Feature Sories

| Buying Our First Boat | Winning Prizes for Our Advertisers |

I preferred ample, cushy seating, while Dave opted for a rugged, easy-cleaning, fishing machine.

Buying Our First Boat
How one couple navigated this Chesapeake initiation
by Debra George Siedt

I admit up front to being very green when it comes to boating. In the mountains of Pennsylvania where I grew up, a draft came in under your door, a slip was worn under your dress and a beam supported your ceiling. When we moved to Shady Side, however, and my husband decided it would be ridiculous to live in a water-privileged community without a seafaring vessel, I had to brush up on my lingo and fast. We were about to buy a boat.

Boat choices are endless, it seems, and tough decisions like new or used, fishing or ski, inboard or outboard are much more important than my priorities of color, comfort and cost. Of course, my husband had a plan for how to go about purchasing his boat, and thank goodness for that, because I was very little help — except to keep him on budget.

Hubby wished he didn’t have to worry about a budget with this purchase, but I brought him down to reality. No, he couldn’t have a 30-some-foot Boston Whaler, I told him.

Before we even looked at a boat, we set a price. I set my final-you’re-not-getting-a-boat-for-more-than-this-amount, knowing that if he found a boat for a little more, I’d bend. He pretended to be satisfied with my final budgeted amount, knowing he could push me to give up a slightly higher price if he sweet-talked me enough.

I also didn’t want to worry about repairs or buying a lemon, so I persuaded Dave to go with a new boat — or a very slightly used one with a warranty. Even so, some 15 different models met our price range of $14,000. Thus the hunt began.

Step One: Navigating Bay Waters
Any boat has the ability to navigate the waters of the Bay under perfect conditions. But Mother Nature does not always award us perfect conditions. Owning a vessel that’s not Bay-worthy could mean a more limited, less enjoyable boating season. So we first had to decide where our boat would be used. Did we plan on sticking to tidal rivers, or were we going to rough it out in the Bay?

If we decided to use the boat primarily on the Bay, then we would need one that would be comfortable in rougher water. This eliminated small runabouts less than 17 feet, bass boats and other vessels without ample freeboard. On our budget, we could have either an entry-level runabout that we used only on calmer days or a fishing boat that could handle choppier water.

Step Two: Navigating His or Hers
Now we had to pinpoint our specific needs for this boat we planned to use primarily on the Bay and its connected waterways. Would we stock our boat with bait, fishing poles and tackle? Or were we going to strap on skis, slip into our bathing suits and go for a swim?

This is where Dave and I differed. I preferred an open bow with ample, cushy seating for those relaxing rides with my favorite bestseller. Dave, however, opted for a rugged, easy-cleaning, fishing machine with rod holders and live wells but not a speck of carpet.

Our compromise then, could be an open-bow runabout with 100-percent composite construction and fiberglass deck or a center-console fishing boat with the same type of deck.

Step Three: Navigating Numbers
So we narrowed it down to a fishing boat with some comfortable seats to make me happy. Now, could we settle for a boat that seats just a few people, or did we plan on hosting all our friends and relatives?

In our price range, we’d be limited to taking out a few people at a time. Hosting a block party would have to wait for another boat.

With all these decisions made, we began the tough work: research. Using the Internet and several on-line forums, Dave ran through the list of possible makes and models:

• Glastron MX175 ($12,988 MSRP)
  
• Glastron SX170 ($16,351 MSRP)
  
• Sea Ray 180 Sport ($17,000 MSRP)
  
• Sea Pro 180CC ($17,577 MSRP)
  
• Bayliner 175 ($9,995 MSRP).

Since Dave bought our Sea Pro 180cc, I’m continuing my boating education from the bow, where I sit reading.

Step Four: Navigating Value
Early on in the game, Dave and I visited area boat dealers. We were bombarded with glossy, colored brochures, handed endless business cards and confused with advice touting one brand over another. Of course, every sales rep said their boat was our best choice.

Rather than take their word for it, Dave hit the Internet to ask owners what they thought about the different makes and models. On-line forums — iboats.com, www.boattraderonline.com and www.thehulltruth.com — provided sound advice from real people, including mechanics and longtime boaters, that helped us narrow down our decision. That’s how we eliminated the Bayliner from our list. It was a good entry-level runabout and the most affordable, but its lack of 100 percent composite stringers — the ribs of the hull — and low resale value turned us off.

The Sea Ray, another open bow runabout, had a better resale value than the Bayliner, but its price was too high for our budget. Once we figured in the additional costs of trailer, Coast Guard package, taxes, title and fishing license, we moved on from the Sea Ray.

That left us with either a Glastron or a Sea Pro.

Boating season was coming, and other boaters urged us to attend the annual Bay Bridge Boat Show on Kent Island in late April to snag a good deal. With these three models in mind and my warning about price, Dave set out with checkbook and cell phone in hand. I waited nervously at home by the computer, ready to compare Internet prices.

His first call to me was to worry over a Glastron MX175, which would have been about $16,000 out the door. Not only was $16,000 above our limit, the boat would have to be ordered. The motor, an inboard/outboard, also made us wary because our launch site is shallow. (Here is where I can apply my newly learned boat jargon: inboard/outboat motor equals more draft.) Since the motor has to be raised in shallower water, the drive train would be susceptible to more wear and tear.

Dave had also eliminated the other possible Glastron, the SX170. Its outboard motor would have been perfect for our shallow launch in Shady Side, but the boat would have taken us above our price range.

Now as he walked along the rows of boats that cold Saturday, he was sure he was going to come home empty handed.

Then, he called me with good news. He had spotted a Sea Pro 180CC center console for $15,900 out the door. The motor was only a 90-horsepower outboard, but we knew we would rarely use all the power out in the Bay, especially on an 18-foot boat. A free Coast Guard package — flares, anchor, life jackets and whistle — sweetened the deal. Trailer, taxes and title made it all the more appealing.

I quickly booted up our computer to see if this was a deal. It was. The boat would normally sell for over $17,000.

I still didn’t want to spend more than $14,000. But the boat was brand new and under full warranty. With a bench seat in the back, this Sea Pro would also hold a few of our friends. Live wells, rod holders and 100 percent composite construction made Dave happy. Finally, its shallow draft meant less wear on the drive shaft. Best of all, I could add bow cushions. All that made me bend, as my husband knew I would.

Dave offered $15,500. They took the bait and he took the boat.

In mid-May, Dave piloted our new boat home. Now I’m continuing my boating education from the bow, where I sit reading while he trolls for rockfish.

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Winning Prizes for Our Advertisers
Besides building business, Bay Weekly ads collect awards
by Carrie Steele

You may be casually shopping for a new hairdresser. Or lawn care. Or a place to take the kids next weekend. Or a new place to dine. Or you’re worried about your air conditioning breaking. So you’ve probably found yourself perusing Bay Weekly’s ads for ideas and solutions.

ZEach week, along with diverse Bay-oriented stories and columns, Bay Weekly is full of advertisements. Those ads are not only good reading; they make each week’s paper possible, paying for printing, paper, salaries, computers, phones and office space.

This spring, Bay Weekly’s staff earned recognition for creating ads effective in catching your attention and in bringing business to our advertisers.

This year, the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association recognized Bay Weekly’s advertising with six awards in the division for non-dailies with circulation over 15,000.

“Awards are nice endorsement of the full-service typesetting and design that we offer our advertisers at no additional charge,” said Bay Weekly general manager Alex Knoll. “And it’s recognition that even a small operation like Bay Weekly can deliver eye-catching professional ads that get our advertisers results.”

• Production Manager Betsy Kehne won first place in Classified Promotion House Ads for Santa’s Solution
• Both Kehne and advertising representative Lisa Edler won first place in their Theme Feature page for West Street Annapolis’ Midnight Madness ad.
• Kehne and ad rep Marnie Morris took home first place in the Ten Pounds of Stuff in a Five Pound Bag award for cramming Sisk Auto Body’s It’s Not Magic Elves attractively full.
• Bay Weekly’s 101 Ways to Have Fun, An Indispensable Guide to Summer on the Bay, won First Place as a Special Section in 2004. That special — which you’ll find new for 2005 in this week’s paper — keeps advertisers in readers’ hands all summer long while they’re seeking out the pleasures of the season in Chesapeake Country. This year’s 101 Ways may be twice as good as last year’s prize-winner, because it includes a second 101 Ways directed to kids.
• The annual Bay Business Biographies placed second for Special Section, ongoing. Published each fall, the business biographies bring you the inside scoop on what you can find at local businesses, and introduces you to people behind the services.
• General Manager Alex Knoll won second place for black and white ads a half-page or larger for Historic London Town and Garden’s Winter Schedule.

What’s the secret to an award-winning ad?

“Great artwork and a catchy headline,” answered Bay Weekly production manager Kehne. “It doesn’t always come together, but when it does, the ad grabs your eye as soon as you turn the page. Or it makes you stop reading a story mid-sentence and look at the ad.”

To keep Bay Weekly running ads, remember to frequent businesses that advertise in our pages — and to tell them you saw their ads in Bay Weekly.

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