Form or Function, what Ruled Your Boat-Buying Criteria ?

[zeehag]

define ugly boat, please. seems as if undefinable, as is subjective as opposed to objective in nature.
i think even the owner of the rag tag boat migh tobject if one should slip and label his boat as ugly. creative, yes..... unique, definitely....but it does have a certain, ummm........character to be defined.....has a good line....

[Pelagic]

"Ugly is as what ugly does".... with apologies to Forest Gump

[Prerequisite]

Life's too short to own an ugly boat.

In my opinion, the best looking boats are those where every part with a function has a pleasing form and there are no parts that are only form.

[Johnathon123]

Originally Posted by mrohr

Pity the man who owns an ugly boat, can he then ever love her?

Or sell her.

I guess Zeehag that as you say ugly is in the eye of the beholder, there are however always some boats out there that just scream WTF were they thinking!

[osirissail]

Don't deride "ugly." Every young man quickly learns that he wants results and a sure thing - "go ugly early." What is inside is as or more important than the exterior appearance. How things function and fit your needs and desires is much more important for long term satisfaction than a snazzie exterior that looks great but just won't perform.

[Blue Crab]

Zee, you know what they say about pictures. What beholder finds beauty here? Just sayin' this owner has more dollars than sense. Think it would be hard to sell twice? I do. It's not about cats. I love them and if I wasn't so damn old, I'd build another. If the name of this ...er...vessel isn't Wouldn't it be lubberly? it should be. Peace sista.

[capnorv]

To many our boat is ugly and functionless. To me it is safe, well laid out, and a good long term second home for my family...and the first and last thing I look at at the marina.

[zeehag]

capnory --she is awesome!!! tgzzz--i concur with above--is only gorgeous to one soul-- sorry ,i like my lines a lil softer and sweeter.....even the rag tag boat in the earlier pix had a sweet line under her stuff---- is a different sort says boats are ugly--other than yorktowns, which were declared "ugliest sailboats made" by the creator,hank mckune. and even those had a certain character to them -- so , i dont understand the labelling of boats as ugly. some are eyesores and stranger than reality, but is beauty to someone....

[tager]

100% Form

[anjou]

This isnt very easy on the eye but it has best use of internal space

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by capnorv

To many our boat is ugly and functionless. To me it is safe, well laid out, and a good long term second home for my family...and the first and last thing I look at at the marina.

I luv it and wonder why a sailor would see your proven vessel as functionless? That's nuts. Even that "ugly" Kismet cat I used as an example has a lot of function. Looking at the photo, I see every doodad and widget and geehaw aboard. The capt would have to be an electrical engineer to keep all that equipment running but I'll bet he/she isn't. He's the boat repairman's golden goose.

And wait Zee, you aren't keen on the term ugly but "eyesore" is OK? I, ahem, rest my case. Hank McCune: My dad had a Champion when I was a kid in Hermosa Beach, CA. It didn't seem as ugly then as it does now. I know it was small, that's for sure, yet he and I took it to Catalina a bunch of times. I'd call it functional ... but like women, a little form is a good thing too.

[Safari38LH]

Personally, I couldn't own a boat that wasn't beautiful. When I row ashore and look back at my boat at anchor I want to be able to "admire" her. You can always fine a beautiful boat that has the function you need.

[Steve W]

One that comes to mind is the Hunter 306 vs the Catalina 309. To my eye, the Hunter really does look like a bloated Chlorox bottle while the Catalina with it's more traditional sheerline looks like it was designed right and will sail well. I have no idea what the PHRF ratings are or how the interiors compare, just can't imagine anyone chosing the Hunter over the Catalina. Probably just a case of Hunter trying to offer too much in a small boat.

[zeehag]

tgzzzz--i havent seent he lines of a champion in sooo long--i had AN OLYMPIAN-- THEY WeRE PRETTY..LOL--ONLY ONE OF HANKS BIGGER BOATS THAT WAS--HIS WERE LOVELY UNDER THE SURFACE OF WATER, BUT THE TOPSIDES WERE ANYTHING FROM STUDEBAKER(CHAMPION) TO OMG..LOL.... ops sorry, caps..pleasedont make me do this over0----i have a formosa--to me she is most gorgeous thing afloat-- to many others, they only see teak work-- and omg is a formosa-- haS TO B JUNk-lol--LEAKY TEAKIES ARE BETTER THAN THOUGHT--ARE EASILY REPAIRED-- FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION--IS EASY TO FIX AND reliable-- is good. then see how she looks... i am lucky--i have both-- with minor intrusions and short interruptions-- but is a boat, after all---- i look for a sweet line in whatever is floating-- many have only that-- ragtag, ramshackle-- began as something-- mebbe in process of repair-- mebbe in process of disrepair and dreams of pipes and lost lives...could just be the most gorgeous thing in life to them---remember is ALL in the eye of the beholder. our boats are the most beautiful things we --each of us--has ever seen. .as it should be. i dont like what you like and we neither likes what he, that one, over there--yeah, him --likes--we are all different. thank gods!!!!!
as far as hunter vs catalina--is all same thing-- same design, same day-- they look identical to me. is because i dont like the design, as many on earth also dont. many dont like the design of my boat--isnt because is ugly--just isnt their cuppa tea..LOL

i bought my boat because her lines and style make my heart beat faster....i think is called passion....


btw--did y'all know tha thank mckune , builder and designer of yorktown/olympian/champion/thoroughbred/and his cute lil one design still competing--victory--- he was an olympic gold medalist in sailing. up to yorktown, his lil boats were quite quick and fleet of foot, as well as dang near bulletproof..hard to sink-- for a movie, he had to really demolish it to have it sink below the water's surface. damn good boats, but i thought they were ugly, except for the 34 olympian., 1965-66 or so. i had a 42 commissioned in 1990 for a potential rtw cruise. it met bad ends at my ex hubby
s hands. oh welll..

[Sailmonkey]

this is the best this deck barge will ever look

It's an extreme case of function leading form, but noone loves it, it simply exists on a spreadsheet as an item to pay depreciation on. If it can't pay for itself it will be dealt with.
This is not how we look at our sailboats.