Particularly:
> 2. Potter owners seem to love their boats as evidenced by the
> testimonials on this web group.
This point helped me feel good about the potter going into it.
> 4. The boat appeared to meet the needs of novice sailors while still
> offering the possibility of adventure far afield as skills and confidence
> increased (I'm not talking bluewater sailing here!).
Agreed.
> 5. The weight of the boat did not require that I replace my 1985
> 4-Runner.
I have an '87 that I like very much (http://www.off-road.com/~ej for info)
and that was definitely a factor for me. Had I had a larger towing ability
(or dropped that 4.3L vortec engine in the 4runner) I'd probably be sailing
a SJ23 or Catalina 22, only because they are cheap and plentiful. But when I
found out about the light weight of the potter, it was all over for those
boats...
> 6. I liked the traditional look of the boat (from the photos).
me too. Thats what kept the ugly SJ21 out of the running for me (even though
they are VERY cheap sometimes and not a bad sailer... just ugly).
> 8. The price was not outrageous. Although my continuous purchasing of
> extra gear seems to support the old hole in the water adage.
Agreed. I bought my boat used at a price that was a bit more expensive than
other used boats of the same vintage and overall size. but I had just sold
my company so price wasn't as much an issue. A month or so before while I
was still deciding, a SWEET deal on a P19 came up close to my home. But i
hadn't really decided on the P19 yet, so I passed the tip on to Roger
Metcalf who did buy it. I had to drive from Seattle to Portland to pick up
Dave Bolton's boat.
> 9. The boat is able to sleep four which is important to my four member
> family.
The 'sleeps four' thing was pretty impressive to me... but i honestly
haven't slept on mine yet!
The other nice feature that I thought was pretty cool when I was looking,
but think is REALLY cool now is the shallow draft. I LOVE being able to pull
right up to the beach in a crowded anchorage, and WALK my anchor out and set
it by hand if I have to! :)