small offshore yacht design

Hay there

Im wanting to get info or plans on a small yacht (30 ft and under) suitable for offshore sailing. Ive searched the usual sites but dont really see anything that grabs me. Is there a designer or plans that anybody has that we could put our heads together and get the yacht made??? Ive got a few ideas i want to see in the yacht but id be keen for a place to start first .

Im no yacht designer but there must be somebody on this site that can help me build a one off yacht suitable for the seven seas.....

Thanks in advance

 

What material?
Brent

 

HI

id prefer steel but the prices are quite high, grp is an option but so is timber, im open to any ideas, im keen to look at what ever plans are out there, or maybe i could give someone a brief and let them draw something up for me.

I want it to be suitable for both hot and cold climates.

Wayne

 

I think Epoxy/plywood is probably your best bet.

There are literally dozens, if not hundreds of designs out there. From out and out racers to fast cruisers to traditional long keel types intended for simplicity, ease of maintenance, and good course keeping qualities.

Keep in mind that building a boat that size is a major undertaking and could take years of part time building to complete.

A fellow in New Zeeland just finished building a 5,000 lb 21 footer, which he plans to sail around the world.

He did an excellent job building it, but it took him almost a year of FULL TIME building to get it done.

I think the thing to do is to really be honest with yourself on what you will actually use the boat for and then go for the smallest one that can do that job.

 

you dont kow the name of the guy or the design this fellow kiwi used by any chance?? id love to get in contact with them.

 

I might* be interested, send me a basic spec by pm.

raw

 

What are your other requirements, and what has turned you off about some of the available designs under 30'.

Classic, modern, casual race/cruiser, full up racer, full blown blue water cruiser, "in the tradition of", shoal requirements, rig type preferences, type of sailing you expect, type of sailor you are, average number of crew, building experience, materials preferences, D/L range, SA/D range, you know enough to make a reasonable recommendation about the literally thousands of designs in this size range. Personally I have several designs, in this general range of small offshore yacht. Some are more blue water capable then others, with a few being light weight racers and a few solidly constructed cruisers, plus a few in between.

If this is for your planned cold water, solo effort, discussed in previous threads, you'd be well advised to have a custom design drawn up. The requirements of a solo expedition yacht, particularly this small, will be quite demanding of a production offering, with very few being up to the tasks as manufactured.

Is there a reason behind the length restriction? 30' is a very small boat in the Weddell Sea.

 

The main reason for trying to have it under 30ft is cost,

i will be sailing it solo 99% of the time, it will be semi cruiser/racer, and id like it to have an open cockpit.and the bare basics in interior, it will be comfortable but functional.
there no point of having a yacht that sleeps 6 pax with only me on board most of the time, that is a waste of space, my thoughts are that where the vee berths would normally be, it would be left open (yet reinforced) and that would have a toilet,small work bench, but mostly be sail and other storage.

you are right the first few trips will be down to the really cold climates, but it will only be a one off trip as after ive been there i will be working my way uptowards the med etc.

it will have a self steering vain, and the basics for the nav area, a single burner gimballed stove, im a firm believer on the less you have the less that can go wrong.
the boat will be self righting, and im a huge fan on the racing designs and styles.
ive been sailing since i was 14 on everything from small dingys, cats to the keeler i now live on. (its not suitable for the long term trips i want to do.).

I have a builder friend thats willing to build it for me, so getting a good boat builder wont be a problem, Ive seen and read a lot about the solo sailers on the bigs boats and i admire them for what they can do, im not doing this for anybody other than myself and wanting to see the world. i will be self funding my trips (no sponsers) so hence the reason for trying to work with in a small budget.
I dont feel safe sailing a boat larger than 35ft solo (ive tried) it just alot of work.

please feel free to ask anything you want, if it helps me get the boat i want then im more than happy to help .

 

You're not referring to the John Welsford design, Sundowner, by any chance. The builder, Charlie Whipple has her in the water now and sailing even though the website does not show those photos as of yet.

Here's the URL: http://www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz/plans/sundowner/updates.htm

Word is, that John is about to do a 25' expanded version of the Sundowner and that should be a real nice boat for the kind of work you want to do. If you do want to go for thr 30' size, I do encourage you to at least speak to John about your interests.

Contact John Welsford:

phone & Fax: 64 (0) 7 829 5282

email: jwboatdesigns@xtra.co.nz

Address for orders and despatch enquiries:

Po Box 314 Ngongotaha
New Zealand

Address for correspondence with John Welsford.

Po Box 24 062
Hamilton
New Zealand

 

Here are three photos of Whipple's Sundowner under sail in very light air.

 

If you want to build a capable boat on a budget without compromising the end result I suggest you consider my method of construction. www.bourneboats.com.au
Cheers from down under Peter

 

sorry for the late reply, things have been very hectic at work at the moment, your site looks great, what actully is it ?

 

What do you have against the Freedom 28?

 

hi,
we develop custom designs, mainly fast sail boats.
We can give you a had in developing your design; please visit our site:
www.gyachtdesign.com

feel free to drop us a line.
good luck!

 

If you E-Mail me ( via my web site ) which part you dont get, and the parameters for your design, I would be happy to design you a boat that would suite my method of construction.
Cheers from Peter
www.bourneboats.com.au