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Old 13-03-2011, 12:20   #1
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Form or Function, what Ruled Your Boat-Buying Criteria ?

I have been looking for a while and have seen some boats that I, personally, consider to be hideous. They often leave me wondering what was the design criteria for such a difficult to swallow form to hit the water?

Perhaps my eye is skewed and I can't recognize beauty in a boat (I did grow up in the IOR era), but I know what I like and sometimes I know what I could never like.

So what rules your decision making making process, form or function, ultimately I know both must play a part but what rules?

And whilst where on it, do you go to the cabin or the deck first when you look at a boat?
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Old 13-03-2011, 12:25   #2
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Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

Function, form, price.

Cockpit > cabin > engine > head > deck.
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Old 13-03-2011, 12:29   #3
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Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

For me, Form always follows Function as sloppy ergonomics irritate me.

The first spot I go to is the helm on deck

Inside…I sit on the toilet, close the door and look at details
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Old 13-03-2011, 12:40   #4
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Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

The axiom of ALL engineering is "form follows function". This assumes that it is a "tool", and not an art object that hangs from the ceiling of your garage, for you to just admire.

Once you find a number of boats that fill your needs, IF they are all equally fit and seaworthy boats, get one that is ALSO beautiful. Over the years, it will be much harder to put in the hundreds of hours of maintenance, if "in your eyes", you have an ugly boat.

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Old 13-03-2011, 13:05   #5
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I'm not sure I'm happy with the question, because it oversimplifies my relationship with a boat. Better might be to query about form vs function vs livability. (And I'll insist that livability is not contained within "function" because it also involves aesthetic elements.)

In a boat, the question of form vs function boils down to questions of where you are willing to compromise. To my experience, a better starting point is to know where I'm not willing to compromise. For me, the area where I'm least willing to compromise is the cockpit, since so much of my boating experience is spent there. And because I'm a diver, I won't even look at a boat without a walk-thru transom.

That said, I can't imagine ever owning an ugly boat, or ever again purchasing a boat that was designed to outsmart a handicap rating system.
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Old 13-03-2011, 13:18   #6
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Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

I agree on the handicap comment. Some true nautical sins came out of the handicap world
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Old 13-03-2011, 13:19   #7
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Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

A boat that is also very functional tends to be beautiful or at least handsome. If something is really ugly that often means it wasn't designed well from the get go or it was not built according to plan, and chances are it doesn't work very well. I think you can generally have both form and function in a boat if you search around a bit.
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Old 13-03-2011, 13:21   #8
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Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

We looked at 100's of boats over two years. My wife stepped on this one and within 2 minutes said, "This is the one I want."

Some female bonding thing I don't question.

I found that I could live with the necessary repairs, and grew to love our boat as much as she did. We have owned her for 11 years now and have no desire to change boats.
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Old 13-03-2011, 13:49   #9
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pirate Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

What a load of crap... what a boat looks like topsides don't matter... it can look like a VW Camper....
Its whats under the waterline that count... take your sweet counters etc and stick em.... give me a sweet hull and keel anyday...
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Old 13-03-2011, 14:01   #10
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Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

Quote:
Originally Posted by boatman61 View Post
What a load of crap... what a boat looks like topsides don't matter... it can look like a VW Camper....
Its whats under the waterline that count... take your sweet counters etc and stick em.... give me a sweet hull and keel anyday...
Oh come on, tell us what you really think!
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Old 13-03-2011, 14:45   #11
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Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

For me it was function. I wanted standing headroom and shallow draft, I live in the Fl. Keys. I ended up with a trimaran,6'2 headroom that sails in 3ft and motors in1 1/2. Folds for trailering so can do bottom maintenance at my home and is fast and comfortable. Form follows function, no argument here. Dave
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Old 13-03-2011, 14:53   #12
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pirate Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

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Originally Posted by Johnathon123 View Post
Oh come on, tell us what you really think!
What I said... up tops not what drives me... unless its freeboard is out of proportion...
Headroom... currently 4ft 6" and has been up to 6'4"s...
I want a boat capable of fighting off a lee shore... without an engine...
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Old 13-03-2011, 15:02   #13
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Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

This is at the cornerstone of the design remit for my boat.
Im a firm believer in evolution and at its heart is the key of form and function.

When attempting to design perfection into such a small space, frivolity cannot be alowed to rule, functionability is paramount, but to make it kinder to the human eye, we temper it with form.

Science meets art and their offspring is form and function
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Old 13-03-2011, 15:14   #14
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pirate Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

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Originally Posted by anjou View Post
This is at the cornerstone of the design remit for my boat.
Im a firm believer in evolution and at its heart is the key of form and function.

When attempting to design perfection into such a small space, frivolity cannot be alowed to rule, functionability is paramount, but to make it kinder to the human eye, we temper it with form.

Science meets art and their offspring is form and function
Oh Mah Gwad Anjou............
I Love it when you Talk Dirty.....
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Old 13-03-2011, 15:24   #15
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Re: Form or function, what ruled your boat buying criteria

Quote:
Originally Posted by boatman61 View Post
What a load of crap... what a boat looks like topsides don't matter... it can look like a VW Camper....
Its whats under the waterline that count... take your sweet counters etc and stick em.... give me a sweet hull and keel anyday...
I got ya.

Lifting the skirt first can save a lot of trouble in the long run huh?
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