Worse design

[gonzo]

What are the aspects of a design that makes it really bad?

[tkk]

Even though it is difficult to define, I would say that UGLY is aa attribute that can alone spoil a design.

Even the fastest, seaworthiest and whateverest design is a bad one if it fails to please the eye.

[Leo Lazauskas]

For me it is if a design is prone to act unpredictably, or not intuitively.
For example, a braking system on a car is a poor design if pressing the brake pedal slows the car as expected for the force applied on the pedal, but a tiny bit more force produces a very large change in the car's speed.

[Kaluvic]

I'm a big fan of form follows function....so the first thing a good design has to do is to perform the function as it was intended.
AFTER that has been achieved/assured, we can start tweaking from a style perspective.

[frank smith]

I am not a big fan to tail fins . I like them on jets , but not so much on boats ,
unless they are the kind that stick down into the water .

[nukisen]

I would agree to Leo.
No matters how good looking the boat does have. When performance is crappy.

Also I will agree with TKK! An ugly boat with ordinary handling isn´t many peoples favorite either.

Maybe a sailboat using plates instead of ordinary sails is a bad design? As the performance was the same as with canvas but much more complicated to handle. I would call it a bad design.

Maybe it would work if I continued to develop the idéa. As it also was ugly it was a really bad design. But I did have fun.

Gonzo!
This thread can be very interesting!
And I do apreciate it as I hope to get fun reading the answers.

[Wynand N]

Putting a 36ft interior into a 26ft boat then cramp 57ft equipment list and electrical systems into her....

[dreamer]

I think a boat that doesn't float would be a pretty good indication of poor design.

or poor construction.

or just bad luck.

Originally Posted by Wynand N

Putting a 36ft interior into a 26ft boat then cramp 57ft equipment list and electrical systems into her....

Not to forget the power of a 70ft.

And form follows function was wrong from the time this statement came up.

In yacht design I often found, that the nice appearance, a completely coherent and attractive style, goes hand in hand with a thoroughly successful performance.

My opinion is, that a good NA / designer, worth his salt, takes the time to focus on both aspects.

my 2c

Richard

[gonzo]

I think that form follows function may produce a nice boat. However, the function of modern pleasure boats is to have the most interior space with as much shiny stuff as the boat will handle.

[frank smith]

Do you like my new mega flair , very Euro I think.

Originally Posted by frank smith

Do you like my new mega flair , very Euro I think.

Looks nice, but there is nothing Euro in it!

Thats a typical US mistake or misnomer, what is known there as "Euro Style" you will find nowhere in Europe. In fact it is absolutely unsaleable in Europe.

Cheers
Richard

[messabout]

But "pleasing to the eye" is a purely subjective proposition. Sort of like "one mans meat is another mans poison" I like my boats to be salty looking while my neighbor thinks that glitz is the defining feature. In the end, I believe that safety is the most important consideration.

[frank smith]

Yes you are right , is this better ?

[gonzo]

Now that can get us into a fight over light versus heavy displacement or canoe stern versus transom