Somewhat Catboat

A couple of years ago or so, I started a thread asking if amateur design was insulting to pro designers. In that thread, and elsewhere, I exhibited deep devotion to a small vintage craft magazine sailboat design named Blue Moon.

That has changed. I want a catboat. Well, a modified, easy-to-build catboat. I've been studying them and working on a design. I don't have everything planned out yet -- mainly the centerboard/daggerboard/whatever -- but I'm working on it

Part of what inspired my switch was a website I found about historic fishing boats along the upper Gulf Coast. I had no idea that in the 19th century, catboats were used for oystering from Appalachicola to Biloxi, and maybe further west. Unlike New England catboats with their deep keels, Gulf Coast catboats were flat-bottomed. As were Biloxi Schooners (drawings of the flat-bottom schooners look positively bizarre).

Here's the website that did it. Fascinating stuff here: Gulf Coast fishing boats http://www.msmohp.com/gulf-coast-fishing-boats.html

So, it turns out that I want a catboat and I'm designing it. Not a Cape Cod catboat. It's a Suth'n catboat. Tubby. Too much fried chicken and sweet tea ... Lotsa freeboard, tall cabin ... very uncatboat like. I tried to draw it 3-D, and it looked like a battleship. It would be used for the same thing Blue Moon would have been used for -- bay-sailing, camping, beaching, weekending, trailering to other cruising waters.

The design is far from complete. I am studying various building methods and that will influence the design. About the only thing I've decided on is that the length will be 17 - 19 feet.

Husband says I am physically incapable of building a boat because it took me a little extra time to bounce back from double knee replacement and an accidently broken wrist. In fact, he forbids my building it.

We'll see about that.

 

These drawings are very imprecise. They were done in a paint/draw program, not a design program. But they give you an idea.... I hope.

 

Great, Just do it! But I think it would be wise to buy or get a design instead of making a new one. If it's not to your liking just adapt it. Building method: every method has it's advantages and disadvantages.

 

Yes, that's what I always get on this forum. Instead of "boatdesign.net" it should be called, "don'tdesign.net."

 

Here is this example of modern classic in this style, a bit smaller for you perhaps, proposed to amateur builders by Architect Francois Vivier. As regard the rig, I suggest you the " sloup au tiers" (I don't know the equivalent term in English), it is more flexible ( by light winds , you can add a jib on the bow sprit) and the mast is a bit aft / a pure cat boat, which is better in my opinion. See the various rigs and the 2 masts position on the 2 last pages of this brochure.
http://francois.vivier.info/Img/ilur.pdf

 

Thanks. There's no cabin. Needs to be a cabin with sitting headroom.

 

This one should better fit with your programme, by the same architect Francois Vivier specialised in that kind of boats. The rig is not a cat-boat one but may be envisaged likely.
http://www.grand-largue.fr/Documents/fiches techniques/beniguet_cabine.pdf

 

There's no info in the video about the building method.

 

Tell your husband my hip is bone on bone and I can manage about 6 hours a day on my feet with ibuprofen and a painkiller at bedtime. And I am a man, so you got that going as well.

Building a boat is a super great thing, but the spouse must support.

Build in a climate controlled structure when possible; it is easier.

Stitch n glue is the easiest. Ply on frame is harder.

Plywood is much easier than marine foam.

 

Check out this one.

Vagabond 18 (VG18) - Study Plans https://bateau.com/studyplans/VG18_study.php?prod=VG18

The basic hull is not modifiable much, but the cabin might be changeable.

Stitch n glue hulls are not usually able to be tweaked much. Ask the designer.

 

Coquina looks like one of my first restoration attempts. I hope you prove hubby wrong.

The next step is to convert or re draw in design software and share with your SOR. Then it can be hydrologicly analysed and engineered, to complete it's design. This is "boat design.net" not "draw a boat and think it's designed .net" Threads are started way to frequently by those who start building an undedesigned boat they have drawn. Please don't be one of them.

Don't be discouraged. There is help here to finish your design process. It is usually easier and faster to modify a proven design than to reinvent wheels.

Good luck and I hope to see a picture of Coquina sailing smartly.

 

Well, from my own experience I can say there is a lot more to it than you'd expect. Ofcourse you can learn that but it will take a lot of time and effort. If you want to there are certainly people on the forum that will show you the way. If you want to I'll help you.

Maybe it helps to put the next row in order of importance for you: a.studying, b.working with your hands, c.sailing. If studying is not in the top position: do yourself a favor and buy/copy a design. There will be still enough to puzzle about.

 

In complement this guide for amateurs builders of ply époxy boats, in french unfortunately but really full of info and advices, should be helpful : https://lignesdeauleblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/guideplans.pdf

Chesapeake Light Craft web site also gives you a lot of Tips for boatbuilders : Boatbuilding Tips | Shop Tips for Boatbuilders, Stitch & Glue and Strip-Planked Boatbuilding by Chesapeake Light Craft https://www.clcboats.com/shoptips/

My own advice in complement of the good ones you already received is at first to try to do an internship in a yard oriented on ply-epoxy construction and proposing either learning periods or "amateur with professional" formulas to do small boats, like do CWB I think : About Us | The Center for Wooden Boats http://cwb.org/about/

 

Don't design is for good reason.

It takes years to finish a boat build. Unless you have deeeeep pockets; it is madness to design a hull that might perform poorly.

 

Okay. Now to make heads REALLY explode. I'm going to use the building method used on the Stevenson Projects boats.

Let the abuse begin.