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I'm beggining to think that gas prices are not the biggest problem facing the industry today. Seems most people in this thread and in the board will simply adjust usage, speed, etc. to reduce fuel consumption. I also agree with those who see the incremental spend as not that big a deal. My...

I fact some lesser 18 footers might call it a wake...

I can attest to the ripples in the water when Seaborder gets it rockin...

John, Interesting points you make about luxury items and others like coffee and milk. Not to get to far off base, but milk is perishable, comes from relatively distributed sources, requires lots of transport and has limited shelf life... hence the price. It also competes with other uses such...

Personal responsibility is required, however one can not count on everyone else to have the same discipline. Clearly not everyone is in a financial mess, but many are. And the crisis we are in is a collective one, not an individual one. I agree with fishtales that our entire lifestyle is...

Yesterday Brunswick announced another 1000 person layoff, boat sales in Q1 down 25% from what was already a poor level. West Marine sales plummeting, Marine Max the largest boat dealer sales plummeting...

Yes speculators are doing their thing. But... speculators often get burned when the market returns to rational levels. However in this case, world wide demand is increasing rapidly due to industrialization in China, India and elsewhere. These countries are growing ridiculously fast and...

Any chance it was flooded? I did this once when I inadvertantly kept choking it (2S) when starting after a drift. Did it start eventually?

I think we may be headed for a radical change in our economic landscape. I don't see oil prices coming back down as demand from the developing world continues to increase and many of those governments artificially keep prices down through subsidies. Oil prices will require dramatic shifts in...

With oil prices continuing to rise, the value of the dollar continuing to drop, I wonder how boating/fishing will be impacted and how that will affect GW and others. Oil prices continue to drive raw material, production, and shipping costs up, raising the price of a new boat for everyone. We...

I know this isn't GW related, but I thought maybe some of the Florida crew could give me some pointers. A buddy of mine is going to be visiting family in Apalachicola and is interested in a guide for some redfish and maybe tarpon fishing. Does anyone here know that area and have a good...

F18amec, Here is my take on this topic having gone through a similar analysis a few years back. I bought the Sportsman 180 and have no regrets. It is all about your usage and needs. There is no doubt the 209 is a bigger boat than the 180. But, just as the 209 is big for a 20' CC, the 180...

Good point plymouth!

I mounted a Garmin 178C (GPS/Sounder) about 3" to the right of my compass on my 180 and it makes no impact. I just finished installing an Icom VHF in the electronics box and, while less than 3' away from the compass, it has no impact. The real interference will come from the antenna, not the...

I am very jealous. Please post pix! Congrats!

I'm pretty confident in figuring this out, thx for the help. Anyone actually use the DSC features on the water? More than for the emergency functions?

I have a Garmin 178C GPS/FF combo unit and recently added an Icom 304 VHF with DSC. I got my MMSI number and programmed it into the VHF. In order to connect the two units, I have connected according to the manuals and set the Garmin to NMEA out. The Icom does not show any connection. I'm...

I have the 180, same hull as the 185 and agree with the previous comment that it feels bigger. That said, I don't think the 20 footer is enough of an upgrade. You won't leave the dock in a 20' boat in seas that you would not take the 18'. You will be slightly better off getting home with...

My second battery is next to the oil tank on the port side. Also, the Sportsman can use the cooler in front of the console as a live well. I would check into that option as well.

Congrats! Envious is too mild... I'm jealous!!