Here ya go, forget the possible slurs on Arabs and take a shot at a good 'ole American boy. I have never seen anything this big (except for barges) this far up the Tennessee River, but here it is while it was up for sale. I did find it interesting that TN boat registration does not allow for anything over 99 feet - 2 digit limit.......
Anywho, this thing was mind boggling for me while it was sitting at anchor just outside the marina.
Here is a picture and one article on this puppy......
I do have a copy of the article that was in Show Boats International in April of '05 but don' think I should post that here.
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Now, That's a Lotta Yacht!
By Christine Davis , Marketing Writer
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Christensen just keeps making them bigger, and telecommunications entrepreneur Henry Luken just keeps buying them.
Presently, Luken is on vessel No. 3, the 157-foot "super yacht" Liquidity that was dubbed "Queen of the Show" by organizers of last weekend's Palm Beach Boat Show.
The massive luxury vessel with a price tag of $25 million was docked at the temporary marina set up along the Flagler Drive waterfront in West Palm Beach. By the end of the four-day event, some 300 people had visited the yacht, which could be boarded by appointment only.
Luken's next Christensen yacht, a 165-foot vessel, is in the planning stages, he said during the show, and that's why Liquidity is for sale.
With its extensive marble work and inlays of semi-precious stones valued at more than $500,000 – including the bridge's instrument panel made of jade – the yacht offers an ultra-luxurious ride for the Luken family.
Luken and his wife, Kelly, and their children, Brittany, 18, Katie, 15, Heather, 11, and Henry, 9, take off for southeast Alaska for three to four months a year.
"We've gone every year for the last dozen years, and on one of my boats for the last four," Luken said. "We come back only when the weather starts to look nasty."
The kids love it, he says, noting every room except for the heads is equipped with an X Box video-game system. "They never want to get off. My wife, it drives her crazy, because she wants to visit the towns," said Luken, chairman of Tennessee-based Covista Communications.
Since few of their friends have the luxury of taking extended periods of vacation time, the guest list changes frequently while the Lukens are under power.
The attractive white-and-stainless-
steel galley, with its slabs of granite for counter tops, is ready to take care of the crowd. It's set up like a kitchen for a small restaurant. Besides top of the line appliances – Thermador and Sub-Zero – there's ample storage, along with a walk in pantry with a wine cooler and walk-in coolers below.
"There's enough food storage for 24 people for two months," said Joe Foggia, president and chief operating officer of Washington-based Christensen.
There's also storage in every nook and cranny – and six staterooms in all. Three staterooms below are set up with different size bed configurations – a queen, a double and a single – so the more visitors, the merrier.
They'll have plenty to look at inside the yacht, as the walls, flooring, ceilings and hand railings feature 15 different kinds of marble and stone from France, India, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Pakistan, South Africa, the Congo and Afghanistan.
If it ever does get dull when the weather gets chilly, the vessel is equipped with three 63-inch plasma-screen televisions as well as one 50-inch and several 30-inch sets. The sky lounge has two TVs – one for each seating arrangement.
The TVs are part of a state-of-the-art entertainment system by Crestron networked throughout and valued at $300,000. Its hardware stores 5,000 DVDs and 20,000 CDs.
When the weather is fine, there is a large deck off the sky lounge for more lounging and, for those who prefer action, a fleet of jet skis is available nearby. On the deck above is the fly bridge with a hot tub and bar. And even though there are three levels, there's no need to walk to get all the way up; the elevator even goes up there.
Chattanooga, Tenn., is Liquidity's home port.
"I like fresh-water boating," Luken said. "There's lots of beautiful country up there and actually there's several big boats. People just don't think about it.
"The Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway, for example, makes the Panama Canal look like nothing."
The Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway forms a 234-mile long, 300-feet wide by 9-feet deep transportation artery connecting west-central Alabama and northeastern Mississippi. Made up of a series of ten locks, each measuring 110 feet by 600 feet, it provides a lift of 341 feet. It connects that part of the United States with the existing 16,000-mile inland waterway system.
Luken takes command of the bridge to bring his boat up through those locks, he said.
"I've been running boats for 20 years and I'm the only owner I know of who captains a boat this size," he said. "The rules of the road are simple. I use 'uncommon' sense, and I'm a little bit of the cynic, as well."
Luken said he enjoys the lifestyle Liquidity affords him. There's nothing like the seclusion, he explained: "I like to find a cove somewhere and catch fish without worrying about bears."
It's been said he strikes out for a fishing trip with a shotgun strapped to his back.
"I can chase spring-like weather if I want, or I can go misty and overcast if I feel like it," he says.
And yes, he has planes, too, but they are just a means to an end. He says: "I prefer to travel by sea – not only to see the world but to live."
Foggia said the show had been a success, although he and other were disappointed that cool weather and driving rain marred the first day of the show on Thursday. Earlier that week, the yacht's crew had already been challenged in navigating Liquidity to its berth because of 25-mph sustained winds sweeping across the Intracoastal Waterway.
Still, Liquidity was well received, he said. "People liked the fact that we provide Americans with jobs. Christensen Shipyards, an American company, is located in Vancouver, Wash., and the Pacific Northwest region is known for high quality woodworkers and craftsmen. Visitors appreciated that."
In all, the boat show showcased more than 900 vessels, with a total of $300 million in boats and marine merchandise displayed along the waterfront and at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Final attendance and estimated sales figures are not yet available, according to Show Management Inc. The Fort Lauderdale company stages the annual show for the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, the nonprofit organization that owns the event.
Goldpoint attached the following image(s):
1979 28' Sedan Bridge
Single 360
Chattanooga, TN
