I'm thinking of building an AS29...

[Practicus]

Hello All. I live in Gulfport, MS. My wife and I want to build a boat primarily to live upon and share time either slipped at a marina or on the hook at one of the Gulf Barrier Islands. We intend to gradually extend our cruising to the Keys and the shoal draft will be an asset. I have spent some time looking at different boats, but the AS29 seems to meet our needs.
I would appreciate any input (positive and negative) that you gentlemen may have concerning this design.
I also have a few questions... Does anyone know the hullspeed? What about the freeboard? I ordered my copy of Boats with an Open Mind Wednesday- should be here tomorrow. Is this book the only source of plans?

[mister_moon]

Used ones come on the market more frequently than you would think. They often need some work, but the cost of the boat and any labor in repairs would be but a fraction of building from scratch.
Plans: Mr. Philip C. Bolger, P.O. Box 1209, Gloucester, MA, 01930, Fax: (978) 282-1349

Phil and Suzanne are pretty quick to respond to faxed inquiries.

Be warned, the reactionaries will try to convince not to build a square boat. But who's to tell you what your dream is? Pay them no mind.

JB

[Hwyl]

http://www.towndock.net/shipping/bolger2.jpg

http://www.towndock.net/shipping/2004_05_01_shiparchive.html

[P.L.Lenihan]

And here is another liink for you to check out after you've done with Gareth's link Practicus.

http://walkurevoyages.blogspot.com/2006/12/links.html


Peter

[bamamick]

That boat is amazingly roomy down below. I have a 40' sharpie schooner and going below is like going into a mine shaft. Of course, it probably sails a bit better than that boat :).

Mickey Lake

[George Ray]

Great Idea!!!!

[P.L.Lenihan]

YMT's design number 984 is his version of the Bolger AS-39 ,aka Loose Moose design. Check out also his design number 980, another copy of the venerable Bolger AS-29.
Bolger has since brought several significant changes to his Advanced Sharpie signature designs(AS-29 and AS-39) since he first designed them,which Yves Tanton has yet to add to his copies, so you may wish to consider consulting with the original designer of this series.

Peter

[paladin]

with a kick up rudder like John Marples designed for the Searunner cats....:D

[PVanderwaart]

For a lot of good AS-29 photos, go here: http://www.walkurevoyages.blogspot.com/ It appears that they have elaborated the gallows into a "hard bimini". That's a change that I think PCB and YMT would both approve, since they have both incorporated shelter for the crew/helmsman in their designs.

Despite the simple exterior shape, I think that an AS-29 is a big project that demands an knowledgable builder, especially familiarity with plywood construction. As least one had rot in the centerboard trunks at an early age, and at least one (same one? don't remember) developed a strange, athwartships concavity in the bottom, apparently due to stress in the ply.

On the plus side, the Walkure seems to have make quite a cruise in good shape.

[earling2]

I think they're might be one of those appearing at the Wooden Boat Show at Mystic, Ct, this summer (June 29 weekend)
I'm eager to check one out too -- I think they're half ugly, half beautiful and can't make up my mind how I feel about them. I do think I'd be pretty delighted with all the functional aspects of it.
Also--seconding PVanderwaart's comment, they're complicated boats inside, despite being boxes.

[Dave Hadfield]

You know, the main thing that strikes the eye harshly on the AS-29 is the deck house. It's a crude little box. A square. Why not do that differently?

The decklines of Munroe's boats, like Alice, come to mind.

The rest of the boat I rather like, though the bow slapping at anchor in a chop would bother me. I'm afraid I'd chunk some deadrise into it there, efficient or not. (I did this with dinghies, a few years back. Went from a flat bottomed heavily rockered Elegant Punt, to a similar one 2 ft longer, with deadrise in the fore sections. Much quieter and still lovely through the water.)

[PVanderwaart]

To each his own, but I think a square boat deserves a square deck house. As for the bow slap, Bolger's mods include an anti-slapping bump for the bow.

I don't share the nearly universal urge to change an existing design. It seems like a easy way to get a bad result. If you want a more complex shape to the hull, take a look at YMT's SeaShell. The design brief is about the same.

http://www.tantonyachts.com/images7.htm#image946

[Practicus]

Thanks for the responses. But my desire is to build it myself, with some help from friends and as much consultation as I can get. I also realize this is a big boat! I expect it to take around two years (part-time) to complete the majority and another year to complete the rigging and systems, maybe quicker-maybe longer. HOWEVER, I haven't ordered the plans yet and haven't looked at the minute details. If it appears to be over my head then I won't hesitate to outsource the work to professionals. I have friends with good boat-building experience to help when I need it (they are currently building a 36' Lafitte Skiff Schooner, incorporating some Red Cypress felled by Katrina).

What is the theoritical hull speed? Fully loaded and provisioned, under the right wind and sea conditions (like a controlled laboratory experiment) could this boat maintain 8 knots? 9 knots?

I have seen several photos of AS-29s with 9.9 hp outboards. Indeed, this is the size I would like to use also. But from what I understand the outboard weight must not exceed 75 lbs. I haven't found a 4-stroke 9.9 under 75 lbs.

I'm also thinking of using a composting toilet. Pros? Cons?

[paladin]

In reference to your e-mail....the hull speed on any of these boats will be 6.5-7 knots......anything more is a waste of power.....
You can download a set of Charles Wittholz "Liveaboard" cat plans from Woodenboat magazine plans file.

[Anthony Zucker]

We have a 30' Bolger-type box, gaff rigged ketch and 5.5 knots is it for speed, sail or power. We use a 9.9hp but tried a 15hp and it wouldnt go any faster.

The pluses are; more room than anything its length, but thats obvious.
The dog house lets you stand up straight to put your clothes on, cook, dance, whatever. Yes, a Meadowlark is prettier but not as comfortable

Main negative; she's not so good to windward, takes lots of leeway on every tack. Maybe it would help if we make the centerboard a little bigger; it's 6' x 2', maybe if it was 6' x 3' it would hold better.
She doesnt cut through wakes and waves like a keelboat, but you get used to that, just take them on an angle

One suggestion, after 10 years the plywood is showing little cracks; I dont know what the term is but we are going to epoxy and maybe fiberglass the sides; should have done that in the beginning. The bottom and shine logs and centerboard are heavily glassed and all that has held up well being in the water year round.

[JimD]

...after 10 years the plywood is showing little cracks; I dont know what the term is but we are going to epoxy and maybe fiberglass the sides; should have done that in the beginning. The bottom and shine logs and centerboard are heavily glassed and all that has held up well being in the water year round.

What type of plywood is it?

[Anthony Zucker]

I don't know. We bought the empty hull(box) and outfitted it.

If I had learned all that I have from this forum before considering that purchase I probably would have passed on it. But thanks to ignorance we have had 10 years of pleasure sailing and weekending and learning and now we will do what it takes to keep her going.

[Dave Hadfield]

PV, I have no wish to re-design the hull. I'd just change the shape of that deck house, though keeping the height so that I could stand up in the thing. The bow mod you referred to is exactly what I was thinking of -- just a slap-reducer.

Anthony, does yours use 2 bilgeboards, as per the stock AS 29?

[James McMullen]

If I were caught being seen by other people in a boat that ugly, my head would be so low that the headroom really wouldn't be an issue!

Seriously--this is a boat that trades off many other factors in order to make the hull, a relatively small part of the total cost and difficulty of building a boat, a little bit easier to build. You should really try hard to meet up with another AS-29 owner and go for a sail if at all possible to see if you actually like the way this boat works before committing to such a big project. I'm not anti-Bolger by any means--having built several of his smaller boat designs over the years--but do remember that the AS-29 is a compromise like all other boat designs and don't be too swayed by the advertising copy claims of Bolger's excellent and persuasive writing until you've had a chance to actually see and sail on one of these yourself.

[Anthony Zucker]

James is right. You shouldn't get into building a particular boat without trying one out first. Wdid it and lucked out, partly because the sailing waters here are very easy and we werent looking for great perfomance.
If you ever get up towards knoxville we'll go sailing. But again, ours has a centerboard rather than bilgeboards but it probably sails the same.
But James you are wrong about it being ugly. And when you are in her you are not seeing her anyway, just enjoying her.
Ive tried and failed to publish pictures of ours here. If I could email some to one of you maybe you cold post them