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 Show Off  I
grabbed my 8 year old son Trace and headed off to the Strictly Sail Pacific
boat show in Alameda, CA last Friday. The mission was to not only see
some current and potential clients, but also to just generally check out
the scene. Who doesn't like to look at boats, especially brand new shiny
ones? There were plenty there, mostly of the cruising type and to me, they all look pretty dull. But there were also some interesting race boats and some solid attempts at racer/cruisers. I thought the Sydney 36 CR was cool - low freeboard, a wide but not unattractive house and a nice open interior made it pretty appealing. No carbon rig was a minus though...  While cruising inside, we happened upon this bathtub, otherwise known
as the Hunter 146. Weird and plasticky, it probably outsold everything
else at the show...The new(ish) J/124 looked good too. J has joined the 20th century and finally added a carbon wheel to their boats, plus the interior was not as overdone as previous models. The cabin window gets the most unimaginative award, however. The boat is not cheap, but no J/Boats are...It is kind of amazing how big the Beneteau 10R is - it has some nice features (sprit, carbon rig) and some weird ones (no forepeak and an aluminum boom painted flat black). That's the boy "steering" it above.  The
new Synergy 350RL (isn't that a Mercedes model?) gets the award for "And
Now For Something Totally Different." It is based on the Synergy
1000, but obviously very, very different. You either love it or hate it,
but honestly I'm not sure which camp I'm in. I don't hate it, but I'm
pretty sure I'm not ordering one any time soon. It is a boat that you
sort of can't take your eyes off.  There are design elements that are fairly compelling, (cockpit, interior)
and the boat is light and should go pretty well. But the overall look,
while an attempt at a new style may just be too strange for most people.
Time (and orders) will tell The
new Open 5.70 was very cool - a light (900 lbs), huge cockpit, twin ruddered
square top mainsail daysailor. These things look like they could have
some potential, in terms of selling. They along with the proven Rocket
22 were in the water, giving rides to potential clients. That was impressive
and they were both very busy while we were there. Certainly a good way
to see if you liked the boats doing what they were meant to do - actually
sail. We
loved the looks of the Esse 850, although it was a reminder of how small
the low, narrow and light sportboats can be. Either that or I'm just getting
old and fat...this boat was clearly named for guys like me. Tammy and
Christian Junker, dealers for the boat, were very nice and hopeful that
the boat gets some traction here in the states and we hope that it does.
SA has certainly tried to help...Inside the tents, there was a ton of activity, per usual. Great displays, and a good way to chat up the pros in the industry, and find out as much info as possible...Also a good way to sniff out the bullshit from the real deal.  Hell,
you could learn how to sail, right there on the floor! Every year we've
been there, this guy always has a crowd around him. Kind of funny...We
really liked the latest gear from SLAM. I almost bought some of it right
there, but then remembered what a cheap prick I am. Btw, does anybody
still buy crap from the guys selling the miracle clean-it-all soap, or
the all-in-one, all purpose knife set? The organizers asked me to speak at one of their seminars, but it came together too late for me to do it, but next year I will. This is a good show and really a single day doesn't do all of it justice. Just like this review. - Ed. 04/25/07 |
