boat design program

I am a 15 year old boy looking for the right boat design program to start my carrier. Can somebody recommend me an easy program to use? Thanks

 

start from the right books not a right program

 

If its just censeptualising / drawing.. I am using the Free edition of Google Sketchup.... works decent enough...

 

FadeDude, but down the bong man . . . Ruben the first place you need to look is at an education, so start with:
www.westlawn.edu
www.macnaughtongroup.com
A program just makes pretty pictures, once you learn how to manipulate it. It doesn't tell you if you have a design well suited to your goals. To get this information, you need an education, not software.

Besides what's listed, there are many brick and mortar schools that also have courses.

 

PAR... me no smekey nau bong mannnnn!!!

Thats why I said "conceptualising / drawing". Sketchup isn't gonna make it float... but it can help with drawing ideas, layouts etc? Well at least it did for me... works better than a napkin....

 

bah, earth was supposed ot be sketchup... whoops.... Maybe I AM smoking something...

 

I like Solidworks, it isn't for boats but if you invest time

learning it you have a decent chance of turning your skills into cash elsewhere.

I'd guess it does everything except the "hull pushing through water at the air/water boundary" better than a ship-design package.

You should be able to take a class at your local Community College, and anyone "in college" can buy a "student version" for $99 for a year.

Click my handle for rough idea of a quick simple use of SW for boat design.

 

Drawing is the lesser part of boat design. Learn the basics and more than anything, go boating.

 

I have been seriously considering the MacNaughton program for a while, as I already have a family, career, etc. If you are 15 though find the closest NA or boat builder and volunteer to sweep his floors in return for information; do like Gonzo said and get on the water as often as possible. Pay attention to math in High School, then find a school with a reputable boat design program in the type of boat you want to design and/or build.

 

Ruben, tell us more about yourself. Why do you want a career in boats? What are you good at and what have you already done towards achieving your goal? Are you academically oriented or more of a hand's-on guy? What boat resources are there in your area that you can tap into?

 

What part of the USA are you in?

 

For a beginner the best book for getting an idea what affects boat's features (in my opinion) is "Nature of boats" by Gerr.

Easy to read - not overly technical either.

 

Becoming proficient at handling boats at a young age is very helpful. You end up being asked to crew on a variety boats. I'd join a youth sailing program and take the power squadron introductory courses. This is a bit more self directed than hanging around a marina or boatyard on you free time. Try and include a boat- any boat- in your family vacations. Then take advantage of that to talk to the skipper, crew etc. and perhaps work it into a school project. At your age you can lead canoe trips for the Boy scouts, teach sailing and motorboating merit badges at summer camp (if they still have those). By the time you go looking for a university program you will have a resume and shown serious intent.

 

Second the opinion.

 

While this doesn't address the boat design program question, I think you would be well prepared for a career in boating if you tried building a boat. You would learn a lot too. I like reading books, but it always makes more sense once you have applied it. There are a lot of simple boats you can build cheaply. One example is the Puddle Duck Racer. You could build it cheaply out of regular plywood and makes sails out of tarps. You could enter or organize one of those competitions that builds boats out of cardboard and races them across the pool. When I was your age, in boy scouts we designed and made skin on frame kayaks.