World's Largest Sailing Yacht A

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

You guys have to go back 50-100 years to find your examples of "American yacht design," on this thread we're discussing modern yacht design.... as in designed in the past few years. There's nothing interesting coming out of America today, only retread designs from forty years ago like the Shannon 53 marketed towards a few old farts who haven't died yet.

So now I'm a "racist" towards American yachts.... what a joke, just like the Shannon.

It is generally true for most areas of design not just yachts. For example the last burst of creative innovation in the US auto industry was in the 50s with fin tails, fiberglass bodied Corvettes, etc. And in the home goods category - furniture, small appliances, etc. I don't believe there was ever any burst at all. It's been European led since the beginning and later influenced by the Japanese. American toasters, coffee makers, washing machines etc were always ugly and visually unappealing (but sturdier) siblings of its European, and later Japanese, counterparts. The first thing one notices coming over here from Europe is that most older American home appliances (when they were still built and designed in US) look like they belong in a factory or institutional setting where looks don't matter. It's gotten a little better in the past few years but not from native pressure for better looks but despite of it. It was always function over form in US and form over function over in Europe. So may be that's what draws someone to pay $1.5mil for that Schulz boat.

American coffee maker.



Italian coffee maker.



Same with the boat design.

[Pelagic]

I don't think any other area can compete with the old world craftsmanship of Europe and that definitely inspires the local design side to experiment and excel in a location that can execute as Europe does.
But the reality is that it is normally a huge multinational team that contributes to the project.

http://www.boatinternational.com/lux...nounced--32207

Our projects have won the above awards in the past, with German/French/Dutch and American design input, but it is really both the Owner and Builder who deserves the award, as they inspire, fund, manage and execute what becomes an award winning yacht.

[30yearslater]

Robert K. Johnson. Don't bring a pocket knife to a gunfight.

[30yearslater]

The late Carl Schumacher.

[Franziska]

Not in sequence:

Michael Peters, Dick Newick, Roger Hatfield, Morelli & Melvin, Bruce King, Jim Antrim, Eric Sponberg, Bruce Farr, Bill Tripp, Chuck Paine, Reichel & Pugh, Sparkman & Stephens, Luiz de Basto, Paul Bieker, many more...

plenty of good and/or innovative American yacht designers around, at least if one keeps eyes and mind open.

US and European taste seems to vary though, with the US leaning slightly more towards conservative on average when it comes to styling.

And that's from my European perspective...

[muttnik]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Most of us will never ever see the real boat in our lifetime, except on YouTube.

So there I was on the bus (top deck, so I could see over multi-storey car park, cos like it's england and all) coming back to the marina a couple of months ago when I note this thing anchored off Brighton. "Oh Look" (says I to first mate) "Yacht A! That Starck designed monstrosity owned by that Russian oligarch bloke"

This is notable because despite what I think of the design there's exactly no other motor super yachts I would recognise. Sailing Yacht A (from pictures) now adds to the very limited (mirabella V, maltese falcon both of which I have seen) list of mega yachts I would probably recognise on sight.

err...if the rumours about its masts being too tall to get out of the baltic are apocryphal that is.

So no matter how much you might not like it (and I've been prejudiced against Starck for 20 years after discovering that his quite attractive lemon squeezer was functionally hopeless) it out RonniePickerings your fellow billionaires' vessels

[Colin A]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Not in sequence:

Michael Peters, Dick Newick, Roger Hatfield, Morelli & Melvin, Bruce King, Jim Antrim, Eric Sponberg, Bruce Farr, Bill Tripp, Chuck Paine, Reichel & Pugh, Sparkman & Stephens, Luiz de Basto, Paul Bieker, many more...

plenty of good and/or innovative American yacht designers around, at least if one keeps eyes and mind open.

US and European taste seems to vary though, with the US leaning slightly more towards conservative on average when it comes to styling.

And that's from my European perspective...

Have to agree plenty of talented designers here. Many of their boats are built as customs not production thou.
There is also
Ted Fontaine
Doug Zurn
Robert Perry
Stephens Waring
Jim Taylor
And there are more. The US sail market is in bad shape compared to the US one that's the real driver.

[Franziska]

@Colin

True about production boats.

But "A sail" is a one off too (I hope!!!!) and as such one off designers are even more important in this thread.

If a furniture designer can draw this "boat" any of the guys above could have done in relative ease, would they have been asked.

When I think about building I have to agree with Pelagic that Europe does definitely have an edge on it currently.
Many highly qualified and experienced megayacht yards here and very very few in the US or elsewhere at the moment.

[30yearslater]

Originally Posted by Franziska

@Colin

True about production boats.

But "A sail" is a one off too (I hope!!!!) and as such one off designers are even more important in this thread.

If a furniture designer can draw this "boat" any of the guys above could have done in relative ease, would they have been asked.

When I think about building I have to agree with Pelagic that Europe does definitely have an edge on it currently.
Many highly qualified and experienced megayacht yards here and very very few in the US or elsewhere at the moment.

Thanks for the list Franziska. A couple others come to mind: John Deknatel and of course Bruce King. Check this out to get you drooling: Hinckley Yachts - Luxury Sailboats - SW70 Mega Yacht All the designers I listed designed boats capable of horrific abuse and yet look really sweet as well.

[Franziska]

Hey 30,

very nice boat the Hinckley, but at 70' she's barely a Megayacht.

I agree that the designers mentioned created mostly awesome boats.

Typically boats below 100' are not considered to be "Mega" but "Super".

We ought to keep in mind that this thread is about the biggest "sailing" Mega "yacht" and is 143m = 470' long.

[30yearslater]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Hey 30,

very nice boat the Hinckley, but at 70' she's barely a Megayacht.

I agree that the designers mentioned created mostly awesome boats.

Typically boats below 100' are not considered to be "Mega" but "Super".

We ought to keep in mind that this thread is about the biggest "sailing" Mega "yacht" and is 143m = 470' long.

Thread drift, my bad. It does highlight what I think we can agree is beautiful versus grotesque.

[Franziska]

:-) true

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by 30yearslater

Thread drift, my bad. It does highlight what I think we can agree is beautiful versus grotesque.

I don't look at it as thread drift since we are basically talking about yacht beauty

I also love Hinckley but isn't that normal for most followers to have studied and accepted certain traits in defence of the classics?

Not only in shape but size and colors.

Can you imagine the comments when people compared this Picasso to Mona Lisa? [emoji3]

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I don't look at it as thread drift since we are basically talking about yacht beauty

I also love Hinckley but isn't that normal for most followers to have studied and accepted certain traits in defence of the classics?

Not only in shape but size and colors.

Can you imagine the comments when people compared this Picasso to Mona Lisa? [emoji3]

Attachment 138010

Picasso was actually very accomplished as a classical artist before he became bored and set off on his visionary style.

[Pelagic]

Thanks...I remember reading that Kenomac....

It sort of reinforces my point.