TT35 Day at the 'Sausage Factory'
By PETER SWANSON
Photos by your salesman, ERIC KRAFT
I was once quoted as saying that a visit to the Great Harbour manufacturing plant was like visiting a sausage factory. I'm sure I said it, but the truth is more general. Boat factories are factories; they're not medical centers. We're all making sausage, to be judged not by looking behind the bay door at a particular moment in time, but what comes out through it on delivery day.
At the moment the factory is humming, and three of Great Harbour's nicely spicey TT35 trailerables are moving closer to completion. One is ready to pop from the mold to be finished for the next customer who submits a downpayment. The other two, Hulls 9 and 10, are a lot closer to the door. Below are some very recent photos from the factory, complete with sawdust, glass dust, plastic masking and cut-off ends of cable ties as garnishes.
For anyone interested in Hull No. 12, word is that it could be delivered within five months for a price of $310,000 "typically outfitted," meaning stuff you really want to have such as air-conditioning, bow thruster, interior blinds package, cockpit cushions, autopilot (but no radar or AIS), solar package and bottom paint. A trailer bumps it up to $322,000. (For the record: Base price is $279,900.) If some one beats you to Hull 12, you'd have to figure six months for delivery of the next boat instead. (See price sheet at the bottom of the page.)
By PETER SWANSON
Photos by your salesman, ERIC KRAFT
I was once quoted as saying that a visit to the Great Harbour manufacturing plant was like visiting a sausage factory. I'm sure I said it, but the truth is more general. Boat factories are factories; they're not medical centers. We're all making sausage, to be judged not by looking behind the bay door at a particular moment in time, but what comes out through it on delivery day.
At the moment the factory is humming, and three of Great Harbour's nicely spicey TT35 trailerables are moving closer to completion. One is ready to pop from the mold to be finished for the next customer who submits a downpayment. The other two, Hulls 9 and 10, are a lot closer to the door. Below are some very recent photos from the factory, complete with sawdust, glass dust, plastic masking and cut-off ends of cable ties as garnishes.
For anyone interested in Hull No. 12, word is that it could be delivered within five months for a price of $310,000 "typically outfitted," meaning stuff you really want to have such as air-conditioning, bow thruster, interior blinds package, cockpit cushions, autopilot (but no radar or AIS), solar package and bottom paint. A trailer bumps it up to $322,000. (For the record: Base price is $279,900.) If some one beats you to Hull 12, you'd have to figure six months for delivery of the next boat instead. (See price sheet at the bottom of the page.)
In case you were wondering, that's Awlgrip "Aristo Blue."
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This helm station is coming together nicely, complete with a chair fit for an admiral. The nice thing about this design is that the driver can hop down and handle the starboard spring line through the sliding door.
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This is a gasoline boat, hence a small Westerbeke gas genset mounted in a cockpit locker. As an alternative the factory suggests a Honda-type portable (and stowable) generator, which will also meet all cruising loads thanks to the TT35's advanced electrical/solar package.
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Great Harbour supports both Garmin and Simrad for its electronics packages. Note the solar panel array.
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This drophatch in the floor (being clamped for gluing) provides access to system components with space leftover for Tupperware containers for your fall clothing and the few spare parts that you'll need.
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The forward dinette seat provides stowage while the table top drops into place to make a berth for guests. Not too fancy, but it puts them closer to the head.
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Two 50hp Honda's power this boat, but Great Harbour also supports Suzuki. Note the wide spacing which provides superb close quarters maneuvering and a credible swim platform in between. Many outboard builders are loath to space twins out this much because one will tend lose its purchase on the water in a turn. This is not the case with the TT25 as you can see in the running video displayed on the home page.
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Unfinished, but you can predict how good this wiring assembly is going to look pretty soon.
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The furniture and trim is designed for elegance, simplicty and light weight. We think this little "ship's knee" trim piece is the woodshop showing it can do fancy work as well.
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The butcher block and counter are nearly finished, topping an impressive collection of galley drawers and a nest for the convection microwave.
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It may be compact, but the TT35 still has a chart table and a locker for charter storage and nav tools below it. Note the grooved paneling at the left of the frame. That's a signature fiberglass flat panel that Great Harbour has used for decades to evoke the feel of a beachside cottage.
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One of the Great Harbour "woodpeckers" trims out the queen-size berth. Again, note the nice curved trip piece along the entrance above his head. Ignore the hammer; it's just used as a paperweight.
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There you have it. A day at the Great Harbour Sausage Factory in Gainesville, Florida. If you'd like take a look in person, and take a ride on a TT35 at nearby Lake Santa Fe, call or write Sales Director Eric Kraft to set it up, 352-538-4843, [email protected]. Meanwhile, here is the price sheet that goes with these unique vessels.
