Sailboat building literature

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by pironiero, May 5, 2020.

  1. pironiero
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    pironiero Senior Member

    Hey guys, im currently working out plans on building a boat and i need more information, can you please suggest any books regarding boat building? or any resources at all im planning to use plywood and fiberglass so any information regarding using these will be appreciated and about resins too, i know that there is two main options, they are epoxy and poly resin, but what if ill use them together? ofcourse not mixing them but for hull-poly, cus it will need large amounts of resin and it is more sturdy than epoxy and only use epoxy for frame cus its more elastic and is generally better an glueing things together.
     
  2. bajansailor
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    bajansailor Marine Surveyor

    Hi Pironiero,

    How is your design progressing? Are you able to share any drawings or sketches with us yet?

    It sounds like you will primarily be using timber for building your boat?
    If this is the case, this book by Ian Nicholson is very good.
    https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Moulded-Strip-Planked-Wood-Boatbuilding-Nicolson/dp/0924486147/ref=sr_1_4

    Be aware that there are many other good books about boatbuilding out there - try doing a search on www.amazon.com

    If you are using timber, please just use epoxy resin - do not bring polyester resin in to the build as well.
    It will be much cheaper and longer lasting in the long run.
    Use polyester resin only if you want to build a fibreglass boat with glass cloth and resin.
     
  3. pironiero
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    pironiero Senior Member

    Hi, im currently trying to model a hull in maya
    Thanks for the info!
     
  4. messabout
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    messabout Senior Member

    Ditto Bajansailors remarks about epoxy and polyester resins. Do not waste your time or money on polyester unless you intend to build a "fiberglass" boat
     
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  5. Rumars
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    Rumars Senior Member

    The site has a whole list: Technical Marine Design Information, Online Papers on Yacht Design : the Boat Design and Boatbuilding Directory https://www.boatdesign.net/Directory/Technical_Resources/ Be sure to look at the subdirectories too.
    Some like the Gougeons book can be downloaded for free but the links are not updated, use a search engine.

    I suggest doing a comparative cost study after you have the lines. It will involve calculating scantlings for different materials and methods. This will tell you what the cheapest option is for your location and requirements. You could very well find out that cold molding or strip planking is cheaper.
     
  6. pironiero
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    pironiero Senior Member

    that was the plan, thank you very much
     
  7. Rumars
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    Rumars Senior Member

  8. pironiero
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    pironiero Senior Member

    either plywood or thin wooden planks, arent they better?
     
  9. Rumars
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    Rumars Senior Member

    Wood veneer (3-6mm) is better then plywood, lighter and stronger and often cheaper (depends on location). For a build in Russia I would probably look at the prices for siberian larch and siberian cedar (actually a pine) in log form and find someone with a bandsaw or veneer slicer that can do thick veneer.
     
  10. gonzo
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    gonzo Senior Member

    Strip planking is cheaper and easier than using veneers.
     
  11. pironiero
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    pironiero Senior Member

    And what about durability?
     
  12. gonzo
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    gonzo Senior Member

    The same as any other method of construction. If you are laminating fiberglass/epoxy over it, as long as there is no water intrusion, durability will be centuries.
     
  13. pironiero
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    pironiero Senior Member

    huh, okay
    Another question- should i fiberglass the insides or just cover them with varnish?
     
  14. Rumars
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    Rumars Senior Member

    Depends on how you design the boat. If the design requires fiberglass both sides for structural reasons then yes. If not then 3 coats of liquid epoxy followed by paint or varnish is enough. This is true regardless if it's cold molded or strip planked and applies to the outside also. Varnish alone is not enough in my opinion (this could be debated).
     

  15. pironiero
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    pironiero Senior Member

    i dont quite get it- cant you cover strip planked hull with fiberglass?
     
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