Sunday, February 17, 2013

A perfect balance...

Fatally flawed, about factory bison hunting, and a different approach to water-making...

Yesterday I was reading a blog about film and video production that made a really, really good point that applies just as much to boats, cruising, and suchlike as it does about video post-production...

"Don’t think of good enough as settling for something inferior or imperfect, think of it as striking a perfect balance."
CAL 34
In my own case I could use the example of the Bill Lapworth designed CAL 34...

As it happens, a 34-foot boat is a good size for a couple to cruise on. Not too small, not too big, or as Goldilocks might have said, just about right. Sure, a couple could handle a bigger boat or make do with a smaller one but the CAL 34 is pretty comfortable and pretty much meets all our needs in a positive manner.

There are a lot of things it could have, more headroom for instance, but when I scan plans of other 34-foot boats with 6'6" or greater headroom I tend to say to myself "wow, great headroom, too bad about the looks..."

While our "So It Goes" does not have the same sort of extreme shoal draft abilities that either of our Loose Moose sharpies had, at around 5-foot, there are so few places we can't go that it is hardly worth worrying about.

Then, there's the cost... Last time I checked prices on CAL 34's, the most expensive one I could find was all of $30K and there were many in great shape and pretty much turnkey ready to go for around $15K. There is a lot to be said for a comfortable, well performing boat, that can take you around the world for not a lot of money.

Hallberg-Rassy 34
Sure, you could pay more, in fact a lot more! Just the other day I saw a very nice 12-year old Hallberg Rassy 34 (a much beamier boat so actually bigger than the CAL 34) going for right around $211K. I'd be lying if I did not admit that looking at the pictures induced some serious teak envy that had me checking the current rate for teak down Trinidad way...

That said, the Halberg-Rassy is no more capable than our CAL 34 in getting us where we want to go in safety and comfort so, I have to ask myself, is the slightly better build and prettier interior worth the nearly $200,000 difference?

The answer all depends on what you need and works for you. A matter of factors and how they all balance out. In our case, the CAL 34 is more than good enough...

Listening to Madeleine Peyroux

So it goes...