form and function of practical sailboats

[handsondeck]

At the risk of really opening Pandoras box are there really any secrets anymore!
First before I go any farther PLEASE FORGIVE THE SPELLING OK THANK-YOU.

To list just a few designers. Ted Brewer, Starling Burgess, Cherubini, Colvin, Crealock, Crocker, Howard Chappelle, Tom Day, William Garden, Gartside, Gillmer, Alberg, Trip, Wittholz, Francis Herreshoff, Joel White, Lyle Hess, Stadel, Sparkman and stevens and on and on and on it goes. Lets throw William Hand in there as well. Colin Archer, John and William Atkin, Benford, Alden and yes George Buehler. Parker too.
Do we not know by now what really works and what doesn't. Sloop, Cutter Sloop, Ketch, Cutter, Yawl Cutter , Schooner, bowsprit, no bowsprit. cat, Lug, and even junk. Oh yes Gaffers. Depending upon your practical intended use cant we say ________________ in order to form the best combination.

Lets say somebody wants to build a boat, be it glass, cold mold, traditional, strip, caravel, plywood, we all know within reason it will take years, no matter what anybody says, 5 plus, there are a few exceptions, but not many. Steam bent one of the toughest to do . Sometimes 10 plus years. If you are 60 or older find a good used boat for your intended purpose and by it!
I don't care if it is made out of paper mache.
You don't want a aux. motor. Really! You can do it like the Pardeys, but we know it isn't smart anymore. Bucket and chuck it, come on! Is John Leary more knowledgeable than lets say Bob Griffith. Was Slocum's spray really a good design or just what he could afford and his sailing ability and yes sometimes a little luck, was more the credit. When Tanya Abei soloed and she needed a mast and her dad flew to whereever she was to help her, did that sour anyones perspective?
If I want to sail the great Lakes, do I need a Whitby 42, maybe, Allied Mistress, How about an Alberg 30. Do we really need more mousetrap designs. How many people that pay good money for a very good design finish it? Once a design has been completed, when someone orders a set of plans and offsets what does the designer do__________? Make a copy, for the most part. All seem to be available for advice, to a degree.
When people talk about hard chine sailboats I see Atkin and Buehler's names mentioned quite frequently, What about good ole Charlie Whitholz? His name doesn't seem to come up as much. I thought departure was a great design.
I forgot to mention Phil Rhodes. I had a 39 ' on deck Phil Rhodes fractional sloop. Worked on it much more than it ever got sailed. Planking, sister framing, refastened, paint keel to cabin top. Built in 39, very pretty boat. 56' main mast, twin spreaders and a jumper all quarter sawn sitka spruce. Imagine what it would cost to have or build that boat today. Payed 20,000 in 1990.
I guess my point in all this rambling is listen to the pros of old mostly, let practical thinking guide your decision, a wise man knows when he hears the cautionary tale, how to keep his head out of the clouds and his keel in the water, sticks up and water out. Thank-you all for reading, Clyde. I now have an Alberg 30. Our body of water is Lake Superior. PS Done one ocean passage, San Fran. to Hawaii.

 

[gonzo]

I have sailed all kinds of boats. When mine it was whatever I could afford or was given to me.

 

[bpw]

I don't want an aux motor.

I have no idea were you are going with this....

 

[PAR]

Is there some point or question you'd like to pose?

 

[handsondeck]

Gonzo, BPW, Par and all those that read the forum and love to sail.

First of all, please allow me to introduce myself in a different way. I have done much more reading than sailing, although I have sailed as well. This is the first forum i have ever actively participated in.
Almost 67, I we live in north central mn. and wooden boats were my first passion. From the first wooden rowboat to the Phil Rhodes fractional sloop that I hauled to Calif., kept there for ten years, hauled it back and eventually sold it sometimes a regret and sometimes not. I was a heavy equipment and machinery hauler by trade, retired 8 years ago, live on a hobby farm on the Mississippi river. My avocation is woodworking. I have a collection of vintage woodworking machinery and a beautiful 30x60 heated shop full of a lot of endearing junk, including my alberg 30 that I am getting ready to clean up, repaint , inspect its rigging and maybe modify a little , mostly cosmetic to spruce it up a little . Can't seem to get away from all that beautiful wood . My point on my post is simply this,
Reading many books, articles in wooden boat and good old boat as well I have learned that emotion often times not coupled with our practical, thinking side gets us in trouble. For every individual with a dream there is hopefully a pathway to achieve that dream. believe me I would never try to pour water on the fire of any mans or womens dream. when we arrive at that SOP., IE the base of the trunk and we begin climbing and using the branches to reach the top, the farther we go out on these limbs the more trouble we get in to. And if we go to far out we fall and how heartbreaking is that.
Herein lies the meat on the dinner plate. It is the many on a forum such as this one that can keep a person such as me from straying to far out on that limb and going where as wise person would fear to tread. That ,in this case, I, can learn from the may successes and mistakes others have achieved and made. (Are there any Secrets Anymore), really not many. What works and what doesn't is out there if you know how to find it. Life being such a precious gift, time wisely spent puts us much closer to our dreams than not. And when we can couple , hitch up our passion,(heats with our mind, thinking practical side) we have a much better chance climbing to the top of our own tree. I humbly suggest that we often times stand in our own way long before others do. learning from other folks mistakes and achievements is the full circle testimony of their precious time spent achieving or trying to achieve their dream. It is a wise person that knows when to listen and learns how to think. When humility becomes a common thread in our lives we can shed that horrible baggage of the know it all pride that comes before the fall. So stay fairly close to the trunk, venture a little if you must, but know when the limb is about to break, step back, rein yourself in and keep climbing, and the view from the top will be so much sweeter. Most importantly , thank-you all that have learned much keeping people from making those, costly heartbreaking mistakes. It is a good thing that we all do. I ramble, no secret. Thanks for reading. Later I will have questions on how far I should go to make my little Alberg 30 a little stronger and prettier. Clyde

 

[gonzo]

Your personality and physical abilities will determine to a great extent which type of boat and cruising is feasible. For example, when I was in my early twenties in great shape but broke, I sailed an 11 foot dingy between Caribbean islands. I can't trust my body to take the abuse it used to. I am still comfortable with very little comfort. Headroom is not a requirement, so my choice of boats is larger than for most. Also, I have no need for fancy electronics or a generator; another huge savings in cost, weight and maintenance.