In this day and age, there is no shortage of amazing boats out there. Sportboats of all shapes, sizes, makes and models make their way around the globe to do just what they were built to do. Or do they? Not all boats were built to do the same thing, and just looking at one on the water doesn’t tell the whole story. Beneath that shiny paint and rich varnish hides years of planning, multiple drafts of drawings, hours of handiwork, and decades of knowledge and experience.
This beautiful exterior is also wrapped around dozens of challenges, compromises and tough decisions that ultimately result in a finished product that we all admire from afar. A product that will carry the name of the builder—the one who poured his heart and soul into its creation—for a lifetime, thankfully, for an owner who also committed a huge amount of time and resources. Add in a crew who is now tasked with keeping her in the Bristol condition necessary to represent the effort and expense that it took to create such a formidable weapon. Two years shrunk down into a few sentences hardly does this massive undertaking justice.
VISIONS
All new builds begin in a similar way. At some point, before a single board hits the shop floor, there is a meeting where ideas are laid out and the wish list is expressed. Many times, these brain-storming sessions go on for months, and in my opinion, they should, especially