There is no one right boat...

I'll repeat that.

There is no one right boat.

I mention this because, on a pretty regular basis, people tend to ask me which boat is the right one for them and they always seemed a bit disgruntled when I tell them that pretty much anything that floats right side up that they can afford will more than likely work just fine.

Of course, there are a lot of people who need to sell you on the concept of the one right boat because they want to sell you something which, in most cases, is a boat that's not right for you at all but that's just the way the whole consumerism gig works.

You really need to keep that in mind...

The thing about most fiberglass boats built in the last thirty years or so is that they mostly were built pretty well. Just the fact that so many of them have survived this long and are still going strong is all the evidence you need.

The current manic obsession with having the "best" is simply the same old same "keeping up with the Joneses" on steroids as it is no longer about keeping up but "surpassing/crushing/humiliating the Joneses".

Not really a pretty picture at all.

It's really all just about the need and the want. You need a boat to take you where you want to go in a safe and comfortable fashion and that's doable with a fairly large variety of boats that are affordable to most. There are lots and lots of good boats sitting neglected and forlorn just waiting to take you wherever you want to go and, though it might surprise you, no one really cares what sort of boat you come into an anchorage with.

Then again, if your need is all about impressing people because you have deep seated insecurity issues and a poor self image then, just maybe, the boating life is just not for you...