Perfect Boat. IMO it is difficult for anyone to know what the perfect boat might be until you have been on a boat for a while. Then, you know what you like, don’t like, wish you had, and wish you didn’t have. Short of that, feedback from places like TB is invaluable.
The perfect boat is obviously going to be one that will meet someone’s needs. What should be even more obvious is if you don’t have fun using the boat, then something is wrong. Everyone’s needs might vary. Here are mine:
My boating conditions are fairly homogeneous. With rare exceptions I will be at lakes with improved ramps. Fishing (trolling) is the primary use. I’m lucky that one boat can meet my needs.
Capacity/stability: More is always going to be better. Generally means a larger boat.
Comfort: For my use that means remote steering. Good seating is obvious. Canvass for protection form sun/rain. Gear storage kind of falls in this category too. I don’t want to have to load the boat every time I use it, so the more I can permanently keep on the boat the better. Again, a larger boat is usually going to deliver more comfort.
Ease of use – This is a high priority for me. I need something that I can launch/retrieve single handedly. I don’t want to have to struggle with this. Want it to be easy to tow & easy to store. This is a conflicting need because in this case a smaller & lighter boat is better.
Reliability is extremely important. All require preventive maintenance. More I can do myself the better, though I am not a knowledgeable mechanic.
Upkeep: I don’t want to worry about or have to spend a lot of time polishing, waxing, buffing (actually I don’t want to spend any time doing this). Don’t want to use fenders. Don’t want to worry about dock rash. For me this means Tin boat all the way.
Speed: I’m not entering any races, but of course want to get there with reasonable speed.
Cost: No one wants to pay more than they have to. For most of us this is going to be a major driving factor. Mrs Ldubs in her wisdom says don’t sacrifice what you want to save a few bucks (within budget of course). She is right as usual because doing that is likely to cost you more in the long run.
I think my current boat is a pretty good balance to meeting my overall needs. Sure there are much nicer boats in the same class, but not enough better that I would want to change. All of this of course doesn’t include all of the tweaking/accessorizing that seems to never stop.
PS: As a side story, I bought my current boat at a boat show. The dealer had run an extension cord to a 4’ fluorescent light that he hung up under the canvass top. Mrs Ldubs, not being familiar with boats, asked him if the “big light” came with the boat. The guy was completely dumbfounded. I wish I had a photo of the look on his face. Anyway, I guess I don't need a 4' fluorescent light on my "perfect boat". Haha
