David Clark has been a sailor for some forty years, logging thousands of ocean miles both racing and cruising. When he wasn't sailing during all this time, David was accumulating marketing expertise as a busy business executive. In July 1997 David decided to combine his international business experience with his avid love of sailing, and set about to developing a line of very high quality cruising yachts. His vision suggested yachts that would be both very luxurious in their interior furnishings and built to high, traditional yachting standards. The yachts would be competitively priced yet offer stellar performance and detailing...they would be Stellar Yachts.
After a number of exploratory trips to Asia, David found a builder whom he felt could match his stringent demands for a high-quality traditional yacht, built with enough design flexibility to allow for semi-custom finishing. He chose as his construction partner, Grand Harbour Yachts, Inc. in Kaohsiung Taiwan. Grand Harbour, and its owner BH Gong, were well equipped to produce sailing yachts built to exacting specifications. They had successfully completed several high quality sailing yachts for demanding clients in the United States and were well organized and efficient. Mr. Gong pledged his twenty years of boat building experience and the dedication of his company to produce exactly the type of sailing yacht David had envisioned.
To offer additional design flexibility, two entirely different deck molds were initially produced. One was the traditional Low Profile model and the other a new Raised Salon version, currently so popular with many owners.
David's research had indicated that most people buying a boat in this size range want to personalize their investment to match their lifestyles and cruising plans. With this in mind, a number of interior layouts were envisioned to suggest the multiple possibilities for customization. Many arrangements for deck and rig layout were tested, to insure that the boat could be sailed by a couple alone--another prerequisite of today's offshore sailing.
Mr. Clark now turned his attention to discussing what type of sales organization would best serve their customer's interest. They felt that a new sales approach was required in order to maximize their ability to work closely and directly with buyers--from the design stage through commissioning and sea trials. With that in mind, Mr. Clark negotiated with selected builder representatives who would handle all sales of Stellar Yachts, since this situation would give the customer a one-on-one contact with the designer and builder of their boat. This direct communications offers the highest level of service and support, which today's buyer both demands and deserves. |
