However you like to boat, there's a big boat out there for you. 'They want to be able to take the boat places other comparable diesel inboard boats can't go, and they can get there in half the time, comfortably and safely.'

'Our customers want performance, quality, and class with the ability to fish it hard,' says sales and marketing director Alan Lang. On the other hand, Scout Boats' customers have a more focused use in mind. 'Overall, they want joystick maneuverability, a functional main deck for entertaining, and comfortable accommodations belowdecks for overnights.' While some areas are big into exploration and weekend overnights,' he explains. Other areas, as a day boat and it's kept at their home. 'In some areas they're used as floating condos. Matt VanGrunsven, marketing director for Cruisers Yachts, says his customers' punch lists vary depending on their geographic region. This was simply not the case 10 years ago.' 'Even larger cruising boats are being purchased by owners who do not have the intention to overnight on them. This is a trend that we've seen for some time in the industry, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down,' says Paul Kuck, Regal's product development and marketing director. 'We're seeing larger and larger boats being built with the focus on entertaining rather than overnighting. Boaters are comfortable and confident with today's ultra-engineered outboard - their reliability ease of operation and quiet, smooth nature.īeyond the power plant, what are buyers with more-than-average disposable income looking for in a boat? In short, everything. That may be an extreme example for big boats, but manufacturers are turning out a variety of high-quality boats in the 40- to 55-foot range - and more and more of these boats are forgoing diesel inboards for gasolinepowered outboard power plants. With its 16-foot beam and 65,000-pound weight, it's powered by a quintet of Yamaha 425s or Seven Marine 627-hp outboards. Heck, HCB, the luxury brand from Hydra Sports, markets Estrella, a 65-foot(!) center-console that sleeps five. Namely, a 40- and 50-foot center-console with outboard propulsion is becoming more common each year. The trend is not what you may think of when it comes to big boats. Outside of the 100-plus-foot 'megayachts' and 'superyachts' owned by billionaires and displayed at megaboat shows, like the one held each November in Fort Lauderdale, Florida - 'No boarding without an accompanying broker, thank you!' – recreational boats are best categorized as small boats (let's say, less than 30 feet) and big boats. Here in the U.S., the latter is a more highfalutin term, typically used by nonboaters, that perpetuates the myth that all boaters are millionaires (which we know to be far from the truth). What distinguishes a 'boat' from a 'yacht?' In the boatbuilding industry, the Europeans call just about every vessel a yacht.

Sea scout 14 6 foot wood runabout