IDEATION

A shepherd's guide to concept-yacht design

- JAY COYLE

SEE ANY LASTING S trends in yacht design, Coyle?" an industry pal asked me recently.

¶ "It's hard to tell," I said. I had high hopes that the "dream it, and we will build it" period of concept-yacht creations would flush out something that would stick to the wall, but looking different is beginning to look the same, I suggested, adding, "It's the Dolly effect," a reference to the cloned sheep from two decades ago. 

¶ Back then, I wrote about my challenge in finding Hinckley Yachts at the Fort Lauderdale boat show ("Clone Craft," October 2002). As I descended the ramp, the builder's iconic Picnic Boat was surrounded by a flock of lookalikes. It was as though the Picnic Boat had been cloned.