The ultra rich will tell you, if it floats, flies or f****, you rent it. The 3 Fs rule.

Its an ego thing, its like people who run for President. Boats in the 200ft and down range are a dime a dozen in certian ports, so to show off there financial muscle they want something that stands out.

Paul Allen or Steve Jobs I forget but one has several in the 200ft+ range. Most of the guys that own the really big boats own a few.

That would be Paul. He’s the owner of the 415‘ (I think) “Octopus”.

And let’s not forget 756AF and 757AF. His two custom Boeing 757s.

Envy...is a ugly thing.............:o

I don't think Jobs is a mega yacht kind guy. You might be thinking of Larry Ellison, CEO and founder of Oracle, Ellison, besides being a supreme a-hole is a mega yacht kind of guy
See photo

Or maybe they are trying to fill some void in their life, or something. These yachts make me think that there is such a thing as being too rich. Here's a link to a site talking about Paul Allen's yachts: http://www.yachtcrew-cv.com/paulallen.htm

His yacht, Octopus, is the world's largest yacht. It has front and rear helicopters, seven tenders, a submarine, and other goodies. That's the fun part. The more troubling part is that it has a safe room and a full-time security detail that includes several former Navy Seals to protect him from pirates, or something. So, he gets to go around at leisure, consuming and polluting at a rate that the rest of us can't even comprehend, but he needs Navy Seals to keep himself safe. Seems frivolous to me.

Yep.

I like the sailboat but think that Allens boat would be much more practical for my lifestyle. :D

can I have both?

If you had $20B you could!:D

Octopus would be a great place for a massive Playboy party...:D

Dude, spare me. You don't have a clue about what animates my thinking on this topic.

You're not talking about good ol' boy Ellison, are you?

I'll be you're one of those spoil-sports who didn't want him to land or take off in his jet at 3 am at the San Jose airport.

I worked on a house across the street from his in Woodside. I forget the exact street but it was south of Roberts Mkt, the street that Canada Rd. would turn into. Had a huge billboard-like sign at the gate (w/ guard shack, manned 24/7 I was told) saying NO SOLICITATION, NO UNAUTHORIZED VISITORS, and so on.

I went by there a few weeks ago and the sign is no longer there. Maybe he sold it. Hard to imagine him acquiring taste and class all of a sudden.

Watch out. Hitching your star to a fount of cluelessness.

Really cheap over-simplification. There is a large gap between what we humans can do, and what we ought to do, that is if we had any concern for the ability of our planet to continue supporting future generations.

Plenty, I mean plenty of signs that our runaway consumerism and gee-gaw happiness are doing serious harm to the planet. Signs available to be seen by those who don't hide behind such quaint, knee-jerk labeling such as, "oh poor fellow, he's just envious." :rolleyes:

Is it your billions they are spending? If so, get a gun. If not, STFU.

B

Well put!

Especially since we have a few threads of our own, wailing about how others are unfairly measuring our financial clout based on the MB(s) we drive!

Its all realitive. $50k MB, or $50m boat...

I wonder how many people are employed by the luxury yatch industry.

I'm glad to see billionaires spending astrobucks on homes, boats and cars I know a construction laborer that has been working at the same house under construction for two years with the promise of being promoted to hired hand when it is completed. If I recall correctly CMAC has benefited from people spending big bucks on big homes.

I'm no economist, but what you say makes sense to me. Maybe it's good for the rest of us that these guys spend the way they do. I just wonder why someone wants to have all that stuff. Seems like there would be better, more satisfying ways to spend the money.

pfft I rent his boat as a tug for my yacht


yacht.. such a funny word

STFU!? Oh dear, did our alpha dog's territory get invaded? No doubt you use this sort of repartee with your associates, I'm sure this isn't a case of internet courage.

I'm sorry, I forgot that money changed hands on this deal -- therefore the sacred cash flow Gods have given their imprimatur to this magnificent vessel.

Most all of the major religions inveigh strongly against greed. Some schools of zen makes it the first priority: "First, abandon greed." His business? To an extent.

Somebody else's money you say? Funny you should mention, the CFO of Walmart is pissed that the CEO and even the COO have bigger yachts than him AND more vacation homes. He's working on a deal right now that will confiscate your home and the 40 closest to it for use as a parking lot for their new super store. What's that, your grandfather built the house and you're fond of the orange trees in your backyard? We don't care!! There's millions to be made here, me bucko.

Dude, we're looking like a super-sized, high tech version of the Easter Island guys trying to outdo each other with bigger and better statues, and heading in a similar direction. Some aspects, many in fact, of activity on earth are a zero sum game. We've got young men getting their limbs blown off right now to facilitate the regular supply of petro so asshats can build and operate floating monuments to the size (imagined) of their penis.

I wonder what kind of yacht the prick who's poisoning the land I love up in Washington state with his bleapin' cyanide leech pit gold mine has his eye on? I'll bet it's a Doozy!! Is this a great country or what?

I worked on luxury homes, it's true, and I had no desire to get in the owner's face and hold forth on the folly of their spending habits. It did make me wonder though. I saw major quantities of bd. feet of mahogany go into 20,000 sq. ft. homes to be lived in by 2 people and a maid. And God only knows how many tanker trunks of gas were required to hoist the materials and laborers up there for some 3 to 4 years.

I don't see the employment of people on some project as being the ultimate test of its worthiness. There are plenty of more deserving projects in the world languishing for want of funds.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if I can drum some of those funds up for just one such worthy project.

To the contrary, iirc, you claimed the man who held all of the medical patents was a fine person, while his son was a pos. No sense on heaping scorn on Perkins for building a yacht though--wwcmacdo?

dculkin--have you seen waterline pics or just the one in the article posted? I think it is a handsome ship--keeping in mind it isn't a cruiser, racer or gunkholer, ect.....



And why is this all the sudden a big deal--the boat splashed over a year ago and was big debate at the boat yards then....

rule #1 for success

Relieve people of their money and make them feel good about it.

The richer they are the happier you will be.

It's not a test of worthiness, is a test of how fast can the guy put the money back into play.

I looked at the photos in the original link and in a link or two posted by others in this thread. Nobody ever accused me of having good taste, but I just don't like that boat. If it works well for a particular purpose, then looks don't really matter, but I am unclear on the purpose of that boat. I think they went overboard, so to speak.

All goes back to the adage about beauty being in the eye of the beholder.

B

Couldn't agree more. :D

He was a fine guy in many ways, IMHO, though the guy had some serious limitations (unlike present company, of course). I liked him but I did wonder at the wisdom of his choices.

He wasn't the only rich guy I worked for. A quick count yields 10 or so homes in the 10,000 + sq. ft. category.

Most of them were not so admirable as the Doctor. But oh well, they didn't ask for my approval. One couple that was very likable remodeled a 4,000 sq.ft. house in Pacific Heights, the tony part of SF. Incredible place, the lady had been traveling Europe for years picking out pieces for it. It was my first big job in SF and my first day, I installed a cabinet from France, circa early 1800s. It was sort of a chest for a kitchen, waist high, drawers below. It wouldn't fit up against the wall because there was a big bow along the entire back, so that each end was about 3/4s of an inch from the wall.

There I was, attacking the back of this priceless antique with a power hand planer. :eek: Worked out OK.

These people had a crew party about a year later when all was complete. It was catered and had valet parking. All the subs were invited too -- Mexican guys who could barely speak the language and all of us. The man owned controlling interest in 2 hospitals. Both he and his wife were quite obese, not morbidly so but in that direction. Odd, being in the health care field and all.

A couple of years later -- they sold it! She said it had just gotten to be too much to take care of. It was 4 stories, had an elevator, and she had help, of course, but the size got to her.

I wonder if the doctor, in a house with about 4 times the sq. footage ever gets that feeling.

There is a lot to be said for that, I'll grant you. People who get comfy on top of their pile of loot don't do the greater world that many favors.

It's a tough one. Trying to regulate what people are or are not allowed to spend their money on would involve major gnashing of teeth and probably wouldn't work anyway.

I do think, though that societies pay a price for devoting too much labor and capital on foolish pursuits. Nailing down what is foolish and what is not is the tough part.

Actualy there is a big shortage of good crew for these yachts. Without a college education you can go to one of the crew schools and get paid like $30k-$50k maybe a lot more right away. Most expenses are paid, you get to see most of the world, and live a lot on a boat.

Captians usualy make $1k per ft per year, up until a certian point, probably in the 200ft range then it varies. Roger Penske pays his captain like $350k.

People make good money off these boats.

I dont like big houses.. I can't stand big open spaces.. I get scared.

Just give me a big ass warehouse to store all of my toys and car collection and put a second story like in the middle with windows looking all around so I can look out and gaze at my acres and acres of my cars and toys

Everybody but the owners.......

May want to ask cmac, cause he worked for it in the '70s in NOLA.;):D

Doesn't much get past you. Oh Lord that was a torturous job. I forget exactly but I could only last about 3 months -- the fiberglass itch was driving me nuts.

It was a small company. They had two main models -- a 36 footer and a 45 footer, both sailboats.

Blech
 

That first ship is goofy. Give me one of these two:

The Kruzenshtern
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...remerhaven.jpg
I saw this ship in person at the pier in New Bedford, MA. Absolutely ENORMOUS. Largest sailing vessel in world, I believe.

The Sagres II
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ortuguesa..jpg
Saw this ship in Fall River, MA when I was younger. Beautiful ship, the brasswork is amazing, and I love the sails. This ship was also constructed by Blohm+Voss in Hamburg, and saw some stuff about it. It was formerly called the Alberto Leo Schlageter.

...in the nude.

Please see my thread on this same boat. I've come to much more charitable opinion.

I read a biography of Jim Clark, the guy who started SGI and later Netscape. He was into these megayachts, too. I'm sure he knows this guy. It's entertaining to watch a pissin' contest between guys who have way too much money and still feel the need to prove something to everyone around them.

I did and reversed mine;):)