Maybe not everyone's mother-of-the-year candidate, Crooks & Liars kicks some butt, and a non-happy making "don't-worry-it-won't-ever-happen" milestone...
Some stuff works better than other stuff.
For us boatfolk it really is to our advantage to know which is which but, and there seems always to be a "but", it's not always easy to ascertain what is what.
Different folks use different criteria...
A great many seem to think that the cost of something is the best measure. Those that hold this opinion are fond of the phrase "you get what you pay for" and often quote how much they paid for something when discussing stuff. Off hand, I have to say that these folks are way off base but they do come in handy when you have something you want to sell.
Others think that whatever the "experts" say is the way to go but, and there's that "but" again, more often than not those "experts" have an agenda or work for someone who has an agenda so this can be problematic especially if your "expert" of choice is involved in the yachting press. Face it, when was the last time you read a review of a marine product where they said it was crap?
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| Not a bad boat if you like the pregnant guppy look |
Then there is the coconut telegraph/word of mouth thing... For instance, mention to someone you want to buy a used Hunter and people will come out of the woodwork to tell you (in a scornful manner) that it is an awful, badly built, and not suitable for real cruising boat. Of course, if you ask these people for more info you'll get "everyone says" and "everyone knows" sort of answers and you'll be hard pressed to find someone who has any real experience with an actual Hunter. As it happens, I'm not a real big fan of Hunter sailboats (I think they look like pregnant guppies) but they are much better boats than the coconut telegraph/word of mouth would lead you to believe...
Some people even make their decisions about stuff based on advertising... Do I even need to address this bit of folly?
So, where does that leave us since you can't trust the regular information streams?
It's a bummer but the answer is you have to do your own homework and really look at stuff with a very critical eye. It's that simple.
Listening to Jerry Jeff (seems apt today)
So it goes...
