Gunboats: Any First-Hand Info ?

[MehmetCan]

Originally Posted by SVNeko

There's a little bit of apples and oranges here. We are cruisers. The Gunboat is barely a cruiser. An A57 flipped in the South Pacific due to wind and wave motion. I think the Gunboat is even less stable due to light weight and a huge sailplan. On the other end of the spectrum are the charterbarges with short sticks - boring but shows there is a real issue there. I am not sure I would trade for all that speed and sexiness by having to be on a hair trigger watch all the time for a squall or other disturbance that might flip it.

I know this has been answered before but let me re-answer in more detail, with the standard list of features for the GB 60 that I can remember :

. Vast array of PV's
. Watermakers
. Two 22KW generators
. Electric engines with charging capability (18KW each)
. Carbon wing mast
. Well, the whole thing is carbon -as you know!!!
. TV's, lots and lots of refrigirators (and with all that power from the sun, GB's are probably the only sailboats around having no problems with cooling!)
. Air conditioning
. Double sinks, two large tables (one inside one at the back)
. Four ensuite double cabins
. 1 ensuite crew cabin
. Full array of navigational equipments
. Satcom
. BBQ's
. Pure Yachting 420 Carbon tender (even this worths as much as a 35ft 2-3 year french cat alone!!!)

Long story short, if you try to match the equipments of the GB on a FP or a Lagoon, you'll probably end up with a 4 times heavier boat with a price tag higher than GB!!! (No kidding, have you seen the prices they ask for very simple extras on french cats? 3000 Euros for the change of color of the seating surfaces -yet still the same type of cloth, just different color!)


Last but not least, yes Atlantic 57 is cheaper then GB66 but am I the only one that remembers the rule "bigger is more expensive"?

[cbcat]

MehmetCan, great post and all excellent points!

I would also agree with SVNeko though in regards to being on hair trigger with such a lightweight vessel and large sail plan. The Gunboat is truly a remarkable yacht and I'm sure we'd all love to have one if we had the spare change, but ultimately does a "cruising" cat really need to be that high performance?

The more these massive cats are pushed to the edge, the greater the chance for disaster. Of course this all boils down to good seamanship and overall responsibility for ship and crew, but why push that hard? At the bleeding edge of a "cruising" cat, they begin to lean more and more towards a racing backbone with the comforts of home... the question is where that tipping point exists (no pun intended!).

Assuming the owner of a Gunboat wants to sail privately with their own family/friends and not a hired professional crew, how relaxing can it be with a sled like this when you're cruising and not simply out for a joy ride in your hot rod? When the winds crank up or even worse you're over canvased and a big breeze comes through will you be able to recover from a bad mistake (we've all made them - or will at some point!). Any offshore passage on a boat like this (especially w/out a crew) would require real vigilance.

My tone here might be misleading and to clarify I'm not "anti-gunboat." They are great cats that can be sailed safely...but to me this discussion is about a bigger issue of performance vs safety for vessels in the owner/operator category.

As for the A57, is (approximately) a $1.5MM price difference really worth the extra 5' on a Gunboat 62?!? Not sure bigger is always better... or worth it! Then again if you can afford an A57 then I suppose you can choose whatever toy suits you best

As a side note.. This topic reminds me of discussions that arose when VLJs (for those pilots out there) came on the market. Professional pilots took great concern over the the introduction of fast, high flying single engine jet aircraft marketed towards the wealthy private owner/operator. Not necessarily a direct comparison to this thread and perhaps not a great parellel, but (to me) it carried the same general issues of where that line between performance and safety lies.

Now, back to checking my power ball tickets so I can report first hand on Gunboat ownership

[MehmetCan]

cbcat, ask me the same question tomorrow and I'm sure I'll have a different answer for the extra 5 feet. But after reading all these comments and comparing all the boats in the market, all I can come up is this; if you have 4-5 millions in the bank that's not going to be vital for you for the next 40-50 years, if you have more than enough real estate and stocks and businesses that'll keep you fed and rich for decades to come, then GB is the only choice. Just like a Ferrari, it's not spacey, it's not necessary, it's not cheap but when you have the spare millions, you just want to have one!!!

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by webejammin

When I dream I dream about really fast and great looking sailboats. I was hopeing some one on CF had been passed by a Gunboat or seen one at a boat show. I've seen the U-tube vidios ,I just wanted first hand info.

Was absolutely dusted in 2007 by the 48' pictured below... It was being sailed by Cam Lewis at the time.. World class sailor, world class boat, no chance in hell for us... Hell even with Mr. Magoo at the helm there's no chance for us against a Gunboat.....

[cbcat]

Wow, great shot Maine Sail! Thanks for sharing... Maybe someone can photoshop a sonic shockwave forming around the bows

Here are some pics from an off shore passage on an A55. If you think Cam Lewis is a serious sailor, check out who's on the starboard winch here...

[44'cruisingcat]

I recently discovered I OWN a GUNBOAT! A previously unknown Gunboat 44 at that!

CRUISE NOTES FROM MALAYSIA - UK-Halsey Sailmakers

" We were up against two 50-plus footers and the a lightweight Gun Boat 44 OUT OF THE BAG."

No, actually Out Of The Bag is an Oram 44C. Oh well.

[webejammin]

Originally Posted by Maine Sail

Was absolutely dusted in 2007 by the 48' pictured below... It was being sailed by Cam Lewis at the time.. World class sailor, world class boat, no chance in hell for us... Hell even with Mr. Magoo at the helm there's no chance for us against a Gunboat.....

Kewl pic, It looks as fast standing still as my Gemini 105Mc does standing still HaHa

[beiland]

How about this sales pitch

Gunboat 66 Hull No. 5 "laguz" - YouTube

[barnakiel]

Seen the 66 down here before their passage. Boxy. Relatively fast but what else would one expect from a 66' cat.

Not a head turner, at least not my head.

b.

[MehmetCan]

Originally Posted by beiland

How about this sales pitch

Couldn't they find a hostess that had uglier mouth?

[markpierce]

Oh. I thought the subject was about a boat like this LCS:

[webejammin]

I'm sure a person could sell the steel for scrap and aford a GunBoat

[markpierce]

The pictured boat is LCS-102 and is now being restored. So, it's not available for scrapping.

A Visit to WWII Naval Ship LCS-102 on Vimeo

[MehmetCan]

Another point came upto my mind today (yes I know, I'm stuck with GB's). We're all ready to pay thousands of dollars of extra for the things just to give us peace of mind; such as life rafts, EPIRBs, first aid kits etc. . IMHO, the speed and front cockpit should be taken in the very same manner. If you're cruising with kids, they'll always be at eye level, if you have a medical emergency in the middle of nowhere, you'll arrive to the help's desitination faster.

... of course, if you can afford 4-5 millions, then you can keep a chopper in near vicinity as well!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by MehmetCan

(...) We're all ready to pay thousands of dollars of extra for the things just to give us peace of mind; such as life rafts, EPIRBs, first aid kits etc. . IMHO, the speed and front cockpit should be taken in the very same manner. If you're cruising with kids, they'll always be at eye level, if you have a medical emergency in the middle of nowhere, you'll arrive to the help's desitination faster. (...)

No, not all.

If one is of the constantly worrying type, they will worry with the extra emergency measures as well as without. It is a function of the mind, not of the amount of gear one carries.

I believe it is a good thing to plan for emergencies. I also believe that if one happens to be 'in the middle of nowhere' then having the faster boat helps little, after all we are all limited to 50 knots or so. But an airplane/chopper can reach nearly any destination at 300 knots or so.

b.