All these boats are mine. Can't decide which one to take out today .... Image Unavailable, Please Login
I wouldn't want that gas bill. Quite the sight however. I find it amazing that there are that many mega wealthy people in the world to support businesses such as yaght builders. I'll never ever set even a foot in one of these fine products, but it's nice to dream.
In saltwater you've pretty much got to pull the boat out of the water once per year to paint the bottom and put this expensive stuff on the running gear called propspeed. It's kind of like a F355 engine out as they always seem to find about 1200 other things that need to be done. I hauled my boat this morning. No issues. The first pic is a 100 ton lift that is run via remote control by the guy on the left foreground. The second is after the boat is blocked and is being inspected. Always breath taking. In the third pic they start working on it. No more than 15 minutes from the time it comes out until they are working on it. Back in the water tomorrow and ready for the Bahamas trips. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
A gorgeous as it looks in the water, there is just something about it out that is breathtaking. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy in good health! e
Funny, but for years I have been trying to determine the "Actual Definition" of the term "Yacht". So far I have found a million different ones, the one that I like the best is just a privately owned boat. Back in the early days Yacht meant private as opposed to warship or commercial vessel. I mean Yacht Races can include very small boats. So, it doesn't seem that size has much to do with the term.
if you're trying to impress someone, any boat can be a yacht. if you're trying to stay low key, any yacht can be a boat.
I don't know anyone that calls them yachts in conversation. Even guys I know with some big mama jama 100'+ boats call them boats. Nobody says "let's go yachting". They say "let's go boating". Steven Spielberg's boat, Seven Seas, was down here and everyone says "that's a really nice boat". About the only time I hear the yacht word used is at the "yacht club" and guys who sell them call it "yacht brokerage". My boat last weekend at the dock in the Bahamas. Image Unavailable, Please Login
....(a yacht by another name;-) Coming from the classic mahogany speedboat side of the world, I do wish for some mahogany, or at least some teak there....could keep x number of guys employed year-round keeping it bright.
Did a quick run across the Gulfstream this week. The weather and water was perfect. Very rare to have it be this calm. The marina below, Big Game Club, is in Bimini. Supposedly, Hemingway wrote part of Islands in the Stream there. Although, a lot of places lay claim to Hemingway. I play along. I do know that it's where Gary Hart's campaign went down when he was photographed with Donna Rice on a boat named Monkey Business. The photos are sun up yesterday. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Setting off on our first Atlantic Crossing, May/June 2007 and looking down from the masthead in Bermuda (stopover). 2006 49' Hylas Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
gelcoat was nothing more than a smooth external surface in the process of laying a hull up... as fiberglass became a material of choice, gelcoat morphed into a cost effective finish available in colors suitable for mass production... gelcoat becomes porous as the surface wears away ( looks like a sponge under a microscope ) once the gloss is lost, it is best to paint it with a hard epoxy type finish... gelcoat is also brittle, which when it starts breaking down leads to chalking, polishing is only an expensive temporary fix... painting is the only real longer term solution and cheaper than multiple polishings... mfg like Hatteras and other custom builders use paint as the final finish. The main reason is, it is not cost effective in time to finish the molds to the high level of perfection that volume mfg demands... for a few boat non cookie cutter run... instead they fair their hulls after they come out from the mold... current marine finishes are superior to gelcoat, wear and color retention is superior... finishes are harder and more UV resistant... there is no reason to use gelcoat to recoat a faded or damaged hull
all the Ferrari owners are in the "cheap seats" :=) when it comes to complaining about their service costs...maintaining and operating a larger boat or an aircraft... those whining the most over an average Ferrari service would be suffering heart attacks over nominal expenses for a weekend outing... or the annual expenses of owning and operating a boat or aircraft boat captains are a "dime a dozen", a good chief is a rare find :=)
Agree on this having owned old and new (1974, 1983, 2000, 1994 & 2006) boats from 33' - 50'. Gelcoat is great while it retains its gloss finish, which can last 10+ years with bi-annual polishing (your experience/locale may differ) but eventually it needs paint which will last 15 years or possibly more. A friend painted his Hylas 46' this month, last painting 2002.
