Cobra and seawolf owners forum

[Theshipscat]

http://cobra-seawolf.com/

The above website needs reviving anyone out there with a cobra or seawolf pls have a look and get involved.

 

[Dipper]

I do my best posting under Woolfee and there are a couple of others who also try to spark some interest but sometimes it's like I'm talking to myself.

There are up to 1400 owners out there (90% of them Cobra owners) so you are right that there should be more interest. I think that some may be put off by the membership fee but it does cost the administrator to host the site.

 

[Theshipscat]

I do my best posting under Woolfee and there are a couple of others who also try to spark some interest but sometimes it's like I'm talking to myself.

There are up to 1400 owners out there (90% of them Cobra owners) so you are right that there should be more interest. I think that some may be put off by the membership fee but it does cost the administrator to host the site.

Hi wolfee
It's Graeme. You're right. I just thought it might worth trying to recruit some new members. As we know it's a useful site.

 

[Dipper]

Someone else with a split personality!

 

[bob26]

http://cobra-seawolf.com/

The above website needs reviving anyone out there with a cobra or seawolf pls have a look and get involved.

I think many class owners associations will empathise with this. Owners groups are invaluable when you are a new owner or have a problem but hard to sustain...and can be soul-destroying for those who try to organise social events and rallies. Members are often too widely dispersed, lacking spare time or already committted to sailing club events etc.

The Trident Owners Association was formed in 1968 - with just 240 potential members compared to the 1400 you reckon for Cobra and Seawolf - and has somehow managed to continue in existence. It was in fact created by Bob Tyler, a late lamented contributor to this forum and former advertising manager of PBO who built a Trident 24 (Chamois of Wight) from a kit.

The TOA has a website but I think to sustain enthusiasm you need a bit more than a passive website to stay alive. A lively forum helps of course - one that e-mails members and tells them something has been posted rather than relies on them to log-in regularly.

The TOA has a quarterly newsletter which is greatly helped every year by a cruising log competition for which we are fortunate to have a splendid trophy to award - the Marcon Trophy (see pic) gifted to the TOA by Eric White, the founder of Marine Construction (builder of the Trident, Sabre, Cutlass, Halberdier, Rival etc). Eric and Alan Hill, the designer of the Trident, have always been great supporters of the owners association. I calculated recently that the logs entered for the Marcon Log Competition (all published in the newsletter and now finding their way onto the website) probably amount to a record of more than 35,000 miles of cruising in Tridents. You can see some of them here:

http://www.trident24.com/marcon_winners.html

As an aid to recruitment, we long ago assembled all the hints and tips submitted to the newsletter by Trident owners into an owners manual. The Trident Owners Manual is provided free to all new members.

2010 was the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first Trident and as part of the celebrations we have tried to assemble an album of every known Trident. We have only managed about 165 so far but we are still looking. See them here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/100465955352225388837/TheTridentAlbum?authkey=Gv1sRgCMiTqKXnguCYAQ#

There is a Trident owners Yahoo group as well as the website. We are also looking at what Facebook might offer by way of networking for Trident owners. Most of our new members (I am told) come through the internet one way or another. But I'm not sure that the web alone offers enough to sustain the organisation.

But don't despair. As the TOA has shown, a vibrant owners association is an important way to maintain interest in (and the value of) your boat.

 

[Theshipscat]

I don't know who actually runs ours. Maybe Dipper knows more?
I have spoken to Cobra and seawolf owners who weren't members and they didn't have much to say about the website.

 

[monkfish24]

I'm a SW26 owner and would join the site but as you say, it is dead. I've spoken to dipper in the past about the seawolfs and agree that there is a valuable wealth of info there. maybe I should pull thumb out of bum and join and add a user

 

[bob26]

I don't know who actually runs ours.

Is it Phil here:

http://www.cobra-seawolf.com/EMAILFORM.htm

 

[Theshipscat]

I'm a SW26 owner and would join the site but as you say, it is dead. I've spoken to dipper in the past about the seawolfs and agree that there is a valuable wealth of info there. maybe I should pull thumb out of bum and join and add a user

Go for it. The membership form is in the link from Bob 26.
I'm sure we can get some life into the forum.

 

[Theshipscat]

Is it Phil here:

http://www.cobra-seawolf.com/EMAILFORM.htm

That's the fella?

 

[Theshipscat]

There must be more cobra, seawolf owners on here than 3?

 

[Seajet]

When I was first setting up my Owners Association I printed what were virtually 'flyers' and posted them in waterproof bags on applicable boats.

Now the association is well known - the boat being tested by PBO & Sailing Today, where the association and address were mentioned has been a big help, I'd have thought a 'buying secondhand' review would be overdue for the Seawolves and Cobra's ?

Just about anyone thinking of buying my type of boat comes to me first now, so on our website I have a 'Buyers' Guide', also association members get to place ad's for free, be it kit or whole boats for sale.

It should be emphasized it's a labour of love though, it takes a surprising amount of time and effort, and subscriptions ( I deliberately keep annual fees low to encourage people ) go nowhere near covering site hosting costs, postage etc.

There will always be the odd chancer who pays for the first year then expects to be a member and get free info' from the private forum for ever, but they get a nasty surprise now I've found how to block them !

A good class association is a great thing, the chat, swapping photo's and info is entertaining, we have access to various spares ( including keels ! ) and it does boost the resale value of a boat.