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Annapolis Sailboat Show Observations & Notes

14K views 86 replies 41 participants last post by  PCP 
#1 ·
The wife and I had a chance to go to the sailboat show on Friday. The weather was on and off rainy. Most boat vendors let you leave your shoes on. The Keens were perfect for on/off rain and easy on/off.

A few observations from the show:

1. The Gunboat 60 looks awesome. Didn't get a chance to go in but what a great looking catamaran.

2. The Blue Jacket 40 was really interesting and the craftsmanship was phenomenal. Three cabins in a 40 foot boat is rare. The tradeoff was only one head. The quoted price tag of $450k for a 40ft sailboat is way steep however.

3. The new Catalina 275 Sport is a confusing boat. I am biased as I have an 1985 Cat 27 but I can't imagine a cruising couple starting out in it and its not really a racing boat (like a J Boat) either. I am only 5'8" and I couldn't stand up completely down below. The $80k price tag seems like a steep entry price. Didn't see any really viable family boats below 30 feet. Sub-30 feet seems to be focused on racing.

4. The new Hunter 37 is totally different than the other Hunter boats. Sleeker, straighter lines, and the overall craftmanship (interior and exterior) seems to have stepped up a notch or two. Very clean and uncluttered deck.

5. Catalina looked like they were using solid teak in their interiors. Beneteau in contrast appeared to be using vaneer all over the place. I would be worried about how well vaneer holds up over time.

6. Many boats now have HUGE port holes some of them halfway down the hull on both port and starboard. Seems like a large water ingress point if the port hole fails (even if unlikely)

Favorite Boats: Catalina 355, Hylas 49, Hylas 56, Passport 47, and Blue Jacket 40

Should be fun to hear other thoughts on the show and boats.

Josh
 
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#2 ·
I went on Friday as well - it was my first show. I spent most of my time climbing on the Alerions and the Tartans and was thrilled to see a West Wright Potter for the first time. I didn't realize they were still in production. My impression was a lot of very big boats, quite a few small daysailers, and almost nothing in between (25-40 feet).

Talking to the Tartan dealer, he said that the show was bigger and that more sales were happening than last year.

Quite a few deals around. Henri Lloyd in particular had a great sale, with many nice items selling for 50% of sticker price or less.
 
#3 ·
I thought the show had a good variation of boats. I actually liked the Beneteau First 25S.

Despite its sheer size, I wasn't impressed with the Swan 80 that was there. Sure, it's pretty, but that's about it. Thanks to the new owner, though, for bringing it along.

This was my first time seeing Seawards. I think they're much nicer inperson than photos led me to believe. The designer, Mr. Hake, was a nice gentleman too. I wouldn't mind getting one of those boats.

There were more swing keels in general this year. I'm glad it's more than just Seaward and Southerly making boats that can be dried out - pretty neat.

The crowds were very light on Friday, so I was glad I went on a rainy day instead of on the weekend. Sorry I missed all the SN people :(
 
#4 ·
Went both thursday and friday.
Despite its sheer size, I wasn't impressed with the Swan 80 that was there. Sure, it's pretty, but that's about it. Thanks to the new owner, though, for bringing it along.
i concur. Oh but the technology! Carbon, titanium.....super light! FAST
The owners section was SMALL.

My favorite of the production boats was the Dufour 41. Well built and great layout with ONE head. I thinks it's a waste to have two heads on a 40 foot boat. Especially for a couple. It had great storage above and below. Good rigging, solid. No wood in deck. The Bene 41 had a small v-berth and bad layout. The Bene 38 was interesting. My fave; the Outbound 46 and Antares 44 (not new this year)

I met an older couple that owned a 22' powerboat and was looking for a Catamaran to cruise the world on; no sail experience! That's mind blowing.

That Gunboat looked amazing.
 
#5 ·
My wife and I went Friday and Saturday. We typically look at the 30-40 foot boats as those are the ones we may be able to buy one day.

The use of veneer in the Beneteau line dosent look like it will hold up well, I agree...and the huge windows in the side of the hulls definitely look like trouble in a few years.

Hunter has a hit with their 33...very nice boat and I agree they definitely look like they have stepped up their build quality. It was our hands down favorite of the production boats.

The Seawards do look decently made and a nice value for a trailerable 32 foot boat. We liked they actually had a rub rail down the side of the hull. We'd seen them before and liked them.

The blue jacket was a well built and a nice looking 40. You could see some of the Tartan design elements. Even with the single head...it looks to be a great boat with a nice layout.

We had never seen a Rustler 36 before and it was our favorite boat of the show. Craftsmanship was outstanding and is exactly what we want...small issue on the $340k price tag.

On most boats, the anchor lockers and latches continued to be a source of amusement for us...the boats were clearly not designed for anchor handling. A few boats even had an opening hatch right underneath where you be handling chain...I'm sure that will stand up well over time.

The use of flush hatches wasn't a welcome sight as I think it looks cheap...plus they all had large No Step signs on them. The Gunboat 60 had two of its flush hatches sealed with duck tape...to stop leaks.

The Beneteau, Dufour, and Catalina cabin soles looked cheap...with exposed screw heads and poor joinery and gaps that would collect debris...add that to the flexing under my weight (220 lbs), and we weren't impressed.

Vendors had great pricing...I purchased a new Garhauer MT 1 traveller for $250!
 
#7 · (Edited)
Sat visit for me.

I mainly went to see vendor booths. Got there well before they opened and left around 4:30pm. By the time I went through the booths, I walked the docks for boats. The only one I stepped foot on was a Lagoon 450 out of curiosity. Nice layout. Beautiful but it didn't have the right "feel" for me. The wood finished looked cheap like something you'd get at Ikea. Much lighter in color than I like too. Just the exteriors of many boats didn't appeal to me either. I tend to like the lines on much older boats. I walked past an Orion catamaran. That thing is HUGE!

The main thing I did buy was a Galvanized 25lb Mantus anchor for $184, normally $230. They didn't have any more available so put in an order and no cost for shipping either. Good thing I saw in person. I was considering a 35lb but looking at the physical size, I thought it wouldn't fit on the bowsprit and went with 25lb. Even that size might be bigger than what I have now.

There was plenty of other things I could have bought but they can wait. I really did enjoy myself. This was my first time at the Annapolis show. There were a couple products I was looking at getting where I was considering one model but seeing in person, feel a different model would be a better fit. Example of this is a composting head. I've been looking at the Natures Head but after seeing that and the Airhead, I'm now leaning toward the Airhead because it is a little smaller and better for the space I have in my head.

Still, it was good to walk around and see what was out there. I may go again. Especially once I start doing refit work on my boat.
 
#8 · (Edited)
As one who works on boats every day I tend to look beyond the superfluous skin deep spit shine.

I saw some excellent craftsmanship and some stuff I just shake my head at.




* 7 figure boats with free floating cabin sole boards?

* Looking in every common sense quick location for seacocks and still not finding them...

* More than half the boats still not meeting the new ELCI AC main breaker standards

* 7 figure boats that would require a step ladder at the helm just to see where you are sailing.

* Stepping into galleys / cabins with zero hand holds

* 7 figure boats with water puddling issues on deck, one of them right over the fuel fill.

* 6 & 7 figure boats with deck leaks (one had a puddle under the v- berth mattress)

* Mid six figure 48+ foot boats with less holding, fuel and water tankage than our 36 footer....

* Bow chocks on mid six & seven figure boats angled only for dock ties.. Guess anchoring is an after thought....

* Vessels with flooded batteries improperly installed

* Inverter chargers installed in locations that will only serve to ensure they fail early to to lack of ventilation.

* A 12V windless wired with approx 60' round trip if 2GA wire..

* Batteries installed in engine compartments

* Half million dollar boats with a single $40.00 bilge pump.

* 7 figure boats with bare copper wire and open terminal crimps.

* boats still lacking proper over-current protection at the batteries.

* bilges full of water

* engine and generator access only suitable for a small toddler




I did see lots of beautiful craftsmanship.. My favs..

Alerion 41
Rustler 36
Atlantic 47 / Chris White Cat..(actually sailed to the show from So. Chile in the roaring 40's....)
Gunboat - amazing construction technology
Outbound 46
Blue Jacket 40 - No exterior teak..
 
#46 ·
As one who works on boats every day I tend to look beyond the superfluous skin deep spit shine.

I saw some excellent craftsmanship and some stuff I just shake my head at.

* 7 figure boats with water puddling issues on deck, one of them right over the fuel fill.

* 6 & 7 figure boats with deck leaks (one had a puddle under the v- berth mattress)
Never considered the advantage of attending a boat show when it's raining...
 
#9 · (Edited)
Bought traveler and jib sheet controllers from garhauer.
Bought blue blades for our Air Breeze wind gen.
Bought some shock cord.
Bought some tea tree oil.
Bought CP from Raritan.
Bought a boatload of Painkillers at Pussers Fri.
Bought more Painkillers at Pussers Sat.
Had a great time so far.
Thanks Jeff H for the hospitality.
 
#10 ·
Seems that rain at an outdoor/floating boat show is a good thing!... hard to believe that so many boats had leakage/pooling issues 'brand new'..
 
#12 ·
I don't know 1/100 th of what Mainesail knows about boats but the Alerion 41 was my favorite boat at the show as well (I didn't climb on the ores on his list). Hopefully it sells well and then there will be a few on the used market when I'm ready to upgrade to the 'retirement boat'.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Just got back from the show, followed by dinner with a high school friend on her Mason 41 in Galesville.

I had been planning to blow off the show and go sailing today, but by 11 am it was clear that the weather was nastier than predicted, so we hopped in the car and drove 2 hours down to Annapolis. The shuttle bus dropped us off around 2 pm, so we had a short day.

The Outbound 46 is an incredible boat. Alerion 41 was very impressive looking, though excessive use of high gloss exterior wood will be real tough to maintain.

We're not planning any ocean passages, so a coastal cruiser for the bay is more our speed. In this regard, Hunter 37 was a very pleasant surprise. They certainly don't compare to the high-end bluewater boats, but as far as production boats go, they appear to have upped their game. David Marlow came up and introduced himself to me, and it is clear he has a lot of pride in this new boat and is determined to upgrade their materials of construction. The boat made a lot of use of real wood veneers on bulkheads (not the melamine fake woodgrain that Bene, Jenn, Hylas, etc. use), so in this respect they're keeping up with Catalina in interior quality. I was very impressed with the amount of storage space down below (2 hanging lockers in each berth area), and the head design was very nice. Cockpit storage seemed to be more limited due to full-width athwartships berth down below, but I did not get a chance to open the lockers by the perch seats, so maybe it was a little better than I realized. My wife really liked the galley storage, though it's not sufficient to provision for offshore. But for a coastal cruiser that re-provisions every several days, they pack a lot of interior space into 37'.

Out of time for now...
 
#15 ·
I love boats with teak too, but where I used to see beauty I now only see work. I visited the J-95 (again) which seems to be the perfect boat for me. Wheel, inboard, huge cockpit, nice lines, light air performance; all the things I want in a boat, except for maybe the price......


The show seemed smaller than in past years. I went to the powerboat show last week; it seemed smaller too.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Really didn't spend too much time browsing boats I could not afford. Why feed buyers remorse. Spent most time in the tents. A mixed bag with the vendors.

Simrad- helpful tips on how to recover my radar after a software upgrade, as well as a few other tidbits. Also learned that my NMEA Triducer is only capable of simple depth reading and cannot work for Echo Sounding. It would be nice to visualize depth contours when skirting some of the shallow shoals here on the Chesapeake, and I do like to fish also. I have some rod holders on order. ;-)

Dometic. Not too helpful. Had a dispute over why my AC controller had a hot glue repair holding the back on. They blamed it on the boat builder. Lame since it's clearly a poor design on the retention clips. I did glean some insight from another AC installer as to why my salon unit doesn't hold temp, I need to check the sensor location. It's probably laying against a freon tube.

Pro furl and Facnor have merged. They are pushing the Pro furl Top Down Furler over the Facnor.

Got a decent deal on a Gill OS2, and some Helly Hanson life vests for my nieces.

I really like the new Selden Double Fairleads for the continuos furling lines. The double cam cleat also looks interesting but wish I could try it first.

Didn't get nearly enough time to play with all of the different snatch blocks to make a decision should I decide to buy some.

There was a gentleman doing teak work but I seemed to have lost his card already. I have cockpit table envy. Suddenly my plastic fold down leafs look cheesy.

I met a nice couple who charter out of the Bahamas. They are moving their operation from Nassau (crime) to an island I know well, Eleuthera. I hope to meet them again.

The Neil Pryde guys were helpful in improving my understanding as to why my US Spar Mast is having issues when furling. There might not be anything in the mast to retain the lower most section of luff tape. They gave me a countermeasure.

The tide was really really high today. ;-)

I got a pretty good education on folding/feathering/variable pitch props. I like the concept of the Autoprop, but for strictly a feathering prop the Autosense seems like a potentially better product versus the Maxprop.

I was introduced to the Coast Guard 'Small Vessel Sea Service Form' for logging.

And sales people will always be sales people when it comes to trying to convince you of why their product is better, even if they don't completely understand their product.
 
#49 ·
There was a gentleman doing teak work but I seemed to have lost his card already. I have cockpit table envy. Suddenly my plastic fold down leafs look cheesy.
If it was an older fellow from Connecticut, he was probably from Teakflex Products, Teakflex,teak,wood,tables,cockpit,pedestal .

I talked to him as well about my cabin sole project. Looked like good stuff and his teak strips were about 1/8" thick, which is not bad these days.

-Argyle
 
#20 · (Edited)
This year’s show definitely felt scaled down, especially the number of boats displayed in water. The mid-level European production builders seemed to have maintained or increased their presence while the premium production builders’ presence was diminished or non-existent.

The trade show also seemed to have more non-boating related vendors than ever and some of “usual suspects” must have either sat this one out or gone out of business. I didn't find a lot of great show specials this year and I learned that the “show special” price for one product I considered purchasing was actually higher than average retail. This is the first time we didn't buy a single thing at the show.

I'll also add that now that we're potentially in the market for an upgrade in boats and we let that fact slip to a few brokers it was amazing to see the salesmanship at work as far as trying to convince us to buy their boat, to get us to list ours sooner rather than later, and having an answer for every concern or issue we might have - even if that answer completely glossed over the original concern.
 
#21 ·
I liked the Aileron as well. I've also had an appreciation for the Tartan 4300. I'm not such a fan of the T4000, as it carries the beam all the way aft, twin helm stations and all that jazz.

I really liked the Seaward line of boats. They have some clever tricks, seem very well built, and are attainably priced for the "everyman". It seems that I'll have to retract some of my comments about new boats being priced totally out of reality.

The Seaward line of boats has a very traditional, non-sporty look. I doubt they're very fast, but they look like they would have decent upwind performance. The RK26 anchors the chainplates on top of the cabin, with very strong underpinnings inside the cabin. This gives a very tight sheeting angle. Combined with the modern keel, it should sail upwind nicely. Not sure what the SA to DISP ratio is though.

These boats seem tailor-made for the Chesapeake. The keel is a fully retractable bulb, that is electrically powered. You can dial the keel and rudder in at any depth, from 6 inches to 6.6 feet.

The 26 had an enclosed head and shower, and the cockpit was very roomy considering that it was wheel equipped. I think if I bought one, I'd ask for a tiller though.

I bought some boat-bits-

Garhauer vang, cabin lighting LED's, a Clamptite tool, name graphics for the stern, and I scored $380 worth of instruments for $145 at the Weems & Plath tent sale. I'm getting a tiller pilot, but at a better discount than anything the boatshow could provide.
 
#24 ·
We went with our boys, and we were almost the exact opposite of Chuck - we were aboard 15-20 boats, and barely saw any of the vendor tents. I went with a specific shopping list, but only got 1 of the things on the list (refill for Kanberra). I'll have to order everything else online.

I was struck by a few things:
* How many boats require that you stand while steering. High foredecks/doghouses made it really tough for my wife to see forward unless she was standing.
* How nice center cockpit boats are, both because of the cabin layout and the visibility.
* How nice it would be to have a dedicated shower.
* How much bigger I'd have to go to get a dedicated shower.
* Build quality issues and leaks on even brand-new boats.
* Seaward's 46RK would be a great boat for us if we hit the lottery, in part because they address many of the issues above, though sometimes from a very different perspective. The pilot's station inside the cabin is a neat idea; the boat is like a cross between a conventional aft-cabin and a pilothouse. I really liked it a lot.

In the end, the thing that made me happiest was that I didn't see a boat there that was a better fit for our needs than our current boat. Yes, the 46RK would be great, but it's more boat than we need for 3-4 hour sails on the bay.
 
#29 ·
We didn't go on the 26. In looking at the pictures on their site, though, I'm not sure I'd quite call that a "dedicated" shower. It's right in the entryway! You'd still have to wipe down the floor.

That's not a knock on them, by any stretch. I understand the space issues, and the 26's solution isn't bad. But, much like the head in the aft cabin of the 46, it's just not quite what I'd like if the boat was something I'd be spending a LOT of time aboard.
 
#27 · (Edited)
I didn't make this year's show. Still, some thoughts based on many years of attending this show:

I concur! Pussers is usally one of the best stops to make!

For those who thought the show seemed scaled down - possible! The industry is still in recession. Exibitors have to make a financial cost/benefit decision. For those past exibitors, not getting on the right side of that equation over the past few years could have been a deal breaker.

New boats that leak, squeak and have parts falling off - generally, wouldn't go too tough here. yes there is no excuse, but then again most complicated products have a similar quality level. Stuff happens! More so when that stuff has to be transported hundreds or even thousands of miles for display.

Designs that aren't very salt worthy. Sail boat design took a turn years ago that put creature comfort ahead of the prime directive - sailing ability. Wide wider and wider still boats. The new new thing is big windows. Big windows and big waves don't play nice together. And, the corrosive environment these boats are used in probably is not going to play well with the materials or adhesives used for installation. it's one thing when you've got a minor window leak on the coach, it's another when it's your hull that's leaking.

To those who went glad you had a good time! Classic plastic looking beter and better!
 
#28 ·
We're gonna try and go to this show next year. Stictly Sail Chicago is our annual show, but doesn't have the same appeal because of its smaller size, mid-winter Midwest winters, and no in-the-water boats.

Sounds like the rainy weather for this year's Annapolis show provided some good test conditions for folks like MaineSail to spot leaks, puddles, etc.
 
#33 ·
I spent 3 days at the show and here are some of my initial thoughts:
The boats seemed to come in 3 classes
Catamarans
Signal hulled catamarans
Traditional monos

The cats were all interesting but I just do not like the light weight construction. The floors creaked and I am not a fan of the Euro styling myself but it may work for others. I just do not like the hard cold feel to the interiors. I understand the reasons for this construction and in some cases the engineering is impressive but just not my style. The room and layouts were nice though. I like the trend to the forward cockpit I think this will be the coming thing with the cats in the future.

Some of the builders are taking the cat interiors and doing the same thing to a wide hard chine mono. I really do not like this look and I think these boats will be uncomfortable at sea due to the flat sections. That said I have not sailed one yet so this is just an opinion. Nice to have all that room but I really question how these boats will be at sea. These and the cats seem to be primarily designed for the charter trade and for that they look great. They look like they would do well for day island hoping and nighttime partying. Large cockpits and good interior volume make for a good charter boat.

The traditional boats were nice. Almost all the boats had the teak replaced with cherry which is a good replacement. Some of the Euro built boats had African mahogany or teak. Prices were high but quality seemed good for the most part. Once again many lacked good sea cabins of sea berths. I saw some that had under counter refrigerators that opened only on the side port and starboard making them useless on one tack. Most had no berths that could be used at sea and few had good galleys for underway use. There were exceptions though and in general I really liked the Tartans. Of course the really high end like the Hylas were very nice.

Interesting to see the transoms with fold down swim platforms and steps. A nice transition from the scoop transom. These will greatly improve boarding from a dinghy.

The newer helms were nice as well allowing clean installations for chart plotters and such.

Not a lot new in gear but I did not look much at electronics in general. Some interesting new safety gear though.

I was put off by the number of salesmen and brokers that seemed more interested in their cell phones than the shopper. Many would not even look up as people came on the boats or into their booth. Some were downright rude when I asked questions. I have seen this at other shows but it seemed really bad this year. I hope sales are that good that they can treat shoppers with such distain. There were however many that were a pleasure to talk to so it is not all bad just surprised me how many acted like they really did not want to be there or could not be bothered.
 
#38 ·
I was put off by the number of salesmen and brokers that seemed more interested in their cell phones than the shopper. Many would not even look up as people came on the boats or into their booth. Some were downright rude when I asked questions. I have seen this at other shows but it seemed really bad this year. I hope sales are that good that they can treat shoppers with such distain. There were however many that were a pleasure to talk to so it is not all bad just surprised me how many acted like they really did not want to be there or could not be bothered.
Agreed.

We finally bought a Sailrite sewing machine, bout time! Met the owner and had some great conversation, we even discussed reopening a shop in Annapolis. We managed to get only 5 samples of Kanberra and one sample spray (Score :D), I also purchased our annual 22 oz refil at the bargain price of $88 :eek: (Its great stuff, but damn $$). Spoke to the folks at Sail Care about how they mucked up my batten pockets again, they offered to fix it but I declined. Decided the Sea Frost BDX is the refer we'll be purchasing and installing sometime this off season, looking forward to not having to schlep ice around! Stopped by Beta Engines and thanked Stanley for the tickets to the show and chatted with the mechanic who assisted me with the engine install.

We didn't board many boats nor did we really inspect them in any great detail but did observe many short comings, often on some very pricey boats.

I find the Seaward 46 an odd but interesting design. The interior is just weird, cant exactly put my finger on what I like and dislike. I noted the sole has so many different levels that moving around that boat at sea would seem very dangerous? The cabinetry seems so much like an afterthought with the way they're installed, it doesn't flow and has a chopped up look.

The Tartans showed well this year, I believe that's because they seem to be one of the few there that incorporate innovation with that classic look/feel. The solid wood interiors were attractive after seeing so much veneers. I had never been aboard the 4100, nice yacht

After reading this thread I wish I had gone on the Blue Jacket, Alerion, and Outbound. Was Hallberg Rassy there?

Overall there was really nothing I would be willing to pay the money they want for these boats, even if I had it. Without a detailed knowledge of the boat itself, I would say the Catalina 440 is the best buy at the show for my taste and likes, but dollar for dollar I am still buying a older design of better quality...a refit Bristol, Mason, Hans Christian, HR, Malo, etc...

The best part of the show for me, getting the opportunity to meet Maine Sail and thank him personally for all he has contributed to this and other forums, and all he has so generously helped me with time and time again. ;) RC, great being able to chat and talk more than just boats, cheers.

BTW...not only did we get in with complimentary tickets, but I scored a free parking spot within 5 minute walk :p
 
#34 ·
I've only been sailing for a year, and didn't want ot buy anything, but I went down for a laugh. For engineer_sailor, the gunboat 60 is very nice inside, spacious cabins, teak with carbon fiber accents. Very euro and light feeling.

There weren't a lot of smaler boats there, but I really liked the look of the Tartan Fantail. Of course I just looked up the price >.<
 
#35 ·
I went to buy some Garhauer gear and talk to the Harken and RayMarine reps. Harken still has parts for my 30 year old traveler car!
Went on boats in Miami in February, so I did not go aboard this time. Loved the Hylas 46. Thought the Benes were really cheap looking inside. The Catalinas had the best cockpit. The Jenneaus cut too many corners and I'm a single head kind of guy. Tartans were nice, but pricey, and the cockpit table was ugly. All in all, I felt good about spending a few bucks to have my boat compounded and waxed!
 
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