"KLC Lewis" wrote in message
et...

The average boater buys for "typical sailing conditions," then lives in
fear of getting caught out in anything stronger than 15 knots. I'll take
the Wetsnail over a modern putty boat any day of the week, and twice on
Sundays.

The competent sailor has confidence in his abilities and knows his
limitations. The "average boater" you describe above is a typical Catalina
30 owner who never really learned to sail and doesn't know enough about
heavy weather sailing to be anything but a hazard to himself and his
passengers. His Catalina is stout enough to handle 70kts and big waves, but
he most likely isn't. If he knew what he was doing, he wouldn't need an
overbuilt boat like the Wetsnail.

Max