A Real Bullfrog.....

[Tad]

The Island Pilot 535.......woah! Ugly, overweight, overpowered snow-plow......pushing her wash out forward of the bow! Deep-vee 60,000 pound 1400HP fuel hog...who on earth will buy such a thing? It seems nothing has been learned in the past 25 years......She receives a glowing "review" in the current issue of Passagemaker Magazine.....in which they seem to be trying to sell the idea of cruising this boat at 8 knots? This can be done with about 1/25th of the installed HP, what's the other 1345HP for? Oh and she's so high out of the water you need to continuously run the Seakeeper gyro stabilizer (only 1.2KW draw) off one of the two generators.......

Passagemaker conveniently doesn't mention the boat is built in China, and still costs $1.5m

[messabout]

Bless Bess, look at the frothy wake that thing is making. The Chinese must believe that we are stupid. I am pained to admit that some of us are.

[Paul B]

Originally Posted by messabout

The Chinese must believe that we are stupid. I am pained to admit that some of us are.

Yes, some are. Especially jingoists.

The boat in question is not designed or sold by "The Chinese".

The design is by George Petrie. The Island Pilot company is in FLORIDA, the same as you.

[cthippo]

Wow, that is Fugly!

It looks like they're trying to incorporate the Low Observable design elements in because they look "cool".

Sad part is, they'll probably sell reasonably well...

[PAR]

I don't understand the surprise in this. It's a fairly typical approach, riding what they think are marketing trends. It's been a long time since production craft had some reasonable rational behind them. How many drink holders can you incorporate into the tissue paper dispenser in the head, are the key concerns. These boats aren't designed, but are decided on. The hull is likely pulled from a previous model, the deck cap, liner revised and a new deck structure mold, to accentuate the new path the marketing team wants to venture down. They're doing precisely what they should, from their point of view, which has nothing to do with people or boating, just the bottom line.

[michael pierzga]

When I survey the harbour that Im presently in I see countless yachts that are so offensively styled that they hurt your eyes. The one right next to me.. modern style motoryacht 35 meters...has its freeboard so high that it looks like a fat man with his trousers pulled up to his chest. The motoryacht across the harbour, again 35 or 40 meters has such extreme bow overhang that it looks like a duck with Mick Jagger lips. Many times I can sail for weeks before I stumble across a truly elegant design and inevitably its a small vessel.

[Squidly-Diddly]

Maybe it is some off the shelf composite stuff, like a pre-painted(or at least primered) aluminum skin with foam or honey-comb then some plastic interior finish material.

I saw some stuff like that at the dump the other day. Seemed very light and strong.

[Poida]

I heard a saying "McDonalds make the worste hamburgers in the world, but sell the most."

You could imagine a chef in a cafe critisizing McDonalds because their burgers are not the fantastic creations that he makes.

I have been to lots of boat shows so I can view the latest craft that I can't afford.

However, never - ever has a salesman described the better hull design, how it rides in the water, turning ability, stability or any other characteristic that is often discussed in this forum.

And, most people buying a boat couldn't care. All they look at is how the boat looks in relation to what they want to use it for.

Now this could be a new market for a designer. Set up a website where people who want to buy a boat sends photos. They then receive a critique of the boats capabilities or maybe details on another boat that meet their requirements.

[Tad]

Originally Posted by cthippo

they'll probably sell reasonably well...

Well.....I doubt it...or I really hope not!

The builders claim to selling efficiency.....what they are really selling (the only thing they have) is speed, they claim "almost" 30 knots at half-load......well maybe.....but there's no mention of the 65 gallons an hour she will burn doing this, or the fact that you have to start looking for a fuel dock every two days.....

The thing is, if you want this amount of boat and accommodation, for $150k you can buy a good Hatteras 53' (there are lots of them on the market to choose from). She has 2/3rds the installed power, carries 1000 gallons of fuel, and cruises at 16-18knots. Of course the reality is that either boat will be cruised at around 12 knots, with 15-16 used for longer crossings only. For an additional 500k you can have the Hatteras looking new with all new engines, electronics, and electricals......

But you don't have the boasting rights you buy with the IP 535......

[michael pierzga]

You wake up, brush your teeth, grab a coffee, stumble up on deck to stand watch and.. with the JAWS soundtrack in the backround..... WHAMMO !!! ... face to face with another " I cant believe my eyes " ugly yacht.

[Boston]

Well Micheal I think you just won the "found the ugliest boat in the harbor" award

or at least you got my vote

cheers
B

[michael pierzga]

Ugly boats usually start life as nice boats chosen from a naval architects design portfolio... a best example 40 meter roundstern steel motoryacht that the designer spent hundreds of hours getting right....then..... changes are made by the client. To avoid ugly boat syndrome..Dont change anything !!!!!!

[troy2000]

Originally Posted by michael pierzga

You wake up, brush your teeth, grab a coffee, stumble up on deck to stand watch and.. with the JAWS soundtrack in the backround..... WHAMMO !!! ... face to face with another " I cant believe my eyes " ugly yacht.

Jeez. I'm not normally into infringing on personal freedoms. But it should probably be against the law to launch a boat that's so ugly it gives people a headache just to look at it.....

[Landlubber]

...seriously looks inspired by the crap river boats from China to me......certainly does get into the fugly class....it was explained to me years ago by an old fella why yacht dinghys today have outboards, it is so that you do not have to look at your boat as you row away...maybe he is right.

[cthippo]

I kind of like the hull on the first one. With a different superstructure it has potential.