Dear Mr Fox,

Here are some comments you might, if you don't mind pass on to whoever owns/runs Cabo Yachts.

I attended the Annapolis Powerboat Show this year (I live here so for me it's a local event) and spent most of my time looking at engines and other technical stuff such as nav gear, GPS, etc. I have a boat- a 36 Hatteras convertible, 1971, obviously old but recently repowered. I will never be able to afford a new boat, I suspect. So I don't look at a lot of new boats, because it just makes me feel wistful. And my present boat has taken good care of me and I have no complaints about it. Each year, though, I've looked at something from Cabo, mostly because it's such a pleasure to look at a vessel that is so well-made. They are certainly as good as a Hatteras, and maybe in some ways better..

So this year, I went through the engine room of the Cabo 47, and looked at the electrical panels, etc. Then, just because it was new to the market and because it is a famous name, I looked at the Bertram 450- same thing, engine room and electrical panels.

Well, as you might expect, there is an astonishing difference. The Bertram's engine room does not look a whole lot better than my thirty year old Hatteras, cleaner obviously, and everything's bigger, but there's a lot of sharp edges, poorly cut things, sloppy gelcoat, and the quality of fit and the fittings themselves are clearly second-rate. An older Bertram 46 or Hatteras 45/46 redone by Slane Marine would cost half the price and be twice the boat.

The 47 Cabo, on the other hand, looks like what you ought to get for 840,000 dollars. (Incidentally the Bertram costs MORE, not less, for a smaller boat, although part of that may be a function of accessories.) I would not buy the Bertram for half of what they ask. I would pay the asking price for a Cabo, I think, although I have never had that kind of money to spend and don't expect to.

I thought, however, that I would give myself the pleasure of telling you and your company how much enjoyment I got from looking at your collective work. Granted, no boat is perfect, but it's clear to me, after climbing around and through boats for twenty years, that I have never seen one designed, outfitted, or built any better or with more attention to detail. That includes Rybovich, Merritt, Hines-Farley, Davis, and Hatteras. If I ever become unexpectedly wealthy, and I decide to get a bigger boat, or a newer boat, I'll look for a Cabo. If there's a better boat around, I have yet to see it.

Sincerely,

CABO Admirer