Thunderbird - Formula Boats

50TH ANNIVERSARY—FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
PPoker Runs America’s August 2005 issue announced
Thunderbird Formula’s 50th anniversary with an in-depth look at
the company’s beginnings and continuing on with our successes
throughout the years. Craig Ritchie shares, “The year 2006 will
mark a significant milestone for performance boaters worldwide,
as Thunderbird/Formula celebrates its 50th anniversary...The
Porter family remains firmly at the helm of Formula today, and
have built the company into one of the most-recognized
performance icons on the water. Formula produces boats that
are world-renowned for their beautiful styling, advanced engineering
and thrilling on-water performance.”
TThe May 2005 issue of Lakeland Boating
offered more accolades to the Formula 48
Yacht. Writer Tom Thompson begins, “This
boat is big. Indeed, it’s the largest hull the
company has ever built. Conceived as the
ultimate luxury craft, Formula’s new flagship
is superlative to anything the boatbuilder
has done before–inside and out.”
The 48’s versatility captured Thompson’s
attention, who related, “Because of its size,
the 48 Yacht has generous room for any
activity, whether you’re enjoying the scenery
while under way, gathering with friends at
anchor, engaging in watersports or just
lying around in the sun.”
Taking a tour of the 48 cabin, Tom continues,
“Inside is where the beauty of the 48 Yacht
is most evident, though. The high-gloss
finish of the American cherry cabinetry can
be contrasted with your choice from four
Richie went on to recount the company’s
history, explaining how Vic Porter was made president of the
company in 1973 and bought the company from Fuqua
Industries in 1976. Ritchie spoke with president Scott Porter
about how the line evolved. Porter’s perspective helps explain
Formula’s position on quality, “‘When you grow up in a boating
family, you can’t help but develop certain expectations about
what a boat should or shouldn’t do, so as a boat manufacturer,
you expect a great deal from your own products.’” We invite
everyone to join us in celebrating our 50th anniversary of building
the finest boats on the water today.
FORMULA 48 YACHT CONTINUES TO GAIN ATTENTION
Formula’s Grant Porter recently hosted
Captain Bill Pike of Power & Motoryacht on
the impressive Formula 48 Yacht. In the
April 2005 issue, Capt. Pike begins his
assessment with an overview of the cockpit,
“Formula’s famous for the quality of its
in-house upholstery work, and the lounges
and seats in our cockpit made it easy to
see why. Visibility was excellent (at the
helm), both over the windshield and
through it.” Of their time out on the 48,
Bill remembers, “Porter and I headed for
the open Gulf of Mexico...What twanged my
heartstrings right off the bat was cornering.
Our 48 did hard-over turns, fugure-eights,
and fast, back-and-forth course changes
like an F-16...the experience of planing was
uncommonly and incredibly smooth, with
no detectable breakover point.”
fabric schemes and eight shades of genuine
leather or Ultraleather...The salon
has a curved lounge to port with a dualpurpose
table in front of it. A large cherrywood
top can be used for meals...To
starboard, a U-shaped galley offers a
generous expanse of Corian countertop,
and the floor is done in hardwood maple
with an ebony inlay. A lighted, glass-door
cabinet at floor level holds stemware and
wine bottles.” Moving forward in the cabin,
Tom describes the impressive amenities,
“The master stateroom lies forward and is
arranged around a pedestal berth on the
boat’s centerline. One feature I especially
liked was that, at the push of a button, the
back of the bed raises to make it more
comfortable when watching TV or reading.
In the aft port corner, there’s a lighted,
mirrored vanity with a swing-away seat.”
Pike concluded the test with a dockside
walk-through, noting, “A couple of interior
features warmed the cockles of my heart.
These included solid-maple drawers in the
U-shaped galley, each with dovetailed
corners and a solid bottom, gorgeous
bookmatched American cherry joinery at
the saloon, and an adjustable Corian
cocktail dining table.” Pike ended his time
on the 48’s foredeck, stating that “the
place gave us a great view of the racy
exterior styling of the 48 Yacht, which, in
league with potent performance, finely
finished interior appointments, and wellengineered
machinery spaces, makes her
a fitting flagship for the Formula fleet.”
The 48’s performance also earned praise,
“For a boat that measures 51 feet in length
overall, it handled like one around 30 feet.
The steering was tight and responsive in
turns, and nimble to the touch.” As a final
salute to the 48, Thompson finishes with,
“The crew at Thunderbird have outdone
themselves with the 48 Yacht. Its performance
is impressive, and the look is elegant
and refined.”