So I designed my own boat... kinda

I've read a lot in this forum about people trying to learn design to build their own boat. seems like it would take as long to learn as to build! And then how good will it be? I was a jeweller in a few months but it was 20 years before I was a really good jeweller. The boat I wanted is a good $120-$150K in materials. Whilst it can be argued that anyone who wants a boat is half brain damaged, the two live cells i had left suggested it might be a good idea to get professional help... no, not that kind! A qualified marine architect!

So.. I sat in the garage looking at the lines of a car I liked and started sketching.... I needed a boat that was going to be simple to construct as time is my enemy, but it has to be pleasing to my eye. Because I want it to actually sail... fast (I hope) I then sat down with Bob Oram and we argued for a few days and came up with what I'm calling the bare bones project. 11.99 metre bridgedeck cat with boards and kick up rudders.

She will be my floating office and home away from the world.

Cheers

tcpbob

 

Bob
I am impressed with you original sketch and the way you have approached the project. I actually like the port holes. It is handy to be able to peek out if you are on a bunk. If they open you can get a bit of air into more places inside. Good ones will not leak once closed unless constantly submerged.

I am looking forward to some updates as you make progress on the construction. It should be educational for many of us that lurk here.

If it is not a rude question how much did the design detail cost? Also would you recommend Bob Oram to others in the same boat; I mean predicament?

Rick W.

 

Hi Rick

Thanks for your comment on the general design. Many of the details of ports are left general at this time. I am in the tropics so ventilation is a high priority.

This kind of a project was well suited to Bob Orams design background and besides, I have dirt on him so he can't refuse! Seriously, Jeff Schionning would have been excellent as well but he has been in South Africe most of the time for the past year. The concept was meant to address my feelings of a vacumn in the market so hopes are that the style will be a good seller for Bob. It already seems to be with one set sold within days of being available. So my costs wouldn't be relevent to a project that would likely be a one off. I hope to see a hundred of them over the years. Bob's plans are typicly less than average. check his web site. I think it's just boboramdesgnscom.au

I have the first step posted as a photo gallery and comments and plan to do that through the whole project... all sins to be bared. Gotta go as I was taking a lunchy and now to set up frames for assembly of panels.

cheers
Bob

 

You can find ready made plans that will save a lot time, effort and yeas learning frustrations, and you can strip it to the bones and/or alter the cabin to suite your needs.

There is a long thread on "reasons not to design your own boat" on the forum. In fact the same reason can be said about building, it would be far cheaper to buy someone elses abandon project, or get a good used hull and rebuild or modify it than build from scratch.

The ONLY reason you should design from scratch is if you simply want to take part in the design process as well as the building. And that the risks with it. There is no savings in doing your design, you have to consider it part of your "recreational" time spent on messing with boats.

 

Greetings Petros

You missed my points. If I thought there was a set of plans that addressed my requirements perfectly, already on the market, i would not have had the need to look further. Schionning has great plans and build cost would be similar but I wanted a simpler approach. I said, "The concept was meant to address my feelings of a vacumn in the market". As far as abandon projects... I would have jumped on one even to the point of giving away some aspects of the current design in favour of faster completion and $$ savings. But because of the value attached to just about any cruising cat, the only such project one could find cheap in Australia is one that was abandon because it was recognised it was a looser, (bad design, construction flaws etc) If you want to look for unfinished projects... look for steel monohulls. (literally) tons of em around and because the builders recognise they are going backwards in value. and on modification of a used boat.... been there done that. Check this site out to see what I mean. "There is nothing more expensive than a cheap boat" Don't want some one elses heap of trouble.

My time in thought on design would have been no more than the time I would have spent sorting through the alternatives anyway. And if I could justify $400K or so... I would be sending this message from an island anchorage!

cheers

 

And yet there are people in Australia doing it successfully all the time. Some people here actually build these types of kits and sell them for considerable profits - probably to people who think it can't be done.

BTW Bob did point out he didn't design the boat "from scratch" - he worked with a reputable designer.

 

yes, yes, yes.... you get it. My input was marketability, Bob Oram drew the boat. Jeff Schionning could have, John hitch could have, Bob burgess could have and any of them probably would have helped me if asked, i do know these people, but bob was handy and it is his style of thing.

 

tcpbob,

Inspirational and daunting, WhiteBird, I mean. The design is very good looking.

I now must spend hours reading all your work. Curses.

Regards,

Pericles

 

Greetings Pericles

I'm rarely cursed so nicely!

Ole whiteBird did capture our imagination. Very traditional north atlantic boat. Round bilge corten (high tensile) steel. sailed well and nothin tougher.

But not enough room for my office so a cat we must have.
cheers

 

tcpbob, GREAT WEBSITE!! Don't hold back on all the details and future photos.
just curious...would that big overhanging roof actually make the mainsail more efficient when beating? Or would the boom need to be really close to the roof to have any significant effect?

Regards
- Richard

 

Thanks mate... I do plan to keep a gallery and log on the web as well as up-dates in the printed and PDf editions. Right now interrupting the project to improve work site. Putting up forms and pouring concrete tomorrow.. sigh...

Actually, I might change the roof line. If it's style has any effect on main sail performance it is over my head... (pun acknowledged and apologised for) good question for Bob Oram. I may do away with the overhang and leave enough room under the boom to allow a high seat for helm and poke my eyes over. Then install a canopy back to a targa bar similar to the Leapords of SA.

 

Make sure your new boat has heating.

tcpbob,

Have read all the issues on your site. What a pity Australian Customs do not realise yet, that their jobs depend on having lots of work welcoming yachties. However, better to have control of your borders than not.

This should cheer you up:

"Dr David Whitehouse, an astronomer and the author of 'The Sun: A Biography' writes in The Independent today that we might be about to enter a period of unusually low sun activity. Such periods, in the past, have been associated with low temperatures on planet Earth.

Some members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Whitehouse writes, say we may be at the start of a period like that seen between 1790 and 1820, a minor decline in solar activity called the Dalton Minimum. They estimate that the Sun's reduced activity may cause a global temperature drop of 1.5C by 2020. This is larger than most sensible predictions of man-made global warming over this period.

This is something we must take seriously, Whitehouse adds. What happened in the 17th century is bound to happen again some time. Recent work studying the periods when our Sun loses its sunspots, along with data on other Sun-like stars that may be behaving in the same way, suggests that our Sun may spend between 10 and 25 per cent of the time in this state.

He moots that the lateness of the expected cycle of sunspots might even be the start of another Little Ice Age. If so, then our Sun might come to our rescue over climate change, mitigating mankind's influence and allowing us more time to act. It might even be the case that the Earth's response to low solar activity will overturn many of our assumptions about man's influence on climate change. We don't know. We must keep watching the sun."

"Reported in The Sunday Telegraph (not online) is a warning from the charity Age Concern that rising fuel bills could cause the premature deaths of a large number of pensioners, brought about by their inability to keep their homes warm.

The charity says that in excess of 22,000 deaths were directly attributable to the cold last winter and it fears that, as fuel costs spiral, millions of pensioners' lives could be at risk.

This is a timely reminder that cold is a much more potent cause of premature death than high temperatures, which suggests that far from being the great killer, global warming could be a life-saver, if it continues.

Such is the limited vision of the environmental lobby though that, as The Sunday Times remarks, they "find something to celebrate in high energy prices, because the increased costs will change the way we behave." Perhaps they have not fully appreciated that there is no more permanent a way of changing behaviour than dying.

This is, of course, where the EU has totally got it wrong in that, having bought into the global warming miasma, is driving up energy costs directly while adding to the regulatory burden for electricity generators which will further add to costs.

On balance, the EU in its pursuit of the global warming myth may eventually be responsible for more deaths than would have occurred should there have been the wars it so fondly claims to have prevented – especially as Booker reports today, global warming over the last six years has flattening out at 0.2 degrees below their level of 10 years ago.

Even more worrying is a press release from the Space and Science Research Center, (SSRC) in Orlando, Florida, released earlier this month. It reinforces the message from Dr David Whitehouse that we are about to enter a period of unusually quiet sunspot activity.

Since these periods, historically, have coincided with extended periods of deep cold to the planet, SSRC scientists are confidently predicting its own brand of "climate change" - to one of a long-lasting cold era. They say that the change could become apparent within three years giving us only a few years to prepare before 20-30 years of lasting and possibly dangerous cold arrive.

Contrary to the doomsayers' predictions, global warming is largely beneficial. As well as keeping larger numbers of pensioners alive, it brings extended growing seasons and, while not directly related to warming, higher CO2 levels increase agricultural productivity. Thus, the implications of cooling are potentially severe.

During the last "cooling" of 1793 and 1830 - the so-called Dalton Minimum - a period of extreme cold (during which Napoleon made his ill-fated attack on Moscow) that resulted in what historian John D. Post called the "last great subsistence crisis." With that cold came massive crops losses, food riots, famine and disease.

SSRC believes, "this next climate change will be much stronger and has the potential to once more cause widespread crop losses globally with the resultant ill effects." The key difference for this next cycle is that we will have over eight billion mouths to feed in the coldest years, whereas we had only one billion the last time. There is, says SSRC, the real prospect of the "perfect storm of global food shortages".

With possibly only three years to go before the effects begin to become apparent, the up-side is the prospect of demonstrating that the EU has been spectacularly and catastrophically wrong in its focus on global warming. But that will be small compensation as we face freezing temperatures, higher fuel prices and global food shortages – for which our supreme government is singularly ill-prepared."

From Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalton_Minimum

The Dalton Minimum was a period of low solar activity, lasting from about 1790 to 1820. Like the Maunder Minimum and Sporer Minimum it coincided with a period of lower than average global temperatures. Low solar activity seems to be strongly correlated with global cooling.

Pericles

 

Greetings Pericles

"Have read all the issues on your site." I don't know whether to congratulate you, thank you, or tell you to get a life mate!

On Australian Customs, they have made a mess of the place. Foreign yachts have been thin on the ground and the agency is under pressure. This has resulted in a major roll back of enforcement... style? Anyway, what last year was a crime, this year is 'no worries mate' so my coverage has had substantial benefit to the cruising fleet. TCP has also had effect in other areas of weird enforcement and am now working on the state of Queensland for prosecuting foreign boats for not having local standard safety gear on board. and on and on..

On global warming.... hmmm well, OK, are you referring to editorial discussing water and the coal mines... or (say it ain't so) flu news?

In any case... an ice age would be cool.. I mean good. I would have somewhere to stash my beer. Just raft up to the nearest berg and sticks those stubbies in there...

BTW... as you had a look at the site on rebuilding our old steel boat, I see you are pom/english... so was our boat. John Bennet design, built at a ship yard in Kent.

cheers

Bob

 

tcpbob,

John Bennett is very well respected here.

http://www.solution.design.btinternet.co.uk/broom.html

http://www.searanger.com/

Well done for saving his WhiteBird design

The floods in Australia and the blizzards in Iran and NW America are probably the first indicators that global warning is a concern only of gullible politicians and even when we have icebreakers up the River Thames, the Supreme Unelected Government in Brussels will be telling us that the underlying trend for temperatures is upward.

In advance of a press conference for later this month, the first press release for 2008 is issued today:

PRESS RELEASE: SSRC 1-2008





Changes in the Sun’s Surface to Bring Next Climate Change



January 2, 2008



Today, the Space and Science Research Center, (SSRC) in Orlando, Florida announces that it has confirmed the recent web announcement of NASA solar physicists that there are substantial changes occurring in the sun’s surface. The SSRC has further researched these changes and has concluded they will bring about the next climate change to one of a long lasting cold era.



Today, Director of the SSRC, John Casey has reaffirmed earlier research he led that independently discovered the sun’s changes are the result of a family of cycles that bring about climate shifts from cold climate to warm and back again.



“We today confirm the recent announcement by NASA that there are historic and important changes taking place on the sun’s surface. This will have only one outcome - a new climate change is coming that will bring an extended period of deep cold to the planet. This is not however a unique event for the planet although it is critically important news to this and the next generations. It is but the normal sequence of alternating climate changes that has been going on for thousands of years. Further according to our research, this series of solar cycles are so predictable that they can be used to roughly forecast the next series of climate changes many decades in advance. I have verified the accuracy of these cycles’ behavior over the last 1,100 years relative to temperatures on Earth, to well over 90%.”



As to what these changes are Casey says, “The sun’s surface flows have slowed dramatically as NASA has indicated. This process of surface movement, what NASA calls the “conveyor belt” essentially sweeps up old sunspots and deposits new ones. NASA’s studies have found that when the surface movement slows down, sunspot counts drop significantly. All records of sunspot counts and other proxies of solar activity going back 6,000 years clearly validates our own findings that when we have sunspot counts lower then 50 it means only one thing - an intense cold climate, globally. NASA says the solar cycle 25, the one after the next that starts this spring will be at 50 or lower. The general opinion of the SSRC scientists is that it could begin even sooner within 3 years with the next solar cycle 24. What we are saying today is that my own research and that of the other scientists at the SSRC verifies that NASA is right about one thing – a solar cycle of 50 or lower is headed our way. With this next solar minimum predicted by NASA, what I call a “solar hibernation,” the SSRC forecasts a much colder Earth just as it has transpired before for thousands of years. If NASA is the more accurate on the schedule, then we may see even warmer temperatures before the bottom falls out. If the SSRC and other scientists around the world are correct then we have only a few years to prepare before 20-30 years of lasting and possibly dangerous cold arrive.”



When asked about what this will mean to the average person on the street, Casey was firm. “The last time this particular cycle regenerated was over 200 years ago. I call it the “Bi-Centennial Cycle” solar cycle. It took place between 1793 and 1830, the so-called Dalton Minimum, a period of extreme cold that resulted in what historian John D. Post called the ‘last great subsistence crisis.’ With that cold came massive crops losses, food riots, famine and disease. I believe this next climate change will be much stronger and has the potential to once more cause widespread crop losses globally with the resultant ill effects. The key difference for this next Bi-Centennial Cycle’s impact versus the last is that we will have over 8 billion mouths to feed in the next coldest years where as we had only 1 billion the last time. Among other effects like social and economic disruption, we are facing the real prospect of the ‘perfect storm of global food shortages’ in the next climate change. In answer to the question, everyone on the street will be affected.”



Given the importance of the next climate change Casey was asked whether the government has been notified. “Yes, as soon as my research revealed these solar cycles and the prediction of the coming cold era with the next climate change, I notified all the key offices in the Bush administration including both parties in the Senate and House science committees as well as most of the nation’s media outlets. Unfortunately, because of the intensity of coverage of the UN IPCC and man made global warming during 2007, the full story about climate change is very slow in getting told. These changes in the sun have begun. They are unstoppable. With the word finally starting to get out about the next climate change, hopefully we will have time to prepare. Right now, the newly organized SSRC is the leading independent research center in the US and possibly worldwide, that is focused on the next climate change. Some of the world’s brightest scientists, also experts in solar physics and the next climate change have joined with me. In the meantime we will do our best to spread the word along with NASA and others who can see what is about to take place for the Earth’s climate. Soon, I believe this will be recognized as the most important climate story of this century.”



More information on the Space and Science Research Center is available at: www.spaceandscience.net



The previous NASA announcement was made at:

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/10may_longrange.htm


January 7 Update: Responses to Press Release. Please accept our thanks for the many who have responded to the company's first release of 2008. The first ten replies strongly endorsed (9 to 1 in favor) of what the SSRC is trying to do. For those who have sent in questions about the web site and the newly started SSRC we have taken those comments and where appropirate made immediate changes to improve the web site. Everyone's assistance in making the SSRC web site better is appreciated. Keep it up!

http://spaceandscience.net/id16.html

This is what's happening in a part of North Wales where a old railway is being rebuilt. Bottom of page.

http://whr.bangor.ac.uk/phase4/dylif-pontc.htm



Pericles

 

Yes, he is a rash over the Lloyd's list but all power, the sailing boats were early in his career but he did a fine job drawing a boat that sailed well with fantastic ease of handling and good volume for a mono. on the matter of climate change..suggest you start a thread on the subject. but in brief response, 8 out of ten hottest years ever recorded for Australia have been in the last ten years. Though there has been rain in the last month here, most reservoirs have less than 30% capacity in spite of it.