most of the topics you addressed I can confirm. I visited mostly european shows like MYS ( 8x ), Genova Salone Nautico ( 2x ) Boot Düsseldorf ( 7x ) and some smaller ones. It is very much depending on the people in particular and how you are dressed, behave and get your interest communicated.
But in general the climate gets colder and nosier. Money destroys good behavior! Who of the younger generation get this told at their universities? Certainly not at grammer and not at the college.
Thank you for reading and commenting. My favorite saying is from Walt Kelly's Pogo: "We have met the enemy, and he is ... us." We can all do our part by not losing the sense of connection which led us, in the first place, to boating and yachting. Cheers!
My husband, two small children, and I attended the Annapolis Sailboat Show for the first time last year. We were so excited to dream of what our future would look like in the next 5 years (which is when we hope to purchase a boat). We had a list of boats to look at, primarily catamarans. We were very disappointed at how we were treated. Snobbery is a great word for it. One manufacturer asked us to carry our three year old throughout the whole tour. Three year olds are not small or light and maneuvering on a small boat while doing so left us tired and frustrated. Another manufacturer had a heart attack if the kids even touched a locker handle. We quickly narrowed down our dream boats based on how we were treated. In fact, there was only one manufacturer that welcomed us aboard and invited us to lay down our then sleeping three year old so we could tour the boat more comfortably. They encouraged our 5 year old to open everything. They took their time showing us all of the features and answering our questions. This particular boat was toward the bottom of our list until this experience. Now, it’s the one we plan to purchase.
I will say that, as a whole, monohaul presenters were far friendlier and welcoming.
It was certainly not the experience we were expecting or hoping for. I’m hoping that the actual boating crowd proves friendlier once we make it to the water.
I understand your feelings, and I hope that the recreational marine industry will find its way again. When I was showing yachts that the firm I was managing built, the only time we balked at showing a family aboard was if the kids had ice cream cones in hand -- something that any parent would understand. We felt we owed the courtesy and a good time to those who came to the shows to share in the dream. Cheers!
Yes, I’m glad I don’t attend those kind of boat shows. As bad as they sound, I’m glad there’s still a “segmentation” between the diy boaters that actually use their boats on sometimes big adventures— the Fatty Goodlander types. These people have not typically used the services of professional boat broker types, but I bet there’s a market there.
I am not sure I've communicated my point -- although you may have illustrated it. I am personally as much a part of the DIY boating community as anyone, witness the ten+ years I spent as the "Backyard Boatbuilder" (that was the title) columnist and tech editor for Canadian Yachting and Pacific Yachting magazines, back before Facebook groups and Youtube videos. My point is that, at one time, there was no "segmentation" in outlook or spirit, whether you built or refitted your own boat or bought it. The only admission charge was how you treated your fellow yachtspersons. Thank you for reading and commenting. Cheers!
Although I have owned and operated boats for seven decades, two of which are about to finish their annual yard visit, I no longer attend any boat shows for many of the reasons outlined in this latest version of your prescient articles. I was familiar with one of your yards and recall that there were then at least a few megayacht owners then who knew enough to understand some of what was being done to their boats. More recently, I doubt the useful knowledge of most owners, many captains, and even some project managers. Boat shows now seem oriented to overprivileged underachievers.
Good to hear from you, Melvyn. I hope you are well. As to "overprivileged underachievers", the fact is the yachting microcosm reflects the larger contemporary social and political macrocosm, eh?
Dean, you may be right. It’s possible that I’ve personally been having too much “fun” to notice. Until recently. Good to hear from you. Hope you are well. Cheers!
Here…here!! Spot on, Phil.
Dear Phil,
most of the topics you addressed I can confirm. I visited mostly european shows like MYS ( 8x ), Genova Salone Nautico ( 2x ) Boot Düsseldorf ( 7x ) and some smaller ones. It is very much depending on the people in particular and how you are dressed, behave and get your interest communicated.
But in general the climate gets colder and nosier. Money destroys good behavior! Who of the younger generation get this told at their universities? Certainly not at grammer and not at the college.
Thank you for reading and commenting. My favorite saying is from Walt Kelly's Pogo: "We have met the enemy, and he is ... us." We can all do our part by not losing the sense of connection which led us, in the first place, to boating and yachting. Cheers!
My husband, two small children, and I attended the Annapolis Sailboat Show for the first time last year. We were so excited to dream of what our future would look like in the next 5 years (which is when we hope to purchase a boat). We had a list of boats to look at, primarily catamarans. We were very disappointed at how we were treated. Snobbery is a great word for it. One manufacturer asked us to carry our three year old throughout the whole tour. Three year olds are not small or light and maneuvering on a small boat while doing so left us tired and frustrated. Another manufacturer had a heart attack if the kids even touched a locker handle. We quickly narrowed down our dream boats based on how we were treated. In fact, there was only one manufacturer that welcomed us aboard and invited us to lay down our then sleeping three year old so we could tour the boat more comfortably. They encouraged our 5 year old to open everything. They took their time showing us all of the features and answering our questions. This particular boat was toward the bottom of our list until this experience. Now, it’s the one we plan to purchase.
I will say that, as a whole, monohaul presenters were far friendlier and welcoming.
It was certainly not the experience we were expecting or hoping for. I’m hoping that the actual boating crowd proves friendlier once we make it to the water.
I understand your feelings, and I hope that the recreational marine industry will find its way again. When I was showing yachts that the firm I was managing built, the only time we balked at showing a family aboard was if the kids had ice cream cones in hand -- something that any parent would understand. We felt we owed the courtesy and a good time to those who came to the shows to share in the dream. Cheers!
Yes, I’m glad I don’t attend those kind of boat shows. As bad as they sound, I’m glad there’s still a “segmentation” between the diy boaters that actually use their boats on sometimes big adventures— the Fatty Goodlander types. These people have not typically used the services of professional boat broker types, but I bet there’s a market there.
I am not sure I've communicated my point -- although you may have illustrated it. I am personally as much a part of the DIY boating community as anyone, witness the ten+ years I spent as the "Backyard Boatbuilder" (that was the title) columnist and tech editor for Canadian Yachting and Pacific Yachting magazines, back before Facebook groups and Youtube videos. My point is that, at one time, there was no "segmentation" in outlook or spirit, whether you built or refitted your own boat or bought it. The only admission charge was how you treated your fellow yachtspersons. Thank you for reading and commenting. Cheers!
Phil
Although I have owned and operated boats for seven decades, two of which are about to finish their annual yard visit, I no longer attend any boat shows for many of the reasons outlined in this latest version of your prescient articles. I was familiar with one of your yards and recall that there were then at least a few megayacht owners then who knew enough to understand some of what was being done to their boats. More recently, I doubt the useful knowledge of most owners, many captains, and even some project managers. Boat shows now seem oriented to overprivileged underachievers.
Good to hear from you, Melvyn. I hope you are well. As to "overprivileged underachievers", the fact is the yachting microcosm reflects the larger contemporary social and political macrocosm, eh?
The Corinthian spirit died long ago.
Dean, you may be right. It’s possible that I’ve personally been having too much “fun” to notice. Until recently. Good to hear from you. Hope you are well. Cheers!