December 2007
By Tom Snyder
These are exciting times for any young family that has decided to get their feet wet in the world of family cruising. Things are improving. Twenty years ago, the general recommendation for one’s first cruising boat might have been a 21-foot fiberglass starter boat that could sleep an affectionate couple plus two kids. It would always cost a little more than anyone could mortgage, but people figured out a way. Those days are soon going to look quaint, and we will wonder why anyone was willing to put up with the nonsense.
As is so often the case, it is the hidden genius of the market that propels us to a more livable future. As Karl Marx once almost thought of saying, “It’s the insatiable upward production pressure, stupid.” Today, the starter boats from our leading production boat companies are no longer constrained by outmoded notions of length or cost. There is a sensible logic behind this thrilling revolution. Namely, boat companies can’t realistically be expected to settle for standard profits from conventional, short, modestly appointed boats.
Building bigger boats means geometrically greater profits. So now your family no longer has to settle for a first boat that would feel out of place at a yacht basin in Antigua. This is great news for everyone, and it makes good old-fashioned sense. So, let‘s take a look at the new offspring of a marriage made in heaven: heroic consumerism and the invisible hand.
One of the world leaders in production sailboats has leaped ahead in this market, “cutting the red tape” for the rest of us by beginning their cruising boat lineup with the new FamilyCruz 720. This is a lot of boat for the money, and with 75.5 feet to roam around in, your family will never say no to a little “weekender.” Price will depend on the entertainment, laundry, and cutlery package you go with.
A perennial favorite powerboat builder lets you “put a toe in” with their entry level offering of the FirstTimer 46. This 49-foot runabout may be the smallest cruiser in their fleet, but you won’t dwell on that once you throttle up that impressive Twin Perkins Power Center. Tell your kids to invite their friends along: There’s plenty of room for everyone. Price will depend on Internet/cable provider and staff/crew accommodations package.
You have to get ashore somehow, so let’s not forget the dinghy! A serious player in inflatable watercraft, knows that starting modestly doesn’t have to mean starting small. This year, they will open their dinghy line with the SmartStart Family Pup Aero 22. Extra duffle bags? Grandma Louise? Brace of golden retrievers? Not a problem. The company motto: “With comfort and stability for all.” Accessories include a semi-portable 35-horsepower diesel inflation pump and an optional transom-reinforcement gurney for outboards exceeding 600-horsepower.
Of course, there will always be naysayers who question every market evolution. Some will say, “Nay! What about the challenges of handling boats of a size once owned only by inheritors of department-store fortunes?” Not a problem unless you have never heard of (1) integrated GPS/radar/closed-circuit video systems, (2) bow thrusters, (3) compressed-air catapults for heaving docking lines, and (4) professional crew.
Others will say, “Nay! The cost of these ever-larger small boats is far more than the average family can pay.” I suggest that this naysayer has it backwards. The main reason people decide to try out cruising is the need, the passion, to leave behind the coddling world where all sense of adventure has been squeezed out by the penny loafer and blow-dried lawyers who just want you to stay at home. What better way is there to get that first invigorating rush than by taking a huge financial risk with a boat loan way beyond one’s means? I guess all I am saying is, if Larry Ellison can do it, why can’t we? I thought this was America!
Tom Snyder sails out of Peaks Island, Maine.
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