Dudley Dix Haut Bay 50

[Doug Tutty]

I haven't found a search function for the forum, so I don't know if Dix Haut Bay 50 has been discussed elsewhere. Any coments on the design? I want a soldi, go anywhere cruiser that can be built without glue or plywood. I can deal directly with Dudley on that, but what about the design itself?

[Ged]

Doug, look up above to your right. The script type is small, but you should see it. I think the search function can only search one room at a time, so you will have to click on the given box to change it to Designs/Plans, etc..

[TR]

Doug,

As far as I can see, this is a multi-chine steel hull with a fin keel. This would make no sense in plank-on-frame wooden construction. The sheerline would be the only thing the designer could save for the switch to wood.

Who is going to build this boat? A schooner of 45,000 pounds is going to take a minimum of 9,000 hours to build. That's if you are really highball, do all your head scratching at night, and you wife does all materials sourcing! If you work alone, that's 4.5 years of full time boat building. Okay, say you are possessed, put in 70 hour weeks, only 2.6 years of 10 hour days/7 days a week.

I would suggest looking at something smaller, say an Ingrid or similar, about 38'. This boat could be built in a couple of years and has enough room for two good friends. It would make a great deal of sense to pick a boat designed for simple plank-on-frame construction. The Atkin's were masters at this.

All the best. Tad