Why Our Family Bought A Triumph

April 12, 2005

Why did we purchase a Triumph?

My family made the decision in 2000 that we wanted a boat. We started going to boat shows, visiting boat dealers, and talking to friends that had boats.

We came up with a list of things we wanted:

1. First, the boat had to fit into the garage. We quickly decided that we could not afford to pay for monthly storage. A recent story in the local paper quoted boat storage, on your trailer, at $7.50 a foot per month. That equates to $157.50 plus tax per month for my Triumph 210 or over $2,000.00 per year at the current rates (and they will go higher). A space on a rackaminium (a condo for your boat) would cost me between $30,000 and $100,000 to purchase plus monthly maintenance or “association” fees of $200 to $300. We would also be strongly encouraged to pay a high premium for gas and everything else we might want. For almost a year our only requirements were to get a Center Console boat as big as possible that would fit into our garage.
   
   In 2001, we decided to build our retirement home, and a garage for our boat. We talked to a number of dealers and they all said “If the garage door is eight feet high and at least ten feet wide, we can get a boat into your garage.” So that is what we specified to the builder, and the cost for the garage increased by almost $18,000 for the additional width, height, and length of our three car garage. Construction started and garage took shape. Then we went to another boat show. To our dismay, most dealers started backing off the eight foot high door. They said they could still do it, but it would take a lot more work, and of course increased cost, to redo the windshield and/or the center console to fit into an eight foot high door. We had previously identified four different shinny fiberglass boats that we liked. Well, it was back to searching again.
   
   
2. That is when we found the Triumph 210 CC. It was the size we wanted and when you lay the top of the center console down (toward the seats) our height issue was solved.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. But wait, the wife came up with a new requirement, a porta-potti had to be on board. Well, in our home, “If Mama ain’t happy, nobody is happy.” So we were on the trail again. We took the wife to see many boats and she climbed in and out of center consoles that had porta-potties. I kept hearing the same thing from my wife, “they are too small to turn around in and they make me feel claustrophobic.” During a visit to a dealer that sold Triumphs and other boats, I talked the wife into trying the front “Mega Hold” and pretending there was a porta-potti in it. Then I asked her to look around and tell me what she could see. SOLD. The mega storage in front of the center console is so deep that she said that a boat would have to be right next to us to see anything, and there is NO claustrophobia from a small enclosure in a center console. Besides, we can always install a Portable Privacy Partition from Overton’s if needed. We had originally wanted the Triumph porta-potti enclosure, but then they changed the design so it would only work if you had a T-Top, so we lost again.
   
4. OK, but was this boat, that was not shinny looking like the others, really the one for us? I wanted a boat that had a GREAT ride. As we get older, comfort starts becoming more of an issue. Knees do not like to be punished the way they once were. So we strongly suggest that you read what others say about the boat you want to purchase, and then go for a test ride on a rough and windy day. We feel that the Triumph 210 should give us the best ride of any boat that is this size.
   
5. We have a 17-year old son. This will be his first boat, so one question was would we want a fiberglass boat bouncing off docks as he learns? Or, as we get older, we will probably be the one’s hitting the dock a little harder than we should. There is a marina close to us that has a number of old “Logic’s” for their rental fleet. Even though their customers keep hitting docks, bridges, oyster beds, sandbars, other boats, etc., these boats just keep taking the punishment. The marina sells boats, not Triumphs, yet they still have their Roplene rental fleet. After listening to the stories from the marina’s head maintenance man about their rental fleet, we can’t imagine why anyone would want a fiberglass boat. We also wanted to be able to have time to enjoy the water. So why have to make time to polish a fiberglass boat? The Triumph has to be the easiest boat to keep clean. I may be retired, but I did not retire to spend my time polishing a boat.
   
6. Being retired, we want to be able to take our 210 and see other parts of the great state of Florida from the water, and maybe even travel to other states. Because we do want to travel with our boat, we wanted a trailer. First, the trailer had to help us fit the boat into the garage. We needed a tongue that would either fold back out of the way or that was removable. We talked to the Triumph factory to confirm the make and model of trailer they used for the 210. We then contacted EZ Loader, and found that they do have a swing tongue option, as well as some of the other options we wanted. Unfortunately, Triumph would not let us order the trailer we needed, so we purchased a Rolls Axle trailer. Pictures of the trailer are posted on this web site under “General Modifications.” Yes, it cost more than the EZ Loader would have, but it is shorter, lower, and being all aluminum or stainless steel, should far outlast any EZ Loader trailer. It is our opinion that time will prove that our Rolls Axle trailer purchase will end up saving us money. Keep in mind, a boat larger than the 210 will NOT fit into my garage, and I will end up missing if I try to sell this home from under my wife.
   
7. We have spent the last three years studying boats and trying to determine the best boat for our family. We have determined that there is no “perfect” boat. If there was, no one could afford it. Just as in life, every boat has pluses and minuses. Triumph can not be the one boat for everyone, but they are the boat for my family. The negative words I have heard or read about Triumphs have come from people that have not owned a Triumph. They complain that the boat does not shine, so is it a crime if I don’t want to spend time polishing a boat? They complain that the boat flexes, but if that gives me a better ride, that is easier on my body as I get older, then I want flex. No, I do not agree with or like everything concerning Triumph and their company policies, but I also do not expect everyone to agree with me.
   

We have gained an extreme amount of knowledge from both the current and the old Triumph / Logic owner’s web sites. We can never thank everyone enough for sharing with us their joys, the enhancements they made, as well as problem’s they encountered on their Triumphs. It was this sharing of information that convinced us that we made the right purchasing decision.

The primary individuals I need to thank are Randy Durham (NCangler) the creator and administrator of Triumphowners.org; and Dick Cabble and Carl Merritt of Merritt Marine for their assistance and encouragement in getting the new site up and going. Dick and Carl also need to be thanked for their continued support and willingness to share their knowledge of these great boats with those of us trying so hard to learn.

NOTE: As we purchase the electronics and other equipment to outfit our new 210, we will try to explain why we purchased each major item. Again, they will be our reasons, and like the reason’s listed above as to why we purchased a Triumph 210 CC, they will not fit everyone or every boat, but they will be our reasons.