My view is a little different from some of the others expressed above.
Non boaters generally don't think much about us at all...when they do, they think we have an expensive hobby that is summed up as: the best two days of boat ownership is the day we get the boat and the day that we sell it. In the meanwhile, it's just a hole in the water where we foolishly throw money. But mostly, they don't care one way or the other. It's not what they are interested in. If they know you have a big boat, they may think you are rich, or they may think you are living beyond your means, or you are foolish to waste your money and time. But mostly, they don't spend much time thinking about us at all.
Within the boating community, I see lots of snobbery. Some brands of boats are considered inferior and are looked down on. The guys that own MacGregors (Ventures) get beat up and put down all the time on these forums and at the marinas (my first boat was a Venture, I could aford it and it served me well. And it did the same thing as the expensive brands). Then, there is a group that look down on Hunters, Beneteaus, and Catalinas as being not up to par, poorly built, floating condos, and not really sea capable. Definitely not bluewater capable. (My current boat is a Catalina 320, which I really like and suits me just fine). People with bluewater boats are a diverse group also...some with big expensive really well built boats, and some with old pieces of junk and all points in between. Somehow, they will express distain at the Hunter, Beneteau, or Catalina when many of those popular production boats are really nicer, bigger, and in better condition than their bluewater boat. In my marina, there are some really experienced long range cruisers, some who have spent years living on the boats or on extended cruises. Those people look down on those of us who are more or less week enders, overnighters, or day sailors. And bigger, finer, newer boat owners generally look down on older, less well built or maintained boats. I have a condo w/ marina slip that I use for vacation and week-ends. I have had year round residents tell me to my face that the place is not for week-enders. Many of the residents are northern retirees that moved south, and they definitely think they are superior to native southerners (not trying to fight the war again, but it's true). They come down, buy a pick-up truck, get a dog, and try to take over the place and change everything (not sure why they want the pick-up and dog since they hold southerners in such distain). And at the country / yacht club, if you don't belong to a certain class, you won't be welcome. And live aboards are often looked on as not much more than vagrants by those who don't live aboard, especially if their live aboard boats are older and never seem to leave the dock. Power boaters generally don't care for sailboaters and vice versa. So, I guess I don't see the boating community being really that nice and welcoming to other boaters who might do things a little different from them.
But bottom line, is I really don't care....I do what I do in boating because that's what I like to do, and it really doesn't make any difference what they think, as long as they don't get too personal about it.
