Beginner on board

Hello there,

I'm pretty new to boat building, in fact I'm taking the first steps to build my own sailboat... I'm in love with classical designs, so I'm going for a traditional schooner-type, and I'm not afraid of experimenting with stuff on paper before I start the actual work. I've been building model ships since I was little, so I know a little about these designs, however I have a few questions.

1. I've spent days digging through Google to find some blueprints I can base my design on, but with little to no luck. Anyone could point me in the right direction? (I'm willing to pay for blueprints, although my funds are very limited)

2. I know that messing around with the interior (changing the size of the cabin and the storage area, etc.) is risky, but I can't afford to pay someone to actually design a ship for my needs, so I have to do it myself - any pointers how can I keep this in balance? I'm not afraid of learning physics if I have to, and I need a ship that can hold two people for a long time, supplies, etc, plus my motorbike for ground transportation... Anyway, I'm looking for some resources on how to calculate this stuff.

3. Any advices in general you can give me would be highly appreciated! I know that going for a ~40+ feet schooner as a first ship is a bit ambititous, but I'm going to do it anyway, so I'm relying on the good will of more experienced folks for help.

Thanks in advance!

 

Dinchamion,

First of all welcome to this forum. You will find a huge amount of information, help and not a little criticism on this site.
Regretably, I have seen far too many people with huge amounts of enthusiasm begin their projects by saying they cannot afford to purchase a design or hire a designer.
Please be assured that the cost of building a 40' schooner is going to be quite substantial even when taking the most economic route to building and purchasing components and materials.
Of this cost you will find that even the full design costs from a professional designer will be only a few percent of this total.
As much as I admire your ambition to teach yourself draughting, naval architecture, weight estimating, stability calculations, structural design, mechanical installations and the other 1001 details you will need, I think at the minimum you should ask a designer to look over your early sketches.
The cost for this would be minimal and provide you with peace of mind as you set out to build your life's dream.
Best of luck with your project and let's hope we see the fruits of your labours on this forum.

Graham Westbrook
Naval Architect
(Always available to help with your design of course!)

 

Thank you for the welcome and the reply!

I understand that naval architecture is a science on its own and I'm not so foolish to think I shouldn't rely on professionals. I'm also not so cheap that I'd choose cheaper stuff over safety or common sense. i just thought that starting with an existing blueprint not only provides a healthy amount of help, but also gives me a steady ground to build on. Plus, I'm deeply in love with classic designs, so that's there too.

What I meant to say is that if I could grasp some of the basics of this thing, when the time comes to consult a designer, I'd save not only money (which I understand mainly goes into materials anyway, but still) but also time and the ship in the end will be something not only I built but also shaped to my liking.

 

Welcome here......
I understand your target, as I understand the way you think to achieve it. But what you believe a bit risky, is just not possible. Designing a boat is not drawing some nice interior in a existing blueprint.
If one has absolutely no idea what naval architecture means (and the bike idea proves you dont), there is unfortunately no possible way other than buying a boat, or a design.
Sorry to disappoint you, but better you waste a dream, than all your money, to end up with the same result, no boat.

Regards
Richard

 

The best hop of you and everyone else here is that your dream does not wind up unfinished and rotting away in your back yard like many do. This is a big (make that huge) undertaking. Here is a starting point. I googled Ted Brewer as a well know NA with some traditional designs like you want.
http://www.tedbrewer.com/sail_wood/sophiachristina.htm

I don't know what is included in his study plans but probably enough for your initial use. It's a traditional classic schooner without adornments like a clopper bow.

Another from George Buehler. His boats are said to be of simpler construction than most others.
http://georgebuehler.com/Resolute.html

These are of wood but there are those to be found of other materials. Studying these should get you on the way and Graham Westbrook may have some introductory material (plans) available also. I looked these up on google by referencing the designer's name because I knew that these two had done schooners in your size range.

At this stage, specific questions seem inappropriate and you may find your direction from sources such as these. Of course, there is always the possibility that you may find (as Richard suggests) such a project is beyond your abilities and/or means. In that case, there are many excellent smaller boats waiting to be built that can be just as satisfying as a 44 foot schooner.

 

I do understand this, this is why I asked for directions. I'm kinda in the phase of gathering information, and matching them against my initial ideas and expectations, then modify those and look further, and so on and so on. I wouldn't do anything without proper preparations, exactly because I have no money to waste (not meaning I have no money at all ).

I don't understand this one. Maybe I'm totally off base here, but does it really matter what you put in a storage area, as long as the ship an hold the weight?

You didn't disappoint me, I'm into this for the long haul and to build a ship. I'm willing to compromise up until a certain point, and because I don't have the necessary knowledge (yet ) I ask stupid questions. As I learn more, my questions will become less stupid, I promise.

@tom28571:

Thanks very much for the links, I'm gonna check them out and go from there. The Sophia Christina looks great to start with, it has that classical feel to it that I like.

While we are on the subject, a bit more practical question: how big a ship you can control with one person? (Talking about a classical sailing ship.) I'm totally in the dark regarding tools that can assist you to control the sails, ropes, etc. (Again, sorry for the stupid question. It takes me a little to get into a topic to reduce the stupidity of my inquiries.)

And now I'm going back to reading mainly and holding questions.

 

Beginners questions are not stupid, to start with.
The Sophia Christina is actually mentioned here:
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/old-people-can-answer-question-26459-2.html

But definetily by no means thats a boat one can build without a very very deep insight into boatbuilding, a complete workshop and really good skills in woodwork.
The George Buehler boats are much easier to build.

The bike question is easy to answer, a boat of some 40ft has no sufficient space to store a motorbike.
But even if you had a 90ft boat, you would give up that idea pretty soon. Too much hassle to launch, still not enough (precious) space, and the thing will rust faster than it accelerates.
And I know what I´m talking about, I had a Motorbike on a Motorboat of 42............

meters

Regards
Richard

 

There are plenty of classical designs that are 35 feet that can be easily single-handed. A schooner, if simply rigged and set up with modern self-tailing winches and furling/reefing gear can be easier to sail than many modern sloops, as the two sails are smaller than a single larger one. Add a long traditional keel and some old-time heavy displacement and there's more time to react by yourself to sudden developments.
Larger boats have been single-handed, but from a practical full-time standpoint, getting larger means more work. Interestingly, getting smaller can be more work as well----- at a certain point a boat loses deck space and cramped cabin space is tiring to move around in with everything crammed into a very limited space. Motion is greater, which can make it more difficult to work on deck and below.
Many schooner designs from 26 to 38 feet would be worth looking at for single-handing. There are fewer schooner designs under 26 feet, though there are a few. But at that size, a sloop's mains'l is probably a lot easier to deal with than a schooner rig for reasons of simplicity and access from the cockpit.