Surfer Girl, thank you for the kind comments.
As for the negative types, your persistent and repeated comments across several
forums have done a nice job keeping Gunboat at the forefront of discussions. So thank you for your continued attention and raising issues that allow us to respond. It should help clear the air of BS.
The Gunboat 60 in the video was performing preliminary sea trials to test major systems. IT HAS NOT BEEN DELIVERED, so any judgement being passed is premature. That paint line was touched up before the video was ever seen. As most people know that have taken the time to get to know Gunboat, they will also know that we do not deliver until the boat is 100%. Anyone that has seen this Gunboat 60 will assure you that it is amongst our finest work, on par with the Gunboat 90 and our Gunboat 66 series. The result is simply stunning.
When we first built in
South Africa, we heard similar ignorant and racist comments. The Gunboats built there, or anywhere, always turn out and set a world standard. Our work in China and the US will continue that long established Gunboat tradition. The location of the build has little to do with the result. The specifications, design, database of knowledge, labor
training, management and materials matter most. We can take our Gunboat IP and apply it anywhere and achieve a world leading result. This is what separates Gunboat from the rest. You might find parallel examples with Mercedes Benz, or any other manufacturer that is producing high quality product under well managed structures in China. Check where your
ipad or
phone are made.
Our intent to is to best serve the Atlantic basin with our new US yard in NC. And to best serve the Pacific basin with the production in Xiamen.
The marina where we sea trial from is an enormous development. The marina was just opened to the sea a few months ago. The slips are filling up with new boats daily. The enthusiasm for yachting is really impressive, and the pace of growth is simply jaw dropping. Until you see it firsthand, you will simply not understand.
China's waters will slowly open up due to internal demand, and access to outsiders will follow after that. China may be ruled by the communist party, but it is driven by one of the most capitalistic economies in the world today. We have found the authorities diligent, thorough and friendly. They only twitch when we tell them there are some Americans and German running a Gunboat along the coastline.