When does a AWB become a MAB

[jonic]

Average White Boat - just another identical white plastic lozenge with navy blue stackpack and roller genoa. Looks shiny at first, but turns out to be flimsy and not cope well with bad weather. Interior looks like the show home for a loft-living development, but as soon as the wind picks up you fall across the acres of laminate flooring and smash the chipboard galley lockers.

The alternative is a Manky Auld Boat - thirty years old, heavy, built strictly for sailing with onboard life an afterthought. Can look nice from the outside, but the inside is a damp hole complete with decades of questionable DIY modifications and a stink of spilled diesel and mildew that will cause instant seasickness even at its drying mooring (this boat probably doesn't do marinas). The galley is well suited to heating up tins of stew during a three-day gale, but there's no door to the toilet.

Both terms are stereotypes, with some bits based on a grain of truth and others merely prejudice. Don't take either too seriously

Pete

(To anyone wondering about deja vue, yes this is a copy of a previous post of mine )

Very funny and not far off in some cases!

 

[trapezeartist]

Average White Boat - just another identical white plastic lozenge with navy blue stackpack and roller genoa. Looks shiny at first, but turns out to be flimsy and not cope well with bad weather. Interior looks like the show home for a loft-living development, but as soon as the wind picks up you fall across the acres of laminate flooring and smash the chipboard galley lockers.

I assume that what I have then is a AAWB: an Above Average White Boat. Its another good-looking white plastic lozenge with navy blue sail cover and roller genoa. Looked shiny when I bought it and turned out to be extremely solid and well-made, and copes reasonably with bad weather though I wouldn't attempt a transat in it. Interior is stylish and well-finished and when the wind picks up you have to catch one of the grab handles to avoid falling across acres of holly and cherry veneer and smashing yourself on the wooden galley lockers.

 

[tom_sail]

I assume that what I have then is a AAWB: an Above Average White Boat. Its another good-looking white plastic lozenge with navy blue sail cover and roller genoa. Looked shiny when I bought it and turned out to be extremely solid and well-made, and copes reasonably with bad weather though I wouldn't attempt a transat in it. Interior is stylish and well-finished and when the wind picks up you have to catch one of the grab handles to avoid falling across acres of holly and cherry veneer and smashing yourself on the wooden galley lockers.

Share? Then we can judge.

 

[wklein]

Very funny and not far off in some cases!

Hit the nail on the head more like. Fantastic

 

[trapezeartist]

Share? Then we can judge.

A Bavaria, of course!

Bosun Higgs, I think you'll find that Volkswagen makes a better car analogy: well-engineered, efficiently-made in high volume, reasonably priced, and still going strong after their British competitors went belly-up years ago.

 

[wklein]

A Bavaria, of course!

Bosun Higgs, I think you'll find that Volkswagen makes a better car analogy: well-engineered, efficiently-made in high volume, reasonably priced, and still going strong after their British competitors went belly-up years ago.

I coppercoated a bavaria last summer with a friend who was a laminator and he found 5 points on the hull which were hollow from air gaps in the layup, I have also seen ones where their jigs were set up wrong and the backstay chainplates were bolted onto about 5mm glass on the transom with re-enforcement about two inches away from chainplate.

On the flip side they are very shiny.

 

[prv]

I assume that what I have then is a AAWB: an Above Average White Boat.

I believe you may be falling foul of the last sentence in my post.

Pete

 

[Searush]

(snip)
Something that had "character" and "quality" but was beginning to show its age is what MAB says to me, but it would probably need to be owned by a manky auld b@5turd to properly qualify.

Ooohhh goody, I qualify for that then with my 40 year old Westerly.

 

[Searush]

It's quite interesting, cos the Westerlies were the AWB of their time, so what will happen to the BenJenBavs as they reach 40 years old or so? It is still possible to run Westerlies on a budget, will modern production boats still be seaworthy at that age, or will the odd corner cutting/ production issues required to keep them competitive have killed them all off?

 

[Tranona]

It's quite interesting, cos the Westerlies were the AWB of their time, so what will happen to the BenJenBavs as they reach 40 years old or so? It is still possible to run Westerlies on a budget, will modern production boats still be seaworthy at that age, or will the odd corner cutting/ production issues required to keep them competitive have killed them all off?

Don't think so. There are many AWBs made in the overlap time with MABs (mostly French) which are maturing nicely in their 3rd decade, and still doing good service. what may be a problem in the future is availability of spares and replacements for equipment of non - UK manufacture. Just like current MABs, the basic structures will be sound so regular replacement and upgrading of the functioning bits will keep them in use.