Pros & Cons of Hull #1

[BBBest]

What do you guys think about buying hull #1 from a manufacturer? I just bought hull #1 of a new semi custom sailboat and while I am extremely excited and happy with my purchase, I can’t help but be a little nervous that this is the first one sold of this model. On the one hand, it feels a little special having the first one built, but I suppose that brings no real value. On the other hand, I admittedly worry that maybe I was the “sucker” who bought hull #1. . Just curious what others think. Very reputable designer and when I met the boat builder I was comfortable with the knowledge and experience. Though, I am not super experienced and this is my first boat.

[Woodland Hills]

Pro is the steep discount on price for being the training boat for the employees.

Con is having the workers learn on the job on your boat......

There is a reason custom and semi-custom cost more than production boats.

[sailorboy1]

All I really see are Cons in order to say the only Pro of being #1.

Good Luck!

[Sailmonkey]

If you like the boat.....who cares what the hull number is!

[puffcard]

My dad bought hull #3, they had to make major required design changes at #5. They had to move the mast forward 6" and move the rudder aft by a whole foot. It was without a doubt the hardest boat to sail, total nightmare designed by a well known designer. Next boat, he bought hull #2, which was never delivered, the company went bankrupt. I would never by an early hull of a production boat. Semi custom, you'll see what kind of company you bought from. Jimmy Buffett still waiting for his semi custom 48. Over two and a half year delay. Good luck, with your boat. To me "Life is too short, to wait for a sailboat."

[Dave_S]

We design and manufacture custom designs regularly, nothing to do with boats. It can work both ways.

1st production runs are manufactured with a great deal of scrutiny from the most knowledgeable people in the organisation looking for ways to improve the product for the next one. We call them production prototypes and keep them for our reference because we do cycle then destructive testing on them.

On an expensive item like a boat that they then sell afterwards you will likely find the best employees worked on it. Any changes had a great deal of thought put in to it.

The possibility that there was a major flaw or omission in the first design exists but if the company has made many designs in-house it is unlikely.

I'd spend some time looking in all the nooks and crannies for evidence of those changes and see how well they were repaired. I'd also ask them if there were any, I'd also ask what is different between hull 1 and hull 2. You will have to make up your own mind if they answer honestly.

I'd have no problem buying #1.

[skipmac]

Interesting you ask now, after the fact. To use an appropriate cliche, it seems like that ship has sailed.

Never the less, my opinion I generally shy away from being first in most cases. In some cases like software the odds of a bug are dramatically higher. In electronics it's more a case of the first models are a lot more expensive.

Boats of course a little different. A boat is a very complex structure that requires integration of a lot of different systems: plumbing, wiring, mechanical, structural, etc. If a boat is a totally new model, not just an enhancement or revamp of a previous model then how well are all these different systems and structures sorted out.

I can give one example based on my specific boat. There were 39 built of this exact model. Mine is hull #18. I have looked the specs on all boats in this line and have boarded a few of the earlier boats. Over the model life there were some changes in the rig, moving the mast aft a couple of feet for the sloop and cutter rigs but that didn't seem to make a significant difference in the handling. One change that was needed due to a minor but significant problem was the engine and muffler mounting. The early models the water lift muffler did't quite fit in the designated spot in the engine room so the builder trimmed a corner off the end of the engine bed. 30 years later that end of the engine in these models had sagged and the bed needed reinforcing.

So just one example of how tricky it can be to get thousands of bits and pieces to all fit and work together in a new model boat. Of course if your builder is high tech and uses complex CAD/CAM software some of these issues might be moot.

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by puffcard

My dad bought hull #3, they had to make major required design changes at #5. They had to move the mast forward 6" and move the rudder aft by a whole foot. It was without a doubt the hardest boat to sail, total nightmare designed by a well known designer. Next boat, he bought hull #2, which was never delivered, the company went bankrupt. I would never by an early hull of a production boat. Semi custom, you'll see what kind of company you bought from. Jimmy Buffett still waiting for his semi custom 48. Over two and a half year delay. Good luck, with your boat. To me "Life is too short, to wait for a sailboat."

That's a good point, you should find out if the company is in a good financial position. A company in trouble may just pass it on to you with the problems regardless of anything else.

[Tricolor]

I see many pros and just minimal cons. Hey we live in 2018..

[BBBest]

Interesting comments. Thanks. The boat was already built when I bought it so I didn't have to wait - that was one of the benefits. I suppose time will tell. So far, she sails and handles better than anything I have ever sailed before, but I admit I have only chartered sailboats in the past.

[markpierce]

There is always a learning curve. Not to just be more efficient in the boat's contrcution, but to fine tune later builds for early deficiencies. Still, a boat friend has a hull #1 and is satisfied with the boat, several decades old.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, BBBest.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by BBBest

Interesting comments. Thanks. The boat was already built when I bought it so I didn't have to wait - that was one of the benefits. I suppose time will tell. So far, she sails and handles better than anything I have ever sailed before, but I admit I have only chartered sailboats in the past.

Would be interesting to know if your boat is a completely new design for the builder or a revision of a previous model. I have seen a lot of builders update a model by extending the length a meter, new keel design, modified rig, change in the deck layout, etc while still keeping the main features the same.

[W.T.Gross]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

We design and manufacture custom designs regularly, nothing to do with boats. It can work both ways.

1st production runs are manufactured with a great deal of scrutiny from the most knowledgeable people in the organisation looking for ways to improve the product for the next one. We call them production prototypes and keep them for our reference because we do cycle then destructive testing on them.

On an expensive item like a boat that they then sell afterwards you will likely find the best employees worked on it. Any changes had a great deal of thought put in to it.

The possibility that there was a major flaw or omission in the first design exists but if the company has made many designs in-house it is unlikely.

I'd spend some time looking in all the nooks and crannies for evidence of those changes and see how well they were repaired. I'd also ask them if there were any, I'd also ask what is different between hull 1 and hull 2. You will have to make up your own mind if they answer honestly.

I'd have no problem buying #1.

I'm flying out this evening to look at a boat I put a deposit on. She's hull #1 and I tend to agree with you. Any yacht builder is going to want hull#1 to be without flaws, so best workers will do the work. If there are mistakes, seems it would make it difficult to sell hull#2.