CONFUCIUS -- 17 foot off-shore cabin sloop cruiser

I am surprised how quickly this thread goes off the main topic with everyone's opinions being squeezed in. All I asked was to help me with the offset table values. Thanks anyway.

 

Be humble and persistant. I see a few good responses. What are you complaining about?

 

If using FireFox as your browser, hit the "ctrl" and "+" keys at the same time. It's enlarge the screen view sufficiently to read the offsets.

Some of the previous comments, might be based on some of your previous posts here on the forum. You've been trying to self design a preformance dinghy without sufficient understanding of the principles involved in hydrodynamics. Now, you've swung full circle in the other direction, with a burdensome craft of unremarkable configuration, which naturally makes one ask the obvious questions.

 

Half widths best guesses

As stated above, all will be revealed when you loft the plans

 

Any takers?

 

Thank you

 

The idea behind the "sit on top" cockpit approach is to limit the size of the foot well, in case boarding water fills the cockpit. Many offshore cruisers prefer this arrangement, at least until they get older, where they change their models and prefer a nice big center cockpit or pilothouse, screw the windage. I use to insist on this type of cockpit, but now realize it's more about me, than the boat. Most feel exposed and uncomfortable sitting on the deck and would feel better if they were "in" rather than "on" the boat. I have to admit I'm now of this persuasion and want a nice deep, comfortable cockpit seating area, maybe with a drop leaf and built in beer cooler too.

 

That is one nice looking pocket cruiser. The cockpit hatch looks a bit cramped though...a bit too small for my taste. There are plenty of curves in the attached .pdf to allow replication of the hull.

 

Yes, an old design, but with great similarities to the Alfred Westmacott designed Solent one designs - X class, Victories et al, and they're still being built after about 100 years. Yes, clearly she draws a little more, and has an inboard, but hull form, sheer and rig are very similar.

http://victoryclass.org.uk/

Those boats are brilliantly "fit for purpose" and still provide some of the most competitive racing at Cowes Week, at a fraction of the cost of the sports boats et al.

All PAR's criticisms are valid, but she would still be a joy to ghost onto moorings on the upper reachs of a harbour, heat up a meal and turn in for a quiet night.

 

The Victory class gives an space for racing old boats -very numerous in UK- made in wood, polyester, and whatever material the English have used to build a boat. In fact they even rebuild the rotting wooden boats in polyester after salvaging the hardware and the ballast as it was made for the Seaview Mermaid type.

But truly, a part making a boat because you have a very active class in your yacht club, with good fellows for racing and drinking (the most important part...) after races the pale ale, the stout, and the whiskeys, there is not great interest to make such a boat.
There are a lot of nice modern designs able to fit the task, at better price, with better performances and security.

 

If memory serves me doesn't the Victory class has much firmer bilges than this boat?

 

Par, I had my Victory forty years ago, so my recall of the canoe body is not 100%. Confucius according the article was carrying 600 + lbs of supplies, not to mention the engine. Inevitably, a deeper hull etc, but very much of the same genre.

 

Maybe a distant cousin, but not really family. She's got quite slack bilges, nearly constant deadrise, not much "grace" in her ends, though displacement is well arranged.

 

Victory class boats are nice. Was in Portsmouth during Cowes week in August. I've never seen so many blasted sailboats in my life. I was on a 70ft racing yacht (a bit safer than smaller boats in the English channel), and we were constantly surrounded by the smaller sailboats.

Over the VHF during Cowes week we heard about 7 or 8 mayday calls. I take it people cram into these small boats and the waves & weather get the best of them. The Solent Coast Guard had their hands full that week.

It would be interesting to know which of these pocket size boats has the best capsize ratio. It would bring piece of mind to know the boat would right itself if it rolled.

 

Well put! It may seem seaworthy but you won't enjoy spending much time on it. I'd far rather have a comfy cockpit than an ultimate storm survival cockpit (I'll sit by the fire at home during that ultimate storm).

I'd REALLY like to just be able to have really comfortable cockpit and have a boat designed around it that's easy and pleasing to sail and look at...