EDITORIAL By Kevin Falvey12 | BOATINGMAG.COM | JULY/AUGUST 2018I
n the beginning, boating and boats were much more homogenous than they are
today. Boats came in small sizes and had outboards, and they came in larger sizes
and had inboards. A yacht possessed twin engines, likely of the diesel persuasion.
Kayaks were known but uncommon. Later on, the sterndrive came along and vied
with the outboard for the affections of owners of smaller boats.
Boats tended to all look the same in the past. At the least, they looked related. The teak
step pad on the gunwale of the runabout mirrored the teak cockpit sole of the cruiser.
The vent hole cut into the ski boat’s glove compartment door was the same anchor-shape
cutout one would find in the hanging locker door in the master stateroom of the sport-fish
boat. Whether one skippered a 40-foot “gold plater” or a small vessel considered part of
the “mosquito fleet” (these “buzzed” around), rough edges of fiberglass were often as not
finished with a strip of riveted aluminum. Two-tone color schemes, streamlining, and other
automotive affectations — including tail fins — were ubiquitous.
Boaters too were almost all cut from the same cloth, tending to be versed in various
watery activities. The couple with the sedan didn’t ski anymore
but started out boating at the end of a towrope. The avid tuna
angler with the convertible learned to tie knots and sharpen
hooks while chasing flounder from a skiff. The trawler owner
raced outboards as a kid. Engines being what they then were, all
were familiar with the smell of ether. Boaters boated differently,
but because they all tended to come from the same place, and
because other boats had more similarities than differences,
they understood each other. They respected each other.
Today, it’s different. A 40-footer is as likely to sport outboards
as diesel power — and the term “twin screw” no longer carries
as much panache. Boats sport refined details, and even the smallest models are so much
more capable, versatile and easier to maintain than their predecessors. Engines are reliable
and require no experience to start or to keep running. Many boaters jump directly to the
“big boat” instead of stepping up from a runabout to an overnighter, and then to a cruiser.
Advanced design allows boats to serve with less compromise than in the past.
The world has changed. For many, the time to come up as a boater versed in a variety of
watery activities just isn’t there, even if the desire is. So, we have better boats but a worse
understanding of each other. And there are more of us. That makes it imperative that we go
out of our way to try and understand our fellow boater. After all, we boaters don’t just share
a love for the water. We share the water.Kevin Falvey, Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]SUNDRY BOATS
APLENTY
So many boats, so little time. (Life is short.)Today, it’s different.
A 40-footer is as likely to
sport outboards as diesel
power — and the term
“twin screw” no longer
carries as much panache.
SOFT TOUCH
You’d be hard-
pressed to fi nd a
more ubiquitous marine
accessory than the
fender. Check out some
buying tips on page 46.