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 Buying
Your Dream Boat
by
Dusty Miller
It's
that time of year when manufacturers across North America are gearing
up to launch their 2003 models at boat shows and dealer showrooms
across the country.
Boat builders go to tremendous lengths to entice
buyers. Sometimes they upgrade models with more comfort, features
and power options while other times they enhance their lineup with
entirely new models.
Very often there's genuine excitement with what
they introduce. However, the vast majority of those changes are
cosmetic and you have to look beyond all the bells and whistles
and decide what suits your boating lifestyle.
For instance, sometimes when I'm checking out a
new boat and it looks so good at the dock, with all its spectacular
creature comforts, I have to force myself to step back and consider
the quality and construction.
Most people find it very difficult to select one
boat over another by looking at it in the showroom or the water.
After all, a new boat gleams from stem to stern. It's clean, uncluttered
and seductive. You slide in behind the steering wheel and the gearshift,
and even though it may feel comfortable, you're not getting a true
picture of how that boat suits you or your boating lifestyle.
Obviously, it's a somewhat different story when
the manufacturer changes the hull design, offers more powerful engine
options or modifies the power train. These changes go beyond cosmetics
to a degree, but unless the new system has radically been modified,
the difference in performance will rarely be significant.
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(Read full article at Page 10.)
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