Carib
Active member
There's a Q&A with esteemed designer Chuck Paine in this month's Classic Boat with a rather strange statement.
"I always designed for the top end...[Wall Street/The City] is, I believe, the only segment of the new construction market left. 10 % of our citizens have more buying power than the bottom 90 %. The latter will buy nearly scrapped old fibreglass boats for nothing on Craig's list and never use them. The former will buy my little gems and actually use them - and love every minute of it".
By his 'little gems' he means the 15' daysailers he builds these days for those with $100K or so to spare ("maybe the finest new sailing yacht built anywhere in the world this year").
His blog repeats a similar viewpoint: "The vast combined product of the now essentially defunct fiberglass sailboat building industry is now depreciated to scrap value and nothing but a bother for anyone to own. "
I've always liked his designs (particularly the Frances 26) but CP seems to have a rather strange and embittered attitude towards anyone who sails his 'scrap value' boats which are now 'nothing but a bother' to own (presumably even if you're in the bottom 90% and therefore 'never use them')!
Bit of an odd attitude, I thought.
"I always designed for the top end...[Wall Street/The City] is, I believe, the only segment of the new construction market left. 10 % of our citizens have more buying power than the bottom 90 %. The latter will buy nearly scrapped old fibreglass boats for nothing on Craig's list and never use them. The former will buy my little gems and actually use them - and love every minute of it".
By his 'little gems' he means the 15' daysailers he builds these days for those with $100K or so to spare ("maybe the finest new sailing yacht built anywhere in the world this year").
His blog repeats a similar viewpoint: "The vast combined product of the now essentially defunct fiberglass sailboat building industry is now depreciated to scrap value and nothing but a bother for anyone to own. "
I've always liked his designs (particularly the Frances 26) but CP seems to have a rather strange and embittered attitude towards anyone who sails his 'scrap value' boats which are now 'nothing but a bother' to own (presumably even if you're in the bottom 90% and therefore 'never use them')!
Bit of an odd attitude, I thought.
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