive! These days one can also spot the
occasional large RIB.

Does anyone have some nice links on the history of US (or European)
work boats?

Are sailing boats popular in the US?

Risto