Do Ask Do Tell

Rental cars

The fact is, that despite their being worth millions, being designed with rare fabrics, precious stone and the latest technology; to yacht crew, most yachts are about as memorable as rental cars.

It makes sense, you see enough of them and they morph into little more than big white boats.  Many boats have reputations unique to the professional yachting industry.  Ever noticed how many crew will tell you they work on a Feadship?  If it was anything else it would be described by length.  Of course there are a couple of makes of yacht that the crew will do pretty much anything to avoid disclosing.

Some yachts are just dogs

The  point I am trying to make is that to an owner or guest or simply an impressed onlooker yachts are sources of wonderment but to yacht crew it is the yacht’s practical attributes which are greatly significant not just their stature and genre.  It is, after all, of no interest to a crew member just who designed the Grindling Gibbons lookalike facade in the master stateroom.  Their concern lies with how difficult it is to keep clean.

This operational knowledge and perspective is not confined to the design and interior.  Many engineers are able look at an engine room and identify access issues as quickly as a guest will be awed by polished stainless and spotlessly clean floors.

The crew perspective, is then, potentially of great use to the would be owner or charterer of a yacht and yet very few reviews written, actually take this into consideration.  In many instances it is very obviously the case the boat was designed poorly and protecting the owner or potential new owner from finding this out serves a very clear agenda.  However, in many cases understanding the strengths or limitations of a yacht may  in fact inform how it can be modified or best exploited.  This is particularly relevant at this, the show season, when we all hope there will be an improvement in the market for yachts.

So, if you are thinking of buying a yacht large or small yacht, consider asking a crew member how it works how it is to work on  and whether it is is a good yacht from their perspective: Their opinion and insight might be useful. But, if the wife has already fallen in love with it maybe you are better off not asking.