Quote:
Originally Posted by csaintg
Seems to me most Sailing magaizines are geared towards racers, and cruisers over 50 feet. How big of a dynamic is this really?
I would expect the majority of boat owners to be purchasers of used boats in the 20-35 foot range. Am I off in this assumption?
Chris
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Simple economics. Younger people who in the past would have started sailing in 20-35' boats no longer have the time and/or the money available to pursue sailing. Older folks who have accrued their wealth over time through an era of fair wages, a wide variety of working/career option and hold a lot of it... they started small and worked up, or just bought big to begin with later in life. For boat manufacturers (the few that are left) make much more money building a handful of large boats than a bunch of little ones. We're in an economic model that relies on self-canibalization to satisfy short term profit goals vs long term health of an industry and sport, not to mention a country.
All is NOT doom and gloom though. I'm guessing more of us read "Good Old Boat" than most other sailing rags. There are a lot of relatively economical options available to those who want to sail but may never have the economic means to purchase a new 50', 40', or even a 20' boat. A lot of younger guys around here are buying and fixing up Santa Cruz 27's to race and cruise and having a blast doing it. I'm guessing that few of them feel the need to rush out and stock up on the periodical 'subscribed' safety gear that all the mainstream rags would have us think we can't live without this time of year... Odd how all these articles coincide with the Christmas buying season. They're more likely to replace halyards, portlights, or spring for a hand held GPS than a full blown chartplotter/AIS/radar combo. The industry makes very little money from these guys in the short run. Problem is, without support for, and recognition that this kind of sailing is central to the health of the sport and industry over the long haul, most non-sailors who have a passing interest and pick up a Cruising World, Sailing World, etc... will quickly think that sailing is only for the wealthy and white. They're more likely to deter prospective sailors than to attract them in any significant numbers.
And that said, just because I'm interested in design in general, I'm always interested in articles in Sea Horse that take the time to describe in fairly good detail the 'state of the art' whether it's a wing sailed foiling moth, a mini 6.50, or a Maxi ocean racer. Eventually the hull forms, rigging, gear, materials, etc... makes it's way into other more mundane fields like architecture and cruising yacht design. Quite aside from the fact that I may well never be able to afford anything new over 30', it's still just plain old beautiful to look at and learn about. So do I want to see the biggest boat on the dock? Not really. I'm more a fan of the most thoughtful designs regardless of size, era, or age. Fortunately, there are a lot of great and relatively affordable older boats on the market that still look wonderful and sail well.
Ok, I'll take a breath....
So Chris, I think your assumption is right. The industry standard publications are preaching to a very small minority of both participants and potential participants. Fortunately we don't need a new 50' boat to cross an ocean, or a lake, or a bay, or a river.
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