(William R. Watt)

Typed in Message-ID:

I get into this argument frequently with boat snobs at rec.boats.building.
The best boat is the cheapest boat which meets your requirements. Spending
more on a boat than you have to is ostentation, conspicuous consumption, a

waste of money. The people at Coleman know this and produce good cheap
boats which satisfy the requirements of most cottage owners. People who
pay more for that requirement are victims of snob advertising. An
expensive boat will not feed you after you're too old to earn a livin

t
just sits there reminding you of what a fool you've been. The money you
saved buying the cheapest boat will feed you after you are too old to

work.


I don't buy this line. Colemans are marketed to the first time buyer that
doesn't know squat about how a canoe should really perform. Do you know any
experienced canoeist that make a Coleman their first choice? Why? Is it because
they are snobs? How about that they are smart enough to realize that they can
get a far superior product for a couple of hundred more.

If all you are doing is dinking around in the lake, these boats are fine. That
doesn't make them a particularly good buy or a good choice. There are several
reasonably
priced boats that perform better. Even the old Grummans, or Marathons, which
every they call themselves these days, are superior boats. What does a grummie
cost these days?


SYOTR
Larry C.