Seattle Boat Zhow

Today I did something I hadn't done in many years, I went to an indoor boat show.

When we were teenagers, Anders, Jan, Jonas, and myself, we used to go to the Gothenburg BoatShow every February. It was almost religion, a highlight in the dull and wet WestCoast winter. Since we were all sailors, we were checking out all the new gear - and there was lots - for our adventures on the race course in the spring. Jonas by the way was the one who most often used to win. I did beat him a few times, but he always had the upper hand when the season ended.

But, back to the Seattle Boat Show. A few reflections;

This is almost focused on power boats. Where are all the sailors?

Most (boat) sales guys are overweight smokers in their 50ies. Does not seem very eager to sell or even demo a boat. Sort of just want to "hang out" and look at the crowds (hopefully) that passes through their "objects". A few exceptions in the highest (most expensive boats) categories where staff was both professional, impeccably attired, and nice.
When visiting the "floating" part of the show down on Lake Union, the sales guys seemed more interested in getting out of the cold and into the bar at nearby Hooters - while there was still a crowd on the docks!

I've worked so many trade shows (telecom equipment/services) and you simply cannot afford NOT to be attentive to the people who actually have taken time out of their busy days (and paying for the privilidge) to visit and look at your products. Out of the most innocent trade show contacts, big business can spur. I can vouche for that!

Back to the boats;
The majority of boats at this show lacked "style", at least "Style" in a traditional sense. There was everything in any shape, as long as it lends itself to be classified as "party boat". Far too many bow riders in all sizes. A few of them actually looked more like landing crafts. Nothing that you'd take out in rough weather, or for a longer trip. I guess people are so tight on time they like hanging around in front of their houses, partying, burning gas - instead of experiencing the wonderful boating waters we are so lucky to have in the Pacific NorthWest.

And, the American boat manufacturers still have not figured out that a carpeted interior ON PLYWOOD is a bad thing in a boat, especially in an open boat. The plywood will eventually get wet, rot, and water will long before that have affected the (wooden) stringers. Why can't you build boats with a fiberglass interior and a snap-in carpet? Or better, fiberglass interior with nice teak trim, even on daily cruisers?

Now to the nice liners at this show;
The new Chris Crafts are a rare exception to the rule of general ugliness. Truly classic "road runners" with soft and gracious lines, new (and odd) colors, and they dare to actually use teak both for trim and utility. OK, these are not the lowest priced boats around, but they are among the few that actually deserve the term "boat". They even manage to stay away from the cheesy fake wood others have on their dashboards, and go for something more neutral instead. Way to go CC. To end it, a focus on Volvo drive packages proves that Chris Craft really are a quality builder. Clearly the best drive package out there today.















Chris Craft aside, most others were "crafts" as in pleasure crafts (or landing crafts), though even the venerable Chris Craft had a line of bow riders (aptly called "Launch"). Hopefully, they will not be too long lived.















Apart from the Mega yachts, some looking unfortunately like floating fridges (just like the Bayliners in the 35-40 foot range), a few of the more utilitarian (=pricey) aluminum boats, and some really nice "Lobster style" boats (VERY pricey), the only thing that grabbed my attention was an offering from a local company in Kent, WA. Their C-Ranger R-25 seem to be a really nice cruiser. Small enough to be fairly economical (Yanmar diesel), but still with seagoing capabilities of a larger vessel, something that could easily be taken all the way up to Alaska and back. Sort of an SUV for the islands. Perfect home for two adults and a couple of dogs. The R-25 looked like it was a solidly built boat with a nice quality of workmanship and more than average use of teak. A minor, but needed, design change, is to lift the helm higher up. As it was now, it was for too deep down into the (very deep) cabin to be practical and even to "feel" good. From the outside, port side had a large window in the cabin, giving it a bit too much look like a house boat. The starboard side was much better with a split window. Should be an easy fix to mimic the nice design from "starboard" even to "port".
Loaded with two mountainbikes and a kayak at an overhead "roof rack", this vessel actually even looked like an SUV. Cool!



And, should not forget to mention the display of some classic James Bond Boats. Fun to see these props IRL. And they actually seem to work. Just too sad this part was sort of stuck in a corner of the show, or more correctly the parking garage. It certainly deserved a better spot and also some more glamour. Now it was just these 4 vessels, and a bucket to drop entry forms in.