Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)A recent Boat/US Magazine article reported that 70% of boat sales were sales of used boats. It's no wonder that used boat reviews are popular boating magazine features. With new boat prices in the six figure range, most of us will be looking at used boats for our first or next purchase.
The Best Used Boat Notebook is a compilation of 50 used boat reviews written by John Kretschmer and originally published in Sailing magazine. Kretschmer is a noted and frequently published bluewater sailor with over 250,000 miles in his wake. His reviews cover boats of all sizes, from the 19 foot West Wight Potter to a 52 foot Irwin. Reviews are grouped in two parts, "Forty Great Used Boats" and "Ten Great New Boats to Sail Around the World." Kretschmer's reviews follow a standard format, one often used in boat surveys. Beginning with his first impressions, he moves on to construction and "what to look for." He finishes with conclusion and discussion of the boat's value on the market and a value guide, in which he rates different aspects of the boat using a five-boat rating system. Ketschmer's reviews are thorough and often include information directly from current and past owners of the model being reviewed. By virtue of reviewing used boats, he is relieved of any pressure to soft sell a boat's weaknesses, improving his credibility.
Of obvious value to a sailor in the boat market, the Used Boat Notebook offers great value to those simply interested in sailboats. Embedded in Kretschmer's reviews is a history of the modern boat building industry. His reviews include information on the design history, construction history, and boat builder's history. Comparing the reviews of similarly sized boats is a tutorial in boat design considerations, purposes, and construction. Kretschmer provides a wealth of information to mine.
A worthwhile addition to a library, the value of The Best Used Boat Notebook could be enhanced with a couple of modifications. First, the reviews span ten years, from 1996 to 2006 but the reviews are undated. If you are in the market, knowing the age of the review would be helpful. A boat that was holding up well in 1996, might not be fairing as well 12 years later. Closely related to this date issue are the listed prices, we don't know if these were the prices at the time the review was originally published or were they updated at the time of the book's publication. It would be a short afternoon's task to compile more current market information and identify it as such. Tracking price history over the course of several years would be a good indication of a boat's value.
Written with clarity and authority The Best Used Boat Notebook lives up to its name.
Dave Lochner
NauticalReads
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Best Used Boat Notebook: From the pages of Sailing Magazine, a new collection of detailed reviews of 40 used boats plus a look at 10 great used boats to sail around the world
