CNC Plans not Included

Yeah I remember and somebody posted that it was too easy to steal from the galley but that can be secured just as well as the hulls. Too many benefits to having the galley outside in open air.

This boat is not bad but I was actually liking that Gunboat video you posted with sliding windows and door leading to a front cockpit though I am thinking now the helm is going to be aft and galley right up front there with big sliding windows like Gunboat has.

Working on that now

 

With front glass ... I can tell the top style doesn't fit the hull. Hull needs to be raised in back slightly and curve down more aggressively in front ... back to Grainger style.

At this point I am back almost back to having a full Salon, just not closed off but I think it's better for resale and if you have a galley up top.

The roof is large enough to hold over 60 pv panels.

 

Looking back thru an interesting subject thread (not just the particular vessels that are being discussed) that contains some objectivity in selecting features and design softwares.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/multihulls/open-bridgedeck-catamaran-design-53066.html

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/multihulls/open-bridgedeck-catamaran-design-53066-2.html#post734527

I need to keep a few of these thoughts in mind as I go about looking for ideas for a new alternative catamaran design for Jimmy Buffett.
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/motorsailers/jimmy-buffett-just-bought-new-sail-gamefishing-boat-motorsailer-54630.html

 

Good post!

Experience has also taught me many a lesson, unfortunately never been a sailing man. Luckily four years in the Merchant Marine taught me about protection from the elements so nobody has to twist my arms too much to have the semi enclosed salon. I like the removable window idea or simply fold up!! )).

Front cockpits scare me, I used to watch as 6' of water would come rolling down the decks and collide with the house putting the portholes underwater, it was an intimidating force. That is why I like the open transom of this last design, If by chance I take a wave, I want it to be able to find it's way off the boat!!

Wish I knew more about rigs. So far all I have done is run stay lines aft to see if they interfere with the roof, they don't.

Def kickup rudders and easy to break-away daggers, I keep reading about collisions and most of those were at relatively low speed but still resulted in serious damage and injury. I don't want to kill a whale, that would ruin it completely for me. I think all daggers should be two parts, the top which is bolted to a bottom and the breakaway should happen right below that connection so you can carry a couple spares and just bolt them on. I think I will push hardest on that innovation.

Everything else is pretty much been done. I have drawn a hundred different versions learning the relationship between planes. I think I am close now, the NA will take care of all the rigging though I keep reading that all the expensive boats have rotating masts.

I wish it could be unstayed, I am going to ask more about that, the less lines and hardware the better!

 

Jorge - if you want to live on the boat long term and go cruising, then you really should go for a bridgedeck cabin design. However a 60fter in full bridge deck cabin is a huge boat. Honestly for a small family or a few friend's , 45-50ft is plenty big enough.

Your project costs will almost double going from 50ft to 60ft. And it's such a big project you'll likely be old and grey and physically unable to enjoy it once it's completed. Please be careful, most people that have built such projects wish they didn't... youll never get those years back!

A lot of life happens during the time frame elapsed building. Your health deteriorates , financial circumstances change etc they are all real risks that should be given serious consideration - I wish I did.

My boat has finally sold - I didn't give my reasons earlier but out of the blue my father died of cancer, took his life in 4 months after the first indications he had a problem. I cannot beleivr how fast this happened. This contributed to my reasons for selling and I'm grateful for the last trip I did with him on the boat however we all believed we were going to do many more miles before he left us...

Spend you time on the water, not building in a shed... best advice I can give...

 

That's terrible about your dad man, my condolences. The cycle of life respects nobody, we have to live and enjoy each day, I forget to do that too often.

I might do the smaller boat, feeling it out. 50 is the smallest I would consider though. I saw a couple of smaller cats that looked cool - The Alpha and VCat, I think they are 42 footers very modern, of course can't comment on how good they sail.

I don't want a fully enclosed salon though, just some protection from wind and spray so I can move the galley out of the hull and that lets me shorten things a bit. I think a 50 will probably be the smallest I go though.

 

This is the 65 scaled to 55. The roof shown can hold 48 panels but it's clearly too big. I can put 5 over the tender, and reduce total panels to 40 and that would make the roof look about right but I think that would be the smallest I could go.

 

I'll re-reference a 50 footer i saw in Thailand, and posted several links to it much earlier in this subject thread:

BTW, those are canvas covers that drop down over the openings all around the perimeter of the deckhouse,...so a really open deckhouse design.

I'd be willing to bet you could built something like this MUCH cheaper than what you have been talking about,....AND I think you could find many more buyers if you seriously still want to make a business of this project.

PS: and no problem there are a number of sailing rigs that could be adapted to this vessel :idea:

 

the overall shape is not bad but I don't think my market will like it. They are way more trendy. I go both ways myself but at this point in my life, a little luxury is desired and deserved.

I would rather cut back in size than in style.

PS- I have been showing my drawings around and people are digging them.

 

When I sold my boat I got back my costs plus $30k.

3000-4000hours for $30k is about half minimum wage here. Financially building a new boat might look like a success, but financially its a big mistake.

Our previous boat which we bought lightly used and renovated we made a handsome profit on, I'd definitely do that again...

 

Yeah that is not much earnings but I think you did well considering it's your own design and a home build.

I actually would have enjoyed building my boat had I gone about it a bit differently but you have to admit it's pretty nice feeling to drive around a boat you built yourself ))

This next time around I will have a small crew and we are going to do it right starting with the mold. As I draw I have come up with a lot of ways to speed up the interior finishing. Very little fairing!

 

You sound like me before i started

Honestly - the feeling is the same whether you built it or someone else did... the real adventure is waiting for you out there, not in a shed getting covered in dust and breathing up fumes...

No matter how much time you think you can save, its still a shedload of time to build a +50ft cat - dont make the mistake of thinking you can do it quicker than everyone else. If there were really good methods out there - they will quickly become common knowledge via the internet. You still see all pro builders taking +5000 man hours to build these boats as a 1 off. The only way you can save time building fiberglass boats is via molds and these take longer than the boat to build which is why you dont see people using molds for 1 off builds.

Me - im going looking for half finished projects, cheap used boats, and ringing around the insurance compaines who now own dozens of wrecked boats following our latest cyclone to hit the east coast here... there is so many more intelligent ways of getting a good boat besides busting your *** building from scratch

 

, Groper, here is the way I see it

The only thing you should take from your experience is that mold construction is the only way to go. Yes it costs but the costs are recaptured and time is money. A plug is not hard to make, especially with CNC.

Also I am not ready to retire, I like to build stuff and I won't be covered in dust or smelling fumes, that will be my mini crews job.

 

No, i would not build molds for a 1 off build - same amount of work to build a mold as it is to build the boat itself - you can take molds off your finished boat, the boat IS the mold...

What i did learn is that the enemy of boat building new FRP boats is man hours. Hence the best way to combat that is hire a crew of cheap labour - which is why every major FRP boat builder has left australia and gone to other countries to produce their boats...

We still build alot of aluminium boats here tho, several large ship yards are doing ok on that front - would like someone to shed some light on why that is??
I know one reason is that the government props them up by sending them commercial ship contracts for government departments and military etc as they dont want to loose the industry entirely like we have with our car manufacturing... but we also build passenger ferries etc for non government purposes and export these overseas so there must be other reasons which make us competitive?

 

Maybe what makes them competitive is a lack of competitors.

Just read - Aluminum boat sales (freshwater) growth figures are beating fiberglass boat growth figures in US. )) I knew I should have learned to weld!! lol