Ugly, Ugly Sailboats

Jim26m

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Apr 3, 2019
579
Macgregor 26M Mobile AL
That's just wrong on so many levels.
Right?

I gotta be honest. We don't do it often, but watching other boaters look at us, when we are planing, is priceless. We may have the only one on our side of the bay, so very few have seen one.

Yes, I know it's not a beautiful classic. But it fits my current boating needs really well.
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,210
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
This is a really cool catamaran make-over. Total rip and refit and done very nicely! A superb live aboard. Not ugly IMHO so sorry for the thread drift.
 
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May 25, 2012
4,338
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
i know how to have fun on every kind of boat ever designed. all shapes all sizes. there is not one boat here that i could not have a ton of fun on. it's never about the boat, ever. "it's about the crew".
so, that's how i can say, 'i've never seen an ugly boat'

i just love messing around boats

jon:cool:

1611713801159.png
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,210
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
Those ”windows” ruin the appearance of the entire boat! About as functional as a screen door on a submarine in my opinion.
They would make it a lot brighter below. As for appearance, it's personal taste and I'm neutral about it. Would I buy one? No, I'd be too concerned about the potential for leaks or even total failure. When I see such windows on planing power boats it makes me cringe to think about the forces of slamming seas at high speed.
 
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TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,768
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
'Modern' 50'ers with high freeboard, you almost have to have ports in the topside. From below, they're roughly at eye level.

Without them, you'd be in a big culvert with ports only in the top.

The Hinckley B50 is the same. Next boat over has low freeboard. Not a bad looking boat. The ports in the topsides are just a solution for a design problem. :)
B50  (1 of 1).jpg
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,210
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
There's a boat that was designed from the inside out. In fact, in kind of looks inside out.
The designer obviously just didn't care about appearances; hopefully it is very functional.
I think you nailed it. I watched a boat tour on YouTube and it had an unusually high-end finish level compared with other cats, and it's a world apart from French cats designed for the charter trade.
 
Jun 16, 2020
75
Hinckley Sou’wester 30 Falmouth ME
I actually think it is pretty cool that there are so many different opinions on a beautiful boat and an “ugly“ boat. There are so many options out there for people to own that its hard to imagine someone being unable to find something that makes them happy. (Although I looked up the Buccaneer 240 and well....it ain’t the prettiest thing I ever seen - sorry)
 

RoyS

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Jun 3, 2012
1,742
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
Ever wonder what the inside of a cigarette boat looks like? Saw a woman flushing out a five gallon bucket while hanging over the side of one last summer. Boat was in the harbor. It occurred to me that those goofy boats do not even have a head. My guess is that huge space under the bow contains one giant fuel tank and nothing else. Empty barrels make the loudest noise.
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,210
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
Ever wonder what the inside of a cigarette boat looks like? Saw a woman flushing out a five gallon bucket while hanging over the side of one last summer. Boat was in the harbor. It occurred to me that those goofy boats do not even have a head. My guess is that huge space under the bow contains one giant fuel tank and nothing else. Empty barrels make the loudest noise.
There are different classes of such boats; recreational or racing. Racing are stripped out. In the recreational genre -- our respected friend, the late Jon Eisberg, used the term "fornicatorium" to describe such boats: Expect big prominent mid-mounted beds, luscious leather-like upholstery, chrome and wood trim, and lots of mirrors around the bed.
 
Mar 20, 2015
3,165
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
hard to imagine someone being unable to find something that makes them happy
I suspect that like anything in life, many people learn to be happy with what they have. They may want something prettier or faster, but they realize they won't get it so they settle for what they can get.
You may want a Gunboat or Sundeer, but all you can have at the moment s a Mac26X, an S2 8.0 (or a Catalina 22 like ours)

It happens for many reasons.

And of course, very few people will admit that what they currently have is ugly, or simply meh.

They will defend their choices. Even to themselves.

"Sure a Tesla Plaid is nice and all, but my Cavalier is reliable and cheap to run. She's not so bad looking either"

Eventually your standards shift..

"I absolutely love my Tesla Plaid. Yeah it's very expensive, but it sure is great compared to the ugly Chevrolet Cavalier i had"
 
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Jul 1, 2010
976
Catalina 350 Port Huron
I really like "classic" boats (sail or power) owned by others who have the money and time to maintain them. The newer bene's and the like with squared windows in the hull (I don't mind rounded oval ones), and light, squared and modern interiors, not so much. However, I do appreciate the design work that goes into these boats, just as I can appreciate the design that goes into some mid-century modern homes, though I don't particularly like them either.

I wouldn't consider the majority of boats out there as ugly though there are some. I've also seen some decent looking boats made pretty ugly by an owner that puts an erector set of an arch on a boat with all kinds of stuff attached to it. Kind of like an out of character, boring, ugly addition put onto an otherwise nice house.

A truly nice looking boat is one that you stop and look back at every time you leave it at the dock. FWIW, the last time we were in Maine, there were no ugly boats there (and a lot of really nice ones). "No ugly boats here" should be on the license plates in that state.
 
Mar 20, 2015
3,165
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
I'm happy with what I have ;)
View attachment 189704
Nice boat !

Of course. But if all your dock neighbours had Sundeers... ;)

Unfortunately, for many, satisfaction in life is based on comparision to others in your circle.

Happiness is relative and changing.
Expériences shift perspectives.

You can grow to be happy with the worst boat ever... After all, you still have a boat. :thumbup:

Note: doesnt apparently apply to spouses. :laugh:
 
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