decisions in the begining of design

[urisvan]

Hello
ı want to design and build a strong and seaworthy cruiser. According to my intention i have some thoughts in my mind. Her length will be about 30 feet. She will not have a very high aspect ratio keel, but still she will have a fin keel. And she will have long overhangs and steep run compared to modern cruiser-racers. She will be like 1970s cruiser-racers like contessa32 and others like her. My first question is: would you suggest this kind of boat?or?
i want to build it from wood. İf i use wood as construction material i have to use bolted keel! and i have some doubts about bolted keels! But in fiberglass boats encapsulated keel is also a choice. İt will be difficult for me to build it from fibergalss, but if there is a big difference between bolted and encapsulated keels, maybe i should change my building material.
I have to make decisions in the begining. I am looking forward for your suggestions to ease my mind.
Best regards
thanks

[Eric Sponberg]

The best way to build a bolted keel to a sailboat is by the method detailed in the book "The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction", which has just been republished in a new and updated version (www.westsystem.com). In there they describe a bolted keel arrangement using an I-beam/keelson combination that I have used very successfully in my designs. This should be the least of your worries.

I highly recommend this book because it describes virtually everything you need to know regarding the planning and building of a new boat.

I hope that helps.

Eric

[lewisboats]

http://www.westsystem.com/

Extra Character...didn't work
Steve

[urisvan]

hello
thanks for paying attention.
i will buy the book that you recomended, it looks exiting.
forgive my caprice but i insist on asking: did you like the boat type i choose?
and i plan to do carvel-planking because it is the cheapest method for me.
and in the framing system i didn't give an exact decision. i plan to construct with sawn frames, and i also want some longitudial stringers notched into frames. in this way i hope to have a strong hull. would it be too difficult to construct in that way? or should i do it without longitudial frames and install bilge stringers after framing and planking have finished?
thanks again

[Eric Sponberg]

I cannot necessarily comment on the design because you don't describe what all of the different features are, only some of them. For example, how much room inside do you need for the interior joinery, and do you want simple joinery or finely detailed and highly finished joinery. One thing for sure is carvel construction over sawn frames will take up a lot of interior space (thickness of the planking plus the thickness of the frames), and a 30' boat does not have very much space. This type of construction is also heavy, and you don't say what the displacement of the boat is. I suggest that you read the Gougeon book first and see all the different methods of construction that they describe very completely. You should match the type of construction with your skills and with the type of design and the weight of the boat. One of the strip planking methods may be the best, rather than carvel planking. So read first, and decide later.

Eric

[benmww]

if you are going to be cruising in your boat, the most important thing is to get out there.
yes it's nice to have a speedy boat that can make quick passges
seaworthiness is not an option
it's just something that you need
just imagine if your in a hurricane of off cape horn in a storm,
you need to just be able to go below decks for a while ( possibly a few days)
and just know that when you come back up it wont matter how many times she fell off waves and how many times she submarined or flipped, she is going to be structually sound after.
on a cruising boat, going oversize doesn't hurt that much and having a good engine really pays off
especially if your just not content with 3 1/2 knots when travelling from panama to the marqueses.
ofcoarse if you going to be cruising in the very low lattitudes you won't have to worry about much of this, but it's better to be sure.
I once met a friend who liked cruising greean land and antartica and so designed a boat that could go up on the ice for long periods of time with a swing keel that lifted up into the hull
any way good luck with designing your boat

[urisvan]

thanks,
dear benmww, i think you are wright. i doesnt worth to give your life for sailing fast.
what would you think for bruce34 for example.
http://www.bruceroberts.com.au/sail/r34.htm

[benmww]

the roberts 34 is a common choice
If it was me i would opt for the steel construction
this is because of the obvious durabilty of the material and the ease of repairing any damage that occurs in a grounding
ofcoarse metal may not be a choice for you
i would make sure you look at what your trying to accomplish wen lookinh at overhangs
if you are looking at a certain length try an get max waterline
long waterline also increase seawothieness as well as higher speed in medium to high wind ranges.
but for a certain cost a boat with long overhangs will be cheaper to build for maximum room
what ever you do just make sure that you finish building your boat but that it doesn't impact too much in your life to cause damage