Feet or Metres

MedDreamer

MedDreamer

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This came to mind after reading the Farenheight & Centigrade thread in the lounge.

How come the expression of length in motorboats names is generally in feet (Sealine S29 for 29 feet for example) even amongst European Manufacturers who have been metric for years? Alright I know the French don't stick to this (they like to be different) but the Spanish, Germans and most significantly the Italians still do.

And why does this seem to change for "motoryachts" over 20m. The rule seems to be more blurred amongst the expensive stuff with Sunseeker still using feet but Princess, for example, moving to metres. Even within the same company there are diffferences: Leopards are in metres but Mangusta's are in feet.

Just wondered

Martyn
 
I assume it is because metres are too coarse for average boat length increments, whereas feet are about right: one foot increment is just about noticeable in the effect it has on design.

When you get up to about 20m, a metre is correspondingly the right measure.
 
On a similar topic I am allways amazed at the difference in length between actuall and badged measurments.
ie. my boat 2655 depicting a 26' boat but actually measures 27'11"
Loads of other exaples spring to mind.
Ian
 
Mine's a Cap Camarat 725 which is 7.25 metres of course. My maths makes this a 23.786 foot boat which would be much too long for me!
 
Just had some post from Peters - plugging visit to LIBS.
Two DVDs in the pachage - one on Sealines one on Azimuts.

The Azimut range is
39, 42E, 43, 46E, 50, 55E, 62, 68E, 75, 80, 85, 98, 105 and 116.
All feet - at least Princess change to metres in the middle.

Reminds me when we were looking for our boat last year.
I was looking at boats around 43 to 45 feet long.
The Princess brochure arrived one morning - SWIMBO got to it first.
She said she would be happy with a 23 - I was a bit dissapointed.
I soon realised she was talking metres - I was talking feet!
 
I have found this blimmin' confusing when looking at Fairline Targas recently. Seems that designations relate variously to hull lenth at waterline, toerail or overall (inc bathing platform, pulpit etc), all dependent on when built!!
 
On the continent it's more subtle than that. Yes, some boats are badged in feet, I mean in terms of the model designation. Like Mangusta, Sunseeker, Ferretti. (And I've no idea why). But no-one would describe them that way in any conversation. They would all use metres. If you were driving a Gusta 108 into a Riviera port you wouldn't tell the capitainerie your loa is 108 feet, you'd say "33metres"
 
That\'s just marketing

Many builders swapped from feet to metres and back, during the years.
I had the opportunity to discuss this subject with a couple of them.
Both gave me the same, interesting explanation:
Boat buyers like to see any model they're looking at as a "brand new" model.
Inventing really new boats very often is neither easy nor cost efficient, thus the frequent "lifting" of existing hulls.
Renaming a 12m into a 40' also helps giving the impression of novelty.
Beware: when renaming a 12m, use 40' (not 39 - though that would be more appropriate).
Similarly, a 41' becomes a 13m (not a 12.50).
 
Ian

This is particularly the case with US boats. Their measurements are CG regulated and only include moulded parts of the boat. My 2450 has a centreline length of 24'5" but as the bolted on bathing platform and the bolted on bow platform and it is actually 28". I know this cos a marina I moored in got the tape measure out when I said I was 25" /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
The later boats with a moulded bathing platform like the 2651 are really the same boat as mine but the extra length in the name takes into account the bathing platform. It is still a 28" boat overall cos it still has a bolted on bow platform.
 
Neale
My (99) 2655 measures 27'11" from"moulded" bow pulpit to "moulded" swim platform but is still designated as a 2655. Then theres the Bayliner 2855 command bridge which measures something like 32' mind you the latter does have a "bolted" swim platform as you stated.
All very confusing.
Ian
 
I get the impression that the boat gets designed and then the marketing dept says "it would better if it was XXmetre or xxx feet", so the bathing platform and / or stem fittings / mouldings grow a bit.

I am no doubt being totally unfair /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
in the olden days. Boats were measured from bow to stern. 80's. My P35 is 42 ft acording to marina. Now they have a sloapy arse end and then a bathing platform that is part of the hull. So my old P35 is actually far bigger than a new 40ft thingy. Dwarfs wiggo's 37ft Sealine. So they have sneakily made same sized boats seem bigger, or smaller boats look larger over the years!!
 
It does vary. My S28 is actually 1inch off 29ft, 3m beam, and the bathing platform is tiny, so a bit of a monster for a "28". I couldn't figure out how it could possibly weigh 4500kgs until I saw it...

Sizing boats by weight is a much better measure of bigness, oooerr.

dv.
 
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