Sailboat Hull Forms -- Fashion or Progress?

Discussion in 'Sailboats' started by Sea Beaver, May 19, 2016.

  1. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
    Posts: 19,126
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    I disagree. All yachts spend 99% of their life at the berth. The only ones that see serious use, are working for a living. This isn't new. I use my boats more than most, a few times each week. In the winter, much more than the dog days of summer, but much more than the national average. Knowing you have the "right boat" is simply a matter of perspective and experience. You don't know what is the right boat, without a considerable amount of each.

    For example, I was born on a yacht off the coast of Virginia, raised on an island in the Chesapeake bay and have a life of experience on and around boats, of every shape and size. So, my perspective and experiences, now well defined came early and with an obvious slant.
     
  2. Phil Christieso
    Joined: Jun 2016
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    Location: Nelson NZ

    Phil Christieso Junior Member

    I disagree with your statement . I'm on a yacht that sees serious use and is not working for a living. Coming from the South Island of New Zealand it is over 1,ooo Nm to our nearest neighbors... Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia or Australia so my sailing experience and design thinking is different to someone sailing in the Chesapeake. . Now back to the Forum. New production boats are built to a cost and what market deems they are being used for hence 99% of them sit in marinas so when there is a storm at sea that is where you will find them. As the number of production boats has increased dramatically, the numbers going to sea, as in crossing oceans, is dropping as a percentage. The lighter the boat can be constructed the lower the cost. Maybe that is okay as more people can get out on the water with their family and friends. The downside is the loss of seaworthiness.
     
  3. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
    Posts: 19,126
    Likes: 498, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 3967
    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    You and I are quite different than the typical yacht owner Phil. Most use their boat on holidays, birthdays and the occasional afternoon romp. You and I do actually use our boats, but we're the exception to the rule. Agreed, production boats are built to a price point, so light, modestly equipped vessels can be done quickly, though real cruisers aren't interested in these types of yachts so much. Simply put, both you and I would not be considered representative of the market. Additionally, our needs, desires and expectations would also be quite different. For example, I wouldn't care if the head didn't have a cup holder built into the top of the tissue dispenser, though most would think this a clever innovation, without some real experience, which was the basic point of my previous post.
     

  4. gggGuest
    Joined: Feb 2005
    Posts: 865
    Likes: 38, Points: 28, Legacy Rep: 76
    Location: UK

    gggGuest ...

    But if the job in hand is to provide comfortable sleeping accommodation moored up in a marina with the occasional sunny afternoon sail out for a picnic then that's the wrong boat, just as much as it would be the wrong boat for a tour round the English canal system. Surely there's only a problem if over enthusiastic marketers or naive owners claim a boat has capabilities it lacks.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2017
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