The scariest clients are those who announce at the outset that this is going to be their "last boat". Why, you ask? Certainly everyone comes to that stage in their life. The problem is the unachievable level of expectations that a statement like that nurtures. You also see the problem in folks who have had other boats in the past and are now determined that this one should make up for every dissatisfaction they have had over their boating career.

Trust me, this "last boat" syndrome puts entirely too much unnecessary pressure on both the design and the construction process. It also sets the owner up for almost certain disappointment. No boat will ever satisfy those weighty demands. The owner begins to micro-analyze every decision, every system, every detail. The final results are generally the same. One, the owner doesn’t have any fun designing and building. Everything is just too darned important. If you are going to go through the custom design process it ought to be fun. Two, the finished boat, no matter how good, can never be quite good enough because you don’t see the boat. You just see the flaws.

Don’t sand bag your own project. Have fun with it. Not only will the boat turn out better but, more importantly, she is much more likely to meet or exceed all of your expectations.