One of two SIBS observations.

[oldgit]

Having been invited to boat show by Sunseeker,it seemed good form to have a look at some of their boats.Have always been bit sniffy about S.........r and the market they want to appeal to,but not any more.The whole operation was very professional and well organised.The boats appeared to be a little more advanced than their competitors.Fairline was very good but Princess for one is going to have to pull its socks up PDQ.
Had a look on board the Storeboro ?,whata cracking boat.
Big disapointment of the day was the one boat I really wanted to see.
The Galeon 330 tried to squeeze a quart into a pint pot.
Result a pokey cramped boat,no more useable room than on my 25 year old boat.Also if paying 130K for a new boat,do not expect to find cracks in perspex round self tapping screws holding the flyscreen to flybridge.
Best bit as usual wandering round used craft at Swanwick.Good selection of craft including loverly P45 with two BIG useful bedrooms instead of cramming half dozen ratnest holes in the same sort of space./forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Nastro Azzurro.Hoegaarden.Chang.Tiger.

 

[AJW]

Boat for me was the retro style Dale Nelson 45. Beautiful and if I have £400k to spend.................

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[oldgit]

What I want to know is which genius started the trend in them daft cannot see out in the corner pointy cornered swoopy windows.
Better vision out of a WWII pill box.
Some think they look cool./forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Nastro Azzurro.Hoegaarden.Chang.Tiger.

 

[Magnum]

Glad you found something appealing about the Sunseeker operation. Fo us it was almost ridiculous. What was the problem with Princess?

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.magnumyacht.net>http://www.magnumyacht.net</A> - I'm adding stuff daily, so be patient!

 

[Geoffs]

Have to agree about Sunseeker.

I walked past their stand where there were half a dozen or so be-suited heavy's, I wondered if the suspicious bulge under their jackets were Smith and Weston's. Were these the Poole branch of the mafia, sent out by the Poole Godfather.

I thought one was gong to walk up to me and say'

'Haya, youa, wipa da smile offa ya face. Dis is Sunseeker you showa soma respect'.

So I grabbed my bag of DIY fender socks, touched my forelock, and scampered round the corner to the Fletcher stand, a friendly bunch, and not an AK47 in sight.

Trouble is, Sunseeker will be there next year, will Fletcher?

<hr width=100% size=1>Old Chinese proverb 'Man who sail boat into rice field, soon get into paddy'

 

[oldgit]

My presence at show was in my usual capacity as freeloading hanger-on,although I did want to see if the Galeon was capable of tempting me away from the view that people who buy new boats have got far to much money./forums/images/icons/laugh.gif.My day was spent with a drinking acquaintance,who is struggling to decide if a Targa or flybridge would look best in a Nice berth.Money is more or less available and we crawled over assorted 37-43 ft Sunnyfaircess tubs with silly windows and even sillier white carpets all day.Fairline is his preferred choice,but Sunseeker with its aggressive sales and design ethos attracted his favourable comment.He is a small self made businessman,who does not have pots of old money or corparate cash to lose.Princess were bottom of his pile for a resting on old laurels image,with to his eyes,very dated external and internal features on boats.
In short he wants the company that he buys his boat from to reflect his goals as businessman .Sunseeker have picked their market with some success.Wonder who will sell more boats next season.


<hr width=100% size=1>Nastro Azzurro.Hoegaarden.Chang.Tiger.

 

[mjf]

I too was an invitee of Sunseeker for one of my visits - agree very slick operation.

Got to see what i wanted to when I wanted to.

But....ditto Princess and Fairline.


What is your Princess issue. I think the new P67 is stunning. Classic Princess lines etc. What I like about these boats is that they are not fashion statements.

IMHO things like the glass sinks in the heads will look very dated (New Millenium??) in a couple of years time.

Interested in your Princess views as I thing they are the dogs....

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[dobsy]

re: Princess vs Sunseeker ...

One observation (having been two three boat shows in the space of the last 12months) is that sunseeker were traditionally snobbish, hiring the most initmidating salesmen, and "eye candy" model wannabes who thought they were the bees knees . ..

This SIBS, that now seems to be the case for Princess . On the Sunseeker stand we went on the Manhatthan 61 (I think). Queued for 10 mins. Over @ Princess it was appointment only for comparable boat!

Comparing the two 61 footers, I would take the top deck layout/finish of the princess and marry it with the layout/finish of the sunseeker below deck.

It's always baffled me, the snobbishness of the staff at baot shows - in these days of lottery winners, internet/technology millionaires, ecentric pop stars, overpaid footballers , how do they know who has and has not got the money to buy one!

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[pissativlypossed]

I too went as an invited guest of Sunseeker yesterday (Thursday), operation was very slick, Valet parking, an escort from gate F to the stand and an intro to The owner Mr Robert Braithwaite. At no time did we find any of the staff intimidating or pushy and i was impressed by how knowledgeable they all were.
I did not even consider a Sunseeker when i bought Jimbo at last years show, but having an appreciation of the product i wish we had. the boats all seemed very well finished, although being show boats they should be.
We were even treated to dinner last night at the Chewten Glen Hotel, and i was even able to blag an extra ticket for my son, he is 18 and off to uni next week, he was smitten by the 82 Manhatten he had a tour on, i hope this will spur him on to work a bit harder and realise a dream.
Thanks Sunseeker a wonderfull day.

<hr width=100% size=1>"Open Another Bottle"

 

[Planty]

We were at Chewton Glen too, I was the big fat brummie in a tie, what a bummer, I didn't recognise anyone there except our friends from Ocean Village.

Echo your thoughts about slick operation and for me get far more help from Sunseeker than ever have from Princess, the show people replicate the office at Moodys exactly, (useless) and Peters are as bad at the show as at Chichester, just about take an interest when you flash the blavk Amex.

Can totally understand Sunseekers success and am off to seatrial used 64 Manhattan in Majorca October.

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[powerskipper]

I didn't get invited to anyone!

Do you think It mite be my dress sense?

I'm [image]!http://arweb.co.uk/aralbums/Boaters2/caryn_having_a_temper_tantrum_ty_wht.gif[/image]

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Julie

 

[oldgit]

Sunseeker vs Princess.

Cannot comment on monster mega buck type boat salespeoples attitude to casual lookers but on the size of boat that my chum was looking at,Sunseeker have left Princess for dust.They have,since he first expressed an interest in buying a boat have consistantly given the impression that they are actually interested in selling him a boat,when he is ready to buy.Sunseeker ave always been happy to supply a boat show ticket or two on request,zilch from the others.Go figure why he likes Sunseekers.To be fair Fairline/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif have been very helpful with a trip out on a Phantom over in Majorca,but Princess have been conspicous by their absence.
Am not anti Princess as my next boat will be P35 and would die for the P45 we looked over at Swanwick.

<hr width=100% size=1>Nastro Azzurro.Hoegaarden.Chang.Tiger.

 

[pissativlypossed]

I find your image quite attractive, so that can't be the reason you did'nt get an invite. We will have to ask others why you were not there, Hadyn perhaps?

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