A little theory of aesthetics

[AngWood]

I just have a tiny theory about one aspect of boat aesthetics: the height of a cabin should not exceed the freeboard of the hull (waterline to sheer). If cabin height exceeds freeboard, the cabin begins to look disproportionately large.

Here are two Pacific Northwest fishing boats that have been converted to cruisers.

http://www.frenchcreekboatsales.com/images/PW1384/PW1384_Carolyn_Page_01.jpg http://www.frenchcreekboatsales.com/images/PW1393/PW1393_Fraser_Princess_V_01.JPG

The cabin on the second looks too big. Obviously the first one has better built, better trimmed, better finished cabin, but to me a more important difference is cabin height in relation to freeboard.

Whatcha think?

[Meerkat]

I think they're nearly the same boat. The boat on the right suffers from a busy hull paint job and the blue skirting above the house. If they both had nearly the same paint job and the boat on the right lost the blue skirting (fencing?) I think they'd be more more aesthetically similar.

[AngWood]

Yeah, but the aft cabin on the second one looks stupid 'cause it's too tall.

[imported_Steven Bauer]

It's not the height, it's the shape.

Steven

ps. I was going to say I was referring to the boats not the women. But then I realized I meant both. :D

Steven

[ 11-08-2004, 10:35 AM: Message edited by: Steven Bauer ]

[JimD]

It's not the height, it's the shape.
I agree

[AngWood]

"It's not the height, it's the shape." Well, I think it's both in the above case. The clumsy shape gets in the way--ideally we would compare two similar shapes with different heights. But I challenge you to find a good-looking boat in which cabin height significantly exceeds freeboard.

Here's another clunker:
http://www.glen-l.com/designs/cruiser/cruiser-images/dsn-alg.jpg

This one's not quite as bad:
http://www.glen-l.com/designs/cruiser/cruiser-images/dsn-arg.jpg

In both cases, cabin height exceeds freeboard.

[ 11-08-2004, 11:21 AM: Message edited by: AngWood ]

[rbgarr]

Bill Garden gets away with having taller cabins than freeboard on some of his boats by deft shaping. Notice how he uses a Portuguese bridge here to disguise the size of the forward cabin structure:

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listing/pl_display_photo.jsp;jsessionid=efYxWRRFFDRh?slim= quick&boat_id=1136859&boatname= 44%27+Garden%2FPhilbrooks+Shipyard+Trawler&photo_name=null&photo=1&url=

His TLINGIT design is another extreme example of the cabin greatly outsizing the freeboard, but still looking attractive.

[maa. melee]

If it works for the owner, let it be. smile.gif

[Jack Heinlen]

A totally different kind of boat. Note how low the house is. 5'6" headroom under the beams. Unthinkable in a thirty foot boat these days. But Billy designed this boat for the sea, not the decorator. The small house leaves lots of deck space and offers less surface to boarding seas.

Boats have become floating apartments, that sit at the dock most of their time.

http://www.boat-links.com/Atkinco/Sail/images/BenBow-1.gif

[ 11-08-2004, 09:07 PM: Message edited by: Jack Heinlen ]

[ion barnes]

I am always shuddering as I wander the wharves, looking at misshapened boats. You are right, there are porportional values that need to be observed. The most notable mistake is the roof line is straight. It should follow the sheer line. The sides need some tumblehome too. The windows need to be in porportion to the depth of the visable cabin sides, and they too have to follow the sheer line. And they need rounded corners. Anything else says "homebuilt"!

That said, there are exceptions I suppose, like a Grand Banks Trawler but then they are not on my favourite list either.