Houseboating Adventures - Issue 17 - (Page 49) vessels for all of Australia, New Zealand, and possibly even Southeast Asia and Japan. Until that day comes – if it comes - the Gold Coast itself is a great market in which to start. DSY Downunder recently commenced construction of its first vessel - a 60’ x 20’ simplified version of our "Little Tahiti" vessel which retains all of the curves and yacht-styling elements of the original. The vessel will debut at a Gold Coast boat show in May 2008. HBA: How important is the overseas market to your future and why? DS: I‘m of the belief that houseboating will continue to change and evolve as the rest of the world becomes aware of and gains access to the houseboat type vessel. I am constantly shocked and mildly pleased to discover that the American-style houseboat has become an icon to so many people in other countries. I’m not sure if this can be attributed to the explosion of the internet or to affordable travel, but I do know that there are many people in other countries who see our (American) houseboats and want them. I am convinced that the next success story within our industry will be written by those who figure out an effective and cost efficient way to meet that demand. The catamaran nature of the Desert Shore houseboat makes it naturally attractive to overseas markets. In the case of our Australian connection, we were originally contacted by them due to the fact that we incorporate a catamaran hull design and because our exterior styling appeals to their sensibilities as a nation whose population is concentrated along the seacoast and is in constant contact with yachts. We have received similar inquiries from Dubai, where our web presence and the nature of our product has generated sufficient interest for me to make three visits, although no formal alliance has been established. In both cases, I was told that our hull’s inherent stability and the fact that it can be easily modified for protected seawater service made it the only viable houseboat product for their market. Consequently, overseas expansion is of paramount importance to Desert Shore. HBA: Serenity is a very expensive houseboat at a million dollars. Do you imagine building a two or three million dollar houseboat in the future? What would it be like? DS: To be fair, your readers should know that at least one manufacturer who makes houseboats (among other vessels) has already broken through the $2m to $3m houseboat threshold. There was a day when I could not even imagine a $400k or $500k houseboat, but the industry has since arrived at that plateau because customer expectation and inflation have dictated those terms, and neither of these forces has a tendency to decline. I can very easily imagine a Desert Shore houseboat in $3m range, and I spend a great deal of time evolving concepts and drawings for such a vessel. My conception of such a vessel is that it would: )6B@" A05("%C&5AB9&@
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