If you're looking here for the fastest, stiffest, most livable sailboat that's easiest to trailer with the most storage... you're going to have a hard time with this survey.

Some will read it and say, "There's no way in hell a Rhodes 22 has a better galley than an Ericson 35, are these people idiots?" And they would be right. But only about the galley part, we hope.

The fact is, Rhodes 22 owners are happier with their galleys than Ericson 35 owners are with theirs, no matter how many more burners and cubic feet of icebox the Ericson has. And that's information you can't glean from a stopwatch, a qualified marine surveyor, or a distinguished panel of experts.

Which brings us to what this survey does measure:

Celebrating the boats that make their owners happy

That's what it's all about: Owner happiness. Owner satisfaction. Which boats meet or exceed their expectations. Which boats are most prized by their owners, and why.

Are Santa Cruz 50 owners going to abandon their boats for the highly-rated sailing characteristics of the Precision 21? Only if they plan to abandon their sanity too. But for anyone (even an SC 50 owner) considering a trailerable, the opinions of those Precision 21 owners are worth knowing.

Oh, we'll get mail

No doubt we'll hear from plenty of critics who say the results are biased. We're bypassing the "best" boats in favor of low-cost, all-around family cruisers. You know, mass-produced boats for... well, for the masses.

Guilty as charged, and we make no apologies. These are the boats most of us own because they're easy to find and affordable.

Others will say the results are skewed to users of our other web sites for boats built by Hunter, Catalina, Beneteau, Oday, Pearson, Macgregor, Ericson, etc.. Well then, perhaps they should be using our other web sites, too.

And while we're pouring the champagne, let's celebrate you, too.

This survey belongs to you, the people who own these wonderful boats. The world's largest and most qualified review panel, performing the world's largest ongoing evaluation. Only you can know if your boat tickles your G spot, and it's you we dedicate this project to.

Enjoy!

Phil Herring and Bly Berken
SailboatOwners.com
February, 2009