On July 2nd, we drove to Tallahassee to pick up the first
batch of our latest book from the printer.
It was with a great sense of
relief that this arduous a three year effort to put it all together had
finally come to a conclusion. Though in truth it was an idea I had
conceived of and refined over the course of nearly ten years and all
throughout the production of my first book, Surveying Fiberglass Power
Boats.
As a self-published book, we do all the layout and graphics ourselves,
a tedious task if ever there was one. We’ve got about 140 pictures and
illustrations, nearly all taken or drawn by myself, so any lack of
professionalism falls on my head alone.
But, I think you’ll find that whatever they lack in the way of fancy
presentation will be more than made up for in relevance.
The one thing I did not do was to merely decorate the book with
meaningless pictures provided by courtesy of so and so.
These photos in my book are from my own photo library of over 10,000
photos taken over the years.
It’s also come to my attention that some think that maybe this book is
just an assemblage of the articles on this web site. NOT SO! |
July 31, 2002
Destin, Florida
Some have wondered, "Pascoe surveys yachts, so why is he writing a book
on outboards?" Easy answer there: As the prices of these boats continued
to escalate in recent years, increasingly I am asked to survey outboards
as people have become willing to pay me a reasonable fee. This
continued to the point where nearly half the boats I did were outboards.
And since outboard buyers are most often first-time buyers, such a book
made sense to me.
This book is totally dedicated to blue water type outboard boats, not
jet boats, I/O’s, pontoon boats, bass boats or mega yachts. You won’t be
just reading part of it and disregarding the rest. Or paying for something
that is irrelevant. What I mean by "blue water" type
boats are boats that are sea worthy for heading out into larger bodies of
water, not just small lakes and protected bays, etc.
As you know, this is a get along, go along world, but I’m not a member
of the club. For that reason I dare to say things that no marine publisher
would allow to be printed because they are part and parcel of that
industry, and they want to get along too. I’m not out to sell you a boat
and frankly, it’s of no concern to me if you don’t’ buy one. My only goal
is to sufficiently educate you that you can make your own informed
decisions. In doing that, I don’t pull any punches about the problems we
have with boats and the boating industry. I explain to you in detail why
things are the way they are so that you can avoid some of the mistakes
that others make.
Buyers' Guide to Outboard Boats strives to be relevant to both the
novice and more experienced boat owner by addressing the real world issues
he faces based on the hundreds, perhaps even thousands questions I’m asked
by customers when I do surveys for them. Many people want to totally
simplify the matter by asking, "Which boat should I buy?" Ah, if life were
only that easy! No one can answer that question since no one but the buyer
knows completely what he wants and can afford.
Even so, I do my level best to lead the reader to his own answers. I
do, of course, have my own opinions and I’m not afraid to give them. One
of these is that I think it is unwise to shortchange quality on a product
that is constantly sitting in water and frequently flying off the tops of
waves with your life contained between its gunwales.
David Pascoe
Author and Publisher
July 31, 2002
Destin, Florida
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David Pascoe is a second generation marine surveyor in his family who began his surveying career at age 16 as an apprentice in 1965 as the era of wooden boats was drawing to a close.
Certified by the National Association of Marine Surveyors in 1972, he has conducted over 5,000 pre purchase surveys in addition to having conducted hundreds of boating accident investigations, including fires, sinkings, hull failures and machinery failure analysis.
Over forty years of knowledge and experience are brought to bear in following books. David Pascoe is the author of:
In addition to readers in the United States, boaters and boat industry professionals worldwide from nearly 80 countries have purchased David Pascoe's books, since introduction of his first book in 2001.
In 2012, David Pascoe has retired from marine surveying business at age 65.
On November 23rd, 2018, David Pascoe has passed away at age 71.
Biography - Long version