Wave Piercing Bows

As a fella that generally likes mono hulls that tend towards traditional styling I like reverse bows on fast looking multi hull boats.

 

In a word....YES

 

The US navy is going retro....similar bows were on the warships in the Battle of Manila back in 1898.

 

We are talking about a "bolt on" "glue on" bow tip shape here, the design and shape of the rest of his boat is already set in stone... this has become a discussion on aesthetics now, as we have already agreed that the difference in performance, in this case, would be negligible either way...

Your right corley, mazda 3 trumped the "commonwhore" for sales after 15 years straight...



Looks as tho its a winning aesthetic theme tho, because DAMN it looks similar to the commodore doesnt it!!! Gas milage is all i can say...

A potential $100k wasnt referring to just the bow shape, but rather the whole styling package and how well it dates in the future marketplace. We know a big part of the price is determined by the materials its built from and the level of fitout it appointed with, but take 2 different yachts and assume the level of fitout were equal, and the materials are the same, and the performance is similar, how much difference in price would you expect to see between a yacht that is now considered stylish VS a boat that is now considered ugly?

When a person considers the purchase of a yacht, after they decide what suits their needs, theyre faced with so many to choose from... they ultimately choose the one thats styled the way they like it because its more than just a boat that works... its a pride thing, a status thing, an image thing etc... noone will pay big dollars for a yacht, or a car, or a house which they think makes them look ugly, they take no pride in, or cant be "showed off" to their friends for improved status... on the other hand, if a "thing" makes a person feel proud to own it, feels impressive to others, and makes them look sexy, then people will pay a high premium for it... sad but true i know...

 

Yes, this is all a style conversation. The idea here is I'm building a bit of a water ferrari or lamborghini. Neither have modern, rounded lines. The styling comes from other accents, not a super round shape. My target boat is a Gunboat, but i realize many find those ugly (i like them best).

That's what was in my mind, anyway. Certainly, it is open for discussion.

The idea of going with reverse bows does change the deckhouse thoughts just a bit. Since it's not built either, it could be built differently, but not in such a way that will take too much extra time...

 

Leo wasn't, and neither was I.

 

For clarity, catamaran bows are glue on foam blocks, carved and sculpted to look any way you choose. That is the subject of the thread.

 

CatBuilder, just be careful to not stick to the aesthetics only when considering the bow shape. I think there are other priorities which should be taken into account for commercial boats, like anchor handling from the bow, boarding, port fees based on length, probability and ease of damaging the protruding bow, etc. All things which racing machines don't have to worry about. If you have checked these and found them acceptable, then it's turn for the aesthetics to be put into consideration.
Cheers

 

Wave Piercing Bows New Ship

As Par implied, the boat size makes a diff, but the below image is of USN new ship and it does not have dreadnought bow...just for information.

Par and some others have convinced me that dreads have become over rated or faddish. Some may function fine; others will be an aesthetic and functional nightmare.

I have yet to decide for my wee project, but I might just chuck the idea, but with throw away foam bow blocks, it is easy to play.

The image would not load??? It is here, if interested. Has been in some newspapers.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/imag...&sigi=161djpv5i&sigb=11u98p2jg&fr=yfp-t-701-s

 

If you like the look of Gunboat cats in general most of them have standard plumb type bows and fairly square deckhouses. A lot of their modern looks come from careful detailing and quality finishes which are ultimately more important to resale than what type of bow or stylistic treatment you give the boat. Groper I think that people look for a lot more than stylistic elements particularly when looking at catamarans for live aboard cruising. If I was looking for a cat the aesthetics would be a long way down the list and a well built and proven older design would win my attention over a poorly finished, built or cared for but more up to date design. What people think looks "right" is mostly based on their experiences with production catamarans so the more conventional looking the boat the better it is likely to do on the secondhand market. I also think that customers on a charter would have similar perceptions and if drawn on an arbitrary issue like the styling of the boat would prefer something that looks "normal".

As far as your comments on cars the styling of vehicles are created to fit into whatever form is most popular at the time (just like production multihulls for example) many cars look similar in profile but have completely different front and rear treatments it's all about small target syndrome as a car that looks too "different" will be ostracised in the market place and lose sales. I'd also point out that when the VE commodore body style was released it copped plenty of criticism for being derivative as well (which of course it was like all cars).

 

Cat Bow Stems

No doubt, the plumb bow will always be in vogue. I like and will likely go that route to be safe on my outrigger. Question of dig versus some hobby horsing, really.

My fave bow set is on Nice Pair, however. Seems to work and looks "nice."

Gunboats better be slick, for the money...yes, they are all 10s, as they say.

 

No, they're not. They buy Holdens down there ;-)

Mike

 

And morris minors like they do in England?

 

I'm a bit confused about this thread. I think we do have to distinguish between styling and a genuine design feature.

Are some of really saying you will bolt on a reverse, plumb or swept bow onto any hullform?

My opinion is that form should follow function. If you have a hull fatter at the waterline than the deck, a reverse bow will naturally form as the topsides are developed. Any 'styling' mods to make the bow an unnatural development of the topsides just look wrong and will probably have a performance penalty as you will disturb clean lines with hollows and bumps to fit the bow on.

 

Not quite. The bows are already the same thickness at the deck as they are at the waterline. I can do whatever I want in terms of a profile view shape - even "s" bows! ha ha ha

It's just a foam bumper that extends beyond the real bow.