Boot... a bit of a disappointment

TiggerToo

TiggerToo

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No, this is not about Durbarrys.
Nor is the disappointment with THE Boot (show itself, in Duesseldorf, was amazingly good).

This old thread (OVNI vs Garcia vs Boreal) which seems to have resuscitated, reminded me of the disappointment of Garcia.

This mega-expensive, highly advertised and promoted brand, was a bit of a let-down. Looking below, behind the flashy, shiny and totally unrealistically neat cabins, lurk all sorts of dubious finds... take for instance the amazingly untidy "spaghetti" of the electrical wiring. Is it possible to put on show something that is likely to exceed by far half a million, and not take care of proper wiring plans? My wife (who is French) told me.... ach, typical French...

still,

Disappointing.

Boreal remains on my unrealisable wish list. But probably only because I have not had the privilege of actually being on one.
 
TiggerToo said:
Nor is the disappointment with THE Boot (show itself, in Duesseldorf, was amazingly good).
Click to expand...

If you mean the Garcia *at* boot...it was interesting to see how little was included in the base price and how it all added up fearsomely. And yes that little corridor down the starboard side with the electrics in was a bit weird. `The throttle inside without a wheel was also seemed strange but I guess understandable if you're working on autopilot. But then I'm not an "expedition" customer. If I had a million-and-something euros to spend on a boat I think I'd go with something simpler but only make a habit of visiting penguins in the southern summer.

And after looking round the Garcia I annoyingly had "Truckin'" playing in my head for hours. In fact now it's back...
 
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TiggerToo said:
Boreal remains on my unrealisable wish list. But probably only because I have not had the privilege of actually being on one.
Click to expand...
I have twice, once at the start of a three year trip and once at the end.

We both love those boats and they are even better in the flesh.
 
Him and Jimmy Cornell too...

But I have become a bit wary of these celebrity endorsements. Even more after having looked at the Garcia at Boot...
(the attitude of the guys showing you around did not help, either)
 
Good video - I was always a fan of Goss after he raced a Firebird 26 micro multihull across the pond.

Many of the advantages he mentions are also available in a Southerly - particularly the righting moment when the keel is raised so not a unique thing. OK it's a different boat built from different materials but the USP is similar.
 
I enjoyed watching and was very impressed bythe Pete Goss endorsement video. His boat looked to be in great condition for 2 years old and having already covered 15,000 Miles.

Shame, TT, that you're disappointed after seeing one in the flesh. I wasn't previously aware that Jimmy Cornell had such a huge influence in its design features.
 
davidjackson said:
I enjoyed watching and was very impressed bythe Pete Goss endorsement video. His boat looked to be in great condition for 2 years old and having already covered 15,000 Miles.

Shame, TT, that you're disappointed after seeing one in the flesh. I wasn't previously aware that Jimmy Cornell had such a huge influence in its design features.
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Jimmy Cornell didnt have a huge influence in the design. He made some comments on things that broke on his when he went up the North West passage, namely the gooseneck fitting. This is what he said to the crowd at a lecture in Lanzerote in December 2004.
I have seen one in the flesh in Cuba. They are an acquired taste. Not a taste I would acquire. They have a strange cockpit layout and in my mind are ugly as sin. I am sure they are great in the Artic when you dont want to be outside but you want to see where you are going with that Lagoon like front window but we dont do that and neither do 99% of people on this forum. I think there are two types of sailor who would buy them. The first is those that intend to go high latitudes and those that like the idea of a ruffty tuffty four by four when a mondeo does the same job on the road. The drawbacks of a boat designed for high latitudes in the Med or the Caribbean is ventilation. You need lots of ventilation when its hot.
For me I would never want a steel r aluminium boat. If you could see some of the bubbling paint on the Ovnis we have been aboard here in the Caribbean you would think twice. The French guy with one Ovni had major corrosion problem. He had a ‘negative’ hull but couldn't find the fault. When he put the multimeter connections on the hull and the battery positive he had a circuit. We also met a guy with a Garcia. He left the boat in a yard and asked them to antifoul the bottom whilst he was away. They discussed the need for the correct bottom paint as it was an aluminium hull. They used the wrong bottom paint. Once he relaunched he started to get corrosion bubbling through the antifouling. Pits occurring in the hull. The boat had to be lifted, scrapped, primed, repainted and anti fouled. This just doesnt happen with a grp boat.
 
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