In the eye of the beholder?

[Skipper599]

Yes, I'm sure it is a "purpose built" vessel - more than likely employed in the fishing industry. I've seen thousands of fishing boats over the years, some of them had classic lines and end up becoming somebody's cruising dream boat. Somehow, I can't see this thing ending its service life as such.

Which poses the question: Is there such a thing as an UGLY boat? - personally, I believe this has to be the number one contender for the title of "Ugliest Boat Ever" without exception. It is as broad as it is long, with an almost flat hull. But just take a look at the size of the wheel house would you? It is the full width of this square box. What on earth would this boat be used for?

[Rachel]

What on earth would this boat be used for?

I went to look in the documentation records, just to see what it said, but there were quite a few "Tridents." Do you know her hailing port (or even general home area)?

[Skipper599]

Well, as I said Rachel, I saw this vessel in Port Townsend WA. but, it could just as easily hail from Oregon or Alaska. There was nothing on the transom to identify the hailing port.

Personnaly, it looked like something one might expect to see in a James Bond movie like "Tomorrow Never Dies" - -

[Rachel]

Well, as I said Rachel, I saw this vessel in Port Townsend WA.

Well that part must have been in invisible ink ;^)

But I got curious. It looks like it might be a fishing vessel, although I've sure never seen one just like that. I did find a Washington-based fishing company named Alaska Trident, with a vessel named "Trident," but didn't find any photos of it. It was listed as length 55', beam 17', made of steel. I can't really get a sense of scale on "your" boat though. I don't find it really ugly, but then I'm a sucker for workboats.

So anyway, I poked around a bit more and I did find some slightly similar fishing boats being designed by Macduff Ship Design Limited and/or built at Macduff Shipyards in the UK. Not that exact boat though. Still, these are interesting:













Some angles are almost fantastical looking:


Then too, I ran across these that I bet you will love ;) A pair of residential barges built by them to someone else's design.





http://www.macduffshipdesign.com/gallery.htm

http://www.macduffshipyards.co.uk/shipyards.html

[Skipper599]

Well, as I said Rachel, I saw this vessel in Port Townsend WA.

Well that part must have been in invisible ink ;^)

Ha ha ha. You're right Rachel - invisible ink it was for sure - - - I recall having to re-write this post when the originals "vanished" into the ether - twice - my comment about Port Townsend was in the original post performing the disappearing act.

[Skipper599]

Rachel, I clear forgot to thank you for the photo gallery of odd looking fishing vessels. They do indeed have some odd looking angles and even appear to be top heavy but, at least these vessels - however strange they may look to our critical eye - tend to show at least a smidgin of character - even the two residential barges. Maybe it's the black paint job on the Trident.

Hmmmmm - What do you suppose the difference might be, between a residential barge, and a house-boat? - I wonder. - Do you think there could be some kind of tax relief on barges vs homes?

Another comment lost with my original post was, - my photo of "Trident" made me think it was something one would expect to see in a James Bond movie such as the stealth ship they used in "Tomorrow Never Dies"

[Rachel]

Hmmmmm - What do you suppose the difference might be, between a residential barge, and a house-boat? - I wonder. - Do you think there could be some kind of tax relief on barges vs homes?

I don't know about tax angle(s), but perhaps a houseboat has some sort of propulsion (or did at some point, or is at least designed for it) whereas a barge is purposely not self-propelled - instead relying on some other vessel for propulsion? That would be my guess.

I think people do casually use the term "houseboat" for this-has-no-way-to-ever-move-on-its-own vessels, just to describe their function; but I don't know that I've ever heard anyone use "barge" for a vessel that could self-propel.

Rachel

PS: I've made many a mistake, "typo," or omission/redundant addition when for some reason I had to edit or re-type a document, so I understand how that happens.

[sscoll]

[img]KIYI.JPG[/img]

Don't know if this will show up, but I hope it does. The KIYI is an oddly proportioned vessel doing research on Lake Superior out of Ashland. Its kind of boxy as well, but purposeful in its design. I like seeing it, most of the time, except for one night when it overtook me with a lot of background lights on shore making me hard to see. A brief VHF exchange set that to rights.

[s/v Faith]

Long line boat? Fish come in the small rectangular opening in the stern?

[Crazer]

I don't think there's such a thing as an ugly boat, just a boring boat. The crime of being uninteresting is far greater than the crime of being ugly.

[SUNBIRD10201]

I suspect there is a Tax or other regulation that spawns these "weird" fishing vessels. Perhaps vessels under a certain length are exempt from some "expensive" regulation and these vessels are designed to get the maximum size in the minimum overall length?
The irony is that often it costs more to construct a vessel that exploits a loop-hole than it would have cost to pay the tax (or meet the requirement imposed) on a slightly larger length vessel.