Prettiest production sailboat?

Bajansailor said:
Here is one of my favourites - the classic S & S 34 :

SS34.jpg
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That's one of my favourites as well. In fact, when the boat in the picture was for sale some years ago, I seriously considered it. These days I vote for my own Avance 36 --> http://balticsailing.blogspot.fi/2012/10/avance-36-have-you-ever-seen-prettier.html

Oops, the thread was a bit old... sorry.
 
The new S&S 30 is a bit of a looker:

large_pic3.jpg


And on the racier side, the Sun Fast 3200 is great looking and built to sail, not as a caravan.

"The goal with the 3200, says its designer, Daniel Andrieu, was straightforward: a boat that is fast, simple, and safe for amateur shorthanded offshore sailors. Stiffness, as well as initial and ultimate stability, says Andrieu, topped Jeanneau's priority list."

sun-fast-3200-39919_1b.jpg


Good article here:
http://www.sailingworld.com/sailboats/sun-fast-3200-hits-its-mark
 
mrming said:
And on the racier side, the Sun Fast 3200 is great looking and built to sail, not as a caravan.

"The goal with the 3200, says its designer, Daniel Andrieu, was straightforward: a boat that is fast, simple, and safe for amateur shorthanded offshore sailors. Stiffness, as well as initial and ultimate stability, says Andrieu [...]
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Not a caravan ... :cool: http://www.sailboatlistings.com/sailimg/m/15880/3200-3.jpg
 
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Funny no-one has mentioned Spirit Yachts (note use of Spirit 54 in Casino Royale) - they are in production but only to those with squillions of pounds!
 
Stephen Jones has done a pretty good job on this new GT35... seems like GT Yachts is a new company too, don't know anything more though. Taking over from where Starlight left off?

GT35 fwdquarterwhite.jpg
 
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Some of these boats, such as the Spirit yachts seem to my eyes to be "prettified" rather than inherently good-looking. The only pretty boat I have owned was a Mystere, which had the prettiest stern I know, though a bit let down by the forward-facing cabin light. My current HR34 has a low freeboard and is quite pretty to my eyes, and most other owners.

As for modern yachts, prettiness implies smallness to me. I would nominate boats like the First 25s.
 
Not sure I'd pick the Spirit designs. Very striking, but somehow they don't (to me) have the weighty appeal of the slender vintage hulls they call to mind.

I reckon it's necessary to distinguish at least two categories here (I haven't read the first pages of this thread, so that may have been done five years ago)...

...and possibly the argument isn't relevant today, when few builders still turn out very attractive (but not efficient) traditional 'upright' motor-sailers...

...but I always split my preference between sleek teak-decked race-bred performance sloops, and hefty all-weather wheelhouse ketches.

So, for me?...Fishers and 1980s Sweden Yachts. But I'm not sure anyone's making such boldly-styled, single-minded designs today.
 
st599 said:
Looks like someone's welded an upside down skip on top.
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I've never been certain that a practically-proportioned wheel-shelter diminishes the prettiness of a yacht. It mayn't do her windward performance any favours, but her lines evoke a deep sense of security and protection, the same way high, slab-sided cars like Land Rovers do. Are they pretty, strictly speaking, or just reassuring? I reckon they can be both. I like the Salar 40, myself:

View attachment 29878
 
westhinder said:
Does it not have a strong resemblance to the Starlight 37 he designed for Rustler, which eventually I believe was never built?
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No idea. Never seen the mysterious Starlight 37. Has anybody got any pics?

Rustler tend to be too trad for me though. I like what Stephen Jones has done with this modern cruiser though - check out his notes on the website http://www.gtyachts.com/sjnotes.html
 
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