Houseboating Adventures - Issue 17 - (Page 51) deck level. This is then covered by an aluminum couch fabrication. The result is a yacht-like design element that also has an engineering purpose. By relocating the generator out of the hull, we are able to accommodate larger fuel tanks as well as providing more access to the engines for maintenance and repairs. On Serenity, we redesigned the couch fabrication so that it hinges forward exposing the complete generator. This makes maintenance, repairs or even removal of the generator extremely easy. Serenity also introduced actuation refinements to existing Desert Shore innovations. Most of our recent boats include an anchor drawer which slides out from under the front deck in between the cat hulls. On Serenity the drawer is actuated so that it extends and retracts with the push of a button. Similarly we have on several boats incorporated actuated chest freezers which rise out of the hull through a hatch in or near the kitchen. On Serenity the actuation mechanisms were refined and improved. HBA: How is Serenity different from Little Tahiti? DS: Both boats reflect the personality of their owners. Serenity was intended to be sleek and understated, whereas Tahiti was intended to be sporty and sexy. When we initially began the Serenity project I specifically wanted to do something different from Tahiti, while retaining some of the fundamental design ideas that had been incorporated into Tahiti, namely the front deck net sculpturing and the introduction of curvature into the cabin and arch lines. There are also some common elements which are signature Desert Shore items, such as the upperdeck bridge-wings and bow rails. The owner of Serenity liked what we had done with Tahiti, but he of course wanted to create his own look and produce a vessel that was distinct. We used Tahiti as a starting point, and the owner conveyed to me what he did and didn’t like about it. He wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted, but he knew he would know it when he saw it. Fortunately I had a large backlog of ideas that I wanted to try so I started incorporated them into trial designs. After that, it was just a matter of going through the process of making conceptual drawings and digital models, of design iterations and revisions, until we finally stumbled upon a look that satisfied the owner’s vision. Many of both boats’ architectural fabrications are similar, but Serentity’s benefit from being second-generation and are therefore more stylized. All of the edges on Tahiti are soft and round, whereas Serenity is composed mostly of hard and beveled edges. Tahiti has a lot of open railings on the aft-facing decks where Serenity’s are completely enclosed. Visually, Tahiti is more rear-heavy due to the sweeping "whale tail" arch. Serenity’s owner wanted a simpler, lighter look. To be honest, a lot of design effort on Serenity went into the attempt to hide or otherwise mitigate the sheer ugliness of the upper deck cabin. I had always wanted to build a boat with a roof cabin (this was our first), but had been hesitant to do so because an upper deck cabin is nearly impossible to integrate into a )6B@" A05("%C&5AB9&@ cohesive design. I think the traditional builders can pull it off because they are building boxes anyway, and I suppose one could consider it cohesive to place a box on a box, but in our case, where we are trying to produce a yacht-like vessel, it was a difficult proposition. The interiors are a study in contrasts. With Tahiti the owners went with an island theme complemented by rustic faux finishes and plantation style motifs. The boat is laid out with a traditional but massive front salon for group entertaining. Serenity’s interior could only be classified as minimalist, with a very Scandinavian feel to it. The kitchen/salon is in the rear, with a small lounge located in the front driving area. The idea was to produce more intimate gathering places and not force everybody to congregate in one large room. Both interiors accomplish their intended goals nicely. HBA: How much input do your customers give you when you are designing their ultra-custom houseboat? DS: Because we are ultra-custom, we exist solely as an alternative for individuals who want a houseboat-type vessel that they can’t get from a production builder. A production builder gives their customer many choices, but they do not design and engineer a unique vessel from scratch for every customer. It is the nature of this niche to allow an owner a controlling interest in not only the interior, but also the unique exterior of his vessel. So, in a sense, each of our clients leases our business operation and all of its talent, equipment, and experience for the duration of the project. While it is true that we often have to remind our clients of the current limitations of physics and engineering, we do try to cater to every reasonable and possible request. That said, we are also acutely aware that the reputation of Desert Shore is on the line with every project that we undertake. My job is to diplomatically exert a balancing force on the project to insure that the Desert Shore portfolio is not tarnished by an illadvised design. In practice, most of our customers realize that this is our field of expertise and, while they may have strong impressions of what they want to do, they mainly rely on us to create the final, practical rendition of that vision.
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