On Mon, 22 Mar 2004 14:39:52 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:


Of course the boat manufacturers are quite aware of the fact that less
than one percent of boat owners will actually go on an offshore
passage of any significance. It costs quite a bit more to build a
boat for that market and the vast majority of folks don't really need
it, and are not willing to pay for it. If you go to some of the
international cruising centers of the world where people have actually
made offshore passages just to get there, you will find very few boats
under 40 feet, and most are bigger.

I agree entirely, but I don't see it necessarily as a positive
development for the lifestyle of world cruising.

R.