TOPIC: SO.......What happened? (to boat design)

You look at the rich history of boat development and in about 1980 it just went numb. Nothing but pointed bow, bow riders. What factors caused this? Don't people like interesting boats any more? Don't boat companies hire clever industrial designers like Brooks Stevens? Honestly, I might consider a new, as in brand new, boat if I saw even one boat that really stood out. Why did clever innovation in boat design end?

Todd
MN
Larson collector.

I'm sure there are plenty of "reasons/excuses" the boat manufacturers could come up with, but I understand what you're saying Todd. There IS one "new" boat I wouldn't mind getting:

Probaully happened for the same reasons you cant tell a Chevy from a Ford ,Honda or Toyota ect...Anymore ..Probaully for the same reasons TV is mostly Reality shows now and not good storys or comedies ..Probaully for the same reason theres a Pledge 60 Program ..(( Kids have to pledge that once a week they will go outside and play 60 minutes ))..For the same reason 6 year olds have cell phones and can use calculators in math class ..Probaully for the same reason Companys worry more about Sales than Quality and make disposable Everything .. Ya sorry little bit of a rant there ...L.O.L...Its OK thow .. 90% of the boats on the lakes I go on are Poontoons , Bass Boats or Open Bow Look Alikes ..Its Ok cause when I put my CV16 or the Aristocraft Hard Top in the water They all have to come over and check them out ... IM A ROCK STAR ....L.O.L...

It does seem to be a result of the Preppie/Yuppie 1980's conformist nature of the American "me" generation. When items are different and unique it is so very hard to evaluate who has a better status symbol. If you have the obligatory new BMW, new Bayliner and a new Speedo, it is far easier for the in crowd to tell you are "one of them" than if you have a Jeepster, Falls Flyer, and a Hawaiian shirt. NO. I'm not one of you! LOL

And you are so right....They all come a runnin'(like sheep) to have a look!

yep....

yep again...

Actually, some of the newest "deck boats" do a good job of combining the best of speed boats, ski boats, and the lounge-around ability of pontoons, and I guess they're decent for fishing, too. And some do all that with style, although its hard to make something that bovine look sleek. And tacking on a pair of fins just wont cut it today.

I tend to think of the late 80s and 90's as low points for style, at least among major boat companies. [sorry if I offended anyone, but its my opinion, and I even own a (yawn) 1989 maxum] I guess the ruling factor was price, and style was sacrificed, unless you shelled out big bucks for a sleek offshore rig...

Some other factors.

Labor costs went wild in the 70's. Before that, labor was cheap.

Big buy outs like AMF. Big publicly held companies are not creative. Always looking at the bottom line for share holders.

Higher fuel costs.

Lack of interest from customers for unique crafts.

Low sales volume for specialized, but not high end, boats.

Sometimes I think I'm the only one left who buys stuff just because it looks cool. (to me)

Todd

Well now that you mention it Larson made a retro 14' back in the mid 90s, I saw several in a show room and 1 at my local lake, then on ebay and never again. It was a very cool boat. But not much on sales I guess.

i am going to start making new commando u-2 but maybe just 1 for me for now.I was thinking if i make a bunch of them i can have a u-2 club,that would be nice.

Ponyboy,

Larson did revive the Falls Flyer name in the very early 90's. Name only. The boat had nothing noteworthy about it. It was part of a big, city wide Falls Flyer homecoming, sponsored by Little Falls. They did manage to shame the Larson boat company into taking part even though they had no interest what so ever.

There was a real peaked interest in Flyers about that time. There was a publication called Flyer Fever. There were 2 Minnesota interests who were tooling up to build new 14' glass Flyers. Both were a chicken and egg story. "I'll make on when I get an order" but as we all know, you can't sell from an empty wagon.

The tragic flaw of the Falls Flyer is its size. It is too small and uncomfortable for most adults. Paul Larson designed the boat to perform with available power. Therefore is is smaller than desirable for comfort.

I think Larson could have capitalized on the new Flyer if they had offered a boat with a long deck, a low belt line gunnel, the correct red/white/black colors, and some kind of high powered designer engine. As it was, they missed the boat.

Personally (aside from just a handful of boats) I'd put the creative designs ending in the 70's, not the 80's.

I was trying to be kind. You said it! Not me. LOL

yea, I did. It's just an opinion however. All opinions are welcome, always.

Sorry I've been absent for so long everyone. I'm back now.

what happened to boat design you ask.....CustomCraft closed shop! lol
ron

A true statement there. Among a few others such as Red Fish, they were some of the last to incorporate fins in early 60's models. The trend towards generic looking boats began right about that time.

Kelly wrote:

Sorry I've been absent for so long everyone. I'm back now.

Welcome Back!

In the case of the Larson Sea Lion, it had a swooping gunnel down to the water line in the back. It gaveit the look of a fin without any rise above the deck. If they had put a boarding platform on the back they would have been 40 years ahead of their time!

hi kelly ,long time no see,welcome back,john

i'll stick to the early 70's for my favorites !

I don't blame you, gil-72.Beautiful boats,Gorgeous!! I'd like to find one of those 70's Glastrons for a vintage lake rocket and keep the 63 Aristo for classic cruising

Those were the kinds of boats I was thinking of which caused me not to include the 70's in the original post.

I guess in all reality, "good design" ended when function trumped form in boats. When the bow rider became the standard rather than the option. Then that soon gave way to the geriatric pontoon explosion in the 90's. (at least on our lake) When I see what boats people buy today I see so few where buyers gave any thought to the visual design. A pontoon will be a pontoon, no mater what you do to it to make it look interesting. A "fish-n-ski" will always be a half as good as either a fishing boat or a ski boat. No boat really looks good without a nice foredeck. So I guess that's really why we are all here on Fiberglassics.

Jim L wrote:

I don't blame you, gil-72.Beautiful boats,Gorgeous!! I'd like to find one of those 70's Glastrons for a vintage lake rocket and keep the 63 Aristo for classic cruising

Jim... There was a boat dealer near Elkin, NC that had one (or a very similar style) out behind the dealership.. I don't know if it's still there or not.
He had a bunch of old boats for $200-$400 each. I had pictures of them all... but can't find them. I know there was a finned Cutter, an Aristocraft Hardtop, a 60's Larson, and several others. I posted them to FG Forum.

Jack Ventures Marine Llc
5220 US Highway 21, Jonesville, NC 28642-9108
(336) 835-4730

EDIT- I found out that the boat was a 70's "Scat Craft"..
i185.photobucket.com/albums/x258/warrior74z/Image1-89_edited-1.jpg

69,what kind of cutter was it?i need a good windshield for my 59 cutter jet de ville.

Sounds like I need to call there, 69fabuglas. Thanks for the heads up.....Might have to make a roadtrip. As far as styles go there are still some decent boats being built. Just not in the art deco vein.my 2 cents