lapstrake building.

[dsuursoo]

Originally Posted by PAR

Substitutions are usually as simple as finding another material or species that has similar physical properties.

Considering the scope of a project like this, you may be better off starting with a bare hull and upgrading it to the look you desire. One of the larger Cabo's or Island Packet's might fit the bill. Maybe a salvage, where the engine is dead, the rig shot and the interior looks like the Russian Army spent their last pay day in it.

Strip it out, have a designer work up a new rig, deck and interior and you're good to go. You'll be starting with a solid hull design, one that doesn't rot or need to be recaulked every few years and the look can be quite realistic, if the details are carried to typical 19th century arrangements. There would also be a considerable savings considering you'll be starting with the hull already built.

I've done this on a few occasions. The last one was an open schooner on a Coronado 26 bare hull.

that is a fair thought. i've seen it done, so i know it's possible. my one hesitation is that it seems to be getting difficult to insure metal hulls now.

as i mentioned, ted brewer's 'tree of life' design is a pretty remarkable fit, all things considered, to what i want. just a touch more beam, a little more draft, a bit more weight, but all the work on her lines has been done. kind of nice, that. and from what i hear she sails like a dream.

sure, i wouldn't go as balls-out on the fittings as they did in a couple of them, but she'd still be gorgeous. turns out it's strip-planked construction, which has its ups.