Boys and their toys.

• Author: Lloyd, Mary Ellen
• Position: Yachts, hot air balloons and other corporate gifts

BOYS AND THEIR TOYS

Something from the

shipping department

All of Bob Yunaska's customers are serious about boating, he says.

They ought to be.

The 63-foot version of a Sunward yacht usually costs about $750,000, and it's no casual process to place an order. Buying a yacht from Sunward Yacht Corp. of Wilmington means about a year of going to boat shows, looking at designs, visiting the plant and test sailing other yachts - all this before an order is written. (At which point the buyer plunks down $10,000 upfront money.)

After that, it's a 10- to 18-month - or longer - wait while a six-person crew actually builds the yacht.

But the lengthy, pricey process isn't enough to deter the really serious sailor. Sunward, which has built 22 yachts since Yunaska went into business in 1976, generally builds two boats a year.

Walter Cronkite is one big fish who bought a 48-foot yacht - Sunward's smaller model, which goes for about $375,000. California native Yunaska, a mechanical engineer, now has 15 employees.

Add on the options, and prices can go considerably higher. Sunward has built a 63-foot yacht that cost nearly $1 million.

Among the choices buyers face: a 178-piece handmade teak steering wheel (most are made of stainless steel), 24 different floor plans, an enclosable cockpit for foul-weather sailing and 135- or 210-horsepower diesel engines.

You can also add other touches. "One guy installed a Jacuzzi," Yunaska says. "He charters the boat. After a hard day's playing, they like to sit in the Jacuzzi and unwind."

Other buyers go in for electronic gadgetry such as cellular phones and single-sideband radios, which allow them "to communicate around the world."

He adds: "There are those who like a minimum of those things. Walter Cronkite was anxious to eliminate the ability for people to get ahold of him."

Cronkite didn't even put a television on his yacht. "I guess it seemed too much like work," Yunaska says.

A perfect gift for

the upwardly mobile

Tired of making business deals in smoke-filled rooms? What better way to get out of the office, impress a client and gain perspective on life than to buy your own hot-air balloon?

For about $13,000, you can get the standard model from Balloon Works Inc., a 17-year-old company in Statesville, where the nation's second-oldest balloon rally is held each year. For a fancier model - like the corporate-logo balloons many of its customers buy - expect to pay about $40,000.

The company has made hot-air balloons in...