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Boat Shows – New Sailboat models will enliven shows

There are early signs of an improving market, but boatbuilders say there are still bargains to be had

Have we reached bottom? Can we be confident about the future? Is this the time to buy a new boat? Those are some of the questions on the minds of prospective sailboat buyers as the fall boat show season gets under way.

Boat Shows - If you can afford it, you can buy it

Qualified buyers shouldn’t have any trouble getting loans at the fall boat shows, although “qualified” remains the watchword in today’s consumer credit market, be it in boats, houses or cars.

Loosey-goosey lending standards — zero down payments, low credit scores, no income or job verification, financing more than the boat is worth, high debt-to-income ratio (the ratio of monthly debt payments to income) and instant approvals — all those things are history, says James Coburn, first vice president of Flagstar Bank in Troy, Mich., and president of the National Marine Bankers Association.

Enduring wonder of wooden boats

The 18th annual WoodenBoat Show, in Mystic, Conn., offered up its ode to classic boatbuilding

Attendance was brisk on the docks and on the grounds of Mystic Seaport. Two men squat in front of a pile of sawdust. To their left, a freshly cut log protrudes from a bright orange portable sawmill, but it is the sawdust the men are focusing on.

Northwest Passage

How a 46-foot Maine lobster yacht completed a 7,700-mile transit from Southwest Harbor to Sitka.

The 46-foot Jarvic Newman-designed lobster yacht was fitted with a stainless-steel icebreaker sporting a chisled edge for cutting through ice. Pack ice surrounded Geraldine as Walt Jones stood at the helm peering into the fog to find a way through the seemingly impassable barrier. He goosed the throttle, and the 46-foot Wilbur lobster yacht moved forward into a narrow band of clear water, the ice closing in off the stern and blocking any prospect of retreat.

Refitting Geraldine

When Walt and Kip Jones bought Geraldine in the fall of 2006, they knew the 46-foot Jarvis Newman-designed Maine lobster boat needed a complete refit.

26_northwest_01 Geraldine got a complete refit before the voyage. But the boat had everything they wanted — a hull design known for easy motion in a seaway and enough cabin space to comfortably live aboard while cruising in Alaska. Investing in a refit made sense.

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