A challenging design

Thinking of building an oceanic research vessel for 10 scientists and 4 crew. A similar purpose as the French research sailing vessel TARA.
A catamaran seems to be the best solution for a stable working platform.
Thinking of wing sails and solar panels for electric motor drive.
Comfort more important than speed.
No luxury, a work boat.
Aluminum construction.

This seems to be quite a challenge for design.
A lot of very experienced designers are on this forum. Discussing all kind of ideas might be interesting.

 

The first thing to do is to write a Statement of Requirements (SOR). The number 1 item is your budget which is a constraint. You are looking at 30 million euros or more depending on the scientific equipment.

 

How do you break that down?

 

It is the average price of boats that size. I didn't break it down, but researched selling/listing prices. A research vessel is specialized and will usually have expensive equipment too.

 

Thank you for the replies.
I had a 72ft Schooner that I designed and built myself, on shoestrings. For 20 years I made expeditions in the Caribbean, North and South Atlantic collecting soft coral, sponges etc. for a pharmaceutical lab. The basic idea is to repeat this enterprise with a better boat, and Starlink connection to serve as an educational tool for the young people who are going to govern our world in the generations to come. The Oceans cover about 70% of the earth. We really know very little about that part. The world needs tens of thousands marine biologists. A start is to get the young people interested in the life in the Oceans.
Yes, there are a few research vessels costing tens of millions operating in the Atlantic. We do not want to compete with these.

 

Here is some background info re the French research vessel Tara -
Live from the scientific schooner Tara | Fondation Tara Océan https://fondationtaraocean.org/en/schooner/tara-schooner/

This vessel was originally commissioned by Sir Peter Blake as Seamaster (he of Whitbread Race fame in 1990 sailing Steinlager II to victory).
Steinlager 2 - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinlager_2

I guess you know about the sailing cargo vessel Grain de Sail?
Our cargo sailboat Grain de Sail https://graindesail.com/en/content/14-our-cargo-sailboat-grain-de-sail

Is she similar in concept to the 72' vessel that you built Tony?

I like your proposal re a catamaran with wing sails and electric motors - but as Gonzo says, write an SOR (as detailed as possible) - you might well find in the end that a monohull might still be a more effective all round / versatile boat.

 

Thank you bajansailor.
I will look up Grain de Sail.
Perhaps we should illustrate the discussion with some pictures. Is that OK?
I have no personal experience with catamarans, however, often smaller research vessels are catamarans, supposedly because they make more stable work platforms.
One problem with monohulls is that they roll quite a bit when sailing downwind and at anchor in the swell.

 

Absolutely - as the saying goes, 'a photo is worth a thousand words'.

I am keen on multihulls, but you will have to weigh up all the pros and cons of multis versus monos in your SOR - the more detailed you can make it, the better, as that will help you a lot.

 

I looked at "Grain de Sail". Interesting concept.
Below is a picture of my working Schooner. 72ft overall. 60ft on the Hull.
We always tried to maintain 90 days of autonomy.

 

So this is the boat that I designed and built myself. A long time ago. It did serve its purpose for 20 years.
It was maybe the fifth boat I designed, based on my experience on the oceans. The next boat should be better. Designed by a professional designer and built by commercial boatyard.
I hope to find a designer and a builder here on this forum.

 

I have a feeling that building costs may be lower if you don't have the boat built in the Milwaukee region.

 

Thank you wet feet.
Would it be cheaper and better in the UK?
The boat will spend 90% of the time at sea. Mostly in the temperate and tropical regions of the North and South Atlantic. Not the Arctic and not the Antarctic.
Main propulsion - wing sails. inspired by the picture attached.
Secondary propulsion - electric. Emergency backup diesel generator.
Easily driven displacement hulls.

 

I wonder if @Ad Hoc has drawn anything close.

You need a well defined sor and ga for such a vessel.

Simple things like footage and displacement must be honed.

 

If you have a preliminary design you might submit drawings to boatyards in the Netherlands,the UK or perhaps Turkey for guidance regarding price.

 

Poland is competitive on pricing also, especially compared to UK.