What do you want in a review?

[rhinorhino]

What do you want in a boat review?
Facts and figures?
Polar diagrams?
Stability curves or stability tested?
Accurate layout diagrams?
A fair idea of price? I.e. equipped to a set level. VAT / ex VAT stated.
Options list with prices
Delivery times.
Do current YM reviews give you what you want?

 

[Guest]

Fuel consumption
Depreciation
Average maintenance costs
Parts availablity

Jock Scott

 

[davidwf]

I'd like them to be objective, I've never really read a bad report in YM or PBO I suspect they are afraid of upsetting their advertisers. It's all sugar coated.

I also note their total bias towards Hunters which whilst being fine boats are no better or worse than the French built offerings.

 

[Guest]

I wonder if people could voluntarily review their own boats by filling in a set proforma. This data could then be searched on by other members looking for that type of boat. If the reviewer was willing to be contacted he could say so. I think that there is a web site somewhere that you can do this, but if it were possible on here it would be great, we would have good library of our own (honest) reviews. I would not make the proforma too detailed as I for one do not have a clue about the technical aspects of boats, but on the other hand you could choose to complete one at a certain level you felt comfortable with. There seems some very experienced people on here like TR7V8 and spannerman and all the rest, as I can't name you all would take too long. It would then be interesting to review the reviews on the same boats and search for bias /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif. If Glastron want to give me a spanking new boat free next year, I will constantly review mine favourably every month.

 

[webcraft]

Re: YM/PBO Hunter Bias

I don't believe this is bias, I believe from reading the tests that Hunter really do build a better boat - for the qualities I personally value in a yacht. These are my values, however, not everyone's.

I suspect that most reviewers have a universal respect for stability and passagemaking capability and are not so impressed by the fripperies that affect life in port but are less relevant at sea. My interpretation of this 'bias' is that Hunters are better boats for passagemaking foot for foot than JenBenBavs, although they may not be such good value for money if you intend to use them mostly in coastal waters or on the pontoon - as a lot of people do.

I think that the YM/PBO reviews generally bend over backwards to find nice things to say about the lighter, cheaper boats rather than going on excessively about their handling and stability. This, I presume, is because they realise that seaworthiness is not the major factor for most people in deciding which yacht to purchase. I would say however that their guarded comments about the rather relaxed requirements for Cat A 'Ocean' are worth listening to.

Interestingly, the RYA are trying to put together a stability database of yachts currently in production, and so far Hunter are the only builder to have volunteered any data.

<font color=blue>Nick</font color=blue>
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bluemoment.com>

</A>

 

[Twister_Ken]

100 litres of water

emptied below decks, to see how wet the boat becomes.

 

[ianwright]

A new format,,,,,

To keep it simple the tester only has to note how badly the boat on test compares to a Vertue.
Very much like a Vertue= good, not much like a Vertue= bad.

See? Simple.

IanW.

Vertue 203, Patience

 

[billmacfarlane]

Re: A new format,,,,,

Or how much quicker it is compared to one !!!!!!

 

[ianwright]

Re: A new format,,,,,

Quicker? If I wanted quicker i wouldn't go by boat!
IanW

Vertue 203, Patience

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: A new format,,,,,

Can't quite see the virtue in that.

 

[david_e]

Re: 100 litres of water

Do you mean wet as in wetted area, or wet as in water coming in form outside or inside from inside?

 

[david_e]

This is a good point, it has been covered before by staff here who say how difficult it is to arrange test sails; weather, availability, photo bods etc.

But I agree with you, there should be far more benchmark data that relates to other boats in similar classes and those in others. Any item that performs should have benchmark data to compare it with.

eg. Light displacement cruising boats could be compared to similar in performance terms etc and then against heavy displacement cruising boats. Then suitability for different types of sailing and sailing types. More comparitiveinfo on the boat's build. eg lay up data and construction specifics including commentary on strengths and weaknesses of same.

Many good suggestions above on running costs etc would be good. In general, a good cross section in a regular format.

What we don't want is (imho!) opinions a la Clarkson style, we have a few nutters on the forum who can that for us)

 

[ianwright]

Re: A new format,,,,,

No? But you have to admit it's a new twist,,,,,,

IanW

Vertue 203, Patience

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: 100 litres of water

To see what happens if you take a greeny down the hatch. On a shallow bilged yacht the water will slurp, slop and slap about everywhere, making lots of things wet. On one with a decent bilge it will stay nicely put until pumped out.

 

[david_e]

Re: 100 litres of water

Are those the type of bilges that always seem to be half full of a dark diesel type watery sludge? Reminds me, must get a quote for a sprayhood for the occassions when a greeny manages to make it over the high and well heeled freeboard!

 

[jamesjermain]

More please

Keep this one going.

All constructive suggestions gratefully received

JJ

 

[bedouin]

I would like to see much more emphasis placed on sailing and less on the interior (important though that is). The usual balance is that of 3 or 4 pages of review, only one or two paragraphs actually describe how the boat sails - and that very rarely expresses an opinion.

I appreciate that it is difficult to get a reasonable opinion of handling in the restricted conditions in which a review takes place - but the usual general comments about handling under sail don't really add anything to the readers knowledge

 

[sailbadthesinner]

Depreciation over say ten years
or if it is a new model the manufacturers average depreciation across the range

This maybe my memory playing tricks but why is a boat never team tested??
why not have a a team including cruisers, novices, boys and girls perspective? that way you get a range of views

we often have owner's taking us through their boats but i find they are too 'through the keyhole' style, from people who have made their choice. they may actually hate the boat but v few will admit in black and white....'we've got this and wish we didn't'

i would also like a long term test. why not have a boat for say a season so you can find all the niggles and then report on its behaviour in awide raneg of locations/conditions.. car mags do it, and i think MBM have done it.

I would like a break down of price
this is
what it costs as a hull, rig, sails and engine
and this is what the extras charge
it would be most interesting to see what the manufacturers charge for warpsanchor fenders etc.

Ok brain let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Group tests

Bring 'em back

Four or five boats which serve ostensibly the same market. A three-day trip (Solent to Weymouth and back via Poole for example). Staffed up with readers (or Scuttlebutters) with or in the market for that sort of craft. Loads of boat swapping. See which one is 'readers choice' sort of thing. You might even throw in a 'golden oldie' as a comparison. Howsabout, for example...

Bav 32, Benny 331, Jenny SO 32.2, Hanse 311, Elan 333, Etap 32s, Hunter Legend 326, Hunter Channel 32 together with a a Contessa 32. Should do all the normal human stuff like sleeping, showering, sh*tting aboard, cooking, anchoring, plus some triangles to assess boat speed.

One or two of those a year would be good.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: 100 litres of water

>Are those the type of bilges that always seem to be half full of a dark diesel type watery sludge?<

Not any more, but it took me a day to clean them out!