Part of the reason I find writing this ten year feature so fun is that I didn’t work here back then. Heck, if I really wanted to make my co-workers feel old, I could take this time to remind them that I was still in high school when this issue originally came out. But I’m not that kind of person.
This issue started out with Brady’s column, where he went into specific details about what his perfect pontoon would entail. As I was reading it, something seemed off to me but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Until I got to this line.
“If I had to give up my changing room to have a rear entry, I would. Changing rooms only come in handy for storing tubes and wakeboards.”
As I am a dramatic person, I gasped out loud when I read this. The part that was a little off was that now Brady’s a family man and when this was written he was a newlywed. And the boat he was describing was all about performance and not about amenities. In other words, a boat built for a bachelor.
Men.
Moving on. The next thing that grabbed my attention was a fun fact, written by Dan Armitage. He went into some angling lore about how the lure was invented. The story goes that an angler accidentally dropped his soup spoon off the dock. As it drifted to the bottom, fish started striking it. The angler went home and started messing around until he had created the first metal lure.
I had no idea. But now we all know.
Even ten years ago, the Fall issue of PDB magazine was a sneak peek at the next year’s models. It was fun then and it’s still fun today. Except for when you’re on the team that collects that information. Then it’s a lot of work. But you, our readers, are worth it.
Back in the day, Aqua Patio was coming out with new carpets for all their models. Bennington was in the deck boat business. JC Manufacturing upgraded their CD player. A company named Playbuoy was manufacturing pontoons. Sanpan was offering an optional blender that looks like the blender equivalent of a Model T. And the biggest boat that was featured was a whopping 23 feet.
My, how things have changed.
Spoiler alert forthcoming.
The boats that are new for 2014 will amaze you. The new helm touchscreens can read your mind and act accordingly. Well, almost. Well, not really. But they are super amazing and combine everything you do on your boat into a command center.
The point is that this year our “What’s New” section will knock your socks right off and send you begging to your spouse for a new boat. I hope the answer is yes. But ten years from now, we can all reread it and have ourselves a good chuckle.
The pontoon and deck boat manufacturers have set the bar pretty high. Happy reading.
