oldgit
Well-Known Member
Just finished reading a small paperpack about Colin Chapmans adventures into boat building. Always been interested in the Moonraker range especially the later fast Italian styled cruisers.
Book details the somewhat less than transparent funding capers and the frequent involvement of some very "interesting." characters, many from the the car trade, one of whom ended up in Brazil for " personal" reasons.
As for the boats and no doubt forgotten now , is how he shook up the boat market. Most English builders were enthusiast built boats for other (usually cash strapped enthusiasts ) on bespoke basis.
Chapmans idea was that your average successful small business man (like him) had cash to spend and moreover wanted other people to know about it.
A boat would be an ideal method of separating the businessman from his money.
He was a great admirer of Italian boats, they had style and he frequently had staff noting design ideas such as door handles and other fittings while at boatshows.
His advertising sold a lifestyle not a boat, adverts were in motoring magazines, not boating ones, which nobody with any money read.
The boats came complete with stuff you never knew you needed including less glamorous stuff like a mop and bucket.
He used his knowledge of volume production to produce the boats much cheaper than the traditional builders and believed that a TV and fridge was more important to Mrs Businessman than acres of dark brown varnish and brass.
In the early years he was selling more boats than everybody else put together in the UK by wide margin, some were actually delivered as well.
He did stretch the technology, frequently beyond breaking point but his sales technique is in full swing today... look round any boatshow.
Also small section on the Canard aircraft project which ended with his death.
Moonraker & JCL Marine Ltd - Colin Chapman's Boat Industry
Book details the somewhat less than transparent funding capers and the frequent involvement of some very "interesting." characters, many from the the car trade, one of whom ended up in Brazil for " personal" reasons.
As for the boats and no doubt forgotten now , is how he shook up the boat market. Most English builders were enthusiast built boats for other (usually cash strapped enthusiasts ) on bespoke basis.
Chapmans idea was that your average successful small business man (like him) had cash to spend and moreover wanted other people to know about it.
A boat would be an ideal method of separating the businessman from his money.
He was a great admirer of Italian boats, they had style and he frequently had staff noting design ideas such as door handles and other fittings while at boatshows.
His advertising sold a lifestyle not a boat, adverts were in motoring magazines, not boating ones, which nobody with any money read.
The boats came complete with stuff you never knew you needed including less glamorous stuff like a mop and bucket.
He used his knowledge of volume production to produce the boats much cheaper than the traditional builders and believed that a TV and fridge was more important to Mrs Businessman than acres of dark brown varnish and brass.
In the early years he was selling more boats than everybody else put together in the UK by wide margin, some were actually delivered as well.
He did stretch the technology, frequently beyond breaking point but his sales technique is in full swing today... look round any boatshow.
Also small section on the Canard aircraft project which ended with his death.
Moonraker & JCL Marine Ltd - Colin Chapman's Boat Industry
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