New designs are lame

[juiceclark]

There is a definate lack of courage in boat design today...especially small runabouts. Look at the past:

I own the one on page 13. Want the one on page 24!:
http://www.fiberglassics.com/galleries/bitb/default.htm

now this is a boat:
http://www.fiberglassics.com/galleries/lights/001.jpg

Cat runabout:
http://www.fiberglassics.com/galleries/cats/MantaRayCat.jpg

Does funky not sell anymore? Is it all about price and shiney gelcoat? I know it's difficult with an infinite pack of rabid lawyers waiting for someone to bump their head on the corner of a nice design...it that the problem?

Tony in Sw FL

[netjaws]

And on the commercial side of the house, at least, I observed that the european designs are far more interesting and aesthetically pleasing than what you see coming out of the states. These photos are from a recent trip to sweden-

[kach22i]

Almost all of the design arts have suffered similar fates do to conservatism in society. We used to look ahead with hope and faith in technology, now we look back in despair and have faith no more. We fear the future so we revert to the past like children to their mothers.

The cool architecture of the modern movement is just too modern today, cars are bland or retro at best.

I'll take the one on page 23.

[marshmat]

Design and styling trends in production boats, the smaller ones at least, seem to follow the trends seen in cars (with a few years' lag).
Witness the Cadillacs of the '50s, with their giant tail fins- runabouts followed with similar fins and wraparound windscreens.
Through the '70s we see mainstream cars taking on a somewhat more conservative, albeit often still swoopy and rounded, look- what do runabouts of that era look like?
In the '80s, cars went all boxy and square-cornered, with sharp creases and flat panes of glass- the same trend swept the boatyards.
In the '90s, many cars went for the "jelly bean" look, with no corners whatsoever and radius curves on everything- the boat industry came up with bubbly deck shapes, rounded windscreens, etc.
Today, cars are taking on a more creased, taut look- so are most small boats (the rest are following the wide, blocky look pioneered by the SUV).

When you have to mass-market a product on a short timeline, the tendency is to make it look like something that is already doing well. Everyone's buying the '98 Taurus? Let's give the '99 Glastron lineup some Taurus-like styling. Lo and behold, they sell like hotcakes. What? That's last year's look now? OK, we'll have to re-style to reflect the latest trends.....

Some builders and designers are more or less immune from this. These seem to be the builders and designers who have been around for a while, are happy with their relatively small but loyal customer base, and don't feel the need to churn out chopper-gun hulls by the thousands.

I don't much like funky- those '50s runabouts don't cut it for me. Give me the timeless, classic look of a '20s Chris-Craft, or the rugged go-anywhere seaworthiness of a Dashew Sundeer, or the practical beauty of a Nova Scotia lobster boat.....

[water addict]

Good grief.
I gotta say the boats in that first link you got there look pretty retarded to me. Damn good reasons you don't see new boats like that! They are hideous!

But to each his own, have at it by all means if you like 'em. At least they get you on the water.

[eponodyne]

Part of the problem is that everybody's building in composites, and the fastest cheapest way to do that is inside a female mold. It's hard to do even minor variations on a theme that way, much less radical restylings without paying for a new male plug to be used for a female mold (also to be paid for) and then you have to market the aitch ee double hockey sticks out of it to just to break even.

But yeah, up to a few years ago, you could look at the boats on evening promenade and pick out a Larson from a Bayliner from a Reinell from a Glastron. Now they all look the same.

Make mine wood.

[rwatson]

Yes Water Addict - JuiceClark has no taste

What a bunch of useless, badly performing group of designs.

Still - it was great for a laugh!

[tinhorn]

must - find - a - wizard - wasp

[Landlubber]

emmm, boatdesign to me has followed the demands of unseamanlike salespeople who demand more room, more refrigeration, bigger engines, more electronics wider berths, granite heads and galleys etc etc.

The designers have accomodated their desires ((it is commercial don't forget), and the nett result is ugly, wide mouthed frogs.

The beautiful designs of old were reflections of the designers minds, with seamanlike qualities as being par for the course. The rich and famous then had them commissioned the designer and had them produced by qualifed (either by institution or experience) tradesmen in yards that had passionate tradespeople.

Back to my medication........

[tinhorn]

Good Lord, there's one on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Classic-Herter-Duofoil-Flying-Fish_W0QQitemZ110219872712QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item110219872712

Not a Wasp, though.

[Pericles]

What about a couple of fins on these? NNNNNOOOOO!!!!

http://www.strand-craft.com/

Pericles

[Richard Atkin]

What a boat looks and feels like, once you have stepped onboard, is more important than what the design looks like from a distance. With that being said, I don't think it is ever necessary to design a cruising boat to be butt ugly from a distance.
Some architects are now designing houses that look like grey Russian storage sheds, and on the inside they look and feel like airport terminals. The proud new house owner believes he is at the pinacle of modern archtiecture, and will be envied and admired by his friends. I guess the same thing happens in the boating industry.
Beauty is in the eye of the ego?

[Guillermo]

Beauty is in the eye of the ego?
Beauty is in the peace of mind.

Cheers.

[eponodyne]

Herreshoff never designed an ugly boat; and I believe that his designs have stood the test of time. Ditto for Fife and Ben Seaborn and William Hand (I wish I could say the same for Bill Atkin, but some of what he drew... my good Lord.).

In contrast, who can tell me the name of the designer of the latest Larson 18' bowrider? And will people be building replicas of it a hundred years from now? I think not.

[Fanie]

I ESPECIALLY liked the Pink Batsmobile. So Batman and Robin went scew in the end after all... I knew they wasn't going to cope with the pressure. Hope they live happily ever after :o

[Pericles]

More beauts.

http://www.dolvik.no/contents.htm

Pericles

[juiceclark]

Ok...I guess I have no taste. Afterall, my degrees are in finance and mathematics - not naval architecture. However, I have purchased many boats and look for courage in design and will spend my money accordingly. The old mahogany (and new) boats are beautiful. But let's face it...boats are made with fiberglass now and that's why I chose to throw back to the first glass boats of the '50s to make a point. Wooden boats are pretty on Golden Pond - they're worm food in my canal.

Tony in Ft Myers

[longliner45]

are you batman???

[juiceclark]

You know I cannot answer that without jeapardizing the innocents I {may} protect from the slime and vermin infecting our streets. However, I will say I intend to power my Herter's Duo Foil Flying Fish with an overpowered jet drive and may or may not install some serious weaponry.

http://photos.completelybiased.com/v/queensland/IMG_1887.jpg.html

[messabout]

The Ancarrow boat would be pretty sexy if you could take the damned fins off. We'll re-power it to get rid of those Caddys, the two of which will weigh a long ton.

Methinks that there are some demographics at work here. Younger dudes like flash and bling, while older folk like practical stuff. The older ones are less likely to be influenced by what they think that their peer group will think. For the youger set, posing is seemingly essential.

[kach22i]

What about a couple of fins on these? NNNNNOOOOO!!!!

http://www.strand-craft.com/

Pericles
Those boat designs are hot, hot, hot!

[Fanie]

I must admit they have a romantic air about them. The boat and car lookalikes are classic... maybe there should be a lake or dam, like a boat museum. One note though, whoever built those boats must have spent some serious time with them, you can see that wasn't done in a production line.

[Richard Atkin]

Problem is....if the boat looks too good, it makes the driver look like a dork. (unless the driver looks like me).

[Fanie]

Isn't it why they have the girl in the boat also ? Tbh, I haven't seen one guy in any of the boats, but I noted several females steering ;)

[Richard Atkin]

LOL...now that you mention it...yeah :D They really know what they are doing

[Fanie]

You were watching the guys all along ? :eek: It's a joke ok... :D

Amazing while you build the boat the wife gives you lots of lip and all kinds of other troubles like divorce, money - anyone who has built a boat knows these conflicts. Then when you put it on the water they expect you'rs to be the best looking of the lot. Is this another compromise ?

Maybe we just have the sequence wrong. You first have to build the boat and then you get the witch (kinda automatic) ;)

[Richard Atkin]

Get your wife to choose the interior decor....might make her more keen

[rwatson]

I told my girlfriend I would name the boat after her for putting up with all the mess, time off etc.

I am now single with a boat named "After Her"

[Fanie]

Oh dear !

Should you rather use another girl's name ? :D

[Richard Atkin]

I keep hearing stories about guys selling there boat cos "the wife insisted"....and "the wife will never go sailing again" after one day out in a bad storm....and "my wife keeps complaining about the mess and the noise and the....."
I guess it should be no surprise that I have never spoken to or heard of a female posting anything in this forum!! Not much chance of me finding a girlfriend here.
What does this have to do with "new designs are lame"? I guess you should ask a female

[tinhorn]

Get your wife to choose the interior decor....might make her more keen

Hahaha - when I made kit car bodies, this is the technique I suggested to guys who were having trouble getting the wife's OK for a project. I told them to let her pick the color!

[Fanie]

Awww, that's nothin ! I got a fishing rod and reel for my wife :D






Best swap in years ;)

[Landlubber]

Good swap Fanie!

[rwatson]

Yeah - I would pick a fishing rod any day!
Women dont understand boats and they have no sense of humour!
They dont mind undressing when they think its Johnny Depp under the eye- patch and pirate costume, but they get really upset when they find out its only me and I wont take them back to shore straight away ....
hmmmm, better stop there I think.

[Pericles]

rwatson,

The following will only work if your "R" is for Richard.

How do they find out it's you? Have they been to bed with Johnny Depp? If not, don't take off the eye patch and the costume and its all hands on dick's. Works for me! Plank or play, have it your way? Shark or shag? (may refer to one of the following:

* Shag (fabric)
* Shag (bird), birds of the cormorant family
* Shag (tobacco), fine-cut tobacco
* British slang for sexual intercourse

I'm slowly getting the hang of this pirate innuendo malarkey. :P

AAAAhhhaarrrr

Pericles

[catie I]

Pericles,
how are you?just want to know what you do for a living?

[Fanie]

Te-he... Catie I... Under cover maniac ? :D

[Richard Atkin]

Catie, are you a female? or a prank? There are no females in this forum, so I'm thinking you are a prank.
If you are a female, then I am available.

[Landlubber]

Careful Richard,

catie 1 comes from Dubbo (that is a worry).

[RatliffFranklin]

There is a definate lack of courage in boat design today...especially small runabouts. Look at the past:

I own the one on page 13. Want the one on page 24!:
http://www.fiberglassics.com/galleries/bitb/default.htm

now this is a boat:
http://www.fiberglassics.com/galleries/lights/001.jpg

Cat runabout:
http://www.fiberglassics.com/galleries/cats/MantaRayCat.jpg

Does funky not sell anymore? Is it all about price and shiney gelcoat? I know it's difficult with an infinite pack of rabid lawyers waiting for someone to bump their head on the corner of a nice design...it that the problem?

Tony in Sw FL

Thirty years ago there was no such thing as a jetski (personal watercraft).

There are also great little four-person jet inboards now that didn't exist thirty years ago.

[Landlubber]

Wasn't life good then without the bloody things too!

[juiceclark]

Thirty years ago there was no such thing as a jetski (personal watercraft).

There are also great little four-person jet inboards now that didn't exist thirty years ago.


PWCs were actually quite common in the 60s and 70s. For example, my 1970 "Ski-Horse". Giddy-up:
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg120/juiceclark/IMG_0574_2.jpg

The sixties vintage was called a Hydro-Cycle. Here's an add on Ebay for the Barracuda:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hydro-Cycle-Outboard-Ski-Scooter-Waterski-1970-Ad_W0QQitemZ260015332756QQihZ016QQcategoryZ423QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

With a 25hp four-stroke with a jet-drive on that baby you could have a nice day!

Tony in Sw FL

[Fanie]

Wasn't life good then without the bloody things too!
Couln't agree more. Actually it's not the jetski that is the problem, it is the amount of DFI's that buggers around on them without consideration for anyone else.