Boat Design Forums

  1. Design

    1. Boat Design

      Discuss boat design concepts, projects, plans, reviews, resources, and general design topics.
      Discussions:
      15,216
      Messages:
      230,662
      Latest: Do you know what kind of protection is used for aluminum ship plates? william stokes, Mar 14, 2026 at 4:12 PM
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    2. Hydrodynamics and Aerodynamics

      Technical discussion on fluid dynamics: theory and analysis.
      Discussions:
      1,057
      Messages:
      23,882
      Latest: Overbalanced rudder with no balance area Tops, Mar 14, 2026 at 10:46 AM
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    3. Stability

      Discuss stability issues and calculations, power and sail.
      Discussions:
      1,025
      Messages:
      16,908
      Latest: Roll Period Test... Waterline Beam or Total Beam? william stokes, Mar 8, 2026 at 6:34 PM
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    4. Class Societies

      Scantling Rules, updates and discussion on Society Classification: Lloyds, ABS, DNV, ISO ...
      Discussions:
      418
      Messages:
      4,773
      Latest: Structural stiffness related to material and scantling rules william stokes, Jan 8, 2026
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    5. Powerboats

      Discuss production and custom powerboats and powerboat design.
      Discussions:
      2,718
      Messages:
      29,254
      Latest: Aussie made 39' Ocean Trek with Levi Surface Drives Joey R, Mar 3, 2026
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    6. Propulsion

      Discuss marine engines, drives, and propulsion systems.
      Discussions:
      6,079
      Messages:
      72,120

      1. Props

      2. Surface Drives

      3. Jet Drives

      4. Outboards

      5. Sterndrives

      6. Pod Drives

      7. Inboards

      8. Diesel Engines

      9. Gas Engines

      10. Electric Propulsion

      11. Hybrid

      12. DIY Marinizing

      Latest: Caroute S300 36V motor with sleeve, retrofit this Duffy 18' Caroute Motor, Mar 7, 2026
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    7. Motorsailers

      Discuss monohull and multihull motorsailers and motorsailer design.
      Discussions:
      161
      Messages:
      4,051
      Latest: Revolutionary Sailboat Design MotorCityBW, Feb 28, 2026
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    8. Sailboats

      Discuss monohull sailboat design, production and custom monohull sailboats.
      Discussions:
      4,523
      Messages:
      83,231
      Latest: New Zealand Scow william stokes, Mar 13, 2026 at 4:56 AM
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    9. Multihulls

      Discuss multi-hull sailboat design, production and custom sailing catamarans and trimarans.
      Discussions:
      3,395
      Messages:
      90,813
      Latest: 45' solar catamaran fallguy, Mar 14, 2026 at 1:50 PM
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    10. OnBoard Electronics & Controls

      Discuss onboard mechanical, hydraulic, and electric control systems, monitoring, navigation, communication, systems integration and onboard computer systems.
      Discussions:
      884
      Messages:
      11,110
      Latest: I built my own marine monitoring system using a Raspberry Pi Skipper Don, Feb 25, 2026
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    11. Software

      Discuss marine design software: hull design, fairing, modeling, rendering, and CNC.
      Discussions:
      3,157
      Messages:
      25,393

      1. General Computing

      Latest: Gene-Hull Sailboat new version 3.5 and its post applications Gene-Stab and Gene-VPP Dolfiman, Mar 14, 2026 at 12:17 PM
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  2. Collaboration

    1. Option One

      Collaborative design of a power cruiser: trailerable, 300 mile range, economical at cruise & displacement speeds.
      Discussions:
      67
      Messages:
      1,727
      Latest: Cool trailerable boat parkland, Jan 9, 2015
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    2. Projects & Proposals

      An open forum to generate ideas for collaborative design projects.
      Discussions:
      451
      Messages:
      8,753
      Latest: Electric Launch Design optimized for semi-displacement speeds Stephen Ditmore, Nov 28, 2025
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  3. Construction

    1. Boatbuilding

      Discuss boatbuilding projects, methods, plans & kits, ask questions, and share your experiences.
      Discussions:
      11,022
      Messages:
      136,384

      1. Fiberglass and Composite Boat Building

      2. Metal Boat Building

      3. Wooden Boat Building and Restoration

      4. Electrical Systems

      Latest: Forming and stretching plate william stokes, Mar 12, 2026 at 7:14 PM
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    2. Materials

      Discuss boatbuilding materials: composites, woods, metals, plastics, and finishes.
      Discussions:
      3,038
      Messages:
      32,582
      Latest: Vinyl Ester Resin Question . . . ondarvr, Mar 14, 2026 at 8:39 AM
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    3. Marketplace

      Boatbuilding materials, tools, equipment, molds, tooling and custom projects for sale or trade.
      Discussions:
      2,941
      Messages:
      13,287

      1. Boat Molds

      Latest: New micro skiff mold 17ft. hull only Steve Miller, Mar 13, 2026 at 10:42 AM
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  4. Employment and Education

    1. Education

      Discuss schools and programs of Naval Architecture and Yacht Design and entry paths into a boat design career.
      Discussions:
      908
      Messages:
      6,490
      Latest: Faculty positions CDBarry, Jan 15, 2026
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    2. Services & Employment

      Post positions available and marine design and boatbuilding services offered.
      Discussions:
      1,884
      Messages:
      6,484
      Latest: Seeking an engineer to design a rotatable pod brian eiland, Feb 27, 2026
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  5. Community

    1. All Things Boats & Boating

      Enjoy friendly conversation with other forum members and boaters on marine-related topics, boats, and boating in general.
      Discussions:
      4,302
      Messages:
      142,505

      1. Press Releases

      2. Wiki Archive

      3. Forum Questions and Suggestions

      4. Post-Tsunami

      Latest: What is the model of these boats? Pinopinoppi, Mar 8, 2026 at 5:34 AM
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