Maryline: Welcome back to Fold Displacement. This is the podcast by Current Yachts, and I'm here today with Amanda Haley. Amanda. Amanda Haley: Hello, Marilyn. Maryline: We're here to introduce you to a friend of ours. His name is Captain Steve. And you may be familiar with Captain Steve Voice. Good morning, Captain Steve. How are you? Capt. Steve: God wonderful. Thanks so much for having me here. Maryline: We're delighted to have you here to tell us about what 40 years of boat testing can teach someone about buying one. And so, without further delay, tell us how your career even began with BoatTest.com and where you are today in your path Capt. Steve: Well, it actually was kind of interesting. started making a ⁓ boating course so you could get boating certification at home instead of having to go to those classes every night for a week, you know, which few people have time to do. So that came out and ⁓ I did really well with that. I sold a ton of those. And then YouTube came out and I p put a few ⁓ of the clips YouTube. And one of them was How to pee off of your boat without falling overboard. So very controversial one, but it's like, yeah, save your cards and letters on that one. so the owner of Boat Test took a look at this. He said, Hey, this is great. Have you got any more? I said, Yeah, I got about 10 hours more. Sent him the whole course, and ultimately we made a deal where I would rebrand it. It was just was the smart boating with Captain Steve, is what it was called. Amanda Haley: That's great. Capt. Steve: And then we just rebranded it the BowTest.com Smart Boating Course with Captain Steve, and Boatest was selling them for quite a while. after about a year of that, and we made this partnership without ever having seen each other. We could we even shake hands. it was all done over the phone and ⁓ we it worked. After about a year, they said, how do you feel about making some videos for us? And went, Okay, why not? We set up a little gig at a one of the smaller boat shows in southern Connecticut. And went in there completely unprepared. Completely unprepared. I showed up I ⁓ I'm chronologically challenged, I couldn't even tell you the year, but it was about 20 years ago. ⁓ so I show up at this boat show and the cameraman is there and the chief officer of BoatTest Maryline: with ⁓ what year was this, Captain Steve? When was this? Amanda Haley: Okay. Capt. Steve: he was there and we met each other and hey, thanks for doing this, all that stuff. Cameraman tells me just stand next to the seakeeper gyro. This is when that first came out. So there's another little time frame. Here's this little round dome sitting, you know, in a booth. Stand next to that. He sets up the lights, sets up, puts a microphone on me, and then he says, Okay, action. I'm like, ⁓ ⁓ action what? Where's my teleprompter? Where's my makeup girl? Where's my Winnebago? ⁓ know. Amanda Haley: ⁓ wow. Capt. Steve: of which were forthcoming. So just said, talk what you know and just so can edit this out, just go ahead and speak. ⁓ And once I my mouth, it just started coming right on out. ⁓ that's one of the few gifts that I have in in high school, I had to do a oral presentation one day. ⁓ We're supposed to come in with some ⁓ cards ⁓ and just make notes and talk for five Amanda Haley: more natural. Capt. Steve: Well, of course I didn't bother doing. I went out fishing that night and I came in the next morning and I asked the teacher if I could borrow some index cards. He said, sure. And I took them and calls on me first. You know, this is right after I got the cards. He calls on me. And I go up and I just started talking for five minutes and then sat down and he said, Come here, come here, let me see the cards. Took the cards. There's nothing on them. Nothing. So he says, See me after class. And after class, he goes, Your ability to come up with The B word in a moment's notice will probably take you further in life than anything else. And yeah, here it is. I just keep talking until the cameraman says stop and then we reset. And that's of a unique gift that has brought me to where I am. But that's how it started with Boat Test. ⁓ you know, that started with this little course that they started selling and then come make videos for us and then it became a full time gig. And it's been, man, what a ride. What a ride. Amanda Haley: you story. Maryline: And I remember meeting you, I wanna say circa 2010, 2011. I was working for a group Beneteau at the time. We had started a collaboration with boattest.com to really promote the powerboat brands of Jeanneau, Prestige and and Beneteau at the time not very well known. And so we got to work together at that time and I just really enjoyed your energy and just the kind of the the fun gig you have really when we, you know, give you access to boats and things like that. Can you walk us through what a boat test actually looked like from the phone call to the manufacturer to hitting the water? It sounded like you were a bit more prepared then than you were in high school. Capt. Steve: Yeah, pretty much. first of all, I don't make the initial calls to the manufacturer. That's done at the office. there's a whole team that takes care of that. then they make all the arrangements, sign the contracts, and now we've got dates and then it's time to get in touch with me. Steve, we've got this date for you. They even have somebody, ⁓ thankfully, that all the arrangements for travel and hotels, rental cars, all of that is done for me. And it's coordinated that the cameraman and I meet ⁓ At the location, at the same time or close to it. So neither of us have to wait hours for that flight to come in. So that is when the my preparation starts. I mean, I know the boat that I'm going to be doing. I do a little homework on it. What's it look like? You know, you get the layout, the feel for it. And then that the cameraman and I have a little meeting of what the mission of the boat is, what we need to project, what we need to predict. ⁓ portray this boat as some key features that we need to make sure we don't miss. ⁓ stuff that's new, stuff that's, ⁓ know, out of the ordinary on this boat. Just to keep checking each other and make sure ⁓ he gets what I and I get what he needs. And then we meet the next morning. we show up and now we meet the company representatives. Always gotta be somebody from the company there. They don't just give me the keys to the boat and say have a good time. And ⁓ We have a little meeting. and I'll record that meeting probably on my phone, something like that. just so I have notes. What do you want to project on this boat? What's the mission of this boat? What are you most proud of on this boat? Why this boat? W you know, why now? When you've all these other boats, what's the purpose of this boat? ⁓ And that very revealing. and now I've got a basis for ⁓ what I want project in the video. ⁓ And then we Critical decision to make, which is if it's a a boat, we're gonna do two videos, a features video and a performance video. I actually we do that even if it's a small boat. We'll we'll do all of it, but it's it's gonna be one or two videos. But the question then becomes it's nine o'clock in the morning now, eight o'clock. Do we out and do the on the water portion of it now, or do we do it afterwards? And the reason that's such a critical decision is ⁓ If we go out now, it's probably because it's gonna be windy later on. The afternoon wind picks up and now it's gonna be you know, a rough, choppy ride. if we go out now, we may take some spray and the boat gets wet now and we gotta have a camera ready. Do we clean it again? So it's a lot of give and take with that decision right there, but it's generally an easy one to make. It's gonna blow twenty, thirty knots later on this afternoon. We need to go out now. ⁓ so we just do that. And then we go and Do the unwater portion get the footage that we need. There's usually a chase boat. We gravitate it a little bit to drones, but they could be problematic, especially in the wind. And if you're not a really good drone pilot, it creates its own set of problems. ⁓ so it's generally there's another boat n that we're gonna be doing anyway. So now there's two boats. I've got to switch from one to the other. So one becomes the camera platform, one becomes the focal point. And then we switch out there. Maryline: Yeah. Hmm. I recall one logistical thing that really I hadn't thought about before, started working with you guys. I met one of the test captains and the cameramen. I can't remember Captain Seep if that was you or different captain from boat test, and we were down in St. Pete by the Vinoy, and we were all set up to go on this powerboat. It was early in the morning, and guess what happens? You have a lot of humidity in the air and you have dew and if you ⁓ open the lens cover too quickly, your camera fogs up. I mean, what a nightmare, right? And then we all of course know the tricks too about prepping the boat. If you have dew on the boat, the best thing to get it off if to first actually get a rinse off to get all of that dew to come off the canvas and the boat side. It's just there's a lot of prep, not just on the boat side, but the equipment side, which you you now have obviously nailed down you you and the team when you did that for so many years. Capt. Steve: Yeah. Yeah, we we're really we give a whole prep letter as you know. you know, the boat needs to be camera ready, make it clean. the beds should be made, not all messy, ⁓ y and and wiped down. The bottom should be clean, the propeller should not be dinged up 'cause we're going for best performance. there there's a lot of prep work on the part of the manufacturer too. Maryline: And sellers take notes. This is the exact same list. Right, Amanda, that we give our clients when they're Amanda Haley: Yes, was just about to say this sounds exactly what we tell sellers before we do a video media shoot on their vessel You're basically going through what we do ⁓ before ⁓ a video shoot with our sellers. ⁓ Capt. Steve: Yeah. Yeah, when the builder's not prepared, it's it becomes really problematic. you've got one state room that's filled with canvas and you know, the extra pillows and just lines and the jacket and all that stuff. So now we've got to move it out into another location so we can shoot that room and then move it all back in and it just becomes time consuming. And a of times we don't have that time. If we've got to do three, four boats in one day, we need to the best use of that time. Maryline: Yeah, that's true. Capt. Steve: ⁓ so yeah, so that's kinda how the day goes. And then we just run through the the whole schlemeel of the the boat and it's back at the dock, then we go through the whole walkthrough. And that's where things get really because now I've gotta just regurgitate everything I know and I'm seeing about the boat. And bl the beauty is I'm obsessive compulsive, so I can talk a lot about what I'm looking at and what I don't like about it and what I do like about it. ⁓ and if I try to have the builder listen to everything I say, because if I say something wrong, it's all on camera. Most of it's not voiceover, it's all on camera. And when you say something wrong, changes come hard later. You know, if I say this is Alcantara Suede and it's not, it's just that, you know, some other material, know, they want that correct. I'm like, Well ⁓ it's you know, three weeks later when we're in the editing booth and you wanna take it out. ⁓ it it becomes problematic. The video gets jumpy and things like that. It just but they never do listen. They've always got something going on. They're on the phone while I'm you know, they're dealing with clients, you know, and I get that. And they have a job to perform too. But it just becomes difficult when I'm left on my own, time and time again, to say what I think I feel and from what I read in the options list that I think this is. You know, is it a five KW generator? No, it's a seven KW You know, it's like Maryline: been there too. ⁓ Amanda Haley: We've been there. We've got little disclaimer down the bottom. Capt. Steve: Simple little things like that become so problematic. but yeah, at the end of the day we make it work and we did make it work for a long time and it was it was ⁓ an experience, it really was. Amanda Haley: You've flown all over the US and occasionally to Europe as well to test everything from 16 foot boats to 60 foot motor yachts. Can you tell us the strangest you've ever found yourself in? Capt. Steve: yeah. when I go somewhere, I'm laser on this job and you have to get in and get out because there's probably another job right after this one. ⁓ So think it's like, ⁓ you've seen all these great places. Like, yeah, I went to the south of France. I'm on the French Riviera too. It's one of them. No, I see the airport, the marina and the hotel. That's it. And then I gotta get out of there. So that's the that's the downside of this job. You go to these exotic places, but you never get to see them. but the weirdest thing to answer your question was one time we to Pama Majorca. The cameraman and I flew to Pama Majorca and we were there for three days. We had three days booked. I show up at it's a press event, and typically ⁓ these events get, as you know, a whole day blocked for what we do. And I show up and I went to the coordinator and said, I'm here. What what's day do I have? You know, what's my time slot? You've got from two o'clock to four o'clock. And wait a minute. ⁓ Wait a No, I we need way more time than that. You know, we I need l the better part the day. I mean I can take away the full day, but I need the better part of the day. You've got tomorrow from two to four. Okay, I've got tomorrow from two to four. So we made it work. I just Did the whole boat in one take with very little do overs. and then we had the rest of the time to ourselves. So unprecedented and a half days to go tour Pama Majorca, which was ⁓ very ⁓ Which very cool. I mean, we you know sampled some of the great restaurants and saw street performers and saw some of the sites and never get do that kind of thing. So that it it it Maryline: That's amazing. Amanda Haley: ⁓ very nice. Yeah. Capt. Steve: is the weirdest thing that's probably happened is I'm in this remote location and we got to explore it. Very cool. Amanda Haley: It is beautiful. I've been there and it's of a kind. ⁓ got the castle? Yep. ⁓ Capt. Steve: Yeah, that huge castle up in the hill. ⁓ man, was very cool. ⁓ Maryline: And that was probably your first and only chance to do a little sightseeing while you were doing a boat test. ⁓ so for having been on the manufacturer side, I I understand how the collaboration worked. But for th those of our viewers who are not familiar with how things worked, how would you handle your tests and reviews? Because obviously boat test is known for having all these very positive reviews. And that's for fair knock, but that's because it's a relationship and and those manufacturers Capt. Steve: Pretty much. Yeah. Maryline: wouldn't invite you back and you wouldn't have that contract back to shoot more of their models if you trash their product. ⁓ So how do you walk that line, Captain Steve? How do you stay honest within that format? do tell us. Capt. Steve: That's a very valid question and it is a a fine line indeed. ⁓ I can't say I don't like this. This sucks. What were they thinking? You know, even if I want to. However, the savvy viewers that have met me at boat shows and said, We get it, we understand that when you say this, if I don't like something, they can figure it out. ⁓ let's say I just don't like something simple, like the beverage holders are too small, you know, I then it's I'd like to see this be a little bit bigger, you know. They know I don't like that. And that's a subtle. Now, if I really don't like something, like if I hate something and I can't say I hate it, then the keywords were, now this is ⁓ Amanda Haley: I was just about to say, you used the word interesting. Capt. Steve: And it's funny when people come to me in emotion. I say, I know when you say this is interesting, you really don't like I'm like, yeah, you crack the code. got me. So how I walk that line. You know, I'll say this is interesting and then I'll point it out. And it's left for the viewer to decide, is it interesting because it's awful? Is it interesting because it's new and unique? You know, that's up to the viewer, you know. And it's a good way to handle it. Amanda Haley: to. That's a perfect segue into my next question. ⁓ Capt. Steve: Yeah, I would say fit and finish and maintenance costs that buyer will project maybe goes an extreme. And the buyer to even think about those things when they're looking at the boat at a boat show. ⁓ the Boston whaler, I mean, hey, unsinkable, they've played that to death. And they're right to do that. I don't mean to knock Boston Whaler they're a great product. Amanda Haley: So give us an example. Capt. Steve: they've done the unsinkable thing to death ⁓ it doesn't touch on the fact that ⁓ you buy this boat, there's maintenance, there's upkeep, especially you're in a saltwater environment. And buyers just think about that kind of thing. But yes, that's something that Amanda Haley: That's the passion purchase that we all know about. Capt. Steve: Yeah, that's something that manufacturers oversell a lot. Our boats are solid and and wonderful and you don't have to do anything and it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, but then you get it and it's you just don't think about the fact that it needs a lot of maintenance. Any moving part needs maintenance, no matter what is, whether it's a boat, a car, a plane, whatever it is. Boats are more susceptible to that because of the environment that they're in. it's just something that people don't get. You gotta knock off twenty percent of your purchase price at least per year. for upkeep on that boat. And that's Yeah, that's my number, yeah. Maryline: ⁓ your number is twenty percent. Amanda Haley: We actually talk about that in a previous podcast. Capt. Steve: D what did you use for a number? Maryline: we've talked with a ⁓ a surveyor who's also a a marine mechanic and shared that in the Bahamas he likes to see his ⁓ clients budget fifteen to twenty percent and we know the figure that's being thrown around is ten percent. And of course people then challenge and say, Well, if the boat's really old and it's already a cheaper price, then it can't be twenty percent and we're like, listen, it's a ballpark. Capt. Steve: Save the cards and letters. It's a rule of thumb, you know. It's not a hard and fast, you know. Maryline: But the bottom line is I agree with you and I'll I'll let you, Amanda, speak to your experience too with our clients. We see this all the time too. And the first thing we care about when we educate, especially first time buyers, is what they should expect as far as you know, the headaches and the cost of the maintenance of the boat. And you can't just go in and not know. So we're very much about that transparency about Amanda Haley: And you know. Maryline: what you're going in for. It's not just buy the boat and you're done. Capt. Steve: And good for you. Good for you. That's important 'cause I mean w you're caring about your clients, you're caring about the people you're serving that's big. You're not just trying to make that ceiling get out. ⁓ Maryline: Right. It will not help us in the long run, we know this, and it doesn't help a client. Amanda Haley: Yeah, one of my biggest pet peeves is the stainless. You the quality of the stainless on a vessel. know, if you use cheap stainless within a year, it's going to be pitting within a saltwater environment. If you use a good quality stainless, and that's something that you can immediately touch and feel. And it's the simplest thing. Yes, it costs more in the production the vessel. And that's what sets apart, in my opinion, that is what sets apart a quality made vessel and production boat. Capt. Steve: What sends me running away from a manufacturer is when they throw out the term marine grade. There's no such thing. It's there's no official term of marine grade, especially like your example, stainless steel. There's no marine grade stainless steel. You got three sixteen grade. That's used in the marine industry, but you know, when you throw out this is marine grade, so it's gonna last forever. No. No. Time to move on. You're using Bud's words just to make a sale and I'm out of here. Amanda Haley: Yeah. No. Maryline: And so this is a really nice tie-in to my next question. I wanted to take a step back, Captain Stephen, go high level for a moment. We had a a prior podcast episode where we talk with InfoLink about trends in the market, as far as how boat sales and registrations are progressing and how certain segments of boats are becoming ⁓ more popular, pontoons, for example, while others are taking a hit, the roundabouts, for example. And then some other segments, for example, sailing yachts are also. ⁓ Taking severe hit and are continuing to decline. What I'd like to hear from you ⁓ taking all of this into account and how you know the landscape of manufacturers has changed. ⁓ sure you've seen trends because you've been ⁓ so many boats and tested so many boats and visited so many factories. ⁓ do you see as the biggest in boat building since the 2000s, let's say? Capt. Steve: I would have to say the from heavy wood and fiberglass to composite materials. that has changed the whole landscape of boat manufacturing, in my opinion. when you take a a carbon fiber or vacuum bagging a you've a much lighter boat, stronger boat, a more expensive boat. Amanda Haley: you Capt. Steve: But it it completely changes the landscape. Now you've got more efficiency, better performance, ⁓ durability. Yeah, it's a it's a it's a game changer, I think. so that's probably the biggest thing I've seen that's changed the landscape, yeah. Maryline: Durability. Amanda Haley: Can you speak to the outboard engine craze? 50 and 60 footers now are coming out with triple quadruple engines across the transom. ⁓ you see that? ⁓ Capt. Steve: He pleased. I don't wanna say I saw it coming, but I agree with that trend since I was a kid. I grew up my, you know, little outboard boat on the river on Cape Cod. ⁓ And Amanda Haley: Evan Rutter Johnson. Capt. Steve: Rude. ⁓ was an Evan Rude. ⁓ but I've ⁓ had questioned stern drives s ever since I was a kid. you know, that big engine box in the middle of the boat taking up all this space that could be used for something else. You've got that torturous route going the engine making two ninety-degree turns down to the propulsion. Amanda Haley: I knew it. Capt. Steve: It just never made sense to me. I mean, they're reliable now, you know, they're great, but back in the day they were just so problematic, leaking and things like that. So ⁓ seen that outboards were the to go ⁓ way when I was kidding. I didn't see that they were gonna take over in the 50-60-foot yacht market. I didn't see that coming. but I agree with it. I think it makes sense from ⁓ an operator's owner operator's standpoint, you've got so much more usable space in the boat. ⁓ It's so much easier to and operate. And you have to change out an engine, we're talking what four bolts, you know, ⁓ and some wiring, you know, it's so much easier. They're plug and play. So yeah, it makes a lot of sense, but it's not one that I saw coming to this level. But I am happy to see that it is where it is. ⁓ Maryline: Yeah, and I will put the link to that episode in the description so our audience can refer back to that. I think the number was eighty-seven percent of power boats registered in twenty twenty-five were outboards, which is unbelievable, right? And another trend I was hinting to this earlier is pontoon boats that have gone from just really basic lake boats to almost like Capt. Steve: Huge, huge. Maryline: cruising luxurious motoryachts ⁓ the base. Amanda Haley: With a very high price tag. Capt. Steve: That's been a fascinating trend. Maryline: We've gone from zero to a hundred in ⁓ a matter of years here. What do you think is going on? Capt. Steve: The short answer is that went upscale, high horsepower, high tech, and the buyers followed right along with it. And there's a very good reason for that. they solve a a multitude of needs for buyer. ⁓ And yeah, they used be just, you know, here's a circular couch in the front, a circular couch in the back, and there's a console on the side with maybe a head or just storage in there. That used to be it. But now it's a bar. ⁓ a floating restaurant, play place, slides going into the water. It's it's on next level. And it's it's working. It's working. It answers a lot of questions about what do I want in a boat. Especially if you're in a protected area, a river, a lake, something like that, which a lot of people are. We're not all going offshore. yeah, it's it's taking and with good reason. They're doing a good job at making these boats. So yeah, it's neat to see. Amanda Haley: One of the questions we always ask our clients is, do you see a day on the water? Describe to me your perfect day on the water. ⁓ sometimes it's a pontoon that meets every single one of their requirements. ⁓ Capt. Steve: Yeah. Yeah, I mean you're you want to be able to enjoy the boat, have fun on the water. We're here to have lunch on the water, ⁓ go swimming, ⁓ out of the water, take a shower, maybe even go to a restaurant afterwards, so we need place to change. ⁓ of those ingredients are there. They're all there and it's and it's working really well in a very stable platform that's not rocking and rolling all over the place. Those pontoons being wide apart, that's well stability. And that means a lot to a lot of people, especially those that might get seasick, you know, that's pretty much eliminated. So yeah, they're good time boats. They really are. the fact that they're getting so mainstream and yeah, expensive plays right into the fact that it's working and people are going for it. Maryline: Yeah, it's fascinating because I've never really spent time on a pontoon and I can see how the versatility is is really appealing. So the next segment I want to dive into with you guys and taking advantage of Captain Steve. I mean, you your experience spans i so many years, so many boats. ⁓ we don't know if there's any other human alive that's been behind a helm of more different boats than Captain Steve, like truly. ⁓ And we'd love to have your ⁓ Take on all of the things you've learned to help our buyers out what they should be looking for, right? So we're gonna utilize all of your knowledge here to ask questions on their behalf if that's okay. ⁓ If someone is about to spend $150,000 on a boat, what the one question that they should ask that you don't see as being asked or not often enough? Capt. Steve: What is the actual cost of the of this boat per hour? Nobody that. ⁓ you've got to take in the dockage, the trailering, storage, maintenance, all of that needs to be taken into consideration. ⁓ It's very to say this boat's only $150, yeah, and I'm gonna go boating every weekend and the kids are gonna love it and we're gonna be a family. Well, then it rains the next weekend. Okay, well we'll go out the next weekend it is blowing thirty knots. Okay, we're gonna do the next week and well, you know what, the lawn hasn't been taken care of in three weeks now. It's you wanna use it if the the intentions are great, you wanna use that boat every weekend but the reality is it doesn't come across that way, it doesn't happen in Maryline: So you would advise do your math first, right? On the buyer. Capt. Steve: Do your math first. at it r realistically. How often are you going to have free time to use this boat and what is that going to correlate to on a per cost basis? I'm a pilot as well, so when you look at an airplane, you have to figure out the per hour cost that includes everything. Maryline: Yeah, I was gonna say cost per hour per hour, that's like that's pretty intense. not joking. ⁓ Capt. Steve: No, I'm not joking. It's it's know, when ⁓ cost a lot of money and you need to make sure that you get a return on that investment and saying, I'm gonna go out on the boat this weekend isn't the proper answer. It's can I go out on the boat this weekend? And if I can, you know, how many times am I gonna do it this month? You know, that's gonna ⁓ Maryline: They do. That's fair. Amanda Haley: That's an interesting take. that's why we've created a spreadsheet to help our buyers ⁓ those costs together. ⁓ individual for their boat, and Marilyn can link to it, I'm sure. Capt. Steve: Perfect. Maryline: ⁓ that's right. Yep. Yep. I'll put it down there. And yeah, that was that was my first question, Amanda. I'll let you take the next one. Capt. Steve: Perfect. Amanda Haley: Yeah. So what do you look for in the first five minutes of being out on the water that tells you that this hull is the real deal or not? Are there any telltale signs? Capt. Steve: There are. when I get on a boat ⁓ and pull away from the dock, once I get it out onto the water, is it pounding? it riding with the water? Is it opposing the water? Is everything this boat rattling or is everything solid? I can size a boat up in about five minutes to determine whether I like this boat or not or whether it's gonna be around for the long haul, or if it's just a quick sail, get it out of here, and then it turns into trash in five years. but Yeah, once you once you get it out on the water and start seeing how it feels, how it handles, how it performs, how it holds together, are the windows rattling. It's it's it's the whole console shaking and rattling. It it those are real telltale indicators. Maryline: And a aside from the the budget, right, our reality check early on, ⁓ the number one mistake that you have seen first time boat buyers make when evaluating boats? Let's say they're comparing three different boats and there's something they're missing or they're not looking at carefully. Capt. Steve: They only look at the cosmetics. what boat's better looking? I mean, is this a Mercedes or is it a Volkswagen? ⁓ shouldn't you know but know what I mean. Is is it is it this level or this level, you know, or this level. And and without taking it out on the water, you're selling yourself very short. before you is my biggest piece of advice for everybody that that asks that very question. ⁓ What's the one I should look for? Well, get out in the water. I've been on boats that are just Maryline: Yeah, yeah. Capt. Steve: Gorgeous, but handle horribly and it would have killed the sail for me. But when you look at it at a boat show and you've got boat show incentives and there's never been a better time to buy this boat, it it ends up catching you in the end. And then once you get out on the water, then you've got buyers remorse. So yeah, always try before you buy. Maryline: Okay. Amanda Haley: the sea trial is so important in a marine survey. That portion the time on the water is truly, truly important. Capt. Steve: Yeah, it is. It really is. Amanda Haley: Now this might be a sticky question you can or cannot answer on camera, okay? Are any boat brands or categories that consistently deliver and on the flip side that consistently disappoint? Capt. Steve: Yeah, but it's not the way you think. It's not good boats versus bad boats. It's more not in their lane and trying to be everything to everyone. And when they stray out of where they're supposed to be, it becomes very problematic for the buyer and the seller. ⁓ You know what, I'm independent now, so I can go ahead and name names, but let's let's look at Sea Ray. tried to break into the luxury market with the L series of boats. they were nice boats, they looked nice, but you're not luxury manufacturer, and it was a huge failure. A huge failure. that's not where supposed to be. You need to stay in your lane. ⁓ when a manufacturer does that, then things just come together so much more cohesively if you know what you're supposed to do. you look at the the high end performers ⁓ you know, center console boats, Grady Whites and ⁓ the Boston whaler. S strong boats. They're gonna be around forever. There are Boston whalers that were here when w you know, they came out and this sold in the seventies. They're still here. You know, I mean those boats are just solid and maintain their value. Same with Grady White. Grady Whites were around when I was a kid and those boats are still here. they're offshore fishing tanks they do it very well, but they're getting into the luxury yacht market. ⁓ yeah, so when a boat builder strays, that becomes really problematic to me. Maryline: That's really interesting because see, I said the word interesting. Not that I disagree, but we had ⁓ in full link on their podcast share that because manufacturers see trends in one segment, they will try and switch lane to go to a different, maybe more profitable, based segment, but it can work or not work. And depending on how big the gap is, I I could see how it can be a difficult endeavor for sure. Capt. Steve: Yeah, but when they do it and do it right, it becomes a work of art. take your high end ⁓ day boats Formula and Intrepid. are obsessive about and finish and perfection and it shows in the end. remember going to the formula factory and I'm walking past a boat and this woman is polishing it with a ⁓ an electric buffer. And it was a mirror finish. You know, you usually get that orange peel kind of look. And you know, but this was to perfection. It was a mirror finish. I'm two feet away. ⁓ held up my watch and I could tell the time and the reflection, which is my indicator of how well this re you know, this is looking. And asked her how long she had been working on this one hull and she went, It's been about four hours now. Like four hours I mean it looks perfect. And then ⁓ as soon she said that, she took out a bottle and Squeeze a whole another batch of compound on it and start it right in again. Like, man. Intrepid. They're so about ⁓ doing exactly they want to make the boat what they want it to be. Take, for example, consoles. If you make a smooth console, then it's easy to just lift it right up out of the mold. But if you have in there, anything that creates a lip, now it's not going to lift out. So you have to have a mold that's multiple parts. That have to come away from that console. Takes a lot more time, takes a lot more effort, a lot more expense, but they won't stray from it. They just refuse to. They won't take the easy route. And that says a lot about them. ⁓ and they do they do very well. So yeah, it it kinda works. but when get the cheap Maryline: For sure. Capt. Steve: center consoles that try to be the offshore center consoles and they get pushed beyond the limits of where they were intended to go, then it becomes problematic for everybody. so yeah, stay in your lane. That's that's the takeaway. Maryline: Understood. I have one other question if I may since we're actually preparing a video on how boats are made and particularly how hulls come together and we discuss core materials. What are your thoughts ⁓ coring and balsa? You know, what have you seen and what do you caution people about? If you were talking to a friend tomorrow that's saying, I want to buy this boat and you happen to know that it's balsa in the hull, ⁓ are some of the conversations that you may have with that friend? Capt. Steve: anytime can stray away from wood in the manufacturing process, you're ahead of the game. so a balsam core all it takes is a small pinhole and that's going to start taking in water and then saturating and then becoming punky and soft and now the whole is compromised. So yeah, what while core things lighter, doesn't make it stronger, doesn't make it longer lasting. So I ⁓ I ⁓ Stray away from anything that has to do with wood on a boat. Maryline: Even when the manufacturer assures you that the balsai was s scored and all of it was saturated with resin and that will never happen again, 'cause I've heard that a lot. Capt. Steve: ⁓ it never happened. Yeah, it's it'll happen. It'll happen. Amanda Haley: Surveyors, I'm sure, have seen it more ⁓ than most. ⁓ Capt. Steve: The disadvantage that I have is I see them when they're brand new. ⁓ I'm typically the first guy on this boat ever. you know, when it's a new model. So don't get to see it far down the road until, you know, my buddy calls me up saying he has problems with it or or you just hear about it from somebody at a boat show where, you know, I bought this boat because he's always great, but you need to know that, you know, five years later, here's the problems we had. Amanda Haley: Sure. Capt. Steve: So that's that's kinda how I get into it. But I'm I'm kind of at a disadvantage 'cause I see the new and shiny on Maryline: Yeah, that that is true. And we get these questions a lot too, because people see them new at the boat show as well and then they'll ask and a lot of Capt. Steve: Yeah, yeah. The trade-off to seeing everything new is I'm the forefront of this new technology that comes out. And I mean, Steve, we've got this new propulsion system, IPS. We want you to check it out and try and you know, like that was cool. I was right there when those came out. Digital position keeping or dynamic position keeping, I should say. we tried that out on a seventy foot Viking in Fort Lauderdale. ⁓ And ⁓ tried this boat in position ⁓ manually. in a strong cross current and it it was still moving. I couldn't hold it there, but then we'd push that button and it locked right in, like, okay. Game changer. Game changer. You know, it was so it was neat being right there when all of that stuff came up, you know. Maryline: Like magic. So we have a few questions now about the ⁓ the tops and flops of Captain Steve. Go ahead, Amanda. Amanda Haley: Now, I was going to say, you told us before that you grew up on a tiny little boat in a lake with a Evan Rood engine. Now speak to your personal takes after thousands of boats that you've gone on, you actually have a favorite? Is there one that you would buy personally? Capt. Steve: I do. I do. it was and is, you ready? The Riviera six thousand Sport Yacht. The Riviera six thousand Sport Yacht. I was on this boat and I couldn't believe, couldn't believe how well Riviera did on this boat. First of Riviera rarely makes mistakes anyway. they're they're a incredible manufacturer, but this boat hit every single button of Amanda Haley: Ready? Maryline: We've Euro. Capt. Steve: Pleasure, joy of boating, comfort, functionality, the handling characteristics. I mean what w sitting at the dock and going through this boat, this was one of the ones we took out on the water in the afternoon, 'cause it was gonna be nice and calm all day. So I walk through this whole boat first, like, this is just incredible. The materials, the workmanship, ⁓ layout, the comfort level. ⁓ you just you sit in it and ⁓ seat just wraps you and ho caresses you and it's I couldn't believe how well they did on this boat. And then, I say, try before you buy. It can't be this good out on the water as it is sitting here at the dock. I got it out on the water and I was like, How are you guys doing this? How are you doing this? I wanted to get this boat out of the water and see the hull form to try and educate myself on how they were doing this and just get an idea of what is going on with the engineering and the design. You advance throttles, and normally the bow comes up and then it gets on plane and the bowel back down. Not this boat. Comes up on a level platform and then just continues accelerating. We were getting into four or five foot swells off of Stewart, Florida. ⁓ And it was just through dry. I I I couldn't believe. I couldn't believe it was it was my favorite boat and it still is. If money wasn't factor, that'd be the one I would go out and buy to my Amanda Haley: We know this firsthand because just a few months ago we sold to a client a brand new Riviera 4600 and I felt the same exact way on that sea trial. was just beautiful, beautiful boat all around. Capt. Steve: Right. Yeah, they did such a good job. Maryline: We need to have a little disclaimer. This is not a video that is sponsored or endorsed by Rivier, Captain Steve, what is the the disclaimer that would normally come on the video? ⁓ ⁓ Capt. Steve: opinions expressed in the following video are solely those of Boatest.com and its test captain. ⁓ doesn't apply here. ⁓ is all me. opinions expressed in the following video are solely those of Boatest.com and its test captain. That apply here. ⁓ This all me. Amanda Haley: You You Maryline: I love it. I love it. Amanda Haley: Exactly. Capt. Steve: is all me. So take what you want from that. You know, don't sue me. Maryline: Sure. Capt. Steve: after testing so many, ⁓ you know, that's that's saying a lot. We actually thought it would be a good kick to ⁓ go to Guinness Book Records and establish a record for the most boats driven and They rejected it because it couldn't be duplicated. Everything in the Guinness Book of Records has to be able to be competed against and duplicate. But they said. Yeah. Pretty much, pretty much. But that's kind of a neat little claim to fame. I got rejected by the by the Guinness Book of Records. Maryline: You had an unfair advantage. Amanda Haley: Yes, you did. You Maryline: Ha ha. Amanda Haley: so on the flip side, you've told us what your favorite boat is. tell us about boat that underwhelmed you? Capt. Steve: Yeah. I I name names, but I can't even remember the brand of this boat. But was a a flats bay boat. you know, shallow draft, but a lot of deck space made for just you know, fishing on this casting platform. When I do a test, I take it from idle speed on up to top speed and then back down again and get all those test numbers. So this thing I'm going up through the performance and I'm sitting in the Back, there's like a bench seat in the the stern of the boat. You've got the console in the center and then seating to both sides, but there's nothing to hold on to. There wasn't so much as a grab handle. So now this boat's accelerating, going faster and faster. I've got my iPad with me, test gear, GPS, and you know, all this stuff that I'm looking at to record all of these numbers. And I've got nothing to hold on to. And you know, we reached 30, 25, 30 miles an hour. And I'm like, now it's getting unstable. It's a flat boat it's starting to bounce. I'm like, you know what? Enough. Enough. This I'm calling it. First time and probably the only time I'm done. Get boat back to the dock. I'm not reviewing this. I'm I'm walking away. I can't remember the name of the boat, but ⁓ Maryline: Okay. Amanda Haley: So you didn't even do the boat test at that point. ⁓ Capt. Steve: I didn't no. No, I'm done. I'm off of this boat. I have nothing good to say about this boat. You screwed up making it. You never should have done it. Shame on you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was it was just awful. It was awful. So yeah. And that's not a a knock on all bay boats. I mean, I've been on some good ones. but this one was just no. No. Get me out of here. Get me out of here. Amanda Haley: Wow, that's a pretty big, would have been very disappointed had I been that big of a question. Capt. Steve: Run away. Maryline: So we can't say that that's the reason you left boat tests, but at some point took a turn, left boat test, started your your own platform, you have your own channel called Captain Steve. tell us about that transition ⁓ and do you do now, Captain Steve? Capt. Steve: Well, that the transition out of boat test came when I got an opportunity to go in a little bit of a different direction from a fan who stopped me at the Miami boat show one day and he had an idea for doing something completely different and making a a marine-based streaming television network and it was going really well right up until he a heart attack. And I don't mean to at that, but I mean it was such great trajectory and we were doing so well and the plan was working. And then he had a heart attack. And a evidently when you have a heart attack, I don't speak from experience myself, it makes you reevaluate your life. And his reevaluation determined that he didn't want to work anymore and he just shut it down overnight. put up for sale. He just parked the car and hung the keys up on the hook and walked away. And fifteen of us were out of work a week before Christmas. So ⁓ that was fun, but it Took me in a different direction. still doing some on my own YouTube platform, And the problem is my job now is completely different. And it only allows me one day at a time off. don't get two days in row off. You I could take vacation time, obviously, but that takes Florida out of the picture if you know, any traveling. ⁓ So I do local work now. ⁓ and to answer your question, what am I doing now? I'm working for a ferry company here on the Cape and Islands that literally serves as the lifeline to Martha's Vineyard in Nantucket. it's great. I'm home at night, I don't have headaches anymore. You know, I sleep at night, I'm not living off of airport food. Maryline: But you lost your mileage status with United. Capt. Steve: Yeah. know. I still every once in a while cash in my my airplane but yeah, it's it's a much better lifestyle for me. I mean I'm in the twilight years of my life. I'm ⁓ not under an illusion that I'm getting older. I mean there's gray here now. so yeah, I'm running down the clock and it's time to to slow down. So that's this is my my slowdown period. I'm home at night and I I like what I do now. It's it's it's really good for me. And I'm still on the water. On my home waters and working year round. And when you're in New England working year round on the water, that's a rare. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm telling you, you know, all s all winter long we're on these boats, and it's so nice. You're the only ones out there. And now it's Yeah. It's it's like mosquitoes out there now, just all around you. And it's, you know, is this guy gonna turn? Is he gonna get out of the way? Do I keep going? You know, it's like Maryline: That's two months, isn't it? Yeah, your season never stops, ⁓ 'cause you're a commercial Yes. Capt. Steve: And then they're all on the radio. We've got radio check and on channel sixteen. It's like just unbelievable. Unbelievable. But it I love what I do now and it's doing very well for me. Still doing a little bit of boat testing on the side, but as much as I was, obviously. Amanda Haley: And what are you covering now that you couldn't before? Capt. Steve: What do I do now that I could before? Well I'm now I'm able to work with some manufacturers that ⁓ interested in being a part of the old platform where you pay continually and it's more of a subscription service and we will keep your videos going as long as you keep paying. Now make a video and they own it. You can do whatever you want with it. Put it on your website, you know, and ⁓ can have even all of the raw footage. So they use it in their marketing. so that's kinda g good for both of I still keep busy and they get this footage to use and they get a video with the Captain Steve Brand on it and that's what they're looking for. Maryline: Well, that's amazing. We'll share the link to your channel and we'll add you as a collaborator. So when people click that subscribe button, they can follow Kirin Yatz and they can follow Captain Steve where you are today. thank you so much for sharing all these insights with us and having this just wealth of knowledge at our disposal. Thank you for joining us. any ⁓ any final words before we say goodbye, Captain Steve? Capt. Steve: just thank you for everybody for being ⁓ a part of this without anybody watching, none of this works. And because there were so many people watching and being so complimentary about it, it it a difference and I appreciate everybody for doing that. So thank you for joining me on that ride. Maryline: Thank you for being here. We'll see you on the water. Fair winds. That is your line! Amanda Haley: Fair win. Capt. Steve: See you on the wall. Yeah, it is. Amanda Haley: Yep. Captain Steve, is the favorite boat you've ever tested? Capt. Steve: favorite boat ever tested would be the ⁓ Riviera six thousand sport yacht. Maryline: And what is the most impressive yacht factory that you've ever toured? Capt. Steve: that would be the Schaefer factory in Brazil. Very factory. They they do a lot of right things there. Amanda Haley: And if you were to buy a boat today, what would it be and why? Capt. Steve: Probably a Nordic tug fifty or fifty four because I grew up going and going long distances and that's the kind of cruising I would like to do, slow and forever. Maryline: What is the thing you miss most about your old gig at boattest.com? Capt. Steve: easily my friends. ⁓ made an awful lot of friends in that job and saw each other around the world, which is kinda cool. so yeah, I miss my friends. Maryline: Well, we're glad to have you here on the show today. Thank you, Captain Steve. Let's do this. Capt. Steve: Thanks so much for having me. It's been great talking with you all.