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Princess 22,26


Guest Joe Nelson Oregon CS20 #3

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Guest Joe Nelson Oregon CS20 #3

I am ignorant about the seaworthy properties of the vee hull sharpies, shallow draft, etc.. You mension that various keel, ballist options are available to the 26. Are the same options available for the 22? Most of our available water here is unprotected and gets deep fast. But I definately want something for vacation cruising that is easily trailable as well. Is the Princess 22 appropriate for blue water day trips? Calm mornings produce 5' swells without chop. But the afternoon NorWester generally picks up and produces 2-3' chop and 6-7 foot swells.

joe_nelson22@hotmail.com

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Guest Graham Byrnes

The sharpie-type work boat is well known (especially on this, the east, side of the USA) for it's seaworthyness. If it couldn't handle the rough stuff, it didn't work, and the owners didn't make any money. I've tried hard to incorporate the seaworthy qualities of the workboats into the Princess designs.

You will notice that our designs are V-bottom rather than flat. Both configurations can be found on "traditional" sharpie designs. Although the flat bottom school has gained much in reputation amongst amateurs in recent (say the past 50) years - there is a certain amount of fiction in the lauding of their virtues without also pointing out their drawbacks. Remembering, as always, EVERY design point has both a positive and a negative aspect. It is a matter of making choices for the intended use and expected performance. If simply draft were the ONLY parameter in a design, the use of a flat bottom makes some sense. However, it is my contention that the performance of a boat is the primary cause of either pleasure or distress in it's ownership. Further, I find that the increase of a couple of inches in draft - moving the water level when taking the ground from your ankles to your calves, in anyway negates the use of the vessel for shallow cruising. In return for the inches you gain: better directional stability, increased chine beam for greater initial stability, stiffer hull (bottom) panels, and of course less pounding - which is the bane of the flat bottom boat. They pound under way, and slap furiously when at rest in any moving water - try to sleep with that noise.

The argument of the "flatties" is that "Oh well, when you sail them at a heel, you are not sailing on a flat bottom." If this is true, the optimum sailing heel angle would be 45 degrees. However, when going to windward, the waves are coming from a 45 degree angle (off the bow), so they are slamming in underneath at that flat bottom - and even at a large angle of heel this is true - it pounds you unmercifully and you get pretty wet.

So much for generalities. The Princesses specifically: I wanted these boats to be seaworthy enough to take coastal cruising, to be able take a wind-against-tide situation, and to be able to work off a lee shore situation with little or no board down. I also wanted the boat to be comfortable, ie not slapping when you are sleeping and as dry as possible for a small craft. The boat is immenently launchable from shallow ramps. It's beachable - if you have used the deeper draft configuration, a couple of fenders under the chines on the beach compensate and keep her nicely erect.

Both boats have multi draft capabability. We encourage the use of deeper draft where possible, as it definately does increase the range of stability and adds safety in bigger water. One of the tough things about designing such a boat for other than a single custom client, is the fact that there are such varying needs - one sails in the ocean, another in a pond. By offering the variable draft both can be accomodated. The pond sailor can take his boat out in the ocean for a vacation trip - with the serious caveat that he/she must be very cognizant of weather/sea conditions. The ocean dweller can go to the ultimate shallows, but might have to compromise by going into 2' of water rather than 1'. These, to me, seem reasonable trade offs for a boat that is both versatile and a good sailor. You set it up for YOUR primary use and ad lib on the vacations.

For the conditions you describe, the boat (Princess 22) as drawn would work well - however, on the rare occasion you should encounter some really adverse weather - survival conditions (for this size boat you are speaking of about 11' breaking waves - not pacific swells)- and should you be caught out, you might want the greater draft.

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Guest Joe Nelson Oregon CS20 #3

Thank you Graham for the very detailed response! I will not pursue any further specifics about the boat until I am ready to start a new project...but will probably always be building a boat of some kind or another and will definately consider your designs when the next project is closer.

I will use the same criteria I used in choosing to build the CS 20 (speed, low weight, Sea keeping abilities, ease of sailing, low draft, construction method) in choosing a boat with accomodations. I also very much like the offset centerboard...a feature that not many designers seem to be willing to incorporate these days (probably from a lack of sailing experience to feel comfortable doing so). Seems like a contradiction to me...production boats have mostly fallen into a rut of handicapping and going slow...but they wont provide design features that would make the cabins much more usable (offset centerboard) due to the fear of consumer confidence in performance. But I suppose that the courses that are choosen to run by the race committees (windward, leeward) favor the sloops with good pointing abilities. I for one am very pleased with your direction in Marine Architecture.

Joe

joe_nelson22@hotmail.com

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Guest Greg Luckett

Graham,

Do you know yet when the 26 plan set will be available for sale? No real hurry on my part as I would not build her until late next year anyway, but I am very curious. I would enjoy purchasing the plan set just to dream about her and think of the custom modifications to be done.

Thanks,

Greg Luckett

luckettg@qtm.net

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Guest Graham Byrnes

If I don't get too distracted,it could be done by the end of January. All of the hard work is done and the boat could be built right away. I got distracted with other design work and have yet to finish up a material list, electrical diagram and a few little odds and ends.

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