Westlawn School

Asathor - ask a car sales person if his car are best and of course he will say yes. Ask someone who's bought one of his cars and you will more likely get a completely honest answer.
So, once again, as a current Westlawn student, let me give you the benefit of my experiences with the school:

1. All correspondence is direct with your instructor. Most questions are answered within 48 hours - usually much less. The responses are always encouraging, to the point and useful. I generally correspond by email, however I know other students who both phone and fax.

2. About midway through the course, I was contacted by my instructor to see why he hadn't received anything from me for a while. I had - as you suggested - lost my enthusiasm for the course at the time. Through a few short messages, he had me back on track. I'm now only two lessons short of finishing the course.

3. Not exactly sure what you're asking here, but certainly if there's been something I've not understood, my instructors have spent the time necessary to help me understand things before I moved on.

Lastly, I think I had already answered JC's original question about the text books.
I'm sounding a bit like a car salesman myself here If you didn't know me better, you'd think I was on some kind of commission! Take a look back thru my posts over the years you'll see I'm not..... and whilst it's not for me to promote or stand up for the Westlawn, I've been happy with the service they've provided me with, so I'm only too happy to do so.

Westlawn

Mr. Gerr..

Thank you for the list... it is most impressive. I now have a bigger picture of the Westlawn success...what is the number of students that enrolled and did not complete or succeed in being hired or becoming independent designers in comparison to the list that you have presented here? This obviously has no bearing on the school because every person is an island in themselves but it will give me a bigger picture of the percentages in success as your list equals 100 percent success and I don't believe that is representative of any school. Out of the list that you have presented, how many had degrees when they enrolled and how many may have already been employed in the field when they enrolled? What was the percentage difeerence of students that were placed with degrees compared to the students without degrees.

As far as placing the most students than any other school better be an automatic since the school has been in business the longest, but how many students do you enroll yearly and how many complete and get placed? How many do not complete and get placed?

I also am from NYC...Coney Island, 2 blocks from the sand. It wasn't until I decided to check things out for my son that I heard about Mr. Dave Gerr or any other Nautical Architect or Nautical Engineer in NYC and I have been here since the day I was pushed out and screamed WHAAAAAAA. Is a matter of fact, I think I was born on the same boat I was conceived. How many Nautical Architects currently exist in NYC? How did you manage to pull it off? I only ask because it could prove useful to know whether my son may have to relocate from this city that you have cornered in order to make a living, or if perhaps he will be placed in your company because of proximity. Would you hire the degreed individual first if all else was equal or would you only consider proximity?

Thank you for all your time and trouble and welcome any and all questions that will assist you in assisting me in my inquiry.

Jay

Jay:

For completion rates refer to the post at:

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2783&page=2&pp=15

There's a great deal to discuss about what might suit your son best. Call me at the number on our website (http://www.westlawn.org/). I'll be happy to discuss things with you.

Dave Gerr
Director
Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology

Westlawn

Hello everyone...

Thank you Mr. Gerr, the more I find out the more I am becoming confident that all schools seem to be very good and it may be an excellent idea for my son to consider any school including Westlawn.

He has decided to look around some more and then decide what he will do...said he isn't in a hurry. Hmmm.

Anyway I oferred to buy him some tools, since I don't really want to part with my own. I offered to give him my curves but he said that he wants the copenhagen ships curves. I told him that I would get him the set and now he said he wants me to make them for him. Geez.

Anybody know where I can get patterns for them or what type of material I can use to make them? He said he saw a picture of them on the McNaughton site but it sounds like they will be difficult to create that way if they are not in actual size. If anyone can be of assistance it would be appreciated. Compensation for time and expenses can be discussed.

Jay

Jay - a little shopping around is important here. I bought a set of 11 curves (all that your son should require) for under $50. I've also seen sets retailing for over $1000!! I bought mine from a guy here in Australia - so you'd probably want to find someone more local.
Not something that you could easily make yourself - unless you have the patterns, the it would be easy....

try here:

http://www.draftingsupplies.us/ships_curves.htm

or here:

http://www.suppliesnet.com/Curves/ship_curve_set.htm

A good source of ships curves and all other general drafting and drawing supplies is:

https://www.charrette.com.

They offer a very inexpensive group of ships curves suitable for student work. Current price is $15.39.

Log on to Charrette. Go to "Drawing Measuring & Model Supplies," then to "French & Ships Curves," then to "Ship Curves Set."

Westlawn students get discounts on drafting instruments ordered through Westlawn as well as guidance on the instruments and supplies needed.

Dave Gerr
Director
Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology

thats a nice set of 4 curbs for $ 15. with a bigger set of curbs selecting can be frustrating not finding the one you want.
before curving the pc i used a flexible curve (same site above french ship curves) ok, not as handy to work with but for only $ 6 you do draw all curves, good to have one extra.

Curves

Thank's everyone...

I feel the same way about the # of curves...I only have 9 curves and I havent found a single junction that I couldn't fair out with a little ingenuity. I think I had 15 at one time and they just took up space after I spent more time trying to "fit" the spline to the line. I think he wants me to make them for him because the ones that my father made and gave to me have both sides raised and set back a little creating an offset from the table. This insignificant although somewhat noticeable height allows inking of the plans without having the ink smear under your curve...not even sure if inking out your vellum is even practiced anymore but I would think that those plastic curves can be easily cleaned if needed. Can they be cleaned easily?

Thank's for the info...I'll look around.

My son has me doing so much research to figure out the value of education and tuition that I'm starting to consider enrolling myself just to learn something else. Oh my GOD!! LOL

Curves

JC
Maybe buy the curves, use them as templates, make something very special for your son, then sell them on ebay at a profit!
I think a full set would be great to own but just confusing to use. Splines and weights are the way to go with a few curves, some long and relatively straight and a few tight ones.

Curves

Hello Chandler...

Well...I guess that I can buy some curves, trace them and make the curves or... I could just buy the patterns...choose the ones that may best fit the purpose and then make them. I'm not going to sell the curves I buy...I would probably just give them away to a youngen starting out.

I'm thinking of making the curves in wood...maybe a quarter sawn greenheart in the brown/purple range with lots of heartwood grain. I know the wood is heavy but they'll be on the board most of the time, they'll feel good and stiff in the hand, there is no way they will warp and the edges will be superior. With a nice finish...there is no way ink will get in them. Probably use up a couple of router bits to get them done though...that's a tough one on the tools.

In any event..it will be resistant to the marine borers that he may unknowingly draft below the waterline. TEE HEE. <~~~ Joke.

Okay...comments, questions, suggestions?

Jay

If you are in NYC, you and your son could go by Sparkman and Stevens office for information on the yacht design profession, since they are probably the most prestigious firm in the US. Webb Institute is also in Glen Cove, so it's an easy ride too. (As is Kings Point and SUNY Maritime).

Ahoy there CD...

I know the SUNY site well...called and checked out some stuff. I managed to get my son to get into methodology so he is looking at all options. The fever rush seems to be dying out.

Anyway...we were discussing some tools and he thinks a planimeter is better than an integrator. I don't think so. He keeps eyeballing my stuff so I'm designing an impenetrable steel cage (so he can't get in) and inescapable (so he can't get out if he gets in) I always had an integrator...and it did more than a planimeter...is a matter of fact, I think that it is more related to NA&ME than a planimeter because it solves for area, size of mean heights of diagrams, mean square heights, center of gravity, volume of solids of revolution, moment of inertia and centrifugal moment of areas, centroids, moments, etc., simultaneously I might add. Granted, you don't take it anywhere without a handtruck...but who takes those out anyway? Just putting it out there for some thoughts.

Jay

There is also the CGA in New London.

He... I must admit that Westlawn sure is patient with International student and answer FAST!!!, I dont like a55 kissing procedure, but I have test the people and they reply with good nature, very professional.

It is ok for American with so many schools to choose from for University but International student find Long distance offer great flexiblity and opportunity to learn lastest cutting age technique that our origin country might lack.

The teacher and student relationship is like friends in a same field. I do feel at home, because everywhere I buy stuff I use westlawn student title to get discount and have a lot to buy

Even Charrette repond better and quicker by knowing me as a student in Westlawn, I think they gave me disc on delivery. Thanks

Student

A suggestion

JC, here is a thought from a current student at Westlawn. I wasn't 100% sure if I wanted to pursue boat design as a career possibility. For about four years now Ive thought of the idea of designing and building boats for production. Maybe a semi-custom boat builder. Who knows, time will tell. I was given alot of negative feedback on how its not really a high income business to pursue, risky, etc. My father is hard-nosed about getting a degree. A degree from a traditional university. My sister just graduated from FSU. Any degree really. I went University of Miami and to make a long story short never completed my degree.

Started working for dad and thats when I stumbled across the Art Institute of Ft.Lauderdale. I was actually helping a employee find classes in game design. They had a program for yacht design...BINGO! (I thought). Took the tour of the school and still my gut wasnt agreeing with me. It was a new program at the school and to my recent knowledge isnt really that great for yacht design- its mostly how to draw a yacht, etc.

Well, my search continued for a school for design and building. Whats really frustrating is that Ft.Lauderdale is considered the yacht capital of the world and they dont have classes for this stuff!! Unreal. Then I found Westlawn. I did my research and even talked to Dave Gerr over the phone. I initally signed up for the full course. After starting the course I still felt it in my gut that this wasnt the right avenue for my future. I then returned the course material.

About a few months later I discovered that they have a Yacht Design Lite course. It covers some of the main topics in deisgn. More of a overview of yacht design. If you complete the program you can transfer those classes into the full program. My suggestion is if anything, have your son take the "taste test". Enroll him in the Lite course and let him get his feet wet. If he enjoys it then transfer to the full course. I trying to complete the Lite course by December, then go to college to finish my degree and then complete the Westlawn course completely and then hopefully to building my own boats.

Never to old to go back to college. But I understand from your view 100%. My father is the same way. University of Michigan doesnt sound like a bad a idea either.