YDS or Westlawn and stay married?

Discussion in 'Education' started by 8knots, Jun 21, 2003.

  1. 8knots
    Joined: Feb 2002
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    Location: Wasilla Alaska

    8knots A little on the slow side

    Here is a little spin on the old question of Westlawn or YDS. With the birth of my son I find my time even more in demand. ( I would have it no other way!!!!!!) But before that I would go on 3 day doodle benders. Staying up till 3:00am and guzzling coffee and smokin my pipe! It drives my wife crazy when all she can get out of me is some sort of caveman type grunts as I dink around with the right sheer line on some boat I am doodling on.
    I guess my question to those out there who have enrolled in a class, How much time at the drafting table do you really get or need to get to stay on track. Do you find yourself lost when you get back to your study after being away because of life's commitments?
    Personally I know I can do the work and have the drive to complete the course. But are there others out there who are doing it with a family and a full time job?

    Thanks for your time
    8Knots;)
     
  2. Willallison
    Joined: Oct 2001
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    Location: Australia

    Willallison Senior Member

    Smart questions 8.....
    I'm half way through Westlawn now. It was actually my wife who found out all the info on Westlawn / YDS - she was so fed with all the piles of paper around the house (one extraordinary design after another..:D ) that she thought it was about time I put my creative obsessions to good use.
    In the "early days" I set aside a couple of hours each week night to devote to the course. I zoomed through most lessons, often posting in 2 or 3 at a time so I wouldn't have to wait for the almost 1 month turnaround 'till I got my marked assignments back. There was a period where I lost momentum and didn't submit anything for a few months, but then I got back into it and I've been motoring along at a reasonable pace ever since.
    But now to the family expansion..... Jack (my 1st) was born 7 months ago. For the 1st 3 or 4 months it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Wife and son would pack off to their respective rooms at about 1900 and I'd be free to draw 'till around 2300 when he'd wake for his 1st night time feed. He no longer wakes (or if he does we pretend we can't hear him!:eek: ) so I tend not to do that so much anymore. The time is a little harder to find, but it's still there.
    I'd have to say that the greatest impediment to finishing the Westlawn (or any other distance ed) course is maintaining the motivation to keep working - if you want to do it bad enough, you'll find the time - go for it!
     
  3. Andy Z
    Joined: Sep 2003
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    Location: N.Y.C.

    Andy Z New Member

    Hi all,
    I feel your pain!!!!
    I am on lesson 9, with lesson 8 completed and ready to go. Then I got lesson 7 back with a preliminary which really killed my momentum. I'm very discouraged as of late, but I just came across this page and feel a little releaved that there are others in the same boat as myself. I too have a full time job, wife, house, and a 15 month old daughter (our first). Anyway, I will be checking back here on a regular basis to see how everyone is doing and to revitalize my drive. Good luck to all who are up at midnight with insomnia and boats on their mind.

    Andy
     
  4. Stephen Ditmore
    Joined: Jun 2001
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    Location: South Deerfield, MA, USA

    Stephen Ditmore Senior Member

    I think 8knots is the Will in Alaska I got you mixed up with once, Will A. How are you both? I'm interested to know where your design passion takes you. Please keep us posted!

    I'm not sure I'm the right person to advise -- I need to get off the internet long enough to get the dishes done, etc. Drawing time is a luxury these days unless someone's paying me to do it. Being at the Landing School gave me a chance to be organized about it the year I was there.

    Stephen
     
  5. Willallison
    Joined: Oct 2001
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    Location: Australia

    Willallison Senior Member

    Usually to the study once the wife and kid have gone to bed!! Perhaps one day it will be out on the water in the boat that I've designed and built myself.......
    I must admit that my drawing has slowed enormously of late. I have one lesson to complete in order to have finished the 2nd of the 4 modules in the Westlawn course. I plan on taking a little time to familiarise myself with CAD some more and then it's on to Module 3.....
     
  6. Guest

    Guest Guest

    To find time

    Hi to all who are studying part time with other obligations.

    I'm with you, married with three sons and half way through Westlawn studies. I'm just gathering money to enroll for module three. I've also just finished building a house for our family. To get through modules one and two was quite a task, just like others who've shared their experiences I also began studies once the family went to bed and worked through until the early hours of the morning to get lessons finished.

    It's encouraging to hear that others are in the same boat as me, hang in there guys, we'll get there!

    Kevin Lester, South Africa
     
  7. 8knots
    Joined: Feb 2002
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    Location: Wasilla Alaska

    8knots A little on the slow side

    Still Trying

    Here is the little project I have been working on in my spare time for months now. Not much to look at but closer to a realistic dream boat. I have Rhino so I can start rendering and playing around with the eye candy part of her. I still can not comit to one school or another. I have to narrow of a interest window I think. I have no interest whatsoever in designing a trimaran for a potential customer I would refer them in a heartbeat. I feel I could not provide them with the best possible design because I know my heart would not be in it! I know I would strugggle through the sections of school concerning sail design. "3am and I'm sitting here figuring the section modulus of spars" No thanks! I wish you all the best who are doing the stuff you don't care about to be able to do the things you do! Somebody start a big slow power boat school allready!;)
     
  8. 8knots
    Joined: Feb 2002
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    Location: Wasilla Alaska

    8knots A little on the slow side

    Here is the pic

    I posted the pic way to big and fouled up the edit so here it is.
     

    Attached Files:

  9. SailDesign
    Joined: Jan 2003
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    Location: Jamestown, RI, USA

    SailDesign Old Phart! Stay upwind..

    8knots says: "Somebody start a big slow power boat school already."

    It's called Webb, or Michigan. ;-))

    Steve
     
  10. Tad
    Joined: Mar 2002
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    Location: Flattop Islands

    Tad Boat Designer

    Mr. 8 Sir;

    Nice. Very pleased that you are sticking with it and refining previous work. I have a couple of comments, if I may.

    Your previous drawing was the preliminary "cartoon". That established relationships between house and hull, rooflines, heights, and window sizes. This drawing is more refined, but still in the styling phase.

    Now that you have the general styling sorted, in the next version you need to pay as much attention to detail. These are things that differentiate the styling drawing from a "real" design drawing. Mostly this means thinking in 3D.

    I am not a fan of zero camber in things like eyebrows and dodgers. I really think camber in the athwartship lines makes her look like a boat. (yes, of course there are exceptions!) In this type of boat at least.

    But that is styling, and that's up to you. But things like the rigging on the boom, it needs to look like you at least thought about it to be believable. Antennas need to be vertical, otherwise they are directional. Get hold of a AquaSignal catalogue and draw in the correct lighting at the right size.

    Think about how the windshield really looks, draw it out in plan the way you want it, also in section, then develop the profile from those views. It's sometimes surprising how different it can look.

    Also, find a real dinghy that will fit, and draw that. You can get beam and tube size from many general catalogues.

    Other comments in the styling line. It seems you have a number of small and broken sheer lines. IMO one strong heavy line would tie her together and add grace.

    Boottop/waterline; think about how much the boat will change floatation and put the boottop above it. This boat will move up and down at least 6-8" between full and empty tanks, move the boottop up. And please can we have some sheer in it?

    You are doing great, hang in there.

    All the best, Tad
     

  11. 8knots
    Joined: Feb 2002
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    Location: Wasilla Alaska

    8knots A little on the slow side

    all good points!

    Thanks Tad for all the good pointers. Most of them I know better
    but I just wanted to get her on line with you guys. I really like this one and I value the input of those here! I still have many moons to plan till I can put her to steel. I have been working on this one for a long time now and yes some of her is hacked together I idea of this sketch is to see if I could cram all that superstructure on the hull. I ought to be ashamed to put that windshield up like it is..... I think I want a nice curved front versus a faceted look I really dislike the roofline on the wheelhouse but can not seem to get a good feeling line going. and yes to the camber issues I just get hasty and lazy in the heat of battle. I will never own a rubber boat she will carry a boston Whitehall as her tender. Hmmmmm with all the mahogany trimmings that will be my wood to varnish! Thanks again ta all for your input!
    8knots
     
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