Alternate planking or different design?

I am planning my second boat project and am looking at the Eel, but I would need to plank her up with either ply or solid wood strakes, as opposed to the options offered on the plans (strip or cold molded), but I am not qualified to do the necessary structural analysis and make any required alterations to the plans.
I am willing to hire an architect to make these determinations and plan modifications but I don't really run in boatbuilding circles or have any contacts. I also suspect that there would be legal and liability issues.
Has anyone any experience with making this type of alteration and/or can anyone recommend a course for me to follow?
My preference would be to just chose another set of plans, honestly.
I would love to hear of anyone's recommendations for other designs out there that I could look over which meet my requirements unaltered so I can avoid this mess.
I am looking for a 16-20 ft, trailerable, daysailer/camp cruiser with an easily struck rig, and the cockpit comfort and freeboard aparent with this boat. The Drascombe is another design that typifies the features that I desire, for example. Accurate descriptors are often difficult to find, as most know. For example, I am not considering the Navigator for example, though it fills the bill quite nicely, and can't explain why. The Wee Seal comes close. Oddly enough the Biscayne Bay 14 does as well and would do better if it were a bit larger and had a comfortable seating arrangement - different tastes I guess and mine are not easily definable.
Thanks for any input

 

It looks like glued lapstrake (probably plywood planks) is what you want as a method.
A gunning dory might suit you, I don't know.
The boats described also have a lead ballast (I don't know the Navigator, just the others).
Are there plans for an H-12 1/2 or Joel White's Haven 12 1/2 in lapstrake? I seem to remember there were, something I saw sometime in the past. That boat would be lovely in lapstrake.

Alan

 

There are no legal or liability issue if you purchase plans from one designer, then have them converted to another building method, by another designer.

So, if you're in love with a particular design, but it doesn't come in a building method your desire, first contact the original designer. They may have received this request before or may have already preformed the conversion. If they aren't doing the conversion and for one reason or another, you don't want to use them for the conversion, then find a designer that will. Most designers know each other or are somewhat familiar with their work. The original designer may have some recommended designers they prefer or can trust to do a good job.

Then again, there are thousands of designs in the general size and arrangement you like. Many will have the building method you want to use, so maybe continued searching is called for.