|
“Only the wisest
and the stupidest of men never change.” While Confucius may have
confounded more than a few people with this seemingly contradictory statement,
it actually makes a lot of sense. In fact, when it comes to the megayacht
market, it applies more than you may realize. In reference to the wisest
men never changing, there’s something to be said for consistency—the
builders and designers whose names appear over and over again on the following
pages have certainly proven that. Yet it’s foolish to believe that
one can continue on in business or in life in general without changing.
Whether it’s the need to remain competitive or the desire to satisfy
curiosity, change happens.
• We here at Power
& Motoryacht have known that for a while, but we became even more
aware of it while preparing this, our 20th edition of the largest American-owned
yachts. Consider the following:
• In 1985 there
were only five yachts measuring more than 150 feet on our list. Ten years
later there were 18. Today the entire list is in that range—larger,
actually, as the “smallest” yacht measures 151 feet and a handful
of inches.
• In 1986 the 125-foot
Lady Alice raised more than a few eyebrows, as she was the largest
all-aluminum yacht to date. The so-called prevailing wisdom of the time
dictated steel as the hull material for yachts in that size range and
up. These days, however, no one so much as blinks at the thought, given
the success of yachts like the 11-year-old, 192-foot Ronin (see
no. 23)—or the all-fiberglass, 12-year-old, 161-foot Discovery
(see no. 74).
Hmm. It’s no wonder
some other wise soul came up with a statement akin to that of Confucius:
Change is good.
Without further ado,
here are “America’s 100 Largest Yachts.”
KEY: Y=year
launched (where two dates are given, the last is a refit date); B=builder;
N=naval architect; H=hull material; E=engines
Next
page > 1. Rising Sun > Page 1, 2,
3, 4,
5, 6,
7,
8,
9, 10,
11, 12
|