On May 16, 7:45 am, HK wrote:
Chuck Gould wrote:
On May 16, 5:16 am, HK wrote:

I think the bell is
beginning to toll for the powerboat industry, especially for those in
the large powerboat sector. That would be a good thing.

Tell us how you really feel, Harry.

You're rooting and hoping for a collapse of the powerboat industry?
Especially large powerboats? (Do you have any idea how that would
impact the value of the five hundred thousand or so you have invested
in your lobster boat?)

Aside from name calling and making nasty comments, what the hell are
you doing hanging out in a forum that is supposed to be for *boaters*?

Perhaps your disruptive behavior in the NG is additional evidence of
your disdain for powerboating?

Have you checked rec.boats.paddle? Once you find a buyer for your
Parker, and since you only once ever reported going *anywhere* in your
otherwise absolutely unused and extremely well-hidden lobster boat, I
believe you will be down to "half a canoe".

I'd like to see a return to smaller boats. I think it would be better
for boating, better for the environment and help alleviate over-crowding
at facilities. I think it makes for better boaters, too.

When I was a young boy and then a teen-ager, and literally lived a third
of the year at water's edge, I rarely encountered any powerboats larger
than 30-34 feet, even at my father's marina, at the adjacent marinas, or
at marinas or boat clubs we visited. Most powerboats, other than
rowboats and skiffs, were between 16' and 25', inboard, outboard, and
I/O. Boating was far more affordable at the point of purchase, and in
terms of operation and maintenance, and I am not discounting the impact
of inflation.

Cripes, you can't even get into some of the better harbors anymore
because they are overclogged with 40-60 foot barges. Screw 'em.

My livelihood doesn't depend upon boats or the industry that produces or
looks after larger boats. If I were boat shopping right now, I'd
probably buy a 21-footer for use around here and down in the ocean at
Virginia Beach.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The average LOA of boats registered in most states is under 20-feet.

The companies that build those trailer boats offset a lot of their
costs with the very high markups earned in the 40-60+ category.
Competition is pretty fierce in the trailer boat arena, people tend to
shop for them with a mind set similar to looking for a "car deal", and
the production of large boats indeed subsidizes the small boat buyer.
When and if big boats go away, expect to pay a lot more for smaller
boats offered by any builders that manage to survive.

The infrastructure in those "clogged harbors" depends upon the trade
of medium and larger size boats. How long would the local fuel dock
remain in business if every customer showed up with a six-gallon
portable outboard tank and nobody took on 200 or 300 gallons of fuel
in a single transaction? Once again, the suppliers who survive would
be forced to charge significantly more.

Maybe things haven't really changed as much as you suspect. There
could be no serious debate that the vast majority of powerboats are
still under 25-feet- but because there are more boats than ever before
there are also more medium and large boats than ever.

When people start to bitch that you guys in the little boats need to
"get out of the way" so they can bring a modest 40 footer into a
"clogged" harbor, your argument will have a bit more traction, but
just as small boat buyers indirectly benefit from manufacturers earing
profits on larger craft, the owners of medium and larger boats also
need and depend upon the owners of small boats to create enough
critical mass in the marketplace to support the general infrastructure.