Member Forum

Boat/US Magazine, Nov, 2001

Yielding Good Returns

J.D. Power sent out 22,000 surveys to gather information on a few boats and received 6,000 responses. That's very good, obtaining better than a 27% return.

Imagine what kind of results BoatU.S. could accomplish with its 500,000 boat owners. BoatU.S. is in the best position in the country to accumulate data on customer satisfaction on all types of boats from all years of production. This is a service that you should consider for the members.

One survey sheet in this magazine or on your Web site, I believe, would yield better than a 27% response. Even at a 27% return, your responses would generate over 135,000 opinions. That would tell the membership a thing or two about boat quality and put the manufacturers on notice that the boat buying public will have a source other than the type at the boat shows to make purchasing decisions.

BoatU.S. has always served the boating public first and best; pick up this gauntlet.

Robert C. Muir III

Quakertown, PA

South of the Border

The September issue discussed the future plans for Mexican development of Baja and surrounding waters. As a boater here in San Diego, I would love to take my Grand Banks down the coast, despite potential problems with the weather when returning.

The greatest impediment to my plans is not the weather, not the facilities, but the bureaucratic nightmare one must endure to prepare for the trip, and the added inconvenience of each port having their own set of rules, forms to be filed, fees, etc.

Add to this the documented behavior of some Mexican police and officials, the ever-present corruption in the culture and the very real danger of encountering criminal activity unless traveling in a group.

These barriers to travel have discouraged this boater from heading South. Baja may beckon, but the reality of such a trip will discourage most of us from heading South.

David Weimer

Poway, CA

Tax Tips to Come

Thanks for your informative article "No Deposit No Return." I will be contacting my New York State legislators since New York had a big "NO" when it came to state gas tax revenues being returned to boating programs. In addition, I noted that several states in my boating area, specifically Connecticut and Massachusetts, refund state gas taxes to individuals who apply for them. You would be doing many of us boaters in the Northeast a valuable service if you published an article indicating how to go about applying for these refunds -- what forms are needed, telephone numbers and addresses of the state agencies to obtain the forms and instructions, what documentation is needed, when to file, etc., would be most helpful. How about it?

Richard J. Kossmann

Syosset, NY

Correction: Our chart in the September issue incorrectly indicated that Rhode Island allows for individual gas tax refunds. Unfortunately it does not. Refunds are limited only to those operating commercial vessels.

Mystery Orb

I was wondering just what planet the September 2001 cover was shot on? On Earth, that glowing globe in the lower left would be completely invisible to the naked eye due to the intensity of the sun's light. But I suppose the right combination of filters could reveal a hidden moon, making for one incredible surrealistic image. My compliments to the photographer.

Jim Coen

Oregon, OH

Editor's Note: We wondered too. Upon checking, the photographer says it is only the sun's reflection upon the camera lens, not a UFO.

Glad Tidings

I rarely read magazines and I never send letters to the editor. I guess everything has to come to an end sometime -- the September issue was a corker.

The Reports section was excellent, particularly the articles on manatees and zebra mussels. Full Circle should be published in every newspaper serving a boating community -- it's about time we got serious about drunken boaters. I'm going to try for a visit to the David Taylor Model Basin -- it's only 30 or so miles from home. The Stobs cruised my ultimate goal by "Leaping into the Loop" -- the article inspired me and I'll buy their book. "No Deposit No Return" made me glad that I live in Maryland but not too happy that I do some boating in Virginia. And, last but far from least, "Power Propels Boat Ratings." It's about time! Consumers Union and other advocate organizations have too long ignored boating.

Tony Kehnle

New Market, MD

Good Salesmanship

I just wanted you to know that we sold our 40-foot Carver 396 Aft Cabin 2000 MY with a single ad in the May issue of BOAT/U.S. Magazine. The ad generated interest all over, but particularly in the Northeast in New York and New Jersey. A businessman and his wife flew in from Orange, NJ, and bought the boat within $1,500 of the asking price. We greatly appreciate your participation in the successful sale of our boat. The ad in your magazine generated far more leads of value than ads in our local papers.

Ralph D. & Linda Burgess, Jr. Minneapolis, MN

A Pain in Maine

We just completed a summer cruising in Maine waters. The experience, which should have been glorious, was spoiled by the incredible proliferation of lobster buoys. It is impossible to sail a straight course. Under power, the rope from the buoy to the trap will wrap around your prop shaft, making you dive to cut it off, no fun in 57-degree water.