Re: What an IO is best at
Kidding aside, one of my observations about the different boats and styles fitting different circumstances, is that the lake boaters tend to do a lot more swimming from the boat, typically anchored, and thus use it (the whole boat) as a swim platform, than do the salties. Perhaps the deep south salties do a lot of anchoring and swimming, too, but what I see is people beaching the boats when they want to swim, and not being tied to the boat as a base. We have soft beaches instead of rock sides which lends itself to this, so we don't really need the platform, but do need the shallow drive of the OB. When you lakers are anchored in more than 4' of water, you can use that platform as a "beach." Plus we have a lot of things that nibble, chew and sting down there, so some folks don't like being in the water; not so in the lake.
Of course that's not to say there aren't exceptions; I've seen the sandbar parties in lakes (though more often a raft-up in a cove) and plenty of people anchor and swim from the boat in the rivers, bays and off the ocean beach here. But there are factors like that which make the preferences of different styles in different waters.
