The Love of Classic Yachts (or knot)...

Oldboater-

I really do wish I could agree with you on those cars but I just don't see it. The cars from that era that are going to be collectable already are. Porsche 911, Buick Grand National, Ferrari 250GTO,308, F40, Porsche 959, Audi Quatrro/GT. Honorable mentions would be the RX-7, Toyota Supra, VW GTI, Delorean

Isn't the Glastron Carlson and Glastron GT-150 the same boat?

I'm confused just a bit. This is a Trumpy forum. For those who appreciate the brand. At least that's what I thought.

I was thinking the same thing, although I really do appreciate the discussion. Perhaps the thread should be split off where it started to come off the tracks.

I'm one of those guys who just appreciates the beauty (styling and construction) of older things. Most of my cars are older than I am (one, by decades) and the only boats I've ever owned pre-dated me as well.

Done! New thread is in the General Discussion forum.

Throw me under the bus!

Edit: This has been a really enjoyable discussion to follow. For the most part, I usually agree with OB, but definitely feel a divergence on this subject. I honestly wish I wasn't emotionally moved by certain boats. Spent so many years loving on them. Shoulda been using 'em!

Contemporary objects (boats, cars, etc) are generally designed to "optimize" their characteristics. Be it energy efficiency, use of space, ease of construction, performance, etc. Nobody these days designs something just for the sake of design.

Old things have characters.... new things are soulless.

My late Dad was well known as one of the finest restorer of classic wooden yachts. Herreshoffs. Camper Nicholson, Fifes; heck you name it.

All these beautiful craft were rebuilt with great love and an eye for detail only decades of experience gives you. He designed and built his own successful line of boats too.

His taste in cars, sadly, was bloody awful. He never understood the love my Mum, brothers and I showered on them or saw any of the thrill.

Horses for courses, I guess.

Sure, like a Riva Ariston or an AC Cobra... ;-)

I'm not saying everything old was meant to be collectible... but older things still had more style.They weren't designed with a computer that can literally optimize every last millimeter. Fifty years ago a product had to be drawn by a person. There was no software to nip and tuck each individual component into oblivion.

Back then even mass produced cars has a style... today the typical mid-sized sedan/coupe is virtually indistinguishable from 20 other mid-sized sedans/coupes from manufacturers across the globe. You can simply replace the grille on most cars and it could be any one of half a dozen other cars.

Tell me which of these is the original concept?

I too have been following this one and love reading every post. drcoastline, most eloquently described his passion and while some may not be as completely infected by the sickness that is all things boating, I suspect we all are to some degree. It happened to me when I was about five, my dad bought one of the last two Richardsons in the plant when they went under and we finished it out ourselves. I still remember hating all that varnish and always complaining every year when we stripped, recaulked and revarnished every inch above the waterline but what I wouldn't give now to have her again!

Over the decades since I've rebuilt/refinished so many more classics, from Connie's, S&S's, Herreshoffs, Burgers and Trumpy's to runabouts and I agree, every one had a soul or personality you could feel after a while. I've also done extensive work on many newer boats and maybe it's just human nature to ascribe animate traits to inanimate objects but I've often felt even those have personalities too. Maybe it was only after hours of struggling with a ornery fitting in a tight place with a lot of choice language but you sometimes feel like they are communicating . Even the new cold-molded boats I build now seem to have personalities but maybe that's only because of the time I spend on each one, a couple of years from laying a keel to watching her go down the creek with a new owner at the helm still feels like watching your child get on the school bus for the first time!

Not sayin' all new boats look the same but......

I think I must post a picture of my oldest boat, from 1931, to save this thread...

Top Times IS timeless. I bet you're right on the later model PJs too.