There's a widely held view that the smaller it is the more fun you have with it...
There’s a widely held view that the smaller it is the more fun you have with it. And yet if yours was 200ft long I suspect it would be hard not to enjoy the attention it generated, at least, if not the responsibility involved and the cost of upkeep.
We’re talking about boats here. Personally I don’t fully subscribe to the view that the fun you had as a 12-year-old in your little outboard dinghy was as good as it’ll ever get. Of course it was great, being 12 is great, but that doesn’t mean entertaining family and friends somewhere pleasant in something that’s somewhat bigger and more comfortable is inherently less fun. There’s more hassle involved in owning a grown-up cruising boat, but it can be just as memorable as your Swallows and Amazons days, even if the weather was always better then.
Personally I don’t dream of owning a 200-footer, but only because I can’t imagine ever having enough time to have that much fun. I find the world of superyachts fascinating, for its scale – in money and horsepower terms as well as sheer size – for its professionalism, and for its influence. Design, styling and technology first tested and proven at this end of the market usually find their way into the production boatyards before too long. I doubt that there is a design office in any of the major UK boatbuilders that doesn’t have a picture of a superyacht on the wall.
However, it’s interesting that when the superyacht drops anchor and the guests want to have fun, it’s time for the toys to come out: the RIBs, the personal watercraft, and the rest. Perhaps this size thing does matter after all.
