posted 12-21-2001 09:22 AM ET (US)            

Anyone who wants to search for information available on the web would typically use a general search engine like google.com (highly recommended).

posted 12-21-2001 05:03 PM ET (US)            

Folks who happen to find that site have to enter a brand to narrow their search. More folks think Whaler than Hinckley.

Has nothing to do with Quality, just brand recognition.

It doesn't indicate if the person is a buyer, if he can afford to buy, any demographics as far as I know. But does indicate that folks recognise the Whaler brand...probably more due to the sawn-in-thirds hull more than anything else, but also other original ads long ago.

I think people are drawn by curiosity to Bayliner cause you get so much curb-appeal for the dollar. Of course, at some point, you will actually launch that boat, and pity the fool that ends up with a Bayliner.

posted 12-22-2001 01:09 AM ET (US)            

He struggled with that Bayliner for two seasons to try to get the motor right, never could get it all sorted out. Turned out that the rig from the factory was wrong (sorry I can't grab the details after all this time), and the dealer was less than useless. In the end he sold it off and got a slightly larger ~18 ski boat--that has been wonderful with a 115 Yamaha

I also looked at Bayliner's carefully after my Lyman developed the rib rot that killed it. I was surprised to see such shoddy workmanship...screws missing from bow rails, no backing plates, very rough unfinished interior, and bad designs (such as the ~5'8" step dn hardtop on the ~20 Trophy that guaranteed you'd hit your head (very annoying) and which would sit bow down with the recommended motor, which allowed the rain (or any wave coming thru the large stern opening) to move forward into the cabin (quite dangerous). I guess the designer intended that the $20 bilge pump would save you.

I also see that many of these entry level boats are equipped with underpowered motors that allow the package to sell at a very sweet price. This is the hook; they hope most won't understand that they need more power until they are listed on the title.

I am sure many people love Bayliners. But I think that some are dangerous--but--affordable boats for the uninformed masses. I certainly do not pretend to be well informed on their current production, since I have seen enough in prior models years to scare me away.

But I understand buying on perceived value. I bought at that time a Sportcraft 27 straight drive Fisherman. Can't get more un sexy. But with a 10' beam, huge cockpit, hardtop big enough for four sunbathers, capability to hold 8 adults and 6 kids comfortably and plenty of reliable inboard power, it served me well for a decade before I sold it off. As I recall I decided it was the right value. I lusted for the Grady or the Whaler, but couldn't afford their 27' version at that stage of my life (just starting a family).

posted 12-22-2001 01:14 PM ET (US)            

I visited the site and found it hard to use due to slow loading pages, heaped with graphics and not much content. I also found it curious that clicking on the link for "search" linked me to their European search site, putting the defaults in the form into odd units like "pounds Sterling" and "meters". It took over five minutes to load, fill out, search, and display results for my critera (Boston Whaler 1987-1993 22-25 feet), which returned eight boats, most of them I had already seen on other search sites.

At 5 minutes per search, in order to knock out a million searches in a month...let's do the math:

60 min/1 hour x 24 hour/1 day x 30 days/1month = 43,200 min/month

It took me five minutes to load and perform one search, so the most I could do in one month would be:

43,200 min/month x 1 search/5 min/person = 8,640 searchs/month/ 1-person

In order to get a million searches in a month, there would have to be a lot of people like me searching simultaneously. How many?

1,000,000 search/month x 1-person/8640 search/month = 115 persons

So given the responsiveness I witnesses, 115 people would have to spend an entire month on the site continuously searching in order for it to ring up 1,000,000 searches.

Well, I am sure most people must get faster returns than the ones I observed, either that or there are some really dedicated people searching out there.

Yes, a million searches is a pretty fair amount, so it probably does--on second thought--have some statistical significance about the general boating population's interests.