D.N. Goodchild Design Archive

Discussion in 'Wooden Boat Building and Restoration' started by Alixander Beck, Jul 25, 2005.

  1. Alixander Beck
    Joined: Jun 2005
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    Alixander Beck Junior Member

    Has anyone experience with these designs?
    Specifically this one by Charles McAlary.

    "ArrowHead"
    http://www.dngoodchild.com/5070.htm


    Just wondering as their design prices are very affordable and there are no reproduction royalties, does this mean that they are not sound plans or am I just over analysing?
     
  2. duluthboats
    Joined: Mar 2002
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    Location: Minneapolis,MN, USA

    duluthboats Senior Dreamer

    These plans are mostly reprints from magazine articles many more than 50 years old. There are lots of great designs from those magazines. Materials and hardware may not match what is available today. If you have questions the designer is not around to answer them. The articles are light on details; I think it was the hope that a builder would contact the designer. Remember you usually get what you pay for.

    Gary
     
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  3. Alixander Beck
    Joined: Jun 2005
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    Alixander Beck Junior Member

    Or could it be percieved that the builder would have enough knowledge/experience to fill in the gaps of "light details." ? 50 years ago I think trades work was not only appreciated more but found in greater abundance and therefore that may be the reason for only the most basic information?

    Unfortunately a design quote from S&S on their Arrow Class was above my current design budget and I have been forced to look into these alternative sources.

    My question, even though these designs leave questions to be answered in small detail aspects and may require some modifications of these details while building, Do you think that the Hull design, CLR's, CE's and rig/sail plans would be trustworthy enough to build around?
     
  4. mmd
    Joined: Mar 2002
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    Location: Bridgewater NS Canada

    mmd Senior Member

    Somewhere between the wee cost of decades-old DIY boat plans and the steep price of custom designs is a comfort zone where you pay a competant designer for a couple of hours of his time to review the plans for the old-style boat you like, and then proceed to build with the confidence of his report in your hands.
     
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  5. byankee
    Joined: Mar 2004
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    Location: Central MA

    byankee Junior Member

    I have a dozen or so of the Goodchild reprints of plans for small skiffs and sailboats up to 16 feet and have found them to be very complete. As an "educated amateur", I could build any of these boats using the instructions and the plans. Some of the building methods are a bit unusual, but they all seem reasonable. I don't know about the plans for larger craft such as "Arrowhead", but since all of these plans were intended for amaterur builders to actually build, I'd guess that they'd be O.K. too. In any case, it will only cost you $9.95 plus shipping to find out....

    As for the quality of the design itself, well that's a harder question. Many of the Goodchild reprints are by well known designers and I don't see why there'd be a problem with the plans. Some of the plans are the exact same plans that are being offered by reputable plan vendors today (i.e. the Fred Goeller dinghy plans from Goodchild are the exact same plans (though in a smaller format) offered by WoodenBoat magazine for ten times the price.) As for your "Arowhead" though, who the heck is/was Charles McAlary??? I'd follow mmd's suggestion and have a reputable designer review the plans before starting to build the thing.

    a tidbit I found while searching for info on McAlary...it's from the WoodenBoat forum

    "Arrowhead"... was drawn by Charles H. McAlary of Newport Beach, CA. Arrowhead is a 3/4 sloop rigged, 21' x 5'11" centerboarder with a counter stern and skeg mounted rudder. Plans for amateur construction were published by Popular Mechanics magazine sometime in the 1930's. They were reprinted in the book Build A Boat for pleasure or profit that was published by Popular Mechanics in 1941"

    Also this from the June 2005 edition of "Good Old Boats" http://www.goodoldboat.com/newsletter/junnewslett42.html#looking

    Arrowhead wooden sailboat
    I am researching the history of the Arrowhead class wooden sailboat designed by Charles McAlary of Newport Beach, California. My father, uncle, and grandfather built one of these 21-foot sloops around 1942 from plans found in Popular Mechanix. This boat was sailed on Oneida Lake in central New York until about 1973. It resides in our garage and could be restored to sailing condition. We are wondering where information about how many of these boats were built or any other history could be found. Plans for this boat can still be purchased on the Internet.
    Bob Porter

    The web posting has a email link for Bob Porter - you might want to contact him to ask about the boat.
     
  6. stanl
    Joined: Aug 2010
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    Location: portland,ore

    stanl Junior Member

    charles h mcalary

    if you go to the "sailboat" thread and page 4 "oregonian lost in the wind" you will find "i think" something of interest" i am so glad to have found this info for i been looking for years as to who designed my boat,this boat is currently for sale,,,,,,,,stanl
     
  7. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
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    gonzo Senior Member

    It's an old "tabloid" design. That boat sails on her ear (heels a lot) and will be very wet. If price is the only thing driving you to build the boat, there are many free designs that may be better. For example, plans by Chappelle.
     
  8. vasilis p.
    Joined: Jun 2012
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    Location: greece

    vasilis p. New Member

    hello everybody two days before i've started lofting the arrowhead 21. So my question is to alixander should i continue? . what happened whith your project finnally? are there any fotos of the of your effort? Is arrowhead a fun and trustworthy boat to sail? building it is not much of a problem for me. My bigger consern is the day after building it and launching it.
     
  9. Jusezimmer
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    Jusezimmer New Member

    If you really want to keep costs down check out Goole Books. Most of the early Popular Mechanics are available for free preview. I am currently building a scale model of "Sea Craft" a 25' cabin cruiser designed by H. M. Wilson and used by the USCG during WWII to ferry officers between ship and shore. DIY plans were published in an article run from March to July 1948.
     
  10. liki
    Joined: Nov 2008
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    liki Senior Member

    Wooden Boats sells digital copies of some How-to-build articles from the past for a few USD each. Enough information to build the boat in them.

    There exists also a web collection of those old popular mechanics articles for free, Svenson or something like that was its name. Some scans are hard to decipher but they could be also usable.
     
  11. vasilis p.
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    vasilis p. New Member

    i already have the plans and i just finished lofting and transfering the lines to the molds. i found the plans from the popular mechanics magazine "21 boats you can build". my question was refering on how is the boat behaving and what to expect from the boat i am building.kind of an owners opinion...
     
  12. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Arrowhead is pretty typical for what she is. I haven't been on one in many decades, but it wasn't especially impressive speed wise, though you felt like you where going well. She's stable, forgiving and will get her butt kicked down wind by more modern boats of similar length. Up wind, with a modernized rig, she'll hold on well, but she's still just a family dayboat, with a fair bit of room to carry a crowd and a few coolers of beer.
     
  13. vasilis p.
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    Location: greece

    vasilis p. New Member

    thanks a lot par. trully enlightning description. i am keeping that she's fast but not a racing boat and that she can carry a crowd of beers.... what else could one ask from his bot? so my project continues fotos will be uploaded soon
    . other opinions are welcomed
     
  14. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Unlike a modern sport boat or performance dinghy, she'll want to be sailed with a bit of heel on. I'll guess she'll be comfortable at 12 to 15 degrees and her groove will be moderately wide. The stock rig, as drawn isn't going to get her to windward as well as a more modernized sail plan, but she'll do okay. The word fast is relative with this boat. If coming from a sport boat or performance dinghy, she'll be slow to you, though the sensation of speed will be good, the GPS will tell a different story. She's wet to weather, but not as bad as you might think.
     

  15. Little Nate
    Joined: Feb 2013
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    Little Nate New Member

    Arrowhead sloop 21ft

    To Alixander and Vassilis

    I own a McAlary Arrowhead sloop built perhaps in the late 40s-early 50s in Tasmania, Australia, a centre of traditional boat building excellence. I bought her as a derelict with no transom, deck, rig but some good bits of celery top pine, a fabulous lightweight Tasmanian boat building timber. I rebuilt the boat as she came to me - her centreboard case was gone and in its place was a steel fin keel with lead bulb. The boat plans I referred to were from the 1941 copy of Popular Mechanics (20 Boats you can Build At Home, light blue hard cover). The hull is full length King Billy Pine 9/16" planking on 1"x3/4" blackwood ribs, centre line is a Tasmanian eucalypt, maybe stringybark or southern blue gum. These are dense and durable, known as "Tassie Oak". The ribs when steamed bend like licorice and the King Billy planking is the finest there is, less than 800lb/cubic metre, very light, worm-resistant, durable and strong. Worth the price in scrap. Miles better than mahogany, larch, yellow pine and so on.

    This is the important stuff. There are no floors in the plans but they were fitted to hold the keel and I fitted more. There is no bilge stringer specified - I fitted one in celery top 2 1/4" x 1 1/4". I fitted a sheer clamp, also 2 1/4 x 1/ 1/4" , heavier deck beams by way of the forward cockpit carlin and mast partners. I also fitted quarter and hanging knees at the partners and a solid breasthook under a canvas covered 5/16" ply deck. The 5/8" keel bolts hang off celery and douglas fir floors and 3/16" stainless angle x 2" sides across their tops. The timber boom (at 13ft) with beautiful bronze roller reefing fittings I salvaged and over-rigged her by 6ft with a 30ft douglas fir glued hollow mast, which is still a bit heavy. I added four full width laminated 1 1/4" celery top ribs by way of a new tas eucalypt mast step under a douglas fir compression post. I also added three thwarts in Australian red cedar to hold her lateral shape and higher swept and canted coamings and rub strips in old growth Burmese teak.

    All the extra strength in the additional longtitudinal timbers I thought was necessary as the boat was lacking these essential members for no good reason and would likely twist or lose her shape under hard work - which fortunately mine had not. These members are absolutely a must in every sail boat, no matter how light. I am a fully qualified traditional timber boat builder and merely added strength where it was needed. The coamings and rig suit local conditions, as does the much stronger hull.

    Sailing. I was a little disappointed with upwind speed and weather helm with the current keel, which I am redoing in stainless steel in a more swept-back jet fighter wing shape and flattened wing-shaped keel bulb. If you are going centreboard, you will float higher and can have better results from a lower-profile rig with the specified 24ft mast. When the boat is balanced if you have two bodies on the weather side, she sails flat and fast with a very light helm. Running requires full concentration as she will swerve in a gust. The hull is virtually round so there's not much boat in the water and she will get along at 6-8 knots nicely. The cuddy under the foredeck will keep your little nippers warm and dry if you put a cabin sole in. The Arrowhead's low freeboard means she is a little wet, hence my 6" to 1 3/4" inch deep coamings. I'm making a few changes to lessen the weather helm by changing the keel shape and fitting a short bowsprit to get the centre of effort a bit further forward. Remember, the mast is 6ft taller than designed. I'll post a result of the sea trials when she's done.

    It may seem like much more work, that sheer clamps and stringers, knees, (deck mount your mast on a compression post also, is my advice) but this little boat has been going around for maybe 70 years and if maintained will go for another 70 easily. Use the best quality timber you can afford and she will not disappoint. Built her upside down, of course, and paint her well. A perfect inshore boat, lake boat, and with dodgers or a tonneau cover, capable of coasting in the right hands. The Greek isles would be perfect.
     
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