Adding a flare to a bow

[In my shed]

Good day guys
I am pondering on the idea of trying to add a slight flare to my top sides of my first ever build. I am quite happy with the shape of it but would like to add a slight flare around my bow. The boat that I am building is just short of 6m and I am contemplating flaring my bow.

What I have done, (only in the name of research) with a laser level I have struck a line from around two thirds of my topside panels from bow going backwards to the shearline, which is around two thirds back. Is this madness or would it in fact give me a true flare? I would of course be adding timbers to my temporary bulkheads in making my timbers i'm adding to achieve this flare.

I don't want to add too much extra time to an already big project if this process I'm thinking about will not work. Please advise.

Many thanks in advance.

[gonzo]

I don't understand how you are adding flare with a level. Can you post a drawing or a photo?

[In my shed]

Dont have a photo at the mo but will find one .
I have struck a line from my shear line around two thirds of the way towards transom from my bow, if this makes sense. So basically I am going from zero mm to around 300mm at bow from shear line.

I will try to find a photo if still not sure what I mean.

Many thanks.

[In my shed]

Heres a photo of my build so far. The topside panel that you can see I am redoing from start as I'm not happy with the final shape. Anyhow, back to original question, if you look back two thirds of the way, around the shear line to bow what I have done is struck a line with the laser level purely to get a reference point as to somewhere to start a flare.

Like I say, i have no idea if this would work but was hoping the laser line would give me an accurate reference point. Am I time wasting or is there a better way to get a rerence point where everything will flow?

Many thanks, hope this is clearer.

[gonzo]

To do that, you'll have to cut off a large section of the bow and sides and then build a new section. It seems late into the project to redesign to that extent.

[PAR]

What is the purpose of the additional flare? The bow currently seems to have more then enough flare to knock down chop and the strakes will also help in this regard. I don't see how a laser level is going to help much. You could just glue on blocks of foam and start whittling them down until you have the shape you desire.

[ancient kayaker]

I am never sure what people mean by flare. Some people say it is the vertical angle of the sheer planks and others (more correctly I suspect) think it refers to a concave sheer at the bow - which results in a "schooner" stem - see link. Both will lengthen the boat without adding much except esthetics. A schooner gains from this bow shape from the extra support and crew access to the bowsprit.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/svmarcy/3882925358/

[PAR]

Flare is easy enough to understand and plain to see if viewing bow sections. Flared bow sections are the most common and they can be straight or have some concavity built in. An excessive example of this is the "Carolina" flare, common on some powerboat types. Flam is the opposite of flare and the sections roll in at the sheer, sometimes with a bit of tumblehome. Many sailboats have flam which look like "U" shaped forward sections. Flare or flam can't be shown in profile effectively, it's a sectional thing. The question still remains, what is the purpose of this added flare?

[daiquiri]

Frankly, I don't see anything wrong with the existing bow. Is it just a matter of aesthetics? If so, then you definitely should have checked it out with your designer before getting to this stage of the build. But, repeat, I don't find this bow unaesthetical.
Cheers!

[PAR]

Who can account for aesthetics, but additional flare could knock down some spray. I don't think the designer needs to be called, but putting flare on an existing design, will require a bit of artistic ability. It's not so easy adding shape to a bow and have it come out looking good, though it may have the desired additional flare. I added a "Carolina flare" to a powerboat years ago and it took me several days just to get the templates and battens to look good. You can "wing it" and hope for the best, but do yourself a big favor and check it out from every conceivable angle, so it doesn't appear odd or attached.