Annapolis 2016

[Bob23]

Gents: And ladies: I know this has been touched upon recently in a few seemingly non-related writings but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway. I'm aware of a few of you who are going...and I'm thinking about it, although the Admiral has made it plain that she's not interested. So...who's going? I can just taste the Painkillers now!!!
Bob23...going on Saturday, if at all.

[Elk River]

Bob:

     Lily and I are still in Denver, planning to leave Wed, the 5th of Oct.  We may not be back by Sat. but will keep in touch.  Our daughter gave birth on Tues, the 27th, so we are hanging in for several more days.

     Elk River

[Bob23]

Congratulations to Brad and Lily!! Oh no...I have away their true identities!!!  Hope you can make it...keep us posted...it'd be great to see you again. No pressure!!!! 
Bob23

[HeaveToo]

I am a possible visitor on Saturday.  My Uncle may be coming up with me also.  I would probably go early to mid-day on Saturday if I go.  I will keep you posted.

[Bob23]

Cool, Matt. I'd be arriving first thing as well. Weather permitting, of course. Although I've had great times there in rainstorms and nor'easters.
Bob23

[Mas]

If you guys get up there and wanna grab some food and a cold one, Davis's pub is fav of the locals and a reasonably priced kinda place. Last time we were up there got a ride on a water taxi that drops you off right across the street and took us back to the boat. Cheaper than a regular taxi!

The Boatyard Restaurant may have arguably the best crab cakes i have ever eaten, will be busy though.

It was at the Annapolis Boat show, on it's last day, 27 years ago as we were leaving sailing and sitting below decks on a boat that we dreamed of, that Susan after looking around her, uttered the question that helped sustain that dream:  "So how much can we get for our house?" 

[HeaveToo]

I watching this crazy weather blitz that has been going on with Matthew I have figured out that the best day for me to go to Annapolis is Friday.  I will be heading down there around opening time for the show. 

Who knows what this storm will do but it could rain on the other days.  I also will be there with my Uncle so that should be pretty cool.

Too bad we couldn't talk Compac to giving current owners a free baseball cap if we checked in with them at the show!!!!!  One of these days we will have to do this.  Heck I wouldn't mind buying one while I was there.

I hope others make it down there.

[Mas]

Well we will be at a festival till Monday but be assured that Mathew will stay away. After two good days of sailing spent some time this morning stripping canvas, doubling lines, and generally preparing for a storm. Thus we now know it will stay away!

Have fun up there all, and say howdy to the Hutchin's folks for us. Took the ole 16 out yesterday and had quite the ride with it blowing over 15. Luv that shallow draft when tucked in behind Parrot Island for a break.

[Finbar Beagle]

My wife and I were at the show yesterday.  Rich Hutchins was there with a horizon cat day sailor and a suncat.  He was great to meet, excellent insights, and did try to upscale.  All round, he was a gentleman and good guy. 

The tekacat inflatable as there, at discount for April delivery.  I am looking for a dog friendly barge and Mikes videos have hooked me on this.  Rumor was they were also at show on Thursday.

Upstairs at Pusser, drinking painkillers (spicy rum cocktail) was place to be.  Overlooked the show and great bartenders.  $6 each did not kill budget.  After 2, my wife may have mention the remote possibility of a new boat....

Free cocktail were also at tasting test, a pillars rum spiked apple cider and Noble wines, very refresing.  Lunch was a little dis pointing at Mcgarbby Saloon and Oyster Bay, but it was ok considering the crowd.

Regards,

[Finbar Beagle]

Should have profited last post, Rich did not upscale at all.  Instead he focused on their continuing support for parts on my discontinues CP 19 mk2.

Great man.

[Finbar Beagle]

Dabnabit, now my spellchecker is killing me.  I think you all will u nderstand, no up sale, no pressure, good boat show, drank rum

[HeaveToo]

I was there yesterday too.  It wasn't a bad show but I noticed a few boat makers missing.  Island Packet didn't seem to be there and I didn't see Hunter-Marlow either.  That is rather odd, especially for Hunter to not be there.  They use to have a huge display. 

Most of the boats are bigger boats.  I did get to see an international flying moth.  That would be a lot of fun to play with.  There were some smaller catamarans there too on the land.

I did get to talk to Rich at the Compac Display.  He just sold a new Compac 23D.  He said that he would be passing my information onto the new owner so the new owner could contact me.  I told Rich about this group and the meet-ups that we have had in the area. 

There were come crazy boats at the show.  There was one Gunboat Catamaran, an Amel super ketch, and a few other high dollar tickets.  There were tons of boats in the 40-50 feet range.  I have to say that I doubt that I would ever want to get into anything that big because you need crew and it would be hard to sail it the way I sail it.  I also noticed that there were a lot of boats with deeper draft.  MOST of the cruising boats wouldn't fit the ticket in my cruising area because they were too big with too much draft.  Anything over 5 feet in the Chesapeake Bay is a recipe for disaster.  There were very few boats around the 30 foot range. 

[Vectordirector]

Thanks for the reports.  Great to hear that Com-pac was there.  It seems very few sailboat manufacturers can make money making boats smaller than 35 ft unless they are one design racing boats.  Hunter and Island Packet being absent in Annapolis says a lot about the state of sailboat manufacturing in the states.

The most popular new cruising boat these days is a 35-50 ft. cat.  Very few of these are built in the states and most are custom ordered and built.  Cruising monohulls 30-50 ft are still built here but few new ones sell.  There are hundreds of 35 ft. used cruising monos for sale for under $50K, with a refit they are perfectly serviceable for an all in of under $100k.  I'm talking solid old fiberglass boats here: Tartans, Sabres, Cape Dorys, Sewards, Bristols, Hinckleys, and on and on.  A new 35 ft. Hunter, Compac, Catalina or Seward is well over $150K.  If I wanted a 35 ft. boat I sure wouldn't buy a new one.  The shows are becoming less and less important as fewer boats are sold there and the costs to participate increase every year.   

I rarely see a new sailboat running on Charlotte Harbor, is this SW Florida only or what?  Where are all the new boats going?   SW Florida is hopping right now with people retiring and coming south.  I see a lot of new powerboats.  Most are 24 ft. or bigger center console fishing boats or Pontoons, $75k + most of them.  People are spending money here, but not on new sailboats. 

The fact that Com-pac is still succsessful as small family owned business after over 30 years says a lot about the company and its people.  They have outlasted quite a few others.  Bravo!

Vectordirector

[Mas]

Back from 4 days at a festival and a good dose of rain and wind for two days of it! Hope the Annapolis show escaped the wet weather.

It is a fact that boat manufacturers can simply make more profit with larger boats than smaller ones. It is nice to have Hutchins do well in their niche for the market. I was talking with the Pacific Seacraft folks and mentioned the boat show and interestingly they do not see the Annapolis show as catering to their clientele. They were however at the Newport Show and maybe Island Packet is also now seeing the Annapolis show as not the right match for their craft. It is surprising that Hunter (actually now Marlow-Hunter Yachts) would not be there, though maybe the new owner of Hunter who is a builder of the high quality Marlow Yachts and now into a self funded redevelopment of the Hunter brand with zero interest in continuing the inexpensive production boat line that marked Hunter yachts in the past, has also felt the Annapolis show was not the right place for that new image.

Heading to the Bay soon......