GT Yachts

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dom

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Further to last year's heated thread I've just taken a look at the GT Yacht website to see how the new GT40 is coming along. Nothing seems to have happened since last December, no updates, no newsletters, nothing: http://gtyachts.com/news.php

Does anybody know if this company still around?
 
That's not strictly true, there was a Jan 2015 newsletter about keels. But I think it's fair to say that GT Yachts isn't going to be the success story they hoped for.
 
dom said:
Further to last year's heated thread I've just taken a look at the GT Yacht website to see how the new GT40 is coming along. Nothing seems to have happened since last December, no updates, no newsletters, nothing: http://gtyachts.com/news.php

Does anybody know if this company still around?
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I cannot help but admire their optimism in trying to flog a 40 when they haven't managed to sell a single 35 or 30 to a real customer. Maybe people just don't want to pay top dollar for a twenty-year out-of-date style, beautifully made. Who would have guessed it?
 
I hope that they do manage to make a success of it. The first boat out of the box was not perfect but I don't know of any boat manufacturer where you could go to their fist boat and say they did everything right. I sincerely hope that they can bring a Mark II to boat show and show that the have a much better product which is worthy of consideration. I think that there was a lot of good will towards GT yachts that went out of the window when the boat was put on display. If they can address the issues and show that underneath it they do have a good boat they might be able to win a few buyers. They really need to look to take out some cost so that they are a bit more compettitive.
 
Seven Spades said:
They really need to look to take out some cost so that they are a bit more compettitive.
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Interesting point. How much cost would they need to take out? Given that it looks like an AWB, what sort of price premium might it succeed in getting over an AWB? 25%? 50%? 100%?
 
Seven Spades said:
I hope that they do manage to make a success of it. The first boat out of the box was not perfect but I don't know of any boat manufacturer where you could go to their fist boat and say they did everything right. I sincerely hope that they can bring a Mark II to boat show and show that the have a much better product which is worthy of consideration. I think that there was a lot of good will towards GT yachts that went out of the window when the boat was put on display. If they can address the issues and show that underneath it they do have a good boat they might be able to win a few buyers. They really need to look to take out some cost so that they are a bit more compettitive.
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My recollection of the reviews is that it was damn nearly perfect in execution, though a poster here who sailed it said that it had el cheapo rubbish sails, which seems an odd decision. The trouble seems to be the design, not the execution. Every so often someone says "Why don't they build Centaurs / Victorias / Sadlers / Anderson 22s again?" and the reply comes back "Because nobody wants to pay vast amount of money for outdated designs". The GT35 debâcle showed that answer to be right: there just isn't a market for the marine equivalent of an Overfinch Ford Sierra.
 
I thing the story of GT Yachts is interesting because it's not what it seems on the surface; i.e. a story about a company which failed to do its market research. It's at least partly because us yachties actively mislead these researchers by blurring soft focus nostalgia with the more rational decisions we make when purchasing a boat. The take out here seems to be that modern designs are actually very good - chunky boats for weekend sailing, sleek fast boats for around the cans work and fast cruisers for more active sailors. Then there is a solid second hand market for all of the above, and finally the likes of Rustler, HR and Gunboat which fill the few remaining niches.

This all adds up to a difficult market for any new entrant and as GT have just found out sailors are happy to wax lyrical over their childhood dreams, but are altogether more rational when it comes to opening their wallets.
 
dom said:
I thing the story of GT Yachts is interesting because it's not what it seems on the surface; i.e. a story about a company which failed to do its market research. It's at least partly because us yachties actively mislead these researchers by blurring soft focus nostalgia with the more rational decisions we make when purchasing a boat. The take out here seems to be that modern designs are actually very good - chunky boats for weekend sailing, sleek fast boats for around the cans work and fast cruisers for more active sailors. Then there is a solid second hand market for all of the above, and finally the likes of Rustler, HR and Gunboat which fill the few remaining niches.

This all adds up to a difficult market for any new entrant and as GT have just found out sailors are happy to wax lyrical over their childhood dreams, but are altogether more rational when it comes to opening their wallets.
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Something similar seemed to happen with the revived GK33 too.
 
I don't think that it really correct. Rustler, Halberg Rassy, Contest and Gunboat are all selling boats, there is no reason why GT yachts could not have a slice of the pie there are definitely buyers out there. There was even a good market for Southerly Yachts. I just think that the design was wrong, no one stepped on to the GT and said WOW. Compare it to the Rustler 37 which is quite similar, the Rustler is lovely I suspect that it is quite a slow boat. I am sure that there is a market for comfortable fast cruising boats, spartan does not do it for me. Personally I love the Rustler 37, but I think when push comes to shove I would want something with a bit more oomph, SwedeStar perhaps or Sweden 42 if I was buying new.
 
The trouble seems to be the design said:
"Why don't they build Centaurs / Victorias / Sadlers / Anderson 22s again?"[/I] and the reply comes back "Because nobody wants to pay vast amount of money for outdated designs". The GT35 debâcle showed that answer to be right: there just isn't a market for the marine equivalent of an Overfinch Ford Sierra.
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Not wishing to go back over old ground I hesitate to get involved here but anyone who likens the latest Stephen Jones 35 footer to a Ford Sierra has a reality connection problem, back here on planet Earth we are a bit more objective.

The boat sails utterly outstandingly, the best 35 footer I have ever sailed but the comment about needing to take out a substantial amount of costs is spot on. If money was not in the equation then a GT35 would be my undoubted choice if I were looking for a 35 footer.

I now have my coat on.
 
doris said:
Not wishing to go back over old ground I hesitate to get involved here but anyone who likens the latest Stephen Jones 35 footer to a Ford Sierra has a reality connection problem, back here on planet Earth we are a bit more objective.
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The Ford Sierra was a very good design, but it's outdated now. The GT35 just looked very old fashioned. How many people want to shell out a quarter of a million on something which looks as if it was made twenty years ago?

The boat sails utterly outstandingly, the best 35 footer I have ever sailed but the comment about needing to take out a substantial amount of costs is spot on. If money was not in the equation then a GT35 would be my undoubted choice if I were looking for a 35 footer.
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Didn't you say it had terrible sails and didn't perform well as a result?

That aside, I'me perfectly happy to believe that it was a well designed, well made boat. It's just that nobody wanted to buy one. GT did themselves absolutely no favours, either, by pretending to have sold one.
 
Seven Spades said:
I don't think that it really correct. Rustler, Halberg Rassy, Contest and Gunboat are all selling boats, there is no reason why GT yachts could not have a slice of the pie there are definitely buyers out there. There was even a good market for Southerly Yachts. I just think that the design was wrong, no one stepped on to the GT and said WOW.
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Absolutely. Whatever the sailing qualities, "utter blandness" is not a selling point for extremely expensive yachts.
 
JumbleDuck said:
The Ford Sierra was a very good design, but it's outdated now. The GT35 just looked very old fashioned. How many people want to shell out a quarter of a million on something which looks as if it was made twenty years ago?
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I think you'd find many people would buy a Ruster (if they could). The Rustler 42 is 16 years old.

You'll also find people who would buy a pretty little 32 footer from the 70s if they could too. ;)
 
snooks said:
I think you'd find many people would buy a Ruster (if they could). The Rustler 42 is 16 years old.

You'll also find people who would buy a pretty little 32 footer from the 70s if they could too. ;)
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But perhaps not at the prices necessary for a new boat - that is the argument. There is far too much choice and too few people who like that sort of boat willing to pay for a new one.
 
Its a shame but in my imo the boat (externally) should of been way more modern-looking instead of a Starlight with a plumb bow and £100k less with a monster spec (at least to start with) to get people through the door, how you'd achieve that i dont know but a good deal of the GT's competition do.................................
 
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