I was talking with my boss about replacing his 75 foot boat. He asked me what I think his next boat should be. Are there any custom builders with pedigree besides Moonen and Burger. I know Mulder builds a beautiful boat, the 88 footer, but how is the quality? Anyone have any experience with this builder. Royal Denship's little boats are good looking, but again does anyone have any experience with their smaller boats. His current boat is a 75 feet, Italian built, and has a 27 kt cruise. I think he should take around a 15 foot leap. Sunseeker and the Italian boats are the obvious answer, but I think he wants stay away from production boats. The boat would most likely be a flush deck or flybridge and needs to have some speed and a decent ride. He loves the 120' PJs. The quality is very important to him and customizing the boat is mandatory. BTW, he is American. I appreciate the input. nas
Moonen and Burger are not bad and perhaps you can get Royal Huisman or Abeking & Rasmussen to build a 90 footer as well. In the US you also have Delta as a quality builder, mainly in GRP. But I doubt any of these shipyards want to build a typical "Sunseeker/Azimut" type of boat. It should probably be a little more classic or maybe like this Bannenberg inspired design I made a few years back.
Does your boss want fiberglass or metal? I don't think that Delta will build a boat that small anymore, however Nordlund Custom Yachts in Tacoma, Washington builds outstanding one off yachts in glass. Dave
Speed considerations would dictate glass or aluminum. Delta hasnt built one that small for awhile. Northcoast is a consideration, not as sexy though. nas
OK, I got you wrong then. You probably also know that you can combine GRP and aluminium, like alu hull and GRP superstructure or parts thereof where GRP may be easier to shape.
I too am in love with the Palmer-Johnson 120. If the boss can make that 45' leap he should do it. I'm sure PJ will accede to his every wish and make it as custom a yacht as he desires. Couple big 2000hp MTUs and a 4500hp turbine would do nicely.
Try a builder up in Vancouver, BC called Westbay SonShip Yachts. They have recently gone through some creditor protection but I have heard that they have sorted out those problems and have restructuring. (Some private funding). They are a very custom builder and they quality is top notch. I am not sure how they fair price wise but the quality is excellent. Another yard I would suggest is Lazzarra not as much customization but another top quality yacht.
The Palmer Johnson 120 that you mention, was that the Corniche designed by Nuvolari and Leonard of Venice?
Aren't all current PJs designed by Nuvolari & Leonard? I was looking at their site yesterday, and among the motoryachts they even have a gorgeous 90' sailer. It's quite stunning. Just wanted to add: They have design photos of a 95 footer as well nas130, you might want to have a look.
I was involved in the sale of a Mochi Craft designed by Nuvolari and Leonard about 8 years ago. Unfortunately that is when Mochi went bankrupt. A few years later I ran into Carlo Nuvolari at the Palm Beach Boat Show and asked him what happened to the molds. He told me they were sold to Carver, yes that's Carver of the American mid west, with plans to build the boats in Europe and then start to bring them to the US as the Marquis. The Mochis were designed before N&L started designing for PJ and the earlier work has continued to influence their designs. The 85 Marquis, (ex Mochi) has a distinct resemblance to Mostro, one of the first PJs designed by N&L. I do not think Carver would do much customizing, but the exterior look is definately N&L. Tucker Fallon Yacht Broker Fort Lauderdale
"A boat for the boss" You might try Gavin Maier in Australia. He's done some nice work, is quite prolific, and seems to know how to do one-offs in aluminum that have a real turn of speed.
I couldn't find any info on him, any links for his work? Does anyone have any experience on Mulder Boats? PM if you arent comfortable saying something on the forum. nas
Have you looked at Horizon? They build beautiful boats and now ranking 6th in the world. They offer lots of flexibility for customization. You probably want to look at their 82 and up. They build up to 130 feet. Might be interesting for you.
nas130 I misspelled his name. It's Gavin Mair. Global Marine Design Pty Ltd. is the name of the company in Western Australia and is likely Googled. You mentioned Mulder. He did a lot of raceboats if memory serves and, of course, did the hulls ( and the uppers? Don't know) for the Neptunus boats which, if you've ever been for a ride, are sweet.
I donĀ“t think there are any relation between Mulder Design and the Mulder Shipyard, more than the name...
Horizons are 6th in the world for length under construction? Quality? Orders? I have no experience with them, but I am not sure if their pedigree is on par with some of the others. nas
Broward has a line of newly designed aluminum motor yachts ranging in length from 88" to 110'. Very stylish boats!
How about McQueens in Vancouver BC. They have been building custom yachts from 70' and up since 1952. Contact Doug McQueen or Tim Bell at; www.mcqueensyachts.com timbell@mcqueensyachts.com mqueens@uniserve.com ph; 1 604 325 4544 fax; 1 604 325 4516