In a set of prints put together by THE REPUBLIK/Durham, boat manufacturer Wellcraft Marine Corp. appeals to salty sea dogs by emphasizing the rugged freedom and independent nature of life on choppy water.
o “Nothing tastes better than freshly outsmarted fish.” (At left.)
o “Bowlines moor boats to docks. Windor knots moor men to desks.” Ooh, seaman pwnage.
o “You’ve never been seasick. Bet you’ve been landsick a few times though.”
o “You wouldn’t be caught dead with a fruit in your beer. Unless, of course, you were dying of scurvy.”
Each bears weathered-looking imagery, a Wellcraft logo and tagline, “The Boater’s Boat.”
The ads will appear in magazines like Boating Life and Pacific Coast Sport Fishing. According to the pressie, a Wellcraft boat buyer is a 2nd or 3rd-time boat owner, more concerned with utility than frills.
But cracks like that “Windsor knot” joke have a funny way of attracting just the kind of people you hope to separate yourself from. We wouldn’t be surprised if a few pinstripe-clad, “spiritual” boat owners came ambling up the marina at cocktail hour, eagerly pursuing an authentic man’s-man Wellcraft.
