Thomas Crown's Boat: A Luxurious Sail

In the 1999 remake of the classic film The Thomas Crown Affair, the titular character, played by Pierce Brosnan, is seen racing a D-Type Catamaran, a highly unstable and fast yacht design from the 1980s. The use of the catamaran in the film replaced a scene in the original script and movie, which featured a polo match. Director John McTiernan opted for the catamaran to convey more action and excitement, rather than simply wealth. The catamarans used in the film were Formula 40s, and Brosnan even performed his own stunts during the boat crash scene.

Thomas Crown's boat is a D-Type Catamaran

The Thomas Crown Affair, starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo, features a racing scene with two Class D catamarans. The scene was filmed on the Long Island Sound, with the boats provided by Multihull Source, a New England Corsair dealer. The D-Type Catamarans were chosen for their speed and excitement, replacing a polo match in the original script.

The catamarans used in the film were Formula 40 cats, with one yellow and one white boat used for the shoot and a third left in the harbour to be capsized for "in the water" shots. The yellow boat, named Tomcat, was later sold to a Swiss couple, while the white boat was sold to a buyer in New York.

The opening scene of the film features Brosnan sailing a Formula 40, with professional sailors as crew members. Brosnan performed his own stunts during the boat crash scene, showcasing his sailing skills and contribution to the exciting visuals of the film.

The catamarans were chosen for speed and excitement

The catamarans in question are Formula 40 cats, a type of D-Type Catamaran, an extremely fast and highly unstable yacht design from the 1980s. D-Type Catamarans were designed by California-based aeronautical engineers to break inshore multihull speed records. Only a handful of these catamarans remain today.

Bob Gleason of Multihull Source, the New England Corsair dealer, was instrumental in locating the two Formula 40 cats that were participating in the Buzzards Bay Regatta. Ralph Lucci, a "finder" for the movie production company, drove up from New York to inspect the boats and decided they were perfect for the racing scene.

The catamarans were sailed by leading multihull sailors from California, Florida, and New England. The Thomas Crown boat's crew consisted of Randy Smyth, Mark Murray, Keith Notary, Tommy Gonzalez, and Roy Seaman driving. The brisk fall winds resulted in good action, with both boats lifting hulls for long stretches.

The choice of catamarans for the racing scene added the desired speed and excitement to the film, providing a visually thrilling experience for audiences.

The catamarans were sailed by leading multihull sailors

The catamarans featured in the 1999 remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair" were sailed by leading multihull sailors from California, Florida, and New England. The crew of the Challenger boat included Barry Herr, Ruth Imhjoff, Rick Bliss, and Bob Pattison, with Bob Gleason at the helm. The Thomas Crown boat's crew consisted of Randy Smyth, Mark Murray, Keith Notary, Tommy Gonzalez, and Roy Seaman driving.

The catamarans were Formula 40 cats, described as "extremely fast and highly unstable." They were designed by California-based aeronautical engineers in the 1980s to break inshore multihull speed records. Only a handful of these D-Type Catamarans remain in the world today.

The director of the film, John McTiernan, chose to feature catamarans in a racing scene instead of the polo match in the original script to add more speed and excitement to the movie. The scene was filmed in western Long Island Sound, and the good weather and fair wind provided excellent conditions for shooting. The director was so pleased with the performance of the boats that he extended filming by two days to capture additional footage.

Pierce Brosnan, who played Thomas Crown, performed his own stunts during the boat crash scene, showcasing his sailing skills and commitment to the role.

The scene replaced a polo match from the original script

The 1999 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair sees Pierce Brosnan's character Thomas Crown racing a catamaran. This scene replaced a polo match from the original script and film, starring Steve McQueen. Director John McTiernan wanted to avoid the cliché of a polo match, which he felt conveyed wealth but lacked action and excitement.

McTiernan's vision for the remake was to include a racing scene with two Class D catamarans, which were fast and highly unstable. Bob Gleason, the catamaran coordinator for the shoot, suggested that Formula 40 cats would be more suitable, and two were sourced from the Buzzards Bay Regatta. The racing scene was filmed in western Long Island Sound, with excellent conditions providing good action for the cameras.

The catamarans were sailed by leading multihull sailors, with the Challenger boat crewed by Barry Herr, Ruth Imhjoff, Rick Bliss and Bob Pattison, and the Thomas Crown boat crewed by Randy Smyth, Mark Murray, Keith Notary, Tommy Gonzalez, and Roy Seaman. The director was so pleased with the performance of the boats and the sailors that he extended filming by two days to capture more footage.

The catamaran scene was not the only change that McTiernan made to the script. He also updated the central heist, opting for an unarmed art heist instead of the two armed bank robberies depicted in the original film. He felt that a modern audience would be less forgiving of the character of Thomas Crown if he chose to use guns.

Pierce Brosnan performed his own stunts during the boat crash scene

In the 1999 remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair", Pierce Brosnan performed his own stunts during the boat crash scene. Brosnan's character, Thomas Crown, is seen racing a catamaran in Long Island Sound. The boat in question is a D-Type Catamaran, a highly unstable and extremely fast yacht design from the 1980s.

The scene required two Formula 40 catamarans, with one of them ultimately capsizing. The director, John McTiernan, chose to replace the polo match in the original 1970s film with this racing scene to add more action and excitement. Brosnan, an experienced sailor himself, performed his own stunts during the boat crash, showcasing his sailing prowess.

The production team initially intended to use CGI for the capsizing moment, but this proved unconvincing. They then turned to professional stuntmen, who deemed the stunt too risky. Finally, a catamaran sailor, Rick Bliss, was hired to perform the infamous capsizing scene, with other sailors also involved.

The behind-the-scenes details of the boat crash scene reveal the challenges and complexities of filming such an action sequence. The final cut of the scene seamlessly blends the skills of both the stunt performers and Pierce Brosnan, delivering a thrilling and memorable moment in the film.

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