Motorboats vs Sailboats (formerly Ages of "Potter People")

SolarFry@aol.com
Mon, 8 Nov 1999 11:18:49 EST


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Beautifully explained...

As to the sailboat model... a big problem with sailboats is that they are
not built to take the pounding motorboats take nor are they half as trouble
free... Excuses abound...

Reliability built the automobile and motorcycle marketplace. Motorboat
manufacturers have taken the clue and learned that the averege joe that plops
down $$$$$$$$ for a motorboat does not want to spend the rest of his life
repairing defects in mfg nor defective parts... Hence the lifetime stringer
warranties and long 10 yrs warranties available to powerboat owners.

There... I said my piece...

SF
In a message dated 11/8/99 7:57:50 AM Pacific Standard Time,
ChrisSayer@StratfordGroup.com writes:

While I don't disagree with many of the points made in this thread, I think
we have overlooked one point... Powerboat and jetski manufacturers have made
a tremendous marketing effort designed to appeal to non-boaters, and get
them out on the water. They advertise heavily, they create products that are
easy to use with minimal instruction (perhaps not very safely), produce them
in large numbers, and offer creative financing plans so that just about any
idiot can get one. Judging from some of what I have seen, they have been
successful. Consequently, these idiots now outnumber us on the water.

Unfortunately, were the sailboat industry to adopt the same business model,
we would probably see more sailboats on the water, but with the same lack of
seamanship.

At least they'd be quieter and slower.
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