Boat Review Websites

[golf101]

What are the best boat review web sites? I've been to Boattest.com, but I have yet to watch a video or read a review on the site that said anything negative about any of the reviewed boats. (Or maybe I'm just picking really good boats to get reviews on). Makes me think it may be good for performance data, but that other sites might be better for hard, comparative reviews. Anything like that out there?

 

[QC]

Re: Boat Review Websites

In a word . . . NO.

Magazines, and for profit websites are going to cave to advertising revenue opportunities, and the potential for future advertising revenues. For this reason we here were approached by Bayliner to try and get legitimate forum member reviews on boats, and we did. That was before the bottom fell out of the market, so we'll see if that returns. At least somebody was recognizing the benefit of this type of unbiased information and the fact that many seek it out anyway regardless of what the mags and Boat sites are effectively paid to say.

 

[allpoints360]

Re: Boat Review Websites

In a word . . . NO.

Of course. Only new boats are "tested". They are going to be nice. The reviewer is going to spend MAYBE a few hours on the boat, max. The conditions don't change, the family doesn't bring their stuff, and there is little activity other than boat driving.

I do like to read the reviews for new info on motors and designs, etc., but I'd rather talk to the people who own the boats for a while. They tell "the rest of the story".

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: Boat Review Websites

Best thing is word of mouth from individuals. BoatTest gets paid to test the boats, so why would they say anything negative (other than no drinkholder or something)? If somebody paid me to drive their brand new boats, man I would be praising that boat to every last little detail.

Your best bet is to ask someone who had to pay for the boat.

 

[jdlough]

Re: Boat Review Websites

In a word . . . NO.

For this reason we here were approached by Bayliner to try and get legitimate forum member reviews on boats, and we did.

Could you expand on this a bit more? Are their links to the forum member reviews?

As a side note, I think it would be useful if all the iboats forum mods and gurus could sort of make a few giant stickies of their opinions on:

Boat brand quality (as new - not when a knucklehead trashed it)
OB brand quality
I/O brand quality and HP vs boat-length (or something like that)
Things not to do
Things to do

Just an odd thought. How about a moderators' dockside chat forum. Closed to outsiders, but that we can read? Expouse your wisdom? Maybe you can invite the posters you feel are worthy to join? Or like "Dear Abby" - you pick a really good question and all answer it? I post sometimes, but mostly lurk and read from the more experiences posters. I'd really like to sit in and lurk on the mods' and guru's 'dockside chats'.

Or if not, we all read JB's stories. How about the rest of you guys? It must be draining to just respond to our noob questions. How about a "Tashasdaddy's Corner"? Or a rotating mod/guru column on "How we used to do it" or "How to (not) Get Over Your Head with a Rehab" or "Noob mistakes I won't ever make again" or "Why don't we do <something> the way we used to" or somesuch?



Jim

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Boat Review Websites

we do it everyday. 99% of our post are from experience.

 

[QC]

Re: Boat Review Websites

jdlough,

Three of us participated, tashasdaddy (pre-mod), Gary H NC and yours truly (pre-mod). Do a search in boat topics for threads started by us in Boat Topics, Bayliner and Maxum sections. Our reviews are there. Here's my kick off thread and I just realized I need to repost all of my pics . . . Doh

I'll try and get to the rest of your comments soon, dinner's ready . . .

 

[Don S]

Re: Boat Review Websites

Flagging a post to get attention, will only get the attention of the mods. Crying "WOLF" when there isn't one, is NOT one of the ways you want to become noticed.


When you click this button

to report a post, this is one of the things you will see.

Note: This is ONLY to be used to report spam, advertising messages, and problematic (harassment, fighting, or rude) posts.

It is not a "SEE ME" way of getting attention.

 

[jdlough]

Re: Boat Review Websites

tashasdaddy,

Exactly, you are mostly who I am questioning.

You have over 45000 posts. To us, on this end, there is a huge wealth of info, but it's like a phone book not in alphabetical order.

I know this must irk you, to re-answer the same questions.

I'm a tech-writer by trade, and the amount of vastly useful info I find (from you alone) is astounding. A h*ll of alot of it is just your experience, that you "throw away" while answering the original question. Little tid-bits that may not be repeated at the next question/answer.

As a tech-writer, this drives me nuts. As I really do see NO way of organizing it.

So, in addition to and aside from cataloging all your and the other 'gurus' responses, as a 45000+ poster, I would really love to see a "Tasha's Corner".
I know you are retired (I thought I was, not so, different thread), I know you are experienced (Living in FL adds at least 10 points experienced!), I know you are a better tech writer than I deal with, but mostly, I know you are wise, earnest, intense, funny, and you don't put up with knuckleheads.

What I don't understand is why you don't have your own column, or at least your own thread.

I'm just assuming that this entire forum site is just a side effect of iboats.com selling-site, but I think they don't realize what they have here.
There is nothing as good as this site on the web. Smart-Tabs gets it - the best consumer-response site 'thru this site' ever.

Jim

 

[jdlough]

Re: Boat Review Websites

Flagging a post to get attention, will only get the attention of the mods. Crying "WOLF" when there isn't one, is NOT one of the ways you want to become noticed.


When you click this button

to report a post, this is one of the things you will see.


It is not a "SEE ME" way of getting attention.

Well, Dang.

I just screwed up. At least twice.

I'm gonna just lurk for a week or so.

Sorry, I tried, but I did not really mean to offend.

Shutting up now,
Jim

 

[jdlough]

Re: Boat Review Websites

Sorry, gotta talk to the Gurus privately for a bit.

 

[767Captain]

Re: Boat Review Websites

Jim,

Just because someone has a million posts does not necessarily make them an expert on the subject, it only means they have a lot of posts. The folks I know who are true experts aren't on internet forums, they are typically too busy raising families, running companies, and increasing their actual skills boating or otherwise.

 

[jdlough]

Re: Boat Review Websites

767,

I totally agree.

 

[golf101]

Re: Boat Review Websites

Moderators:

How about the addition of a new forum called "Boat Reviews" in which forum members can submit reviews of individual boats? Sort of like epinions, but boat specific. I would love to share my thoughts on my Four Winns 224, and I know I could give advice about it I wish I had when I bought it in February.

 

[mike-the-cobra]

Re: Boat Review Websites

Golf101 has a good idea! People buying used boats could read up to see if a 4 cyclinder bayliner is under powered, or a Four Winns doesn't handle the waves well, or a Rinker has bad floor construction, etc

Great idea!