I attended the NY Boat Show Yesterday with my list of boats I wanted to see. This is not a review of all the new and exciting things at the show, just my feelings on some area I wanted more info about.
True to my earlier post about my rules, I didn't go on any boat that I could never afford ( OK, I kinda cheated a bit) and I didn't go on any boat that I had to take my shoes off.
First on my list to see was the Whaler Conquest 325. Beautiful boat like its predecessor. The amount of windshield glass is crazy and seemed to be a common theme on many of the other makes. Sometimes it's the small things that impress me and on this hull it was the two level molded in place foot rests at the helm. I feel that the Whalers, at least the cabin models' continue to fine tune the models and all for the better.
My next boat on the list was the Grady Freedom 285. Interesting since there is still a Freedom 275. The 285 has a wider beam at 9 1/2 feet whereas the 275 is trailerable at 8 1/2 feet.
The 285 is noticeably wider to the eye and heavier by 1000 pounds or so. Although it is bigger, the model at the show had some rear entertainment options that really took up a lot of deck area. I guess that's good for entertaining but the deck could get crowded.
After about an hour looking solely at Whalers and Gradys, both cabins and DCs I finally decided that neither brands DCs are for me. The deciding factor is the lack of space,primarily head room in the heads. My 'co-captain' needs room to stand, change clothes and store things.
So now I stopped looking at DCs ( Center Consoles are also not for me) and took a look a look at WAs/cabin boats. I didn't like the Whaler Relm line at all. I am not sure why but they just didn't excite me. There was no Grady Marlin but there were Expresses.As I mentioned after last year's show, the Express has pluses and minuses. The minus for me is that the helm is crowded. In addition, the cabin doesn't feel as roomy as you might expect for a boat that size.
Unlike the last several years of the boat show, Grady has a 208 on display. I wonder what that means with regards to it popularity currently where most dealers still tell me that DCs are the most popular models. In any case, it was fun to climb on it since I own an older one. So much of it is exactly the same with some upgrades that are well done like the new side entry swim ladder and of course better distribution of batteries and better access to pumps and such since there is no more oil tank. What I would have liked to see is a larger single access plate in the motor well instead of the two smaller pop out inspection plates.
Off to the third boat on my list, Pursuit. I have been impressed with this line for several years and things keep getting better. Without a doubt, my favorite boat at the show is the OS325. I went back twice to make sure it was as impressive as first glance. To be honest, it is out of my price range coming in reasonable equipped at $350,000 but that's not out of line with similar hulls on the Grady's and Whalers. Check out this model and again check out the size and coverage of the windshield.
The shocking part of my show was the costs of some options, two in particular: Rear extending sun shades and Seakeeper gyro options. The awning style sun shade for boats like the Pursuit adds something in the area of $18,000. That was a surprise but not as much as the Seakeeper stabilizing system. That added another $70,000. Say what???
I asked about ongoing maintenance costs for the Seakeeper and the sales person said it was nothing. I stopped at the Seakeeper booth to ask the same question and their answer is that annual maintenance id required and depending on the model installed runs from $1200 to $2000 each service.
You know what they say;" If you have to ask what it costs, you can't afford it".
In general, it seemed like a lot of couples were seriously looking for boats based on the chatter I overheard. Salespeople were not super pushy and were informative. Attendance was better than It was last year but I did go on the first day last year. I left at 4 and the center was getting crowded and the parents with kids in strollers were starting to arrive. I didn't expect that on a Friday afternoon. I guess that is a good sign for the industry.
For those who are wondering if I followed my rules, well I did look at boats I can't afford!
I did have only one beer though AND a pretzel but that was unsalted
I also bought a Powerball ticker yesterday.........
True to my earlier post about my rules, I didn't go on any boat that I could never afford ( OK, I kinda cheated a bit) and I didn't go on any boat that I had to take my shoes off.
First on my list to see was the Whaler Conquest 325. Beautiful boat like its predecessor. The amount of windshield glass is crazy and seemed to be a common theme on many of the other makes. Sometimes it's the small things that impress me and on this hull it was the two level molded in place foot rests at the helm. I feel that the Whalers, at least the cabin models' continue to fine tune the models and all for the better.
My next boat on the list was the Grady Freedom 285. Interesting since there is still a Freedom 275. The 285 has a wider beam at 9 1/2 feet whereas the 275 is trailerable at 8 1/2 feet.
The 285 is noticeably wider to the eye and heavier by 1000 pounds or so. Although it is bigger, the model at the show had some rear entertainment options that really took up a lot of deck area. I guess that's good for entertaining but the deck could get crowded.
After about an hour looking solely at Whalers and Gradys, both cabins and DCs I finally decided that neither brands DCs are for me. The deciding factor is the lack of space,primarily head room in the heads. My 'co-captain' needs room to stand, change clothes and store things.
So now I stopped looking at DCs ( Center Consoles are also not for me) and took a look a look at WAs/cabin boats. I didn't like the Whaler Relm line at all. I am not sure why but they just didn't excite me. There was no Grady Marlin but there were Expresses.As I mentioned after last year's show, the Express has pluses and minuses. The minus for me is that the helm is crowded. In addition, the cabin doesn't feel as roomy as you might expect for a boat that size.
Unlike the last several years of the boat show, Grady has a 208 on display. I wonder what that means with regards to it popularity currently where most dealers still tell me that DCs are the most popular models. In any case, it was fun to climb on it since I own an older one. So much of it is exactly the same with some upgrades that are well done like the new side entry swim ladder and of course better distribution of batteries and better access to pumps and such since there is no more oil tank. What I would have liked to see is a larger single access plate in the motor well instead of the two smaller pop out inspection plates.
Off to the third boat on my list, Pursuit. I have been impressed with this line for several years and things keep getting better. Without a doubt, my favorite boat at the show is the OS325. I went back twice to make sure it was as impressive as first glance. To be honest, it is out of my price range coming in reasonable equipped at $350,000 but that's not out of line with similar hulls on the Grady's and Whalers. Check out this model and again check out the size and coverage of the windshield.
The shocking part of my show was the costs of some options, two in particular: Rear extending sun shades and Seakeeper gyro options. The awning style sun shade for boats like the Pursuit adds something in the area of $18,000. That was a surprise but not as much as the Seakeeper stabilizing system. That added another $70,000. Say what???
I asked about ongoing maintenance costs for the Seakeeper and the sales person said it was nothing. I stopped at the Seakeeper booth to ask the same question and their answer is that annual maintenance id required and depending on the model installed runs from $1200 to $2000 each service.
You know what they say;" If you have to ask what it costs, you can't afford it".
In general, it seemed like a lot of couples were seriously looking for boats based on the chatter I overheard. Salespeople were not super pushy and were informative. Attendance was better than It was last year but I did go on the first day last year. I left at 4 and the center was getting crowded and the parents with kids in strollers were starting to arrive. I didn't expect that on a Friday afternoon. I guess that is a good sign for the industry.
For those who are wondering if I followed my rules, well I did look at boats I can't afford!
I did have only one beer though AND a pretzel but that was unsalted
I also bought a Powerball ticker yesterday.........
