"JR North" wrote in message
...
This is an unbelievable statement. Ground Control to Major Chuck! Ground
Control to Major Chuck! You're out of control....
You can pick up a used PU for a grand or 2, throw a couple grand into it
to make it reliable, and paint it to match the boat to boot for under 6K
total.
Classic example of the SUV Mentality permeating our society. Big brand new
50K truck....
With the cost of new trailer boats in the 22-25 ft range at 70k or more
and dock gas at $4.50 with no end in site, Just who do you expect is
stupid (and rich) enough to fork over 120k (that's unfinanced) to do the
trailer boat thing? Buy a brand new truck to tow the boat? Come ON.....
JR

Chuck Gould wrote:


Down thread, somebody comments about the market returning to smaller
boats. I'm not sure that will be the result of this third straight
year of gas gouging. From what I can see, the small boat builders are
hurting even worse than the yacht manufacturers. Launching a trailer
boat requires a big truck, preferably 4WD in a lot of situations. That
can be a $40-50,000 proposition, or more, in the current market and
since most folks won't have the luxury of owning a vehicle for no
purpose other than launching a boat the fuel costs associated with a
two vehicle are a concern seven days a week, not just on Saturday or
Sunday when the boat gets wet.


--------------------------------------------------------------
Home Page: http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth

We boated for years with 15-17' 35-50 hp outboards. Skied behind them.
Towed them with the daily driver car. 55 Chevy convertible. Factory stick
too. 56 Ford, convertible, 64 Chevy impala. All got 16-18 mpg highway
normal driving. You only need the big 4x4 for big boats launching at ramps
that are poor shape or get slippery from algae. Why do you need a $50,000+
Ski Nautique to do the same thing a 5 year ago $25k Ski Nautique did? Due
to peer pressure and marketing, and you see it especially on this group,
people believe they need a minimum 150hp O/B for boating with the family.

On Apr 29, 11:29?am, JR North wrote:
Just who do you expect is
stupid (and rich) enough to fork over 120k (that's unfinanced) to do the
trailer boat thing? Buy a brand new truck to tow the boat? Come ON.....
JR


Maybe the guys in the market for used boats like this one?

http://tinyurl.com/2gv66f


Somehow I just can't quite see that going down the road behind a $2000
beater truck. Not saying it wouldn't or couldn't happen, but I would
be surprised to see it done routinely.

And, heck yes it's possible to boat really, really, cheaply. Strap a
little car-topper upside down over an 88 Honda Accord and head for the
beach. When there, row around or hang a 3-5 HP outboard on the back.
It doesn't have to be expensive, it's just that most folks prefer
something above a minimalist experience.

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Apr 29, 11:29?am, JR North wrote:
Just who do you expect is
stupid (and rich) enough to fork over 120k (that's unfinanced) to do the
trailer boat thing? Buy a brand new truck to tow the boat? Come ON.....
JR


Maybe the guys in the market for used boats like this one?

http://tinyurl.com/2gv66f


Somehow I just can't quite see that going down the road behind a $2000
beater truck. Not saying it wouldn't or couldn't happen, but I would
be surprised to see it done routinely.

And, heck yes it's possible to boat really, really, cheaply. Strap a
little car-topper upside down over an 88 Honda Accord and head for the
beach. When there, row around or hang a 3-5 HP outboard on the back.
It doesn't have to be expensive, it's just that most folks prefer
something above a minimalist experience.



We are not saying that goes down the road behind a beater truck. That goes
down the road behind a vehicle owned by an upper middle class income person.
A $128,000 used boat is not the middle class boat of choice. My boat is
very nice and replacement is about $50k. Looks very good now and would sell
for about $25k. But a family with kids does not need most of the boats that
are being peddled these days. A 2004 Ski Nautique for $47.5k
http://yachtworld.com/core/listing/b...ck&searchtype=

Give us a break. Only a fairly well to do young professional or somebody in
hock to the eyeballs will be able to afford that if they have a family. Or
the parents were well off. Lots of people have come here and been abused
for thinking of a 18-19' Bayliner Capri. A family can afford that. Even at
$18-19k new. You can tow it with most midsized cars with care. And no
mountains to tow over. I think we will see more of the under $20k boats.
The makers of those will be the ones to survive. Those and the Davis Boats
types. Custom $100k fishing boats for the guy who is late middle age, and
can afford the tariff.

On 29 Apr 2007 21:07:19 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:


http://tinyurl.com/2gv66f


Somehow I just can't quite see that going down the road behind a $2000
beater truck. Not saying it wouldn't or couldn't happen, but I would
be surprised to see it done routinely.

Frankly it's not really a trailer boat at all. Too wide in most
states without a wide load permit, and too heavy for anything but a
triple axle trailer and a super duty truck.

Trailerability for most boats tops out at about 24 to 26 feet.

On Apr 29, 9:33�pm, Wayne.B wrote:
On 29 Apr 2007 21:07:19 -0700, Chuck Gould

wrote:

http://tinyurl.com/2gv66f

Somehow I just can't quite see that going down the road behind a $2000
beater truck. Not saying it wouldn't or couldn't happen, but I would
be surprised to see it done routinely.

Frankly it's not really a trailer boat at all. *Too wide in most
states without a wide load permit, and too heavy for anything but a
triple axle trailer and a super duty truck.

Trailerability for most boats tops out at about 24 to 26 feet.

I agree that an F-350 or equivalent would be the sort of truck best
suited to tow that 28-footer.

In many states the only permit needed is handled by the payment of an
annual fee and an agreement not to tow between sunset and sunrise.

Not suggesting that everybody run out and buy a GW, only responding to
a comment implying that "nobody would spend $120,000 to go trailer
boating."
Apparently some people do. And north of $120,000 gets them only a
boat, no trailer (another few thousand or so), and no tow vehicle.

Chuck Gould wrote:
On Apr 29, 11:29?am, JR North wrote:
Just who do you expect is
stupid (and rich) enough to fork over 120k (that's unfinanced) to do the
trailer boat thing? Buy a brand new truck to tow the boat? Come ON.....
JR


Maybe the guys in the market for used boats like this one?

http://tinyurl.com/2gv66f


Somehow I just can't quite see that going down the road behind a $2000
beater truck. Not saying it wouldn't or couldn't happen, but I would
be surprised to see it done routinely.

And, heck yes it's possible to boat really, really, cheaply. Strap a
little car-topper upside down over an 88 Honda Accord and head for the
beach. When there, row around or hang a 3-5 HP outboard on the back.
It doesn't have to be expensive, it's just that most folks prefer
something above a minimalist experience.




I doubt most guys who buy 28' Gradys trailer them very far, if at all,
Dr. Spam. Gradys are pretty popular around here, and that includes the
larger ones. Most are slipped at marinas. Some are kept at storage lots
adjacent to marinas. You don't need much of a truck to get your boat
from the storage lot to the ramp. And if the ramps are decent, you
typically do not need a 4X4 as a launch vehicle.

As for what "most folks" prefer, I suggest you haven't a clue.

Perhaps in the future the commercial boating magazine for which you
write will change its name to Northwest Cartopper, and you can regale us
with tours of the plastic canoe factory.

On Apr 30, 3:41?am, Harry Krause wrote:

Perhaps in the future the commercial boating magazine for which you
write will change its name to Northwest Cartopper, and you can regale us
with tours of the plastic canoe factory.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Such a tale wouldn't begin to compare with the story of a guy who
lived in Florida, posted to rec.boats, and claimed to own a very fancy
Hatteras.
Several posters in that era expressed serious doubt regarding the
veracity of the claim, and when challenged to "come down anytime you
like and see for yourself!", one did.

As I recall, when he tracked down the address of the only person with
the appropriate name living in the little town where the poster with
the supposed Hatteras claimed to reside, he encountered an extremely
humble dwelling in a portion of town where folks of less-than-moderate
means were known to live.
My memory doesn't serve me well enough to recall whether it was
specifically refered to as a "single wide". As I recall, he thought
somebody was home and knocked on the door but nobody answered.

The fellow who took the road trip to Florida reported his findings to
the NG. The "Hatteras owner" immediately claimed that the road tripper
had gone to the wrong address, and added that in case anybody else had
the same idea of
traveling to Florida to see this fantastic Hatteras they should know
it was already too late to do so. The "Hatteras owner" was suddenly an
ex-Hatteras owner, having accepted an offer far in excess of the
killer-diller deal he had so shrewdly struck when he purchased it
himself.

Now of course that was years and years ago. The Hatteras owner still
lives along the Atlantic seaboard, only a bit farther north. It's no
wonder the poor schlump left town, especially after that unfortunate
incident where somebody with the exact same name (but not provably the
same person) was arrested for exposing his genitals to a school bus
filled with little kids. I would have left town too. They don't take
too kindly to sexual perverts down in Florida, and if one were to have
the unfortunate distinction of sharing the exact same name as somebody
suspected of flashing school kids he could wind up just as beat up or
lynched as the actual culprit.

You are entirely right, Harry. Any story about building plastic canoes
would pale in comparison to tales of disappearing Hatteras, invisible
lobster boats,
and suck by suck descriptions about pumping septic tanks.

Good thing you never claimed to own a Hatteras; you'd look like the
world's biggest hypocrite with your sudden disdain for any boats
larger than a car-topper.

On Mon, 30 Apr 2007 06:41:54 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:

Chuck Gould wrote:
On Apr 29, 11:29?am, JR North wrote:
Just who do you expect is
stupid (and rich) enough to fork over 120k (that's unfinanced) to do the
trailer boat thing? Buy a brand new truck to tow the boat? Come ON.....
JR


Maybe the guys in the market for used boats like this one?

http://tinyurl.com/2gv66f


Somehow I just can't quite see that going down the road behind a $2000
beater truck. Not saying it wouldn't or couldn't happen, but I would
be surprised to see it done routinely.

And, heck yes it's possible to boat really, really, cheaply. Strap a
little car-topper upside down over an 88 Honda Accord and head for the
beach. When there, row around or hang a 3-5 HP outboard on the back.
It doesn't have to be expensive, it's just that most folks prefer
something above a minimalist experience.




I doubt most guys who buy 28' Gradys trailer them very far, if at all,
Dr. Spam. Gradys are pretty popular around here, and that includes the
larger ones. Most are slipped at marinas. Some are kept at storage lots
adjacent to marinas. You don't need much of a truck to get your boat
from the storage lot to the ramp. And if the ramps are decent, you
typically do not need a 4X4 as a launch vehicle.

As for what "most folks" prefer, I suggest you haven't a clue.

Perhaps in the future the commercial boating magazine for which you
write will change its name to Northwest Cartopper, and you can regale us
with tours of the plastic canoe factory.

Harry, you're such a sweetheart. What a neat guy!

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
oups.com...


Down thread, somebody comments about the market returning to smaller
boats. I'm not sure that will be the result of this third straight
year of gas gouging. From what I can see, the small boat builders are
hurting even worse than the yacht manufacturers.

The guys in the big boats? They can afford the fuel.


Fuel prices affect everybody and I don't think the popularity of larger
boats is necessarily due to the ability to pay for the higher fuel costs.
In fact, I could argue a case that in these days of high prices, the larger
boat makes more sense to own .... and I say that having
experience owning small boats, bigger boats and everything in between. My
reasoning follows, but first a couple of definition stipulations.

What's a "small" boat? To me, (at the risk of a debate) a small boat is an
outboard or I/O
powered (single or twins) vessel of about 25 feet LOA or less. A "large"
boat to me is a diesel powered boat with an LOA of 40-50 feet or more. The
rest are "in betweens". (not discussing sailboats)

My reasoning:

1. In general, smaller boats are used more for fishing, skiing, tubing and
other single day boating activities. They usually are "go fast" boats and
burn quite a bit of fuel at or near WOT. So, other than the few that
putt-putt around for an afternoon, a weekend of typical boating activities
on a smaller boat
that require high throttle settings can be quite expensive at today's fuel
prices.

2. With the exception of some high performance sportsfish type boats, bigger
boats are more efficient in their fuel usage. They can carry more
people, more equipment, more overall "stuff" and the gallons burned per hour
won't change much due to load changes. Furthermore, big boats typically
aren't used for "go fast" afternoon recreational activities. A leisurely
cruise to a favorite port can be an all day pleasure trip for a number of
people at a relatively low fuel burn rate.

For example, at cruise speed (19 knots) our Navigator burns about 25 gallons
of diesel fuel per hour. This is on a boat that, loaded with fuel, water and
all our "stuff" probably displaces around 40,000 lbs. or more. If I drop
that speed down to 10-12 knots, I'll bet it burns less than half that.
Also, it holds 500 gallons of fuel, so we can go quite a while without
worrying about
where to get fuel.

3. My final point. A smaller boat is used, then hauled or tied up at a
slip until the next usage. There's not much else to do on it. It can be
washed quickly, maybe the owner can hang out for a while, but usually it's a
day event. A bigger boat has more to offer in terms of function, in my
opinion. I still enjoy spending 3 or 4 days or more at a time, several
times during the summer, "living" aboard the boat, either at the slip or
occasionally swinging on a mooring. I don't necessarily need to burn fuel
to enjoy it.

Often, I simply putter around doing maintenance chores during the day and
enjoying the occasional visits of others with boats at the marina or other
visiting friends. Then, when all but a few leave for home, the rest of us
enjoy the evening cool air shooting the
breeze or in quiet solitude if we choose. When it's time for sleep,
there's a very comfortable queen size bed awaiting. And .... in my opinion
..... there's nothing better than a cup of coffee in the morning while
watching the sun rise.

Then ... there's the fun of riding out the occasional storms.

Eisboch

snippage of comparison, small boats vs. large

Then ... there's the fun of riding out the occasional storms.

Eisboch

You make a bunch of great points. Not being retired yet I usually
don't think in terms of 4-5 day trips, and have never had a boat big
enough to use it as a "beach house". For us, waking up to hot coffee
and sunrise means we took the boat to a beach and pitched a tent.
Guess I don't know what I don't know. Hopefully by the time I retire
we will have this all figured out.