CAD designs for sailboats 45 foot plus

[Nikki Lamprell]

Would anyone have any information on AutoCAD-ready designs for sailboats in steel, size 45 foot plus? I know that plans can be bought for Bruce Roberts designs, but are there any other designers that offer CAD plans? Is it possible to commission CAD-savvy people to develop software for a particular design?

Thank you very much

Nikki Lamprell

[rguerard]

Hi Nikki,

There are other designers like Van De Stat, I think I spelled that right, with stock designs for boat builders. Getting a stock design is cost effective and all of the surprises are normally worked out.

If you want a custom design several designers are available, myself included. There are programs that will tell you if a shape can be made from a flat plate. I have seen some freeware for plywood boat building that should work well for steel. The programs I use are expensive unless you use them for several projects.

If you have a specific design you want and are unable to find an existing design I will be glad to work with you.

Best Regards,

Roger

[Polarity]

I bought Ted Brewers stock paper construction plans for his Miami 45 Pilot house version http://www.tedbrewer.com/sail_steel/miami.htm , combined it with a fin keel from another of his designs with his assistance and stretched her 10% . Took about 500 hours + the interior, see my gallery for the results.

It now seems unlikely that I will build this yacht in the near future. Email me if you are interested.

Paul

[Stephen Ditmore]

I'm a little puzzled by the question, Nikki. Why would software need to be developed for a particular design? Are you looking for designs drawn using some form of CAD, or are you looking for .dwg or .dxf computer files?

Check out www.touchcad.com

Also, try searching on "Oragami boat construction". There's a guy named Brett or Brent something who designs for steel construction. His designs could probably be lofted using TouchCAD.

Are you are looking for designs that are either already available with code for plate cutting or are in CAD in a quality condition that will allow ready completion to burn sheets?

Steve, there is some justification for this question, even if it is not just for full kits.

It is fairly expensive and sometimes problematic to convert conventional yacht type drawing to burn sheets, but if it's in good CAD condition, it is less of a problem.

There are also important differences between a design optimized for hand construction and one optimized for CAL/NCC, that result in substantial labor and cost savings if using a "kit".