Flying Hawaiian, the bizarre story of the “lamest” boat ever
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Onour lunch break in the newsroom, we were having fun googling “the ugliest boat ever.” Among the search results, so many photos of the boxy, ramshackle catamaran “Flying Hawaiian” came up : the story of this boat, which began in 2010 and meanly ended five years later, is at least bizarre and worthy of telling.
The catamaran, 19 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide, is being built over three years of hard work by James “Hot Rod” Lane, with the help of his son, in a garage in Marin County, California.As the boat takes shape, many curious people stop to look at it.
Many are laughing at the objectively unmarine shapes, the more experienced ask Lane if he is really sure to take the plunge with a similar “box”: large catamarans are made of ultra-strong structures, with large beams connecting the hulls and supporting the deck, in the case of the Flying Hawaiian, extensive use was made of thin plywood, much to the chagrin of safety.
Using the cheapest materials possible, in 2013 came the time of the launch at Loch Lomond Marina: the dream of Lane, a novice sailor and builder, is to set sail from California to Hawaii to go live the dream life, as the catamaran’s very name suggests. Right from the start, however, the boat has all kinds of problems, from water entering below deck to structural failures.
Lane for his part is going through financial difficulties and does not have the money to pay for the berth in the marina and utilities but continues to use it: an argument with the marina manager even ends in a brawl, with Lane who, according to local police accounts, bites and almost tears off the middle finger of the director, ending up in prison.
The situation is untenable-Lane decides to sell his boat on the popular online sales platform ebay for $80,000, describing it as “75 percent complete” and “perfect for someone looking for a project and to add all the personal touches.” But no one comes forward.
In early 2015, Lane decided to cast off the moorings anyway, despite the catamaran being bogged down for a long time in the waters near the harbor from which it was ejected.
His sail to Hawaii and a better life lasts 120 miles and ends with a distress call off Monterey, California: Flying Hawaiian takes on water, the Coast Guard pulls the five people aboard the catamaran to safety, and it is left to sink, sadly, adrift.
The bottom line is trite, but undeniable: do not improvise as sailors, let alone builders.
photo via www.latitude38.com, http://forum.woodenboat.com, http://www.cruisersforum.com,
http://pressure-drop.us
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1 thought on “Flying Hawaiian, the bizarre story of the “lamest” boat ever”
This dude was the biggest dildo. Milked his poor girlfriend of all her money to build it. Was so grandiose about sailing to Hawaii and selling yachts living a dream life. He would brag about all the women and fame he would have. He had a terrible eye infection and I would tease him about lubricating all these babes with his eye goop LOL…..Noah’s ark minus the Lords presence and blessing!