George Buehler designs

what are your thoughts on George Buehler designs?

 

Heavy, slow, cheap. But some are nice (at least for my eyes, I like sturdy workboat looks of the 30ies).
What are you looking for especially (the Ducks?).

 

right now just curiosity

i think the double enders are eye catching

my attitude is if you on the water at the helm you don't see what it looks like,

my criteria run to safety, sea worthiness, functionality and comfort ie form follows function

a weekend chasing down uboats on the wide open is good for the soul

unless theres another reason to go sailing

 

George has all but given up on his sail designs. Who knows why, likely the interest in his Ducks.

With the rare exception, his sail designs we un-Godly slow in all but moderate gale conditions. On the other hand they could "swat small aircraft from the sky", which is sometime to brag about I guess.

If interested in the same salty styling and simple build techniques as George Buehler's work, drop me an email. I can offer plans that use very similar techniques, but without the weight penalty and the cost of heavy displacement construction (build costs can be directly related to displacement). These designs will easily out perform the shapes George uses and still have the built like a tank mentality he has made famous.

Is there a specific design you're interested in?

To directly answer your questions. His sailboat shapes (with a few exceptions) are very poor performers, though they will handle quite a load and sink fairly uniformly as they take on stores, which is good for a cruiser. His powerboat shapes are slightly better, but still not in keeping with many of the modern innovations we've learned in recent decades.

My point isn't to put George down, quite the contrary, his books and work helped opened up a new revival in building and some of his boats are as salty as they get. My point is that you can have your cake and eat it too. You can have a stout hull that will show it's stern post to most that try to keep up, plus have the hull volume to drag along all the stuff you need.

I've been aboard several different Buehler designs and have sail a few as well.

 

about five years ago, i built his 34 ft. "alaska", page 332 of his book
definetly very heavy construction. stringers were 2x4,s. I followed his design
to the letter except i built a long deckhouse. Ithink that because of the heavy construction, 10 years down the road you have material to work with
when making repairs. E-mails to Buehler were semi successfull and later i think he went big time and was hard to get hold of.

 

Any photos you'd like to share? If you were doing it again, what would you do differently?

 

How do i send pics. in this "quick repy message?

 

34 ft. Alaska

I was only able to get hold of one pic................hope this works

 

When you use the "quick reply" you cannot upload pictures! Check the "go advanced" button, then "manage attachments"................

Tatäääää

 

Here go,s again If this works i.ll send another reply and tell a big story

 

That photo posted just fine. Tell us a little more, for instance, what engine, how has she worked out for your needs, etc.

 

O.K.........Things are working better. If i did this again i would buld Ted Brewers "Quiet Times" with 2 20 hp outboards.
i built this boat in northeast okla. out on 10 acres i wish i still had.
Started with a 20 x 40 tin bulding with oak floor about lowboy high
wich proved perfect when we dragged it out. a 16 ft. ceiling hieght
with trusses that looked like boat frames, gussets and all.
The engine is a 40 hp diesel (lister) The plans called for three layers of half inch ply. after one layer of half in., i went to 3/8" because you cant pull 1/2"
in at the bow. the stern i strip planked I ended up with forever leak at the keel (about 1 gal. in 24 hrs.} i know thats nothing and everyone told me that.
when you assemble the keel pieces at the shaft, use a pipe over the shaft
I think the rudder could be bigger the the plans call for. I launched the boat at Kerr lake in Okla. There about a year, then moved it to Aransis Pass Tx.
where i did a lot of work inside, Dock rent went up and up, needed an AC and
genset and finally sold it. I had more fun building this boat than going down the intercoastal approaching a 100 ft. wide tow. I,ll try to get more pics.

 

more pics.

 

more pics.

maybe this works

 

Think Pilgrim is the best boat George ever designed. The Ellemaid is pretty good and Idlewood is a good one as well except for being top heavy. Circumnavagiting through the Northwest Passage is quite an achievement.

The rest of the diesel ducks are completly contrary to what he claims he is trying design-low, lean, and long fuel efficient passagemakers.

The sailboat are strong, hefty, and slow.

Would like to hear from others on thier impressions of Pilgrim.