cruising boats made of carbon fibre and epoxy resin, +?

[Marie]

Hi,

I would like a some information about boats (shipman 50 in particular)
who are made of carbon fibre and epoxy resin (with Sprint technology by SP)
It is a fairly new concept for cruising boats, can someone give me some positive and negative sides (if there are any )

thanx

Marie

[SailDesign]

Positive - carbon is lighter for it's strength than most other boatbuilding materials, so the boat can be either lighter or stronger, or a bit of both.
Negative - Carbon is less forgiving than glass. This means that it will be stronger up to a point, and then fail catastrophically.

Steve

[ClarkT]

Don't forget LOUD! Even with core, a boat with carbon skins is much louder than a similar boat in e-glass or kevlar.

[dougfrolich]

I'll second what Steve and ClarkT said above.
but, I think carbon could have its place in a highly refined cruising design, in places like internal structure,spars,rudder stock, and the like, even in construction of parts of the interior like the companionway ladder, Bulkheads, Bunktops and fronts, Floorboards, etc... if lightness and stiffness is of highest importance. But for the hull of a cruising boat I think a well engineered, cored GRP layup will be the best bet for a light, yet durable, and still cost efficient design. IMHO

[Matthew]

Clark T
what do you mean louder? Why is this?

[spank]

Carbon is so stiff that water slapping the hull and twisting of the hull shell is transmitted as noise inside the boat. If you ever talk to people who have done offshore sailing on the maxi cats or open 60 boats, the one thing they all talk about is the intense noise they experience all day long. Definitely a big drawback if you are looking to have a nice relaxing cruise.
-Eli

[PAR]

They are loud and costly, both not so in tune with the avarage cruiser.

[thierry v]

I come back to this Shipman 50 , a light boat : 9,5 Ton , with a bulb weight of 4,6 tons at 2,40 m or 3m deep. Can somebody tell me if there is a substential difference between the dept of the keel, is the performance (velocity) in direct relation with the dept of the keel and the bulb.
otherwise how does react such kind af hull in heavy weathet conditions ?
thanks for your help
thierry

[PAR]

The first question no, not really, unless you count every tenth of a knot or each half a degree of pointing ability, the second question who knows. There are a lot of contributing factors to consider when trying to determine heavy air/weather ability. At near 50% ballast to displacement ratio I'd guess the boat will be quite lively in a bad slosh, but this is still a guess as the hull form, rig and other important variables are unknown. That said, the high ballast to displacement number suggests a strong performance oriented craft. I've seen few performance geared boats do well in a heavy sea without one very determined and experienced skipper at the helm (most aren't, but think they are)

The little I've read about this boat tells me it ain't no cruiser.

[tom28571]

>>>>>>>>>Seaway / J&J Design (Slovenia) and their partners SP Systems (UK) and Shipman Holding AS (Denmark), for the Shipman 50, a fifty-foot offshore yacht. The first cost-competitive production yacht using carbon materials (claimed to be 40% cheaper than competitor boats). The boat is certified to comply with design and build criteria for the Category A (open ocean). It will be awarded the "European Boat of the Year" title in January 2004 during the Düsseldorf Boat Show.<<<<<<<<<<<

If you like your "getting away from it all" to be on the edge, then the Shipman 50 may be your cup of tea. Makes no sense to me but, different strokes for different folks. For me, a sailboat should be handsome and sail well. Does not need to be on the cutting edge of technology. Even if it does not have any of the problems others mentioned above, a cruising boat that is too high performance will require a mindset that, for many, will replace pleasure with anxiety.

[PAR]

In my opinion, a proper cruising yacht should steer easily and predictably from a well balanced hull form. It should roll smoothly without jerking back and forth because of so much initial stability. It should displace enough to be safely and strongly constructed, capable of carrying the weight of provisions and gear. It should be able to take a hard grounding without breaking off a fin or rudder. The rig should be simple enough to be short handled by a worn out crew, one person if necessary and should have versatility. The interior should be setup for the convenience of the owner, rather then the number of quests it can stuff into berths.

A real cruiser can have the helm released for a moment as you grab another beer from the cooler, without tossing the person on the foredeck in the drink because it rounded up so hard. This boat still doesn't sound like a real cruiser . . .

[Stephen Ditmore]

I find a light boat can often balance very nicely - and performance has advantages at sea when combined with good weather information. Steve Dashew and some other experienced offshore sailors favor light, fast boats as long as they're strong enough and can be equipped properly.