Summit Yachts—a new brand from Kadey-Krogen

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https://summitmotoryachts.com/

Sorry to say it looks like a MY built by a trawler company. It just lacks any wow factor and when compared to other boats in it's range, it doesn't exceed or even meet them in design and appearance. Now, what I can't know, is how does it ride and perform. Perhaps it is exceptional in that regard and overcomes it's other shortcomings.

I just feel like a new introduction should make you go "wow."
 
This probably sounds picky, but DWL as "designated" water line? I always thought it was design(ed) water line. It makes me nervous when I see mistakes (in something that should have been proofed and caught). (Or am I off on terminology?)

Not that I'm their target market though.

(Okay never mind, I see now that the "aft deck beams with pride"... stopping now.)
 

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Another ordinary boat, I guess somebody thought the market needed more bland boats with nothing to distinguish them.
 
Another ordinary boat, I guess somebody thought the market needed more bland boats with nothing to distinguish them.

Obviously the current directors/owners of Kadey Krogen thought so; all three of them.

And i am sure there are another three or four people in the world who thought this was a good idea.

:banghead:
 
"And i am sure there are another three or four people in the world who thought this was a good idea."

There looking for a vintage EDSEL to buy.
 
Obviously the current directors/owners of Kadey Krogen thought so; all three of them.

And i am sure there are another three or four people in the world who thought this was a good idea.

:banghead:

I hope they are all in the market for a 54’ boat.

Is 55k light for a 54’x16’ power yacht as delivered or am I confusing displacement and weight?
 
I hope they are all in the market for a 54’ boat.

Is 55k light for a 54’x16’ power yacht as delivered or am I confusing displacement and weight?

I'd say 55k is right about the mid point of similar coastal boats.
 
It strikes me that they have copied Nordhavn's venture into the
Coastal Pilot" planing boat market. I hope they are successful, but don't expect it. They should have just bought Krogen Express.


In all my interactions with KK they come across as chasing Nordhavn. Always comparing and always selling against, and I think it does them a disservice. First, it signals that they are "chasing", not leading. And it's really unnecessary because they are different enough boats, with different enough market to not really run into each other. KKs are great boats, but different. But I guess they must feel they lose a lot of sales to Nordhavn, so sped a lot of time positioning against them.
 
In this size range there are direct competitors. Fleming, Outer Reef, Hampton and Grand Banks with at least another notable half dozen come to mind. Designer Michael Peters has a big following in this popular class. Time will tell.
 
In this size range there are direct competitors. Fleming, Outer Reef, Hampton and Grand Banks with at least another notable half dozen come to mind. Designer Michael Peters has a big following in this popular class. Time will tell.

Don't leave out Beneteau, Princess, Prestige, Sunseeker, Palm Beach and others who are competitors to the Summit.
 
It strikes me that they have copied Nordhavn's venture into the
Coastal Pilot" planing boat market. I hope they are successful, but don't expect it. They should have just bought Krogen Express.


In all my interactions with KK they come across as chasing Nordhavn. Always comparing and always selling against, and I think it does them a disservice. First, it signals that they are "chasing", not leading. And it's really unnecessary because they are different enough boats, with different enough market to not really run into each other. KKs are great boats, but different. But I guess they must feel they lose a lot of sales to Nordhavn, so sped a lot of time positioning against them.

If they were chasing Nordhavn, they would an effort to market and sell like Nordhavn. They don't.

In my mind, the real issue is that they have no one of the top three who knows business or marketing.
It's weird, but I think this current group really don't understand the boat and they certainly don't listen to current KK owners.

To first go chasing an "open" pilot house" concept, which may be sell-able, but not if they do not even have one demo boat. Then to repeat the Krogen Express experiment, but only this time, with a name no one knows with a boat that is exactly like the hundreds already in the market built by companies that have been in that market for years is simply stupid.

It gets worse, but I'll leave those details for others.

I hope they survive this fiasco.
 
Has their been a recent change of ownership/partnership at KK?

Also, I thought there was no connection between KK and KE in any way other than the KE was also designed by Jim? Krogen? But totally separate and unrelated companies who happen to use the same designer.
 
I find it really odd that they built a 54 foot cruiser that does not have a salon.
 
Just MY opinion.
If someone wants a KK trawler, it really should look like the historic design of the KK trawler.
Yea yea, I know. When they see their sales plummet, it is time to try something else. Even the Nordhavns stopped looking like a trawler when one moves into the big boat market..
Both the smaller KK and Nords are stout boats that "could".
The new KK dose not excite me. I do wish them well and I hope they make lots of sales.
If I were the market for a mid 40ft blue water trawler, I would start with both the KK and the Nord that looks like the expected trawler. Just my opinion.
 
Just MY opinion.
If someone wants a KK trawler, it really should look like the historic design of the KK trawler.
Yea yea, I know. When they see their sales plummet, it is time to try something else. Even the Nordhavns stopped looking like a trawler when one moves into the big boat market..
Both the smaller KK and Nords are stout boats that "could".
The new KK dose not excite me. I do wish them well and I hope they make lots of sales.
If I were the market for a mid 40ft blue water trawler, I would start with both the KK and the Nord that looks like the expected trawler. Just my opinion.

To their credit, they don't profess this is in any way a KK trawler. It's a Summit. Now, unfortunately, the Summit is poorly designed for it's market.
 
"...a breakfast nook and settee to starboard with a handcrafted, collapsing teak table, is just the right spot to lounge while your tea steeps."

Sounds painful.

Seriously, I know this is the second time I've picked on their language usage; but reading through, it's riddled with things that make me think it's about impressing vs. any real boating world substance. Maybe those square corners are fine because it's super stable but I'd just as soon not have those or the "cascading waterfall countertops" were I ordering.
 
"...a breakfast nook and settee to starboard with a handcrafted, collapsing teak table, is just the right spot to lounge while your tea steeps."

Sounds painful.

Seriously, I know this is the second time I've picked on their language usage; but reading through, it's riddled with things that make me think it's about impressing vs. any real boating world substance. Maybe those square corners are fine because it's super stable but I'd just as soon not have those or the "cascading waterfall countertops" were I ordering.

But it's handcrafted. And that doesn't surprise me since you'd not set up your equipment to produce just one table.
 
I may have written that so the collapsing table (hopefully the hot tea was elsewhere) was confused with the squared off corners I was seeing everywhere and not just the table.

Funny thing is the boat looks anything but hand-crafted. Not that that's a knock as sleek, precise, and machine made has its plusses in many areas.
 
Has their been a recent change of ownership/partnership at KK?

Also, I thought there was no connection between KK and KE in any way other than the KE was also designed by Jim? Krogen? But totally separate and unrelated companies who happen to use the same designer.

I believe KE was spun off by KK during the Dot Com crises.

An old KK hand got out and was replaced by ?? a few years ago.
The KK brain trust in the Seattle office left when the Summit thing started.
 
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Sadly, companies that do things well have a bad habit of moving out of what made their name. From one of the head salespeople in Stuart who came to Fort Pierce during the TF gathering, KK builds about 12 boats per year. They have a new ship that they have 1 buyer for. They need a second buyer to justify building the molds. That's not a good business model. How about going back to a model and size that will sell, and redesign / update it. Redesign a 50'+ boat, maybe reuse the original hull models, but make it optimized for the 2020s. It seems to me they have a sellable exterior, they need to make the interior breathtaking in feature and function.

Ted
 
IF they can use existing hull molds and change only the house and interior should reduce the development costs significantly.
 
I actually like the lines, but didn't care for the salon. Felt it was too small given it's size. I'd rather have smaller staterooms and a bigger salon/pilot area/cock pit/flybridge. These are the areas your going to spend the largest waking hours.
 
Interesting article on the new Kady Krogen, now before we get all political about planing or displacement, it was just meant as general interest.

https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/blogs/freeing-the-summit-54-from-a-container-ship

I wouldn’t recommend the Press being invited to an unveiling til the boat was safely at the dealers as I once had a interesting experience when the dealer and I went to unload the first McKinna 48 arriving from Taiwan at the Port of Miami. We discovered that it was completely full of salt water. Basically sunk sitting 60’ up. Apparently there had been a cargo fire in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and the streams of water from the hoses had filled the boat up to the deck-weeks earlier. Nobody from the ship had bothered to go check. Total loss, BUT it eventually ended up on the market at a quite low price after someone, somewhere refit her, but I don’t remember the “sinking” ever being disclosed. The first Bayliner 5788 to arrive on the east coast arrived at Port Everglades. The captain who was delivering her to the dealer in Miami came through Haulover Inlet at 28 mph (the only one ordered with 800hp MANS), and apparently forgot there was a sandbar between the inlet and Arch Creek. Tore the struts and shafts right out of her. A barge and crane was called in, and she was taken right back to the ship, and returned to the factory. Her new owner waiting at the dealers docks never even got a chance to see her. Same Captain ran a new Navigator 56’ Express aground at speed enroute to a boat show at Captiva Island in more forgiving mud. She never really ran right again. Fun guy. Then there’s all the boats that arrived with severe lists that the dealers would have to fix. Wouldn’t had wanted Press at either.
 
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Maybe KK were looking to build something for folks that like a GB60 & similar offerings, but can't afford them. Tough market I suspect.

In relatively recent times KK have one great new design - the 52 - and one that is, er, in the category of 'not even its mother could love it'. That's the 55 Expedition. The KK 42 was /is pretty popular and if their 44AE is based on it then a smart strategy would be to find ways & means of building the 44 for a good price. Then the 48 and 52 could become cream for them.

I always liked the 58 as well. But it will be at a price point where buyers expect something flashy(contemporary?) and able to go fast. Or those buyers are cautious and buy the big displacement brand (N), and go slower.
 
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Railings appear knee-high. UNACCEPTABLE!
 
It has a lot of similarities to the Beneteau 47 Swift IMO. Buyers of these are very different animals than trawlers. A lot of things we like, they don’t, and vice versa. I wish them the best, but a tough time to be bringing a new boat on line when we appear to be heading in the fast lane to a Recession.
 
It has a lot of similarities to the Beneteau 47 Swift IMO. Buyers of these are very different animals than trawlers. A lot of things we like, they don’t, and vice versa. I wish them the best, but a tough time to be bringing a new boat on line when we appear to be heading in the fast lane to a Recession.

Just might be a coming recession. If prices continue to fall, might be a good time to buy a house or condo or a boat slip. I own 2 boat slips and was told, I can only buy one more in the marina. SHRUG My 75 ft slip is rented for $2500/month plus electric. They want to sign a lease for a year, then it will be $2100/month plus electric. Cash is king. If they sign the lease, i will be declaring it on my income tax. Less hassle and less worry and even at my great age, I am still too pretty to go to a Federal prison.
 
I like the looks from the outside. Other than those windows in the hull. I don't like the look or design idea of hull windows. I could also do without the teak decks, but they look nice in the pictures.

The lack of a real salon is a little weird, but I'm not one for sitting on the boat and watching TV, so the dinette seating would work ok in my mind, especially if that table is removable.

Layout-wise, I appreciate the upper helm not feeling isolated. The non-isolated lower helm wouldn't be ideal for running at night, so given good enough weather, I think I'd be tempted to run from up top at night. Side decks look good for being able to move around easily for line handling, etc.

In general, the layout is simple compared to a lot of boats this size. That may not be what the people who can afford one want, but to me, it looks like it's pretty much a big version of a smaller boat, rather than coming with as much of the big-boat complication and issues of "what do I use this space for, I don't need a 4th bunk." Plus, I'm sure that simplicity helps keep weight down, which is good on a boat that's meant to go faster.

Overall, it strikes me as a modern version of something like an old Chris Craft Constellation or similar, rather than the modern super-opulent motoryacht. That's a nice change of pace, as it seems like lately the choices in that size range are either super-fancy or head more in the bluewater capable direction (with all of the compromises that involves).
 
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