Houseboating Adventures - Issue 18 - (Page 46)

HBA: What are the exclusive innovations that appear on Mane Decision? SH: Mane Decision has many curved walls, European glass showers, mother of pearl decorative walls, Brazilian Lipe wood exterior floors, horseshoe granite upper bar, 100 sq. foot mister ring system. And the big innovation for the interior was the 10 scene Lutron system which reduces over 100 switches on the walls by controlling most of the lights to "scenes". HBA: How is Mane Decision different from all other current designs? SH: The hull was designed more with a yacht appearance with the front bow to the painted side walls, the interior is all veneered with some very high end wall paper coverings, large diesel engines, a 45 KW generator, 15 inch hydraulic thrusters, and curved walls everywhere. HBA: What specific high tech features does Mane Decision possess? SH: The boat has a 20 mile radar system, complete electronic diesel engines with computer monitoring, 10 scene Lutron lighting system for the hundreds of lights on the boat, extensive underwater thru hull lights, and many more features hard to list in this article. HBA: What is the most unusual new item or thing that is used on Mane Decision? SH: Probably the most unusual item is the 6 foot bronze horse statue that is lit up on the back upper deck. Everyone stops to see the boat with the horse. Plus the mother of pearl curved wall. HBA: Are the development of alternative or supplemental energy sources such as solar panels, or the use of hybrid technology being used or implemented in your models? SH: We do install and or prewire frequently for solar panels and occasionally a wind generator system. The demand for this is continuing to grow. HBA: How important will fuel and energy economy be to houseboats in the next decade? How is Thoroughbred planning for these changes? SH: $100 oil barrel price is of concern but remember, houseboats are not like cruisers that run around all day and can use many more gallons of fuel. With the new technology in inverters and solar panels, you can spend many fun hours on the water without consuming much (while inverting) fuel. HBA: What percentages of your customers get information or begin their buying process with you online? SH: How important is this computerized shopping to Thoroughbred? Probably half 30-40 percent of the customers first see Thoroughbred on line. So computers are important, but the best source is still word of mouth on the dock. HBA: What is the average age of your customers? Has this trend gotten younger or older over the past four years? SH: Average age is probably about 50. Sometimes we see a group of younger folks and then olde,r so I don’t see a specific trend. HBA: What has surprised you the most about the houseboating industry? SH: The complexity of houseboats and problems and issues that can arise in building those houseboats. We are not a production builder so we allow the customer to be totally creative. This brings new innovation but also many potential problems. As a current customer says, Below Left: The six foot tall bronze sculpture of Mane Decision. Note the Mother of Pearl background. Other photos: The beautiful custom cherry interior of Mane Decision features curved walls covered with real veneer, new yacht style ceiling that is a "bricked" patch work style which has a tremendous look over traditional stripped ceilings. )6B@" A05("%C&5AB9&@

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Houseboating Adventures - Issue 18

Houseboating Adventures - Issue 18 Editor's Desk Desert Ritual River Dream Boatel 2007 Top Houseboating Accessories 2007 Impact Design of the Year 2007 Comeback Company of the Year Florida A-Z The Perfect Florida Houseboat Under Thirty Feet? Adventure Guide

Houseboating Adventures - Issue 18

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