Interesting article about Boat Shows - Then vs Now

[C-Ya]

This story below is on several other boat forums. So I thought I would post it here.

Its mainly a long term industry insider giving his present take on the current boat show climate.

He gets a little brutal when talking about performance boats. So here is a clue at to what PE means. It stands for Premature Ejaculation. You will understand once you read the article. I just thought I would take the mystery out. lol

Mean Spirited: The New Boat Show Vibe

Fragmentation of Recreational Boating Is Nearly Complete

loosecannon.substack.com

 

[Maw]

"Rag-Baggers", nice to hear an alternative to "Blow-Boaters".

 

[Tank]

Actually interesting article and pretty good read. I don’t quite get his point about huge outboard CC’s. They are a bit of a weird cross bread between offshore powerboat, party barge and luxury yacht but they have their place. It’s almost like you want to ask the author, so, because I don’t have a 10 plus million dollar yacht, I only have a 2 million CC, I can’t enjoy the experience? I’d argue actually “boating” on a performance CC puts you closer to actual boating then working or riding on a huge yacht. I’d say he hasn’t spent much time on a large CC.

But like I said, interesting article. One of the reasons I don’t like boat shows. It’s keeping up with the jones BS and snobbery. Not my idea of a good time.

Oh, and fuck sailboats. lol Just kidding….kinda.

 

[clarence]

. . . today’s go-fasts are existentially far too remote from the values of yacht cruising . . .

He's upset that performance boats aren't yachts? That they're . . . performance boats?

The go-fast power boats, festooned with six (or more) giant outboard engines arrayed on lateral transom extensions, are not only ugly but display a garish non-utility since most of the time they bring enough total potential horsepower to the table to assure it will never be fully absorbed by the boat’s running load, and so never, in fact, generated by the engines.

Admittedly there a diminishing returns (and handling compromises?), but what performance boat cannot run at full power?

And is there a performance boat with more than six outboards?

 

[Sportin' Wood]

I'd argue some of his thoughts are universal to all trade shows as I manage the Fabtech show from the safety of my virtual bat cave in Montana.

My Dad worked in the boating industry; following his dream of blending (or attempting to fund) his hobby for over two decades. He held all sorts of boating industry related jobs from Ventura, to Balboa. He had a good run as the GM for the Arrowhead marina and finished his career at Pacific trailers. He did a lot of trade shows and mostly hated them. I have grown to hate them also. I've done them for twenty five years. They mostly suck, especially SEMA.

He was and still is a sailboat guy. I'm with @Tank fuck sailboats. Even this week he was bitching about his batteries being dead. Those things are 100% worse than an RV. Some of the scariest shit was on his damn sailboats. Sailboats are like the 67 VW bus of ocean for nomadic travel.

 

[Havaduner]

Change mega yachts to go fast cats and his idea of a "perfirmance boat" (yes we all know he's talking about oversized CC's) to wakeboard boats, throw in lake lice, and it doesn't matter what coast the boat show is on. My type of boat is better than your type of boat.

 

[rivermobster]

Personally...

I think the guy was three sheets to the wind when he wrote that drivle.

He reminds me of "the whiners" on SNL. He probably talks like em too...

 

[Lord M((Squared))]

First things first ......Clearly the only Premature Ejaculation I see is the author of this article. Secondly his disgust for performance boats clearly comes from him being a jealous little bitch because every big CC , or earth shaking offshore boat he sees go by is usually full of half naked hot women that have never given a spooge stain like him the time of day. Haters gonna always hate!

rivermobster nailed it with that SNL clip.​

 

[Sleek-Jet]

He's a bit whinny but has a point, we no longer share a common love of a passtime over it many variations. Everything is segmented and anyone outside the sandbox is "the enemy". That generally applies to everyday life it seems.

 

[stonehenge]

"Lovey and I speak the international language.... m o n e y!!!!

 

[clarence]

He's a bit whinny but has a point, we no longer share a common love of a passtime over it many variations.

When did performance boats ever share the values of yacht cruising?

 

[rivermobster]

When did performance boats ever share the values of yacht cruising?

I think he's talking about flats vs. wave tractors.

Or jet skis vs. everything else.

Or blow boats vs. ICE boats.

All boaters, but they generally don't get along.

 

[gqchris]

When I worked at LBYS, I used to HATE having to work the boat shows. What a fuckery it was and I NEVER sold a boat at one. On and On sales pitching and people were there just to let their kids virtual skipper.

The only good out of it is I would wander over to Eliminator and DCB and drool and dream of one day owning a fast boat!

 

[sirbob]

He is comparing hard working honest folks that don’t get hung up on status - it makes no difference if you are the hard working waiter who does a great job or the CEO that runs a giant company. IHO there was a time when they all got along fine around the docks.

Vs the HEY!!! LOOK AT ME CROWD!!! That wouldn’t help another boater in need because they are too busy roosting you with their fly by.

Or put another way / New money vs old money.

 

[sirbob]

And I didn’t read into it that he didn’t like performance boats.

I hear a guy saying which would you rather really have, a 3000 hp twin engine something or other that really fucking hauls ass.

Or 3000 hp worth of egg beaters that could never hold a candle to a truly efficient twin engine 3000 hp boat.

The outboards are a total PE. You will never fully realize the feeling of 3000 hp when it is divided by six instead of two.

 

[rivermobster]

And I didn’t read into it that he didn’t like performance boats.

I hear a guy saying which would you rather really have, a 3000 hp twin engine something or other that really fucking hauls ass.

Or 3000 hp worth of egg beaters that could never hold a candle to a truly efficient twin engine 3000 hp boat.

The outboards are a total PE. You will never fully realize the feeling of 3000 hp when it is divided by six instead of two.

I've kinna always wondered about that. But since I'm poor, I suppose I'll never know.

Would be interesting to see a SxS shootout though...