Form vs Function

It certainly will do that, and a fair number of people consider that either a plus or a must have.

And as for the website, it's an impressive implementation of flash

 

Frankly, this is the first time I see a site of a boat-design / boatbuilding company which hides every possible data about theirselves. Could you find any reference in that site about who they are, where are their offices, where is their shipyard etc? I couldn't.

Apart that, I tend to agree with Willallison's opinion about that site and boats it displays...

I think the site closely reflects the modern trend in marketing of luxury boats. It is all about aesthetics and near-zero about technical, teasing the immagination and dreams about power and glory with flashy words like: "the very soul of", "matchless performance", "purest form of art and technology imaginable", "timeless materials", and the ever-green: "no compromise whatsoever".

Now, we are talking about "function" here, but ask yourself - what significance does the word "function" have for a potential client-buyer of a yacht like Hedonist? It is imho not a capability of going into open ocean waves, winds, rains or storms. Nobody else can see and admire their toy out there, so far from the coast. No, this boat's design philosophy is more simple, imho. It has to attract attention at anchor and in marinas, make people talk about it's owner, a couple of occasional paparazzi photos in a glossy gossip magazine will also make her owner's day. It has to give exclusive comfort on board and has to be driven in a car-like manner.

By taking an analogy from wildlife, persons who will be interested in purchasing this kind of boat (and there will be more than one who will, imho) are not shark-types. They are not interested in venturing into the big blue. I think that we are talking about peacock-types here.



Peacocks' flashy feathers have the exclusive function of attracting females and scaring off other male competitors. They make him unable to fly, except for a very short distances and up to a house roof. But they look so cool and allow him to mate. Which illustrates well the relativity of the word "function". While for some birds the function of feathers is to keep them warm and make them fly efficiently, for a peacock feathers have the function of giving him the coolest possible look.

If we assume that this analogy identifies the market niche for this design, then I believe this boat meets it's design and functional requirements perfectly well. They are simply different from what most of folks in Boatdesign.net community commonly accept as valid functional requirements. That said, I personally prefer shark-type sailors, but I can comprehend peacocks' point of view, too... And I also very much appreciate creative artistic minds too.


Off-topic:

I have recognized the place where the photos of Hedonist were taken. It is the Boka Kotorska bay, in Montenegro. It is a beautiful mediteranean natural harbour with a tiny entrance from Adriatic Sea and protected on all sides by mountains and hills. The water is flat like oil during most of the year.
It has some extraordinary and marvellous examples of ancient Orthodox and Catolic monasteries and churches, as well as other interesting historical places and buildings. Definitely a place to visit.

 

Functional like a peacock's feathers. Exactly.

 

I don't object to things because they are different. I take the time to imagine what they had in mind, then take away from it what I can.

Lets discuss the twin tail. Normally seen on a powered raft, why and what for?

What does a tail in the stern corner do in a banking turn that a squared out or cut away chamfered corner does not do?

Does the twin tail react any different from a back wave than a squared off or tapered stern?

I'm happy to accept that the design is over the top, but that is not reason enough to reject it outright, or is it?

 

http://woodenboat.com/boat/?p=1599



Maybe the stern is not what it looked like?
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?119862-Aptly-Named-The-Hedonist


Is it a dinghy hold?

EDIT.........looks to be so.........
http://boatworktimes.com/yacht-main...announces-new-luxury-sport-yacht-designs.html


What is this feature at the bow?
http://thekevinchen.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/art-of-kinetik-hedonist/

 

Earlier computer images show something weird under the rear part of the hull.
http://www.superyachttimes.com/editorial/5/article/id/4822





I've seen this sort of cut and plane hull before, just made up that term - please feel free to provide a correct hull ID.

 

Errr... I can't find a photo where a twin tail in either of the two yachts from Art of Kinetik can be seen. Where was it shown?

 

Well Kach..the design detail on the tenders you show are much appreciated. Naturally you need buoyancy aft. The tapered ends are useful when beaching a tender. much like the rounded shape on stern of a Panga...the tapered tube drags instead of biting into the sand, makes the tube last longer. The tips of the tube have a reinforced cap "Bummper " so you rarely puncture aft. The slight extra length of the tapered profile saves a bit of weight and even helps keep the outboard motor from gouging into a yachts topsided when the tender is stern too. The tapered profile is easier to build. The joint on the tube with a squared off tube has the joint underwater and perpendicular to the waterflow. pointed rear end, nice detail...form and function.

 

Looks like a flip-out, hide-away, anchor roller. Clever, I suppose.

 

Ya clever, but you dump all the mud and seaweed into the boat when you fold. All the gizmos needed to initiate the fold out mean that when you have a power falure you cant anchor. No way possible to keep its stowaway locker watertight and since the anchor winch must also be below its always flooded. Looks mighty good !!

 

Hydraulically retractable anchor deploy system, yepp. Nice today, kaputt tomorrow. A pretty senseless device.

It is not necessary that it brings mud and seaweed into the lkr. One can install a power wash to avoid that.

 

I think it has more to do with the materials it's made from. Inflatables are made of fabric rather than rigid materials and it's hard to get a square corner in fabric, and if you could you would place a lot of additional strain on the seams. A cone on the other hand is a relatively easy shape to sew and serves as a stress relief point for absorbing pressure shocks to the hull.

 

Yes indeed. The square corner is complex. Im alway repairing that detail on tenders. Its a shame that pointed stern tenders are no longer used. Modern 4 stroke outboards are much heavier that the 2 strokes . the extra buoyancy aft of a square tube is preferred if you want the tender to be self bailing. Once again Form and function !!

 

I appreciate your knowledge of this area and to share it with us.
You make me dream.
Sometime I miss the Mediterranean and its glorious history and tradition.
Daniel

 

LOL...Peacocks...
I think you've hit the nail on the head with your assesment though daiquiri... the same point I was making in my last post. This is not a craft for crossing oceans... it is a peacocks fan....

And Kachi - thanks for the additional pics... more info on boatdesign.net now than there is on the company's website!