[ahopper]

Offshore boats are powered by one or more truck-based engines, most often inadequately muffled. They are unsuited for protected, recreational, residential waters, but fully suited for wide-open ocean environments just offshore. On most days, just one or two can transform formerly-idyllic Lake Winnipesaukee bay and harbor environments into a noisy, smelly, Interstate.

All inboards and inboard outboards are power by "truck engines." Infact Mercruiser, Crusader, Volvo-Penta ALL use "truck engines." Most boats on the lake from family Sea Rays to offshores are all powered by truck engines.

Offshore boats are gas-guzzlers.

Offshore boats are actually not gas-guzzlers.

If an "offshore" and a cabin cruiser equipped with the same engines were both to travel for a fixed period of time at the same speed the offshore would get better fuel economy. It's a well know fact that "truck" engines are more efficient between 3000 and 3500 rpms or so. Offshores have the luxury of cruising at 45 mph while their engines are turning 3000 rpms burning a modest amount of fuel, while also being quieter and more environmentally friendly.

Offshore operators do not adjust their fuel-mix for air quality

Engines are not adjusted for "air quality." Engines are tuned for maximum efficiency. Many offshores engines are actually in better condition so they run more efficiently and pollute less.

They leave behind a large, continuous haze of ozone-producing toxins unsuited for any residential lake -- certainly unsuited for children with allergies and asthma. (Sometimes lead is added to the fuel -- adding vaporous lead to the lake's air). But acceptable in ocean environments just offshore.

ALL power boats leave behind these "toxins" you speak of. Outboard motors and PWC motors are particularly bad, discharging up to 25% of their fuel unburned.

Offshore boat operators cannot see over their own bows while accelerating, making them unreliable sharers of recreational and residential waters -- but acceptably suited for wide-open ocean environments offshore.

Many "family boats" are underpowered which causes them to take excessive amounts of time to get on plane. When offshores are drive correctly (with the trim tabs down and drives tucked), bow rise is quite insignificant.

Offshore boats often operate at high speeds: At just 60 MPH, they make the 150-foot rule of protected recreational waters obsolete every two seconds. At high speeds, they require more "user lake-space", leaving lesser boats with a corresponding drop in personal space for other recreation. When they use their "wide-open-throttles", they should be in "wide-open spaces" -- like offshore in open-ocean environments.

Offshore boats have the ability to operate at high rates of speed. Tell me, would you buy a car and drive it around at the redline all day long? This is not an inteligent thing to do. If one would like to cruise around at a decent rate of speed, thereby allowing them to quickly get to any destination of choice it makes sense to buy an offshore.

Offshore boats have a very poor fatality record on Lake Winnipesaukee. Fatalities should be rare on protected, recreational -- and residential -- waters. Our Forum Archives are full of fatal Offshore-boat cases.

In psychology this is called the availability heuristic. Human reasoning is quite flawed. If you search the records you will see that each season there have been a couple or three fatalities which have involved "normal" boats, while there have only been 2 major accidents involving "offshores" in recent years.

Offshore boats can be seen rafted in gatherings of "Mutual Admiration Clubs" -- a peculiarity of certain types of tall, but graying boys and their costly, but obsolescent, motor engineering. (Also see Harley and Corvette fanciers).

"Family boats" can be see rafting in gatherings also. Is it really strange for people with a common interest to spend time together?

On any August weekend, there could be seven Offshores per square mile on Winnipesaukee -- given the latest estimates of their numbers on the Forum. They should never have been sold here -- and don't belong here.

>>And what does belong here, what you deem acceptable? I suppose when you have children and they're crying at the yacht club they should be kicked out, or perhaps when you would like to bring your teenager to your country club and the others don't think they "belong."

(Prepared with apologies to the hundreds of thousands of sailing kindred spirits who navigate the globe daily without refueling -- the real offshore-boaters).

It wouldn't hurt for you to be a little more open minded.

By the way...

I'm an am avid waterskier, motorcyclist, and performance boater. I'm also a certified sailor, and enjoy sailing and windsurfing. As well as kayaking, hiking, and canoeing. You can spend life bitching about things, or you can try to make the best of a situation. Try to open you mind an broaden your horizons.

Also, I wil someday be an "offshore" owner. I will buy the boat for a number of reasons:
1.) I enjoy working on engines and tuning them for optimal performance
2.) I enjoy exploring and an "offshore" affords me the ability to cover the greatest area in the least amount of time.
3.) "offshore" boats have much better rides than comparable size boats due to the nature of their hull designs

Not all "offshore" owners are horrible people and not all sailors are "angels." Enjoy