The Premium Boat

There's been quite a lot of hype about a Linden sponsored premium gift boat. Me, I've been wondering why the Lindens would create what appears to be a sort of channel conflict. It turns out they didn't. Here's why, but first, - let's have a look.

Premium boat at Tradewinds

It's the one in the foreground. It looks a little like a 12mR. Not overly detailed, but nice from a distance. The hull shape is probably the best part, though the bow looks a little weird from this angle. The keel isn't bad, but it isn't good either. The keel front-edge is shaped a little strange, but hey... you can't see that while sailing. Then there's the mast...

Premium boat mast

It's hardly tall enough for a boat this size. The spreaders are placed way too high. Sadly this is a common mistake among SL boatbuilders. Shrouds? They completely left out the lower shrouds, but where would they go with this spreader configuration anyway? Realistically, a boat this size would have at least two sets of spreaders. Another thing is the front stay. It would never attach to the tip of the bow like that.

Me wondering

The sailing? I suppose it's ok. There is a nicely done hud. It's just that... I like to see the boat and the ocean while I sail. I don't like huds. Sailing should be an intuitive experience of the forces of nature. It is not about staring at instruments. Oh, and the jib can't be trimmed. At all. Where-ever I point the boat the jib is securely fastened as if I was on a tight beat. The jib shape is a little strange too. The main moves, but the sail is flat like a pancake, so don't look up.

Real Premium Boat

Obviously, this boat won't compete with the exisiting virtual sailboats on the market. It's not really a premium boat. It's merely  this month give away for premium accounts. So does it serve a purpose? It might make non sailors curious. It might make them go look for more, better boats. In that sense it is a good boat, but as a sailor... I'd choose a real Premium boat such as the one shown above. It's the RM20 from ReneMarine. That's a real yacht.

More details on the Linden Premium give-away boat at the Tradewinds website. Mind you, there are other boats that are a million times more fun, such as the Fries Yacht, the Hepcat, the Q-Scow, the Cotton Blossom, the Fizz et cetera, et c...