Beginner's Catamaran Design

[upchurchmr]

What's been suggested is to NOT build or design until the OP learns something about sailing.
That is not insisting upon everything being "just so".

As a person who has no interest in box boats, I've not suggested anything about building some perfect boat. And to me its obvious that a lot of others have resisted also.

PAR is right, and Dsigned is the one not being helpful.

I'd like to hear from the OP about his plans.

 

[dsigned]

What's been suggested is to NOT build or design until the OP learns something about sailing.
That is not insisting upon everything being "just so".

As a person who has no interest in box boats, I've not suggested anything about building some perfect boat. And to me its obvious that a lot of others have resisted also.

PAR is right, and Dsigned is the one not being helpful.

I'd like to hear from the OP about his plans.

No, the old man brigade doesn't like the idea of someone building something that's not up to snuff. A high school kid brings you a drawing of a BOX BOAT, that they have no money and you tell them that they need to make a mast out of carbon fiber. And then you guys wonder why he isn't coming back? Sorry, but you're woefully out of touch. Maybe you're too many years removed from being a part of the 99% of the world that can't afford to drop five to seven figures on a boat. And you're clearly the kind of ******* who gets his jollies from making high school kids feel inadequate.

 

[SamSam]

Hahaha. You fledgling engineers are a trip. You provide a lot of fun on the job. Good luck.

 

[rwatson]

No, the old man brigade doesn't like the idea of someone building something that's not up to snuff. ....... being a part of the 99% of the world that can't afford to drop five to seven figures on a boat. And you're clearly the kind of ******* who gets his jollies from making high school kids feel inadequate.

THATS bu*&^%it.

Its the "just do it" crowd" that drop 7 figures on a project, and years of their life, while they could have gotten their knowledge by spending a fraction on a proven design and just getting out in the water.

I've been there, and I know.

When you ignore the hard earned advice of the experienced, you lose. "Anyone that represents themselves, has a fool for a client"

 

[PAR]

We've all experimented with odd stuff from time to time, I'm no exception and still have several in the works. Being able to see a novice through without nurse-maiding them is the best way to learn, if painful at times. We all remember ourselves and our kids and some of us, our grandkids at this age and experence level and it's perfectly natural. What isn't are the assumptions Dsigned is making. As an example, how many cardboard boats have you built? How many kids (cardboard boat) have you helped to satisfy a class assignment? This forum, in just this particular venue alone, has nursed dozens though this classic classroom problem. Maybe you should try to keep up or at least contrubute.

Additionally, how many of your designs are currently being built by forum members, as well as others (non-members)? I know how many of mine are. How many boats have been completed by you or one of your clients, by your hand or another's pen? It pretty darn easy to complain about the old curmudgeons, after breezing through a few threads you might have some interest in, while another entirely to have spend many years participating in helping, advancing builds, techniques and general expertise. From what I've seen of Dsigned's participation, he does seem to find "all sailboat designs", "all designers", "all off shore designs" etc. encompassed with some indefensible grandiose, blanket statement, that's easily disproven. On the other hand, we (the forum) have America's Cup winners and world recognized NA's and designers that actively help out here.

Lastly, the PuddleDuck is a concrete mixing tub rigged up to sail. It doesn't do this well as you might imagine, though a few have managed to use superior skills to get them scooting along (hi Mik). Yep, they're individualized, but this is what you do to a pig, put lipstick on it, so it can be tolerated to some degree. It's likely the most hideous of all first builds and no one goes back, to build a second after they wear out the first. In it's defense, even the instructions for the various PDR's use appropriate techniques and materials, though faux gun ports are a bit much.

 

[Mr Efficiency]

Meanwhile the OP has not re-appeared. There are some very helpful people on this site, but there is also a familiar pattern of people not monitoring and answering the replies given to their query, that must be a little irritating to those that go to the trouble of composing a response.

 

[PAR]

Only if you let it, my friend. I try to just address the questions at hand and follow any drift that might occur (within reason).

 

[Mr Efficiency]

It does seem that the tardiness of the response is proportional to the inanity of the question !

 

[Ilan Voyager]

Josh, get to some club, do not feel embarrassed and tell them you are newbie to sailing, get a ride on cat or whatever. Above all, take your sweet time to decide later, as we suggested. The members will be glad you are there and glad to have a crew guy to learn with...might be the best way to really learn something is to teach it...

I agree... It ¡s like that I learnt sailing. I was 14, I came a morning into a very select club, the Deauville Club de Voile, and I said I want to learn sailing. The guys looked at me with so much love that I found that very strange...Simply crews were rare beasts in the sixties, as sailing was not in fashion...After getting the written authorization of my dad, the club gave me a junior free membership in ten minutes and I was the following morning on a 40 feet cruiser racer in need of a nominal 6th crew to be able to make the regatta. I was the salvation for the boat owner, who became a friend and mentor, so he could race...I doubt that nowadays that a 14 years old bod would be counted as crew member...This day I has been seasick and cold during my work of living ballast, but I was hooked. I loved the mix of being at sea and all the technical aspect. I sailed all day 7/7 during all the summer on any kind of floating thing from the 420 dinghy, Dragon, or old skerry cruiser to the up to date 50 feet racer cruiser, a beast at this epoch, so I learnt fast.
Good active clubs with lots of racing are the best way to learn, to see how do the best crews, to try different boats, and to acquire a very valuable experience even if you do not plan to race. And for building a boat later these clubs are a gold mine of inspiration and used material.