Annapolis Show

[Dale Tanski]

Who is heading to the Annapolis Sailboat Show next weekend?  As you all know, it is one of the very best and certainly the largest in the water sailboat show this country has to offer.  The weather with the exception of Monday is looking very nice, although we have attended in the rain and that was just fine as well.

Dale

[Dale Tanski]

It was one of the chillier Annapolis Boat Shows we have ever been to. Temps in the low 60's and on and off rain.  Not a day they were hoping for by any stretch of the imagination I am sure.  Over the years I have noticed that the show is not what it has been in the past for us at least.  Early on it was all about seeing and going aboard boats that were only found in the magazines.  Boats of all kinds, shapes and sizes and in all pedigrees.  Over the years, as more and more of the household named builders went out of business, instead of a few boats from many builders it became fewer and fewer boats from all but a handful of builders.  Then along came the cats. 

In the eighties there were no cats at the show unless they were beach cats.  Today at least half of the boats are indeed cats, not just cats rather floating islands.  Of the few builders of "traditional" boats, almost all have lost their individual identity but for a few.

Traditional monohulls - The vast majority look all the same.  About the only distinguishable item would be their color.  They typically all have rounded sweeping windows and a euro modern look about them.  If you couldn't find the builders placard there would be no telling who built what. 

The cats - They on the other hand only sort of all look the same. There are some that are bigger, some wider and some taller.  For the most part its is who can build the most outlandish "vessel" of them all and they look to be in direct competition with the cruise ship lines. 

Above all the question of affordability comes into play.  My guess is that a good percentage had at least half a million dollar or several million dollar price tag. Gone are the boats the average family could hope to buy.  In the past there were plenty of big boats but along side were boats the average boater could afford.  Today that has been replaced with seminar after seminar of time share sailboats, where the buyers get several weeks a year to sail it and the rest of the time it is "making revenue" (from all the other buyers) to pay for itself.  After 7 years or the next big hurricane it is sold off for the next mulit level "investment".  Several of the tents that used to house vendors for gear and accesories now only have vacation booths.  Apparently the dream of boat ownership has changed to just boat renting for a few short days a year. 

I not only go to see the boats at the show, I also knock around in the many local marinas in the area while I am there.  Here you will find the Hunters, Cals, Catalinas and Pearsons by the score.  In each marina you might find a shinny new modern toy or even a cat here or there, but in general the average sailor is sailing the same stuff they were sailing 30 years ago, not the 54ft with dingy garage in the back swoopy window XYZ clone. 

We also go to talk to the distributors about new products and offerings.  Over the past several years, I am guessing the cost has deterred them from opening a booth there any more.  Gone are the Sunbrellas of the world with every fabric sample on the planet to look at.  Few and far between are even the sail manufactures anymore.  The lavish booths of the past have been replaced with a smaller offering and a simple banner.  No more Defender Marine selling show specials.  West Marine had only an empty booth.  It had lots of name recognition and a give away bag for all of the brochures you perhaps picked up but nothing else.  They were handing out to random people, a long fixed length boat hook, something everyone just couldn't wait to carry around for the rest of the day.

Before the business we went there to look and buy all sorts of things, now if you weren't buying a 70ft cat, clothing or sunglasses you were out of luck.  There were a few bright spots.  Alerion Express had a stunning 33 footer and C.W. Hood had a 32 ft daysailer to die for.  If someone forced me to buy a new boat today, it would be without question an Outbound 46.  That has been the only cruising boat I would consider for the past 10 or so years, it is awesome and a real sailboat to boot.

Dale Tanski
Maruska Ketch
Hull #40

[SVJourney]

I would only go to the show for the seminars.  The booths might occupy an hour on my time and attention.

BTW, we will be presenting either 1 or 2 seminars at the Seattle show in January. If anyone from here is going to the show, it would be our pleasure to have a beer.