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Striker Yachts and Sedef in Turkey and Aluminum questions

Discussion in 'General Sportfish Discussion' started by TeKeela, May 1, 2012.

  1. TeKeela

    TeKeela Member

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    Hi all, I've spent the last month reading the 29 pages within "General" and and few pages of the others sections and hope I am qualified to post without violating any rules. Note there was not a Striker thread nor a Sedef listed in the two or three Turkey yard threads so here goes.

    I've always had a thing for Striker sportfish, love the "built like a ship giant engine rooms" and smooth, albeit not so fast, ride. So I'm poking around the net (feel like any day now I'll be at the end) and I run across the Striker website. If they had internet in the 70's, it would look like this. Anyway, I gather one of their issues in the past was ownership/management, you can see some court cases listed (page link at bottom of home page) regarding who owned the company etc, not my thing to read all the lawyer speak, but from the site, it states they are now building at Sedef in Turkey. Or maybe the claim to build there or plans to build there or who knows?

    So some questions for the all knowing.

    1. Anyone heard of Sedef and what is their sportfish/yacht capability?
    2. Sedef building strikers?
    3. If you had to hit a container or reef at 25kts, would you rather hit it with an aluminum plate or fiberglass? I ask because another thread an "expedition" yacht hit the reef coming into Lyford and it was all but destroyed. This to me doesn't seem to be the proper results. I always though you might split a seam or something but not full on rip the bottom out.
    4. There was some pod discussion a while back with photos of a volvo drive ripped out of one of those Azimut looking things in Thailand or somewhere. How would one of those things work out with aluminum?
    5. I ask about the pods specifically the ZF4000 with the wheels in the back (can't get around them being in the front on the Volvo) because they claim to handle upwards of 1000hp and that makes for nice C18s and in the 60-65 ft puts you around 26-30kts with the extra efficiency. I like the fuel efficiency over the speed of 40kts fiberglass production boats.
    6. If someone wanted a nice functional long range aluminum sportfisher, found a good designer and hired a project manager, what are the odds of building it at a yard in Turkey with good results? I don't need or care for ultra highend interior, similar to production sportfish more than adequate.
    6a. What does one estimate costs saving are for a say 75' to be built in the US vs Holland vs. Turkey?
    7. Grounding and corrosion, the boat I had a bit of fun on had a couple sea chests, looked pristine inside, and one one other thruhull that was an aluminum pipe threaded with a marelon seacock. We all know stray current and eat up a boat but man the whole thing is metal, what is the magic behind keeping these things corrosion free?

    As a note the Striker I spent some time on was built in Holland for Panasonic in Japan, brought back here with lots of generator hours and little hours on the mains. I gather to go anywhere over there they require pilots and engineers on board. Word was it was kept on the hard until it was Sake time then it went in the water and generators fired up for a dock party. Not much else till it arrived here.

    So I hope my post has been worthy of a response. Have at it!
  2. Battlewagon

    Battlewagon Guest

    Battlewagon

    Hello fellow "STRIKER LIKER",I suggest that you give the folks at Striker Yacht Corp. an EMAIL. I understand they can answer any question you may have.Good luck, am headed fishing!
  3. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    It took a little digging, but I traced the IP address of Battlewagon back to...

    Edward E. Ennis, Jr.; the CEO/President of Striker Yacht Corp.

    Ed, your membership is being removed. You were warned multiple times during registration NOT to engage in promotion, yet you took the opportunity anyhow. When you pose as a 3rd party, this is FRAUD. To anyone considering this company for a new build, be aware of their clandestine tactics.
  4. TeKeela

    TeKeela Member

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    awesome job! lol

    I am still interested in 3rd party opinions of the boat, aluminum in general and Sedef. anyone? anyone?
  5. Jorge Lang

    Jorge Lang Senior Member

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    I was in Turkey a couple of months ago visiting builders. There are a number of them that could take on a sportfish project. However, never under estimate the power of "Made In America". I am sure that there are yards today that would love to build you a boat where a few years ago they would laugh you off because of current build schedules.
  6. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    He just said to email striker though. It wasn't over the top like a lot of the other brokers/manufacturers have been on here.....
  7. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I know nothing of the current strikers or Sedef. However, I did manage, maintain and run a 1991 58' striker SF many years ago. Solidly built boat, well engineered, rode good but was wet, very stable. However, it was slow......20-21 knot cruise and hull design, several people told me was the real reason. Supposedly if you either extended the stern, or welded trim tabs to the transom they would pick up speed........The particular one I ran was built by Burger Yachts, and supposedly the interior came in much heavier than it should've......The owner who built it, told me they used 8 semi-trucks of marine plywood on the interior.

    Personally, in todays day and age, I don't like aluminum for a yacht building material in most all yacht builds. However, there are a few instances where it is a good material.....I don't think a modern sportfish is one of them. The aluminum is noisy and the maintanence is high. I'd rather have cold molded or fiberglass over aluminum in a SF anyday of the week......
  8. TeKeela

    TeKeela Member

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    I love a cold molded boat for raising fish and speed great ride, but I'm interested in some long range, travel, and comfort on the hook or with lots of people on board. The beam in a aluminum boat affords that beam ( you could of course so that with fiberglass or cold mold but you have to make a mold with glass and I don't think anyone in Carolina or Florida would build a wide body sportfish, "it don't look right" I'm from here, I can say that! And most important safety. I've heard first hand a couple instances of a cold molded boat landing on a container and sinking in seconds and seen the bottoms ripped out of glass boats when they cross a rock or something else submerged and the struts rip out and gears jammed out the bottom. The space in a wide body boat like a Striker allows for real room in Engine Room easier servicing (I'm 6'5) and the access under decks are spacious, easy inspection. Lots of room for centrifuge, waste oil, day tank, tons of storage. LOTS of fuel.

    The boat I had experience on did have tabs welded on the transom. I would think with modern interior materials you could lighten it up quite a bit. However the weight made it such a great head sea boat. The captain did add spray rails to dry it out though.

    I'd like to have a boat that I could fish/dive out of, tow a 30-34CC, lots of range, lots of storage, the beam makes it easy to have lots of people on board without running into each other, and the walkaround style of the Striker allows for easy access to the bunny pad on the bow. Extra beam allows a flats boat on the bow and still have a social area. And night swords or tuna chunking makes it very comfortable to overnighters in the canyons. And it has a nice shallow draft for the islands.

    BUT, it's slow if you are making a long run up north, but fine for caribbean. And you have to keep an eye on the aluminum.

    A new modern hull design could change the ride and speed. But what are the other disadvantages of aluminum?
  9. Bill106

    Bill106 Senior Member

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    Don't think for a second there aren't a bunch of builders that would embrace your ideas about beam and styling! Many of them are sitting idle now and you can get the best deal in a long time on labor. Materials haven't gone down but have leveled off somewhat lately too so you can get some really good deals now.

    Many of the builders are using lightweight materials in both interiors and structure and "exotics" like Kevlar and carbon fiber are yielding hulls that are much stronger than even ten years ago. You should try giving a few builders a call. I'll bet you will find them very receptive and competitive!
  10. jhall767

    jhall767 Senior Member

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    As an owner of a Striker 44 (also named Battlewagon but no relation:)) I've followed the attempts to bring back Striker Yachts from various groups. I guess the design can be duplicated and the name has been fought over for a while. Six years ago there was a salesman in Maryland insisting he could get one built of any size requested. The original designer Thomas De Groot has a web site offering design services and the ability to build you a pilot boat or custom Striker also. He was very helpful to me in getting updated rudder drawings. There are also clones out there that are not "true" Strikers. After many of these were originally built the American portion of the company did a number of customizations including adding an afterplane to get more speed. It worked but diminished the handling in a following sea. The boats are very stable but have a large beam. The hull design does not lend itself to going 30-40 knots and I'm not sure you can correct that.

    If you are building a custom hull then using aluminum can be as cheap as any other material depending on labor costs and skill sets. However if you want a new Striker I'd seriously look at buying an old one and stripping it completely to start over.
  11. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    It's not the first time he's done this. I removed his membership several months ago for attempting promotion. This time, he signed up under an alias to direct a potential buyer to his business. We will NOT let YF be manipulated by unscrupulous manufacturers. This is FRAUD and it should be a red flag for anyone who is considering this company for a new build.
  12. Jim_Hall

    Jim_Hall New Member

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    Hello John, I was the salesman from Maryland you are talking about, what I think I meant was all Striker designs are available for the older designs as well as the newer designs at that time. Mr. de Groot taught me all about the Striker business and yes I could build these vessels with my own hands, but its not a one man operation. All the Striker designs and itellectual property are owned by Striker Boats International in Holland and they still design Strikers' to this day. He has several websites and I don't think these other guys are on the level , all boats are built for a license fee to de Groot per boat. The other guy "Ed" stated on their website they been in business since 1951, That's impossible and is only buffery. Plus they don't mention de Groot and are using his material and photos from other previous license yards. I should probably email him in the morning.

    I like your idea about restoring the older ones, there's a 44 south of you that was converted for commercial use, has turbo 3208 cats and will run pretty fast, 30 knots isn't impossible, there is a 46 series 90 like this one Striker Pilot Vessel designed by Thomas de Groot - YouTube that will do over 30 knots has double the power, I am only quessing 70 plus gallons an hour, maybe more. They love the boat.
  13. Jim_Hall

    Jim_Hall New Member

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    They still are built in Holland with the origanator of the designs, I worked with the chief and know several others . The legal issues are about a company ownership dispute here in the US. They are only a "shell corporation" Holland has all the plans and design staffing craftsman ect. You can only get a license from them which is normal for most builders, like custom homes. Plus they are not part of the real Striker, I wonder if they even know they have this site up and running ??? When I worked with Striker Boats International I was approached by various con artist from Turkey and a few other places.
  14. TeKeela

    TeKeela Member

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    Ok, this makes much more sense than what was on the other site I initially referenced. I visited the Striker Intl website, I never found that in my search and more than likely, the reason is having to enter a name and email before entry. More often than not, google will not be able to index the site for searches as they will come in to the home page for smaller sites. You could be losing some business because of that. Anyway,,,,,

    This makes sense now. So have they built more sportfish as of late? The 120' is an attractive boat, I remember seeing the image on display at the FLIBS years ago, near Phasor I think. Why would performance projections be hidden? Why not promote the site and builds?

    Also, the 62 that is broadside on the site, I am 98% sure that is Narwhal that I was referring to. She is a whale! Very clean and well built. She was renamed Interconnect and a gaudy interior put in and now offered at over $1M still on original 12MANS I think.

    I attached a photo of Narwhal head on. Love the beam. This was before the blacked out antennas and KVH satv on top.

    So Jim, it appears as though you pay the license fee then you can have one built at the yard of choice, correct? Is there oversite in some way? Do you have designated yards? Approximate costs for a 62 or 70? It seems the secrecy keeps people from knowing about the existence.

    And the 70 (Zanzare) I saw when it was for sale, I liked the interior.

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  15. Jim_Hall

    Jim_Hall New Member

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    Everything is through de Groot in Holland, I was an salesman for a couple of years, but still contact them once in a while. My main business is Mechanic/shopkeeper. I am not a good salesman, just a mechanic.

    The MAN'S were replacements, I remember reading about that in the ninies in Marlin.

    Yes, they are still build to this day, the over-sight could be available in house from the builder, the best yards have several people backing up the shop guys. I don't know when the 120 will be built but it's not impossible. When I worked as a salesman my assignment was to focas on Pilot boats sales in North America, my problem was the Pilots were very interested but the yards were booked up and couldn't help, 9-11 set those guys on fire, the order books were full for years, now its a different story I quess.

    You won't be able to build at the yard of your choice, unless approved, the yard will need a special press to form the hull, when I worked there we setup the boat kit program where all the metal is precut with a waterjet and peices labeled delivered to your builders door, you can get the metal work done ahead of time. Although they did it before for the sport fishers.

    I can only quess what it would cost here in the US, 3,250,000 for a 62 4,000,0000 for a 70 plus 6-10 percent for design fee's. Also don't forget sales tax.

    I don't think those other guys have the technology to design this hull, The Striker has a special bottom.

    I'll email de Groot tomorrow and ask if he knows about these guys. The other guy said they were a fraud so maybe he knows something we don't.

    My Striker was a classis 37 restored and was a good boat very large engine room with 671's. Ran boat empty no interior, low fuel no water only a few items and myself, the boat ran 25-26 knots on the GPS and handled very nicely in 2-3 foot sea's. Loaded down with everything and extra people 18-20 knots average, very safe and fun boat.
  16. AlfredZ

    AlfredZ Senior Member

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    All due respect and good intentions should have guided you to contact the forum administrator with a press release stating all the facts you wish to establish and demand that to be posted officially by the admin in this thread and/or a special thread about the company's history and what not. Everybody on this forum, guests and members alike, grows to have a faith in its supervisors and moderators, which makes reading their posts and opinions more followed and heard than reading commercial website contents.

    No offense, just my honest opinion and welcome to Yacht Forums. :)

    Have a nice stay,
  17. AMG

    AMG YF Moderator

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    Well said Alfred. Sorry that the post you quoted was deleted before your answer was published...
  18. AlfredZ

    AlfredZ Senior Member

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    No worries. They got the official version of what I said from you! ;)

    Cheers,
  19. TeKeela

    TeKeela Member

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    One thing you can gather from all the "Striker" sites, no one spends a dime on marketing materials. It's the same brochures and photos from 30 years ago, poor fonts and copies. I understand pilot boats not needing much of a presence but if you are trying to sell a nice sportfish, especially with a $400,000 license fee for the same plans as 30 years ago, spend a couple hundred bucks and update something......
  20. AlfredZ

    AlfredZ Senior Member

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    A true shame!
    Anyway, now they get the advise straight from clients... "Show Effort to Generate Interest!". Hopefully some good material will be available soon. I think they should have a build or two dedicated for pictures, trials and videos and have those thrown in every direction, it will be money well invested.

    Keep the good faith up! :)

    Cheers,