This is about the time of year I perk up and pay attention to the various and sundry pre-boatshow press releases as there are usually some interesting bits of information on where boat design is going.
Take this new boat from Dufour…
It’s the smallest boat in the Dufour line which in itself is interesting but the inflatable transom thingy certainly caught my attention.
Whatever it is it is most certainly a bit out of the box and most certainly bears looking into.
By the way, I’m well aware that a new Dufour, no matter how small, is not going to be a potential VolksCruiser until it’s at least ten years older and on the used market. So, why the hell am I interested now?
Mostly mostly it’s all about new ideas. Boat shows are full of interesting features and (dare I say it?) cunning plans. Some wind up being pretty useless or dumb but a few are real improvements and a minute number become real game changers.
Offhand, I don’t think the inflatable transom thingy is a game changer but it is an out-of-the-box idea that could easily be reverse engineered, DIY’d, and retrofitted to a VolksCruiserish boat.
Which for me makes boat shows and the press releases leading up to them a wonderful source of ready to be purloined ideas that just might make a big difference in the performance or livability of your old classic plastic design.
Need I say more?