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I would be surprised if you can patent the concept of a curved mast, though who knows, I have seen quite a handful of things from yesteryear that are now patented. My sister-in-law, a patent...

There really is a simple answer to this question though I doubt it is the one you are looking for. By far the most important element for speed made good to windward is the skill of the sailors.

I...

cool!

fun video

Hey Peter Eikenberry, did the boat look something like this:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p280264e02ad59b56f4515c2e518b2626/ea228d0a.jpg
...

I would like to insert a comment here about the complex mold requirements for cold molding.

I was a Shipwright in the 1970's working for a company that built custom racing sailboats. My records...

Oh yeah, one more thing. If you install one of these flip out oarlocks, don't forget to move the seat up a little higher. i.e. if the oarlock is mounted 1-inch higher, move the seat up 1-inch as...

For 8-ft oars, you need about 50-inch beam assuming you don't mind your hands crossing on the recovery (most folks get used to this easily). That means your oarlock needs to be about 4.5-inches...

Oarling is too short to effectively use a sliding seat. You need at least a 16-ft waterline length and 17 to 19 feet is better. Therefore if you use outriggers, they would simply be to fit longer...

First of all, the transom of a cat is only at the drawn DWL at rest. As soon as the rig develops side pressure, the leeward hull begins to immerse deeper. This drives the transom deeper.
...

First of all weight is really really important for these boats. In fact MIni Transat boats are too heavy for good performance. They ought to be 25 to 26 ft for the same payload. You must realize...

Gluing ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with epoxy is not practical.

However it is not impossible. Polyethylene has no electrons available for sharing (all P-orbitals are filled...

At work I am often asked if epoxy can be used to glue ‘X’ material. Over the years, I have found that many Shipwrights, Naval Architects and Engineers are not knowledgeable about key aspects of how...

I believe one needs to be careful when comparing wages between different parts of the world. I used to live in the Philippines and still have both family and friends there. Five years ago, living...

This thread has morphed a little which is OK.

In the 1980s I had a boat shop that concentrated on building custom racing sailboats. As many of you know that business is subject to big...

Ever give any thought about compensation in the Boat Building / Shipwright business?

I was at the research library at the Bainbridge Island, WA Museum yesterday and ran across old business records...

Tugboats generally have far more power than they need when not pushing or pulling. Thus, the stern needs to be very powerful as long as its shape doesn't adversely affect towing duty. I think your...

Your view is too restrictive when you only look at rocker. Obviously many fine rowboats have very little rocker. Two examples are rowing shells and whitehalls.

The amount of rocker needed is...

I do not know of any conclusive evidence that it would be OK (keep in mind that as a Naval Architect I am very conservative). What I can say is that as long as an electrolyte, for example saltwater,...

Stainless steel is perfectly adequate in fresh water. It is the Chlorides in the saltwater that causes most of the problems.

Salt water gives stainless steel fits as others have mentioned. While...

I have a power jointer story to tell.

About 1973 while apprenticing at South Bay Boatworks on San Francisco Bay we had a Journeyman Shipwright named 'Guy' who tried to shove a 5" long oak butt...

K&E is most common. Most offices I have worked for have at least one. I use a Dietzgen D-1802 I bought in 1973 that I like very much.

General Info:
There are two main components, an anchor pole...

You know, a sharp hand saw works quite nicely. It never melts the material. Just leave the paper on both sides to eliminate tear-out and don't force the blade. Finish the edge off with sandpaper...

I have really enjoyed boat building with kids. I have worked with ages 4 to teens. Each age and skill level requires a bit different approach.

With the youngest, we work in short 1/2 to 1 hour...

Boat building epoxies are really good in water. However, all epoxies are affected by water, some more than others. The polyamide family is in the average range (maybe above average) of water...

(Warning, the following information has been gleaned from a carrier working with epoxy system, I am not a health care professional or a Chemist)

I recommend you look into polyamide based epoxy...

What a great idea!

But also remember that "Naval Brass" is actually Bronze.

Tad, geographically, you would be right but weather-wise, South of Point Conception is considered 'Southern California'. Politically this tends to be true as well.



I believe you are correct. ...

Evolutionary would be a better word than breakthrough. I worked for Tom Wylie for years and found him to be modest. Dave Wahle is also modest. It would surprise me if either of those guys hyped...

Ugh- guys, especially you John (I can talk to him this way cause I sit next to him at work), you are missing the most important reason why 12% lead is about right for most boats.

The center of...

Bob, did you find this to be true of the 2-part polysulfide compounds? Though I have seen it happen with the 1-part stuff, I haven't noticed this problem with the 2-part polysulfide compound.

I suppose it could mean that, but not usually.

The term usually means the true shape for an inclined transom (i.e. the projection of shape perpendicular to the transom). It could also mean a...

Your lake is about the size of the harbor near my house. Winds can come from almost any direction and are locally much lighter than out in Puget Sound. I enjoy sailing my 8' dinghy in the harbor. ...

You could probably test the first idea easily enough. Just offset the boat towards the lake end of the existing dolly and try to launch it.

Last week I watched an 8-meter sail past a J120 in light air. I like modern boats and have designed and built many of them. But they are not always faster.

Details of the boat I built:

I used 1/4" fir plywood for the sides and transom.

For the bottom I installed keelson and 3-logitudinal stiffeners on each side of it, notching them into the frame....

I think the idea of small multihull should be different than short multihull. Small in volume but long for its weight is what produces the effortless performance of a multihull. If you try to pack...

Nice boat you have there.

I was disappointed with the performance of my boat with a Honda 30-hp a few years ago. Eventually I took it to a Honda dealer and explained my problem. They made some...

I built one of those boats from plans published in a book called "Build a Boat for Pleasure or Profit" in 1968 while in High School. My recollection is that it was 10'-7" long. It was the third...

The L-7 has a lot of good stuff to it. Glad Jim pointed us to the web page.

By the way, I don't think there are many really successful small cruising multihulls ("There are lots of people...

I have always thought that most boats these days meant for beaching lack sacrificial rub strips. Such rubbing strips need to be resistant to wear and also replaceable when they are worn away too...

I just bring along my Arkansas stone (mounted in a block of wood) in the pocket of my tool belt or apron whenever I use a chisel, knife or plane. When doing general work on softwoods I might touch...

I guess I am just not up on the latest.

The way I learned the trade was to not worry about the final honing because a few minutes of use would put the edge way back. I was taught to touch up...

I do not think you will have any problem initially gluing to the paper face. My test of epoxy was to glue two paper faces together and then destroy the glue joint. Since the substrate failed...

Kieth, I have owned a boat made from MDO for 5-years and have been happy with it. It is not fiber glassed; only painted.

MDO has been used for marine applications since the 50's that I know of. ...

John, You know the Forum won't know that MI stands for "Mare Island Naval Shipyard". You also know folks on the forum will have a hard time obtaining paint invented by a closed Shipyard. And you...

mmmm - Do you mean it is rated for up to 17' or that it is truly the maximum length it can handle?

The reason I ask is that trailer ratings are always for powerboats rather than for sailboats or...

Lets say for the moment that you like the Thistle so much that it is the only boat for you except the performance is a little too 'sporty' when short handed.

One easy fix that could make the...

You might consider painting the Aluminum pedistal. Something like black or dull bronze might be more in keeping with the boat.

A thistle is a fine boat, no doubt about it. However, I do not think it is the right boat to fish from or bring a dog aboard. Also unless you have a lot of experience sailing high performance...