Category Archives: General Yacht Design
The Real Weight of Powerboats
There is currently a moderate amount of interest by both designers and consumers in lighter weight (displacement) powerboats. The sketch above is a 11,000 pound displacement 35′ boat. At this weight she can just manage a top speed of 12 knots (in flat water) with a single 60HP outboard, burning 6usg per hour,[.....]
Sailing Yacht Proportions
The first fundamental of great design is basic proportions, if you get those wrong the rest is just window dressing. I was stunned to see a full page ad in the latest Classic Boat featuring really bad proportions. See the new 56′ from Spirit Yachts above. Everything is wrong, the sheer is too high,[.....]
The Typical Powerboat is Not Seaworthy
The typical production powerboat is far from seaworthy in even slightly adverse conditions. Above is a Cooper Prowler 42′ which is typical of boats intended to sell at boatshows because of impressive interior volume. These boats are huge inside for their length by being high off the water and beamy, both detrimental to[.....]
Design Ideas and their History
Design Ideas
Where do ideas come from? It’s a long and tortuous path. Today I happened to note an arrangement concept for a new design by Gerry Dijkstra that seems to be directly descended from one I conceived 15 years ago. For me the roots of this idea lie in the 1961 E.G. Van[.....]
Frank Fredette II
In yesterday’s posting I listed the Frank Fredette drawings I have access to, but I didn’t mention the other Fredette designs that I know of. Particularly of interest is his design #75 the 54′ Fishing Motor Schooner of which there are a number of in BC. I’ll go through the Fredette designs I know[.....]
William Garden
William Garden was, and continues to be, an inspiration as well as instructor and advisor. In my work his writings and drawings are still (in our modern design age!) some of my most often used references. The maxims he gave me in our rare phone conversations are passed on to every aspiring designer[.....]
Drawing the Boottop
An excellent example of a wide boottop done by William Garden on his Vega design.
Drawing the Boottop
The boottop line is screwed up more often than not…….very few get it right….
There is no simple formula…..this is art…..the boottop should be curved top and bottom (not a straight line in profile). The lower edge is curved[.....]
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