Fast Home-Build Sailboats

[CWSmith]

I am only now waking up to find these fast stitch & glue designs on the web. The i550 is one, but there are others. They tend to have flairing slab sides and slightly arched bottoms. Who's built one and how do the designs compare? Are they fast and do they track well?

[wizbang 13]

I build boats fast, but not fast boats!

[Potter]

I build boats fast, but not fast boats!

It's true.

[peterchech]

The i-550 is pretty fast even if it is a relatively quick build. Top speed hit is reportedly 20 knots under spinnaker, prob by one of those crazy australians. It supposedly jumps on plane pretty quick, and the videos certainly show that this is no slug... youtube "tokyo trash baby". Don't confuse this boat with a flatiron skiff! As for tracking, I haven't been on one so can't tell you, but with that deep high aspect bulb keel and high aspect rudder, I would imagine this is a lively, hands on boat...

Another way of going fast with a quick low budget build is one of the many s&g multihulls out there. I can outsail most keelboats under 27' in my $1200 plywood outrigger canoe with polytarp sails. It is nowhere near as quick as a properly set up i-550, but also costs much less. Ironically though, the build times may not be that different between them due to the added complication of multiple hulls...

[Figment]

A different flavor of "fast" is the EC22

Clicky linky

[Redeye]

I built the Dix Paper Jet Skiff. It's very quick. I still don't have the rig properly sorted, but in very light airs (2-3 knts) I could pace a racing fleet of Musto Skiffs upwind. They flew spinnakers downwind so I kinda lost out there.
In stronger winds it planes very easily. But it is only 50kg hull weight.

[CWSmith]

I must admit, as I said elsewhere on another thread, the Paper Jet worries me. The bow seems too fine and likely to dig in when the waves are up. I have no experience with one - have you had any problems like that?

[Chip-skiff]

Do you want a racing-fast boat or one that's a fast sailer (easily-driven hull) but doesn't require an athletic performance (i.e. a trapeze or extreme hiking)?

[CWSmith]

I was a 505 sailer, but too old and slow now. I suppose I'm wondering if there is a lively boat that I can still enjoy.

[Daniel Noyes]

I've had lots of fun in the IB 18 I designed, I would really like to build a similar hull to around 26' !

http://www.youtube.com/user/danoyes1#p/u/26/aZNe_FTqBRI

[CWSmith]

I'm still trying to learn about the i550 and similar designs, but I am surprised by the speed you can get for the money.

[Figment]

Ensure that you include sail costs in that learning.

[CWSmith]

Ensure that you include sail costs in that learning.

I found a SHIELDS for half the usual $20k, but it would eventually need a modern rig and new sails. There's the other $10k.

[johnw]

I build boats fast, but not fast boats!

Yeah, Whizbang's a dog under oar.

[High Altitude]

Jacques sport boat 18

http://www.bateau.com/studyplans/SB1....htm?prod=SB18

[CWSmith]

Wow!

Lifting the keel via the main sheet makes sailing or drifting into the launching ramp a bit of a problem, but I'm sure that can be worked.

Neat boat!

[slidercat]

Maybe this isn't the sort of thing you had in mind, but this was my solution to a fast home-built sailboat.



This little cat is just under 16 feet. She's an open boat, and while she is not as fast as a beach cat, or even a planing dinghy, she's surprisingly fast for a small inexpensive home-built boat, while not requiring any great athletic effort to sail. I built Slider for about $2000. I've never lifted a hull in her, even sailing in winds of 30 knots plus. I've hit 10 knots in flat water on a number of occasions now, despite her low-tech rig. In fact, I sailed her for the first year with a home-made mainsail.

Her greatest virtues are her comfort under sail and her unbelievably good behavior in every circumstance.

[upchurchmr]

Slider Cat,

You have had your 16 going for quite a while, and seem very confident with it. 30 knots without lifting the hull ( I assume you mean with all sail up) seems pretty conservative. How about taking that Nacra 5.2 (around 16') rig and sticking it on. I would like to see a test sail report on how it works with a more mainstream sail area. After all Slider is 2+ times the weight of the Nacra, you should still have plenty of stability in 20 knots - limited just to keep you safe and feeling confident. Basically its just 3 pins for the shrouds and forestay (I'm ignoring the lengths to make this seem easy).

Marc

[CWSmith]

That catamaran looks like a lot of fun for cruising southern waters.

[peterchech]

That bateau is pretty cool, but im not too sure anyone has built one yet. Inking the i550, of which at least 40 have been built.

[slidercat]

That catamaran looks like a lot of fun for cruising southern waters.

Well, it is, but I think it would be a good boat for colder waters, as long as you remember it's an open boat. It's actually a much drier boat to sail than any small open monohull I've been aboard. We very rarely take any spray aboard, and I've never had green water make it into the cockpits. She has plenty of freeboard, flared dory-like hulls, and she doesn't heel more than 5 degrees.

Marc, the Nacra rig would be too much, at least for the sort of peaceful, worry-free cruising I had in mind when I drew her. When we were out in 30 knots, I had the main scandalized and no jib. Surprisingly, she still went to windward well, even scandalized, with the peak wrapped around the mast and the peak line taken back to the end of the boom. In the video below, toward the end of the video, we're sailing in 25 knots with jib and reefed main. This starts at about the 6 minute mark.

[Timber]

An update on the i550; There are now 453 plan sets in 38 countries. groups in the PNW of the US, SE of the US, Tasmania, and Croatia. 6 Continents. Just shy of 60 are sailing and another 80 are in various building stages. Rigs are Aluminum or Carbon and the fastest boat has a tin rig.
One surprising observation has been that at 15 to 20 degrees of heel the hull does not pound as we were anticipating. Fastest documented speed is 21 knots.

I think the i550 has found a niche and I hope it becomes an evergreen design like the Star, Snipe, and Lightning.

[TerryLL]

My record for a fast home-built sailboat is just under 2 years.

[JimD]

I once took two years just to buy the plans. And then didn't build it.

[johngsandusky]

It's funny because it's true.
I've built two boats, helped build several more, but not built dozens.

[Ted Hoppe]

I am looking into the i550 build - with a hull kit. I think it brings the build time to a realistic 200 hours.
Not bad for a growing competive stich and glue racer which a reasonable man can build in his garage.

[Timber]

The actual time of most i550 builds take is about 500 to 600 hours. A couple recent i550 members are from Russia and Maine. The Portland Oregon group is planning on doing the CGOD (Columbia Gorge One Design) this summer. They might have 5 boats show up for the starts.