Best Amateur Design Software

[W Grabow]

Re: Best Amateur Design Software

I was reacting to what I thought was some mention of develop-ability and the effort needed to learn software. No?

[Peerie Maa]

Re: Best Amateur Design Software

I was reacting to what I thought was some mention of develop-ability and the effort needed to learn software. No?

Having worked as a Naval Architect before computing was so well-developed, I know that it is far easier to learn how to use the latest software than to struggle along without it.
For example, those designs I posted were roughed out on graph paper. The keel/stem profile and chine lines were fed into an Excel spreadsheet to create the input files. Then everything was manipulated in Freeship to create the fair shapes that I needed, before the output files of lines plans, hydrostatic data and plank expansions were exported.

[John Perry]

Re: Best Amateur Design Software

I use Solidworks for designing boats and any other objects that I am about to make or are thinking about making. I do not use the specialist boat designing software mentioned above since my understanding is that such software will create an outline shape for a boat and quickly work out a floatation level but that is all it will do - it will not help you design all the internal structure, the rig, the deck hardware etc. Solidworks, and similar general purpose software will help you design every part of a boat producing both a 3D 'model' and traditional 2D engineering drawings. If you have the full version you can also do finite element stress analysis and more. The recent versions will 'flatten' curved surfaces for cutting out sheet material - that works very well, and it will keep track of the weight of everything you add to the design so you always know the center of gravity. There is addon software to enable Solidworks to do hydrostatic calculations, i.e. working out how a hull will float but I don't have that. For the floatation level I generally start by modelling the hull as a solid then guessing a waterline plane and cutting the solid at that plane - the mass properties fuction then tells me the centre of bouyancy and I adjust the cut off plane until the centre of bouyancy is in line with the centre of gravity. This is certainly a much slower process than using a specialist hull design software but with a bit of practice it is not too bad, maybe 20 minutes to get the waterline plane for zero heel and I have repeated that for a series of heel angles to get a righting moment curve, although if multihulls are your interest you dont really need to do that. Solidworks is 'parametric' which roughly means that if you change one dimension in a design other dimensions will change to suit and all the related drawings will update automatically - its certainly not foolproof but it is a big help and I would not now use design software that is not parametric. There are certainly alternatives to Solidworks that offer comparable capability and I understand that Freecad is a free of charge alternative that offers a basic parametric modelling capability but not I think any features such as finite element stress analysis. I have not used Freecad, but if I were starting out looking for free or at least inexpensive software to design boats I would give that one a look.

[Andrew2]

Re: Best Amateur Design Software

Hi John, hope things are going well.
Did you check the age of this thread?

[Peerie Maa]

Re: Best Amateur Design Software

Hi John, hope things are going well.
Did you check the age of this thread?

Well, it did lie dormant for 7years before being restated by a trollBot.
Then the discussion started over.

[John Meachen]

Re: Best Amateur Design Software

Since it has been resurrected,I will add a cautious endorsement of Freecad for some uses.I use it go generate toolpaths for my tiny CNC router in addition to basic modelling.It is tremendously capable,but the documentation tends to lag behind the rate of development of new features and some of the workbenches seem to have been abandoned.The FE workbench seems to work adequately but with my lack of experience in the field I wouldn't use it to analyse critical pieces.Those more expert would probably find it quite easy.The spreadsheet input and parametric basis can be very helpful and the sheet metal workbench is reasonably easy to grasp.the ability to open .dxf Step,Iges and .stl files for viewing and checking dimensions can be quite useful too.

I'm fumbling my way through learning the surfacing workbench and have tried to surface a spinnaker chute.The image (if it uploads) shows the progress so far in "environment mapping " mode.

chute surfacing test.jpg

[shickey]

Re: Best Amateur Design Software

I use Solidworks for designing boats and any other objects that I am about to make or are thinking about making. I do not use the specialist boat designing software mentioned above since my understanding is that such software will create an outline shape for a boat and quickly work out a floatation level but that is all it will do - it will not help you design all the internal structure, the rig, the deck hardware etc. Solidworks, and similar general purpose software will help you design every part of a boat producing both a 3D 'model' and traditional 2D engineering drawings. If you have the full version you can also do finite element stress analysis and more. The recent versions will 'flatten' curved surfaces for cutting out sheet material - that works very well, and it will keep track of the weight of everything you add to the design so you always know the center of gravity. There is addon software to enable Solidworks to do hydrostatic calculations, i.e. working out how a hull will float but I don't have that. For the floatation level I generally start by modelling the hull as a solid then guessing a waterline plane and cutting the solid at that plane - the mass properties fuction then tells me the centre of bouyancy and I adjust the cut off plane until the centre of bouyancy is in line with the centre of gravity. This is certainly a much slower process than using a specialist hull design software but with a bit of practice it is not too bad, maybe 20 minutes to get the waterline plane for zero heel and I have repeated that for a series of heel angles to get a righting moment curve, although if multihulls are your interest you dont really need to do that. Solidworks is 'parametric' which roughly means that if you change one dimension in a design other dimensions will change to suit and all the related drawings will update automatically - its certainly not foolproof but it is a big help and I would not now use design software that is not parametric. There are certainly alternatives to Solidworks that offer comparable capability and I understand that Freecad is a free of charge alternative that offers a basic parametric modelling capability but not I think any features such as finite element stress analysis. I have not used Freecad, but if I were starting out looking for free or at least inexpensive software to design boats I would give that one a look.

I use Creo which is an engineering package (i use it for work also so didn't buy it). The biggest advantage to using parametric software is the time saving element. You can design one style of boat and then "save" it as another variety of the same basic design. You can change the length, beam, etc without having to remodel the whole thing. I am using it now for a dory design. Since dories are fairly simple to begin with I can go from 4 planks to 5 planks, straight sided to round. All with the push of a button (not really but it is better then starting over). There is steep learning curve but the advantage of re-use makes it worth it. I am surprised more commercial builders don't use parametric modeling.
dory-xsec.jpg

[John Perry]

Re: Best Amateur Design Software

Hi John, hope things are going well.
Did you check the age of this thread?

No, Andrew, I didn't, had not realised it started so long ago then went through a dormant period. But not to worry.

Yes all is well here. I have become Chairman of the Amateur Yacht Research Society, basically because there was no one else available when the previous incumbent sadly died. This does take a lot of my time, more than I had anticipated. The AYRS is fewer in numbers than it used to be but we still have some very enthusistic members doing interesting boat projects in various parts of the world as well as in the UK. We are now getting our newsletter out on a more regular basis than before and we are also trying to get more events going. The AYRS seems to be viewed as a club for builders of weird experimental boats but I would say that some of those experiments were at the forefront of the early development of sailing hydrofoils which is now mainstream and I am sure that we will see further progress in that field. However, AYRS members also design and build relatively conventional boats, often wooden construction, so I think the society should be of interest to readers of this forum. The AYRS offers a basic subscription at UK£10.00 per annum or £30.00 pa if you would like paper copies of our newsletter rather than emailed .pdfs. I think this is good value, but realise I am a bit biased.

Andrew - we were at Semaine du Golfe with our sailing dinghy this year, did not see you or Miles there. Was an excellent Semaine du Golfe, about 1400 boats registered so maybe 10,000 people, maybe more. Hard to say what the average number per boat is but few boats were single handed and the tall ships present had big crowds on board. This year they did more to make sure that interpreters were available for non-French speakers at the crew brifings, we did appreciate that. Weather was excellent, blue skies, not a drop of rain and fairly strong steady breezes. We were with 120 other boats in fleet 3b and I think we were given longer passages than the other small boat fleets - we even left the Golfe and went a little way out into the bay of Biscay one afternoon. We had fun with our boat jumping around in the tide churned waves at the entrance one afternoon - lots of water over the foredeck but boat is self draining. After that afternoon the organisers changed our fleet plan for the final day so that we did not have to repeat that bit!

Hope to meet up with you and Miles sometime.

[Andrew2]

Re: Best Amateur Design Software

Hi John
No, we didn't make it to Morbihan, I had some stuff to do and my new boat wasn't quite ready. Miles is finishing off his Sharpie 600, currently rigging it.
There is a DCA meet here 1>6 Sept, looks to be well attended. Perhaps you two could come? I assume you sorted the Brexit trailer problems? Room to stay here if needed.
On foiling, I think I told you that my father built a little 16ft wingsail foiling tri, back in '55!

A

[kalymarry]

Re: Best Amateur Design Software

Good afternoon all,
I have a strong desire to try my hand at designing a boat, and wonder what software exists, and what is best for amateurs. Specifically I'm looking for something that provides the following:
- For plywood construction, gives an indication on if the curves designed are realistic, considering the bend-ability of wood/plywood.
- Provides information about stability, waterline, center of effort...basically the information to make sure you don't build something that has issues.

I look forward to hearing what folks have to say!


Ryan

When it comes to boat design software for amateurs, there are several options available that can assist you in designing a boat and providing the information you're looking for. Here are a few popular choices:


Delftship: Delftship is a user-friendly software specifically designed for boat design. It offers tools to create 3D models of hulls and provides hydrostatic calculations, stability analysis, and other important information. It allows you to design plywood boats and evaluate their curves and overall structure.


Free!ship: Free!ship is another software that enables amateur boat designers to create 3D hull models. It provides hydrostatic analysis, stability calculations, and can be useful for plywood construction. While the interface may not be as polished as some other programs, it offers a good range of features for amateur designers.


Rhino3D: Rhino3D is a popular 3D modeling software widely used in various industries, including boat design. While it's not specific to boats, it provides powerful tools for creating accurate hull models. You can use plugins like Orca3D or RhinoCFD to perform stability analysis, hydrostatic calculations, and other boat-related tasks.


AutoCAD: AutoCAD is a versatile software used in various fields, including boat design. It allows you to create detailed 2D and 3D models of boats and perform calculations related to stability and waterline. While it may have a steeper learning curve compared to specialized boat design software, it provides extensive capabilities.


Regardless of the software you choose, keep in mind that boat design involves complex engineering principles. It's important to educate yourself about naval architecture, hydrodynamics, and stability to ensure your design is safe and functional. Consulting with experienced boat designers or naval architects is highly recommended, especially if you're designing a boat for practical use. We are a tech company we also deal in this category , anyone can contact us for our services.