Optimaster 310-Proboat submission

Discussion in 'Sailboats' started by Doug Lord, Jun 12, 2013.

  1. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
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    Location: Cocoa, Florida

    Doug Lord Flight Ready

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  2. messabout
    Joined: Jan 2006
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    Location: Lakeland Fl USA

    messabout Senior Member

    Looks pretty cool to me too Doug.

    The only problem is that the kids whose dad or mom has one of these will want this boat instead of the Opti.

    I think 150 pounds is excessive for a boat this size and the windsurfer sail may or may not be the most rewarding. Great idea for the intended purpose. The plan set is certainly priced favorably.
     
  3. tom28571
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    Location: Oriental, NC

    tom28571 Senior Member

    I like the idea of such a boat but in my opinion there is a lot wrong with the design for its intended purpose. I like the construction. Way too much sail area for a 10' boat in any real wind. Way more than a Laser which easily overpowers many sailors. Too much wetted surface for very light wind. Slab sides have limited hiking moment which will be much needed in wind. Axe bow is current fad but provides no advantages to such a boat, reduces bow buoyancy. Turning downwind in a breeze would likely produce diving. Comments are mostly for single handing but the boat is pretty small for two.
     
  4. Doug Lord
    Joined: May 2009
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    310

    Tom, I like that bow-don't think it is extreme and I don't see any negatives associated with it. You could say that ,technically, it is beneficial upwind by getting weight out of the bow and lowering the boat CG compared with a "normal" bow. But I don't think that matters a lot on this boat but the look does matter-at least I like it.
    Depending on the relative heights of the CE the SA may be a bit much- 86 for a 7' wide Moth, 89 for the 4.6' beam US1, 100 for the much wider Hoot. Time will tell. I guess I like the boxiness too, except I thought I had that locked up for my next boat(ha): http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/sailboats/crossbow-fl-43615.html
    You should see the DA thread on this boat-I thought it would be interesting to see how that crowd would react. They reacted predictably-as they do on almost any new boat or new idea.
     
  5. tom28571
    Joined: Dec 2001
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    tom28571 Senior Member

    My objection to the ax bow is mostly perception as it looks like a 1920's drednaught to me. Weight loss looks trivial. While I like the method of construction and use a similar technique, the weight is way high and makes weight loss in the bow even more trivial. I have built 10 footers at less than 90# without trying too hard.

    Still think the sail area makes the little boat unrealistic.

    When I first saw you photo, I though it was a US1, which is essentially a cat rigged Windmill.
     
  6. John Perry
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    John Perry Senior Member

    I dont like to be too negative about something that has been generously offered FOC but I have to agree with others here that this design seems to be a bit heavy. The website says that 1/4" plywood is used for all parts of this boat so as to keep to one thickness for all components. I think it is usually a mistake to limit a design in that way, materials should be selected to suit the requirements of each individual part.

    As a first guess, and without having done any analysis, I would imagine that most of the sheet material for this boat could be 4mm marine plywood. Parts such as the cockpit sides and the vertical web between the bottom and the floor could be even thinner. If there is one part where thicker ply might be justified it would be the floor - an adult jumping into the boat could cause higher local stresses than any normal sailing loads. Using thinner plywood would bring the weight more in line with other small plywood boats such as the Mirror dinghy.

    I think the website suggests using a windsurfer mast. I am also a bit sceptical about that. A windsurfer mast used in this way is cantilevered from near the lower end, whereas it has been designed to be simply supported at the lower end and at about one third height. Add to that an adult hiking out really hard on this boat could produce more righting moment than the same person could produce windsurfing, so there would seem to be the potential to overload the mast producing a poor sail shape and/or breakage. With two adults both sitting out it I am sure it would be possible to overload the mast in strong winds.

    Re the slab sides - fine if this is intended to be a stable boat to inspire confidence for beginners, but not so good if it is intended to perform well, especially in light winds.

    The reverse shear is not a bad idea, it gives extra freeboard amidships which could be useful when the boat is heeled. I think the bow profile is pure styling, some will like it some not. I think it fits in quite well with the general appearance of the rest of the boat.

    Good to see someone bypassing expensive designers! :p
     

  7. Skyak
    Joined: Jul 2012
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    Skyak Senior Member

    It looks like a boat designed primarily for looks. I stopped reading when I saw that it takes five sheets of 1/4" marine ply for a 10 ft boat -I paid less for my used laser than this cost for ply?. The triangle shape means the chine will be fighting the daggerboard when healed and a windsurfer mast will beak unless you add rigging or a few more layers of carbon fiber at the base.

    It would make a good looking table in the yacht club bar!
     
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