opinions on G. beulers sailboat designs and construction techniqes

I would like opinions on G. beulers sailboat designs and construction techniqes

 

I know nothing about the function. Often the asthetics are something you have to like or let grow on you. For me some of the boats look like roughed out workboat types . Not saying thats necessarily bad but a rather specific statement no whishy washy stuff.

 

I have seen many of his designs here in the Pacific Northwest and they may not be the most beautiful (which is all a matter of opinion) but they are definitely very functional and designed to be easily built. That doesn't mean they are cheap or poorly designed. I believe they are very well designed.

A couple of sites where they discuss Beuhlers designs:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/backyard-boatbuilding/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BackyardBoatbuilding2/

 

Re; the sailboat designs. The few I have seen tend toward the very traditional in form and probably performance. I do not know the full scope of his designs. Some designers can do both ends of the rainbow and everything in between others have a narrow band. From the few examples I have seen and what I can remember of Bob Perry's comments I would think more like norwegian pilot and rescue boats and nothing like a
J /44 (which is more like my personal choice for big water). If the boats are well built and safe it all comes down to personal style. You also have to ask yourself do you want to cross a body of water in Xhrs-2Xhrs-3Xhrs etc. You also want to know what kind of ride you like and if you are content with what % of potential boat speed. Are you going to trim and change sails or are you content to do little and plod along. The argument as to which is safer has gone on for many years and it comes down to opinion.

 

I don't think George has done a new sailing vessel design in the past 20 years. Boats designed without any consideration of performance does a disservice to the builder. There is no reason to build boats with massively heavy and complex ineffective rigs, crude ballast, ineffective keel and rudder shapes, etc.

The construction methods are far out of date. I suppose it made some sense in the 1970's to build from massive dimensioned lumber, but today all material is expensive and the double or triple plank on frame method is labour intensive. Today there are faster and less expensive construction methods that create better performing boats. And structures that will last far longer.

I have tremendous respect for George's philosophy the designs just need to updated and revised, which is unlikely as the world has changed and few contemplate home construction of larger cruising boats to any design.

 

I've been on a few different designs of George's. They sail as you'd expect from these slack bilge, monolithic beasts. George has done a few custom sail designs, in the last couple of decades, but nothing of any real significance. The shapes he's employed are generally less than awe inspiring and their preformance suggest the same. This said, you're pretty comfortable on one in a hefty blow, which is nearly what most need to get away from a dock.

I'm inclined to agree on the massive scantlings approach. If you happened to find a warehouse full of dimensional stock, free for the taking, maybe, but most of us have to pay dearly for the heft these designs carry.

In short, if you want a design that is relatively slow, lacks maneuverability and weighs twice as much as it needs to (which you have to pay for during the build), then George has lots to offer. On the other hand, it could be fixed in about any out of way port it happen to be, by melon farmers with axes, which says something too.

Tad is right, back in the 70's when he had hair, which was likely fairly long, these concepts and techniques had some merit, along with thousands of copies of Mother Earth news as ballast. Now, not so much, as materials prices and quality have changed, not to mention build techniques to get stiff, strong and much lighter structures.

 

I always take an interest in all boat building techniques but when I picked up George Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding I took the book back to the library unfinished after I read his discourse on massive keel timbers and their virtues.

I also feel his attitudes on a number of issues are vastly outdated most people these days want a boat that will sail well in a range of conditions including light breezes not just when its blowing a gale. In the old days of sail they were willing to wait for favourable conditions and a fair wind these days it could mean you spend your week at the dock waiting for wind or motoring everywhere I'd rather be sailing thanks.

I'll read about old techniques sure but lets not pretend that the last 100 years haven't brought improvements in boat design and boatbuilding.

 

I guess we have dragged the conflict between Bob Perry and George out of the closet. Years ago when Bob was championing the performance cruiser he and George who was in the heavy draughtnot conner went at it. Bob was obviously right.