|
|
|
Legendary naval architect Olin Stephens argues for the aesthetic approach.
by Ivor Wilkins with Marilyn M. Mower
photography by Ajax News and Feature Service
|
10/01/2005
|
Also on the Yacht Vision panel was contemporary powerboat
designer Michael Peters, who admits a secret love of traditional boats. "While
he was talking, I know some of us in the audience were embarrassed by some of
our creations. There’s a time when we all think we have become whores, but if we
drew nothing but beautiful boats, we’d go out of business.
 Photograph by Yachting Photographics. (Click image to enlarge)
"Boating used to be an activity for an elite clientele. Now, to
bring boating to the masses, marketing guys want designers to cram in every
possible thing. Some production boat salesmen seem to think they are selling
boats by the pound; that more is more."
"Just about all production boats aren’t pretty," said
Dubois. "This stuff is driven by fashion, and it comes out looking like a
cross between a Nike training shoe and a steam iron. It’s just not good
design…and upright stems on sailing yachts are daft. They were created to beat
rating rules, but on cruising boats they generate a huge weather helm reaching,
and you can’t get enough weight aft to keep them from sailing bow down."
A beautiful boat, says Peters, is long, low and lean. But today’s customers
seem more interested in residential amenities. "People boated differently in
the old days; it was a bit like nice camping and then you returned to the
mansion. Today, everyone wants a California king and seven-foot headroom in
every cabin," he said. "You can still have that in Olin’s definition of a
beautiful boat, but it has to be three-hundred feet long."
|
|
|
|
|
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Email This
Printer Friendly Version
Reprints & Permissions
Most Popular Searches