Classic Yachts - Cruiser Resurrection

This past year, I observed a small yacht built by Feadship named “Lucia”. I would often see it docked along Hillsboro Beach’s intracoastal waterway and was continually amazed at the condition of this vessel, which was obviously a yacht built in an era long passed.

A closer look revealed an extremely well kept yacht, almost time capsule like, completely void of the unmistakable signs of age. The interior was typical 60’s with a fit and finish that was better than other classics I’ve boarded. But something was muddled here… the instrumentation and electronics were clearly not from the analogue age. A closer look revealed Lucia was not the result of a restoration, but rather the inspiration of someone who wanted a classic cruiser with today’s technology. You see… Lucia was built in 1996. This brings me to the purpose of this thread…

Burger has just introduced their 70’ Timeless Cruiser and it marks a trend in boat design, a backwards trend, sort of speak. Sometimes it’s good to take a step back, unless we’re talking about ex-wives. Burger must have broken into some dusty archives to find the blueprints for this classic, as you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between the Timeless Cruiser and Burger’s timeless classics built 40 years ago. Burger is known for building high-end custom yachts, but this is not a one-off deal. Burger is moving into a limited production, semi custom run on this yacht. Since the 1950’s, they have built 72 yachts of this fashion, with the last being launched in 1990.

It appears other manufacturers are starting to live in the past as well. Chris-Craft’s line of retro runabouts, like the 28’ Corsair or 36’ Roamer are a “classic” example (pun intended). Maybe it reminds us of a simple and sweeter time, maybe it’s just fun to be different. In either case, these designs are a joy to behold and never lack for appreciation.

It certainly captures the imagination, as I find myself toying with the idea of owning a new Ford GT-40 parked next to a Timeless Cruiser from Burger, while listening to a track from the Beatles White Album. However, I’ll keep my Pentium 4… thank you!

Here’s a small list of notable resurrections…

Classic Cruisers: 70’ Burger Timeless Cruiser, 43’ Chris Craft Roamer, 52’ Krogen Express, 74’ Lyman Morse, 82’ CNB Classic, 68’ Mulder

For more information on Burger Boat company, go to www.burgerboat.com

Here's a picture of Feadship's "Lucia"...

43' Chris Craft Roamer...

2001 74' Lyman Morse...

82' CNB Classic Cruiser...

52' Krogen Express...

Hi Maver and welcome to YF. Yes, Lucia was built for Jan. I was onboard the boat a few years ago and wrote a brief overview, located here...

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/feadship-yacht/2079-feadship-yachts-lucia.html