Uglyboat Admiration Society Hang Out

[Raz'r]

I don't know, if I think of something that's 'ugly', it has to be ugly through and through. Not just in appearence but in soul. That's a tough thing to do and it needs to be done with purpose and conviction.

years ago a coworker came to the office after giving birth to show off her newborn baby. I saw her in the reception area with some of the other hens who were all smiles looking down at the kid. Naturally, I anticipated a lovely little cherub. Hopefully my quick exit did not incite any concern as once I saw the demon spawn what was, I very nearly threw up in my mouth.

He is now a college man and one of the most handsom kids you'll ever see.

So I have a tough time judging ugly, 'cept when it comes to the opposite sex. And up here in MN while there are plenty of blond-haired, blue eyed scandi-queens, the ugly stick borne of the ugly tree grows strong up on the range.

Really, you had to bring up the 'range chicks? Funny thing about them is that many(certainly not all) are pretty cute till about HS graduation, then something seriously bad happens. People of WalMart bad. Maybe it's just the cute ones leave, leaving behind the "devil spawn". Must be the generations of inbreeding or something.

 

[Steam Flyer]

Ok ... so here's a hard one. The scow that won the Mini Transat.

very fast reaching and running but gives a speed away upwind.

If form follows function; will we become used to this form?

Nothing hard about that... if it wins, it's beautiful.

2nd on Bolger never drawing an ugly boat.

IMHO "ugly" is something that is impractical or dysfunctional, not just failure to conform to a certain aesthetic.

FB- Doug

 

[Pertinacious Tom]

This is not ugly? I actually like the design in some ways and might even own one, but damn. That's UGLY. (Bolger Fiddler II)

 

[Anomaly2]

This is not ugly? I actually like the design in some ways and might even own one, but damn. That's UGLY. (Bolger Fiddler II)

I'll bet you one alcohol fueled daysail on our respective home waters that that wasn't built to the plans. One of the problems with the "Bolger boats are ugly" line is that a lot of whats out there are owner-induced departures from the plans. For a whole host of reasons that seemed like good ideas at the time. But weren't. Bolger used to say that one of the keys to being a good designer was to pick your builders carefully. Imagine the risk a designer takes with their reputation when they sell plans for backyard wood butchers like me....

 

[Bob Perry]

Boothy:

Oh yeah, that old one. I forgot about that one. Thanks a lot for reminding me.

I don't find that boat so bad. It's no beauty but for what it is I think it's OK.

I don;t race Mini Transats so I have no dog in that fight but to my eye that thing is big time ugly. But kind of cool in that it works well.

I was really hoping that design would be slow but I knew in my heart that it would work, off the wind.

 

[Pertinacious Tom]

This is not ugly? I actually like the design in some ways and might even own one, but damn. That's UGLY. (Bolger Fiddler II)

I'll bet you one alcohol fueled daysail on our respective home waters that that wasn't built to the plans. One of the problems with the "Bolger boats are ugly" line is that a lot of whats out there are owner-induced departures from the plans. For a whole host of reasons that seemed like good ideas at the time. But weren't. Bolger used to say that one of the keys to being a good designer was to pick your builders carefully. Imagine the risk a designer takes with their reputation when they sell plans for backyard wood butchers like me....

Anomaly, I was just leafing through 30 Odd Boats and found that one, and the cartoon in the book looks pretty darn similar to the built boat. The boat looks a bit rougher in a few details, but my opinion is that they are both darn ugly.

 

[TQA]

I cruised for 7 years on an ugly boat. It was the most boat for my £ when I was looking. 1/4in corten steel but the designer clearly was having an off day.

The G&T at sundown looked the same and I got to look at the pretty boats from my ugly one.

https://picasaweb.go...feat=directlink

 

[boomer]

Though I admired Bolger for being innovative. I can't say I admired all his designs.

In fact I admired a minor percentage of them, In his later years the percentage of good looking designs declined considerably.

Functional in Bolger terms looks functional, functional does not necessarily look appealing,nor usually good looking or aesthetically pleasing.

Designers who continued to learn from experience, and who's designs continued to improve in aesthetics, as well as form and function aesthetically in their later years. Those are the designers who to me have honed their skills well, and are masters of their trade.

 

[Anomaly2]

The boat looks a bit rougher in a few details, but my opinion is that they are both darn ugly.

I'll take that as a gracious concession- Just let me know when to come down for the boozecruise. Or, you come up here and supply the booze and I'll supply the boat(s). Hell, we could probably even get KD to join us if he's not busy marrying Courtney offf (or perusing those odd photo libraries that only he seems to have access to).

 

[SemiSalt]

I'll bet you one alcohol fueled daysail on our respective home waters that that wasn't built to the plans.

The cutwater thing under the bow doesn't show on the plans in 30 Odd Boats, and there should be hatch between the two forward-looking windows. Otherwise, it looks pretty true.

The point is that it's 16' long and has a double bed (hence the smoked glass), galley and dresser. And since PCB was really good powerboat designer, but I bet it runs OK.

In the same book, Bolger said of a 20' cruising sharpie design, "Finally, she's plain ugly. Jessie Cooper (next chapter) is ugly but with strong character. This one is nondescript ugly." He also wrote that leeboards (which he used a lot) are ugly. So he wasn't under any illusions, but he was a genius at getting a "form follows function" exception on many of his boats.

 

[SemiSalt]

I snapped this boat in one of our local marinas. I guess it's an example of a boat made ugly by squeezing in too much interior. i worry that if I sneer at it in public, it will turn out to have been designed by some big name designer (no, not BP).

 

[Bob Perry]

Semi:

That is a Bayliner and they established new levels for ugly in almost all their models.

Sad thing is that a couple of those Bayliners beauties were built on hulls splashed from nice Gary Mull designs. "I'm sure another 15" of freeboard will look just fine."

Back to Bolger and ugly. I'm still not buying it. I think when he called his own designs "ugly" we was just getting a jump on the peanut gallery. "What do you mean you think it;s ugly? I already told you you'd think it was ugly."

Or as Beethoven put it, "You are not supposed to like it."

I'll tell you a story:

When I was a kid in the early 60's there was a designer from Chicago F.S. Ford Jr.. Mr Ford advertised his design services frequently in rather large ads in YACHTING and RUDDER. His designs were hideous. Even as a kid I remember thinking how grim his designs were. His sailboats were ugly and so were his powerboats. I mean his boats didn't have a single harmonious line on them. One day I was talking to Bill Garden and I asked him what he thought of F.S. Ford's designs. Bill said, "I think God should break his pencil."

So maybe our director in charge of all Google things nautical, Mr. Boomer, could dig up an example of an F.S. Ford Jr. design so we can all nod knowling.

 

[Dan33]

Like this...."yak"

 

[slap]

This is not ugly? I actually like the design in some ways and might even own one, but damn. That's UGLY. (Bolger Fiddler II)

It looks like one of the shuttles used in the original Star Trek. Just add in the the side "torpedos", and off you go....

 

[Bob Perry]

Good work Gate. That's one of his better looking boats.

 

[viktor]

Bob:

The Bayliner Buccaneers have to be WAY up there on the ugly meter. Someone told me long ago that Bill Garden designed one of them, I truly hoped he was wrong,I guess he was right Any idea on just what happened. I love his work. We lived on a lovely 36ft

powerboat of his design named Journeyman.

http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=1327

 

[boomer]

This is not ugly? I actually like the design in some ways and might even own one, but damn. That's UGLY. (Bolger Fiddler II)

It looks like one of the shuttles used in the original Star Trek. Just add in the the side "torpedos", and off you go....

You nailed it! The guy that designed the Star Trek Shuttle was a car designer back in the day.

Same guy that designed the Ford Econoline pickup.

 

[boomer]

So maybe our director in charge of all Google things nautical, Mr. Boomer, could dig up an example of an F.S. Ford Jr. design so we can all nod knowling.

Didn't he design the Pintail?

 

[Bob Perry]

Vik:

Yes, Bill designed two models for Bayliner. Bill was friends with Oran Edson who owned Bayliner at the time and I suspect Edson threw box of money at Bill and Bill caved. But Bill wouldn't avoid a challenge and I suspect he was proud of the ugly boats he drew for Bayliner and I'm certian they were exactly what Bayliner wanted at the time. Bill's Bayliners are not nearly as ugly as the in house Bayliners.

 

[boomer]

That is a Bayliner and they established new levels for ugly in almost all their models.Sad thing is that a couple of those Bayliners beauties were built on hulls splashed from nice Gary Mull designs. "I'm sure another 15" of freeboard will look just fine."

I remember the Garden and Peterson designs. I don't remember the Mull designs.

edit: Gasp! I wonder if the guy in charge of their sailboat division was blind? http://sailboatdata.com/view_builder.asp?builder_id=117