Sara Clemence
Pedigree Counts
The classic Lightning, one of the great day sailers of all time.
Years ago, the choice of boat builder was extremely important. "You had some lousy boat builders," says Jacques Mac Donald, agent for Mac Donald Yacht Brokerage in San Diego, Calif. "Today, all manufacturers are paying much more attention to the way they build their boats."
But a boat's origins still matter. A top naval architect and builder will not only give you a better boat. "Names influence the value of a boat," says Gibbons-Neff of Sparkman & Stephens. "It's like a Mercedes is better than a Ford." A boat designed by a big-name architect will often hold its price better, even though the design makes up only 4% to 10% of the original cost of a boat. Still, warns Bob Leslie of blue-chip yacht brokers Northrop and Johnson, a good builder can turn out a bad boat if the buyer wants to cut corners on the construction.
If you're having a boat made to your specifications, you want to deal with a boat-building or design company that has and will be around in the long term, in case there is ever a problem. "You don't want the first boat ever produced by a company," says Phil Bennett of Hinckley, which has been building ships since 1928. "The number of small builders that literally produce a couple of boats and then go bankrupt is tremendous."
Sparkman & Stephens, which has been designing boats for 70 years, has created everything from military boats and classic day sailers such as the Lightning and Blue Jay, to America's Cup defenders and multimillion-dollar pleasure sailboats.
Equally impressive is the record of Farr Yacht Design in Annapolis, Md., which has planned more than two dozen boats for the Volvo Ocean Race--formerly known as the Whitbread Round-the World Race.
Ron Holland, formerly with Sparkman & Stephens, is particularly known for big boats. He designed the largest single-masted boat ever, the 245-foot Mirabella V, which is currently under construction.
The Hinckley Company, based in Maine, is one of the premiere builders of semi-custom boats. Their classic, elegant sailing yachts are built with lavish attention to details.
Finnish company Nautor Swan builds luxury sailing yachts, many of which are designed by Sparkman & Stephens, German Frers and Ron Holland. Nautor also owns U.K.-based Camper and Nicholsons, which specializes in refittings and restorations.
http://www.forbes.com/2002/07/24/0724sport_5.html
Sailboat Buying Guide
1. Intro
2. Location
3. Brokers
4. Bigger can be better, but..
5. Pedigree Counts
6. Turning a Profit
7. Used? New? Custom? In-Between?
8. International Buying
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