Amazing

[Greg Guimond]

http://www.ronsusser.com/inventory/listing/hand-crafted-25-foot-mahogany-wood-v-bottom-runabout-boat-505-hp/

[Morgan's Cloud]

I don't think I'd be able to handle the amount of attention that thing would get whenever you took it out .

[woobs]

I love wood boats and I love performance boats. This boat does nothing for me...

I have seen many, many nicer looking wood performance boats. The builder may think there's not any others similar in concept currently being built however, in reality there are several. Just look at some of the Van Dam creations. (This actually looks like a poor copy of Don Don - a Van Dam design). Clarion Boats have been building their Gr25 for about 10 years which is also a V bottom. The last of which was just finished in 2017 (owner retired) with a 6.2 350Hp motor. With a V drive, without tabs or strakes it also does almost 60mph and again looks far nicer inside and out (it also won about a dozen awards last year at just a handful of boat shows). Other pics below show a boat built by Tumblehome Boatworks... yes, another deep - V. Now, Kavalk boats is almost the same except they use fiberglass/Kevlar hulls with wooden decks... and have been building boats like this for over 30 years. Although their new Kavalk 25' Adriatic boat is mostly sold as a super yacht tender, it will do 75mph and seats 6 but, cost is back up to $225,000 (but, that's in Canadian dollars so take a discount if you're an American :) )

lastly, my 1972 18' wood boat has a 20* deadrise and it's design first saw water in 1968. In 1974 the same company had a 22' boat with a 20* deadrise and a SBF V8 that would push 60mph. So, nothing revolutionary there and both of those boat look nicer than this one does for near $ 300,000. Hell, you can buy my woody for $ 30,000 (only does 50 mph) and with the $ 265,000 you save, you can get into a real performance boat that will go more than 20 mph faster than that. But, I suppose somebody likes the style... Wonder why it hasn't sold?

[Morgan's Cloud]

Those things are stunning !

[Dreworr123]

Reminds me of this Van Dam
86438

[lars]

Reminds me of this Van Dam
86438

The photos of this 25' indicate that Bregher's designs are still lacking in refinement and just even the basic sleekness is non-existing. Saw his 31' at the Los Angeles Boat Show in 2002 and it was troubling to say the least. Won't even elaborate here on All that was wrong with it, but then we all got to start somewhere. If I had to bet on a potentially significant progress since then or not, well I would put All my money on no progress. Now the Alpha Z by Van Dam is a different story and so are many of the brands that Sean so nicely presented. Saw the Alpha Z the first time at the Lake Tahoe Concours d'Elegance back in 1999 and didn't know of Van Dam Custom Boats at that time. I remember sitting by her and then taking steps around the dock to take in all the design elements. The attention to detail was out of this World and though the building technique of the hull, at that time, by far had been exceeded already 10 years prior by ex. World Offshore Racing Champion Steve Baum, it was similar in many ways. Baum had used a very complex technique of wood veneers and synthetic strengthening composites that were of equal if not even better quality than Dennis Conner's Americas Cup winning catamaran in 1987. The Alpha Z was 32'9" and now Van Dam is building a 34'9" called the Victoria Z and she's 2 feet longer and a twin screw boat. This girl will be a remarkable beauty: http://www.vandamboats.com/exotic-wood-speed-boat?tiles=hide

[Ghost]

Interesting thoughts. Looked it over again to make sure I understood my negative reaction to the aesthetics. To my eye, it really comes down to the grain and even the color of the deck. Just seems ill-suited to a boat. My sense is the shapes are fine, in fact quite pleasing to the eye, but would benefit greatly from some more traditional smaller grain, planking or something. They did a lot of work to achieve the wood look they got, I just think it misses. And a little more hardware would look good I think. It’s a little too clean if you ask me.

It’s really very similar to some of the Van Dam boats I’ve seen, but their grain is subtler and the finish a good bit darker.

I’d also bet it looks better in person. Somehow I feel like the pics aren’t helping.

(I know I don’t love it—that’s my best take on why my eye wasn’t more pleased.)

[woobs]

I agree that hardware (aka, jewelry on a wood boat) would help this design. Don't get me wrong. I applaud the attempt.... anytime a deep - V woody performance boat is nearby, it has my attention. I suppose I was mostly miffed at the sales spiel touting this to be the only design of it's kind (while it's clearly a copy)... and given its $295,000 price tag it looks poorly designed. The bow and interior remind me of the Don Don as an unimaginative copy. Lars is correct with the stern comparison to the 1998 Alpha Z and the under construction Victoria Z but again, it's not a good copy.

I don't mind the grain and stain colour. Not what I might pick but, I understand the choice. Honduras mahogany is very, very expensive and is really not used much anymore, while African mahogany is the common replacement. Having said that, when planking with African mahogany you need to go through a lot of lumber if you want a tight consistent grain and blemish free surface. As it's still expensive, most people will just use what they cut, only discarding the most obvious of blemishes. It really does show when you look at the finished product. Also it takes some skill to get a great finish and the Alexander looks rushed.

The overall lines of this boat are fine. I find the shaped detail from the foredeck running into the coaming sticks out, and not in a good way. The dash looks really cheap and no attempt has been made to blend it with the console (which looks to be an afterthought) or the rest of the interior. This looks like a first attempt to make a modern luxury woody and I would have hoped that the builder had learned some lessons from 2009 (unless this was the only boat they built but, it's not) or, from their 2006 31'er. I am no marine architect or engineer but, I absolutely do not understand the strakes on the Alexander boats. In my layman experience, if it don't look right... its probably not.

My bottom line: It sure ain't the only boat of this type. It ain't even close to the best boats of this type and, there's no way it worth anything close to the $295,000 they think it is. It is an uncommon boat, a distinct style and with some design revisions and better aesthetic choices, it could be a viable production alternative to the unique exotic boats it attempts to copy (if the price reflected what this boat truly is).

Here's the Victoria Z build.... absolute porn. http://www.vandamboats.com/exotic-wood-speed-boat

Pics: Victoria Z and Alexander strake layout

[lars]

Alexander, as I earlier mentioned, was having an almost complete 31' 'concept' boat at the Los Angeles Boat Show in 2002, but did not finish it 'till 2009 in Washington State. This prototype 31' is the only one made and it's been offered at prices fluctuating between $500k-&700k over the years. The 25' was also done in 2009 at the shop in WA and both are now still for sale as almost new. Asking price for the 25' has been between $275k and $395k. I never seen them run or any video of them running. The sales photos for the 31' shows it at decent speed, so hopefully it runs OK. Here's a link to a long ad that has been posted at different places over the years: https://www.ronsusser.com/inventory/listing/hand-crafted-31-foot-mahogany-wood-v-bottom-runabout-boat-900-hp/
After having moved from SoCal to Washington State, next door to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, the competition from StanCraft there must have made it impossible for Mr. Raymond Alexander Bregher to compete. The StanCraft boats are not built to the same standard they were 15 years ago, but they are still nice boats with a brand name that has a long respected history. Van Dam Custom Boats is currently pretty much the only true high end, custom, 'wooden', larger runabout builder in the U.S. and one has to buy for example a Swiss Boesch wood ski-boat to get something that is finished to a higher quality, refinement and better running characteristics than a Van Dam boat. The Swedish J-Craft boats are no longer made unfortunately and they imho were, especially towards the end, a small step up in quality from Van Dam.

P.S. If anybody finds a well taken care of 32' Steve Baum built Xylem Classique I would love to know about it. A handsome finders fee to be expected ;)
Article about the Xylem Classique: https://books.google.com/books?id=NInY5GUWdX0C&lpg=RA1-PA110&dq=%22baum%22%20boat%20xylem&pg=RA1-PA70#v=onepage&q=%22baum%22%20boat%20xylem&f=false
A few other links of interest maybe; StanCraft boats: http://stancraftboats.com/news/2016/stancraft-wood-boats-classic-and-curvacious
Boesch Boats of Switzerland: https://www.boesch-classic-boats.ch/
D.S.

[lars]

StanCraft boat video(ladies 'till 1m45sec. then boat in action): https://vimeo.com/232571726

[lars]

Can't believe it's only possible to have one video link in each posting now :(

A Swedish J-Craft video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7bWZkXM7_s

[lars]

J-Craft video number 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-Fixli1fyw

[lars]

Boesch Boats of Switzerland video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxlvnX0wj9M

[woobs]

I don't know Alexander Boats too well however, their 31' Stella Nova V-31 was on the cover of the DuPont registry in February 2006. As shown in your link.
Also a quick look through the pictures from their factory (also on your link) show at least 4 boats seen in one picture. (presumably 25'ers.) So they have made more than 2 boats that didn't sell.

Stancraft IS a nice boat but, there are actually quite a few North American (US and Canada) manufacturers of large wooden custom boats to choose from besides the Swedish manufacturers. Imho; the Swedish J-Craft looks very much like a modernized and possibly better version of a RIVA (Riva is still made in Italy). A nice US production boat example would be the Hacker-Craft Racer.

[woobs]

It's also odd (to me) to see the name J-Craft Boats without thinking of the fiberglass J-Craft ski boats that started production in Canada in the 1960's (still built today).
These are near flat bottom 17' & 19' boats that came with mostly outboard power but, I/O and jet drives were also common. In Muskoka, Ontario (the nirvana of waterskiing in Canada) back in the 1970's these were THE ski boat to have. J-Craft even made a special Wood deck promotional boat!

The Swedish J-Craft look to be beautiful boats but, so not what I expect when I hear the name... Lol.

[yeller]

I’m not really a wood boat guy...........but if I had the cash my next boat would be a Van Dam.
Love their boats.

[lars]

It's also odd (to me) to see the name J-Craft Boats without thinking of the fiberglass J-Craft ski boats that started production in Canada in the 1960's (still built today).
These are near flat bottom 17' & 19' boats that came with mostly outboard power but, I/O and jet drives were also common. In Muskoka, Ontario (the nirvana of waterskiing in Canada) back in the 1970's these were THE ski boat to have. J-Craft even made a special Wood deck promotional boat!

The Swedish J-Craft look to be beautiful boats but, so not what I expect when I hear the name... Lol.

Really like those little J-Craft ski boats. No wonder they were The choice of the ones in the knowing back in the day. As far as the 2006 DuPont Registry February article about the Alexander Stella Nova V-31, it mentions that the V-31 will be ready for June 2006 delivery, but as we now know, (the prototype, the only 31 made), did not get done for delivery 'till 3 years later, in 2009. The 25'-s in the photos are being built, but supposedly only one got finished and is the one for sale now. Agree that StanCraft IS a nice boat, but I claim that 10 years ago it was more than nice. As far as the Van Dam boats, I usually like the sportier ones along the line of the Michael Peters' designed Z performance models the best, but most Van Dam boats bring a lot of unique new design elements to the custom market. Riva Boats under Carlos Riva was a treat, but though I like some of their newer models, they are only a fraction of what they used to be 40 years ago. The Boesch boats have had the highest quality of all wooden boats for more than 30 years now and they were always among the top 3 in most boaters opinion. Back to the rare Xylem Boats by American, Offshore World Chamion, the late Steve Baum. This article describes his technology in boatbuilding and how he applied it to designing and making the most incredible baseball bats produced: https://www.baumbat.com/aboutus.asp
Here's the 23' short version of his 32' original Xylen Classique design. It was built for Larry Ellison of Oracle fame and was a tender on his yacht he had back in the 1990's. It cost $560,000 plus back in 1988! Twin Steyr diesels.
Kindest regards, Lars.

[woobs]

I’m not really a wood boat guy...........but if I had the cash my next boat would be a Van Dam.
Love their boats.
Van Dam boats are usually one-offs.... unique. If money were no object I'd have them build me a copy of a proven 24'-ish offshore hull, then pack it with a luxury interior and a V10.
One of my favourite Van Dam builds is "Pretty Pattie" which was an original John Hacker design massaged by Van Dam.

[FarPoint]

Anyone heard of Mayea Boat and Aircraft in Fairhaven, MI? I was at their facility several years ago. Not sure if they’re still in business, and I certainly am not a great judge of wood building techniques, but there was some gorgeous boats at the factory, any the have done some notable restorations.

[woobs]

...The Boesch boats have had the highest quality of all wooden boats for more than 30 years now and they were always among the top 3 in most boaters opinion. Back to the rare Xylem Boats by American, Offshore World Chamion, the late Steve Baum. ...

The term "Highest Quality" is a difficult moniker to assign to any manufacturer as there are so many small builders that are not known on a worldwide scale. Peter Breen Boats is such a builder that has a reputation as the "best of the best" in the restoration of classic woodies (He charges likewise) and also builds small numbers of their own designs to exacting standards and top quality. Their restorations, reproductions and new builds have won a tonne of awards all over North America although he is not a "world" player, or a large production company like Riva or Hacker. Unfortunately, most of their builds are that antique style (that's where the market $$$ around here are) But, if you want to pay, I'm sure they'd build anything you want and you would get a top quality boat. http://www.breenboats.com/index.html

When you get to spending this kind of $cratch on any boat, the attention to detail had better be there. Van Dam is great at showing their attention to detail but, by no means do they have a monopoly on it. I had never heard of Boesch Boats before and I'll take your word they are top quality (it looks like it). At the end of the day we all have reasons why we prefer one manufacturer or product over another (some people even like Baja) and it is true of many, many products. To me, that's part of the spice of life. In my estimation, to start there are just two main categories... quality products (I would buy) and not so quality products ( I would not buy). The shades of qualitative assessment in each category are irrelevant. It's a pretty big filter that narrows down evaluations which depend on a myriad of other features for a final decision.... and I don't judge others by their decisions. Personally, I'd never own a Dodge car or truck but, that's just me! Lol

[woobs]

Anyone heard of Mayea Boat and Aircraft in Fairhaven, MI? I was at their facility several years ago. Not sure if they’re still in business, and I certainly am not a great judge of wood building techniques, but there was some gorgeous boats at the factory, any the have done some notable restorations.

Looks to still be in business... http://www.mayeaboats.com/mayscraft.htm
Some nice looking boats there!

[Berger]

Hey Lars Larry Ellisons boat,"tender"has been for sale off and on for the past year in the San Francisco area.

[lars]

Got to agree with You 100%. Btw, this Peter Breen seem to be as talented with wood as they come. Many nice boats he's been involved with.

And yes, Ellison's boat, T/T Izanami, just sold a few weeks ago, finally. With twin diesels it was way to heavy and short for me, but the quality of

the build must have been insane.

Mvh Lasse

[SKnies]

Looks to still be in business... http://www.mayeaboats.com/mayscraft.htm
Some nice looking boats there!

Yes. The Mayea brothers are still in business. They rebuilt my brothers Chris Craft Cutlass last year and did a great job. Really nice guys.