Passagemaker

[taniwha]

Hi everybody, we just sold our sailing yacht and decided to go the long distance passage maker way. Our choice is the passagemaker lite (http://www.passagemakerlite.com) from Tad Roberts . We haven't made a choice yet if we would go for a woodcore construction or plywood sheeting (http://www.dixdesign.com/radply.htm) or Coosa (http://www.coosacomposites.com)a composite sheating. The design is calculated to do a 8000 miles range at 6,5 knots!
Any input, comments welcome

[FAST FRED]

Woodcore is easy for homebuilders and with a HEAVY layer of glass inside and out becomes like the early Summner craft , really strong.

Unless cold moulded a ply boat has to be designed AS a ply boat as the end of sheet loadings on this very stiff material have to be taken care of.

EZ in steel , or aluminum , just weld , much harder in sheet ply.

FF

[Willallison]

Why not ask the designer (good choice by the way!) He will have by far the best understanding of materials choice...

[taniwha]

Thanks for your advice but of course I have been in touch with the (very helpful) designer since quite a while. But they are a lot of factors not only the quality of the material but also commercial resale value of the boat that needs to be taken into account. EG plywood nowadays is very much improved thanks to the use of resins and epoxies but look at the resale value of a plywood boat. It is still in people mind and we have to deal with that factor as well.

[Willallison]

My recollection of Tad's 'Lite is that it isn't made up of developable surfaces - I might be wrong on that.... once again, best to check with him - That would basically rule out pylwood construction (unless you're going to rip it into strips).
You're quite correct about the (not always well founded) dislike for ply boats on the used market. Composite's are all the rage, but then a composite-wood-cored boat can enjoy high resale. I think the most important 2 factors governing resale value are qulaity of construction and level of maintenance / condition of the boat.

[Pericles]

Custom boats, which are more expensive than standard boats, are often built cold moulded. Look at

http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/features/0903jarrettbay/

http://www.sculleyboatbuilders.com/const_coldmold.html

http://www.vicemyacht.com/distributors.php

http://www.nexusmarine.com/odysy
const.html

http://www.brayyachtdesign.bc.ca/

Build Tad's design and you'll have bags of pleasure and great voyages.

Pericles

[tri - star]

To taniwa:

The eternal debate about wood versus:
- Everything else, out there...took a big swing back; towards wood
the other day.
As a scientist looking for something else, as often happens, has found
an exceptionaly, effective new way.
To test for the stuctural integrity of wood - and voids....

It's non - destructive and lacks the downsides of X - Rays.
Also, as it's better than X - Rays - the anticipation is this new tech.
will soon replace the older technology in labs.
Biggest plus: less or zero radiation.

A boon to both: E.R. patients and boat surveyers alike. Undoubtedly,
they will have all the bugs worked out long before, it's time to
survey your vessel. Before you put it on the market.

A prize for anyone, who can name this new technology.
Hint: It originates in Canada.

Cheers !

[tri - star]

Give up ?

The prize is now forfit.
The key words are T - Rays.
If you Google: { UNBC - Dr. Matt Reid }, you will find out all about Terahertz waves.
That give a much better graphic display, apparently, than X - Rays do.

Cheers !

[fcfc]

By the way, what size and weigth ?
Because between 39ft and 80ft, things can change a bit.

[taniwha]

it's a 46 footer http://www.ataraxia.talkspot.com