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Help choosing a sailboat design!


davidlewislloyd

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Hey everyone, I have been toying around with the idea of building a small sailboat for a number of years now and I think that I am finally ready to begin the undertaking. I figure that the best place to begin is by choosing a design and obtaining the building plans for it, so I am looking to get some advice/suggestions from people more knowledgable than myself (all of you!) in choosing a design that best fits what I am looking for. I am very much a novice in all things boat related, so please excuse my lack of proper terminology and such. Below I will list the main criteria of what I am looking for:

 

-A sailboat with optional rowing capabilities.

-Capacity to fit 4+ people.

-No more than 15' long, but the smaller the better. (For storage reasons.)

-Total building cost around $2000, the lower the better. (I am a college student and can only dedicate a small portion of my paychecks to this project.)

-Can be built by somebody with a relatively basic knowledge of woodworking.

-Has a traditional sailboat look, ideally made of wood, but open to other alternatives.

-Not built from a kit.

 

That is basically what I am looking for, but I am also open to any other suggestions/advice that anyone could offer me as I have little knowledge with regards to the art of boatbuilding. I would appreciate any and all help that you can offer! Thank you in advance for your input.

 

-David Lewis Lloyd.

 

 

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Might look at the B&B Yachts Core Sound 15 or Bay River Skiff 15 cat ketches. Easy to rig and sail and good performance.  The Amanda 12 easy to build but may be small for sailing 4 regularly. There are others too.  Lots of support and build details from B&B and other builders on the B&B section of this forum.  R

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   Welcome aboard David!

  I'll second the Bay River Skiff suggestion, but I think you've got two requirements that are in competition with each other.  The requirement for 4 people and the requirement for a 15' or shorter boat.  I'm assuming you subtracted a couple of feet from the trailer length to arrive at the 15 foot requirement.  If so, you can modify the trailer so the tongue folds and get an extra couple feet of length for a BRS17.  The more creative you can get with storage, the bigger the boat can be.

   If you're a good scrounger and you economize wisely you'll be able to keep the costs down but if you want a shiny new trailer and an outboard motor you will probably have to adjust your requirements.

   Have a look at the BRS series of boats and see if they fit.  Whether or not they do, let us know.  There are a lot of good designs out there and it's good fun comparing them.  

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Hi David,

I would suggest checking out the different plans on the Glen-L web site. They have a number of sailboats in the 14-15 ft range. https://www.boatdesigns.com/Sailboats/departments/12/ AND their designs can be built with inexpensive lumber from your local Home Depot and Lowes.  If you decide to use lumber from these sources, however, I suggest you start stocking up early. You can usually find several clear pieces of lumber in each batch, but you have to pick through a pallet and then wait until the next one to come in several days later to build up your supply.  

 

Since you are on a tight budget I also suggest that you look into making sails using the polytarps rather than dacron.  A kit for a boat this size would only be about $100.  If you do decide on polytarp sails I suggest you read the slight refinement I have proposed to the original plans provided by Dave Gray.  I was able to make my sails without wrinkles on the first try. 

 http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/15/chest/apr/index.htm#.VWOV7E9Viko

 

I am also going to stick my neck out and suggest you look into using regular plywood with a coating of glass and epoxy if you are on a tight budget (rather than marine plywood).  I know there are some very strong feelings among boat builders on this subject, but that is the way I have been building boats for 35 years, and it works for me.  Home Depot carries  (sometimes) a line of plywood made in Ecuador that has few voids and more layers than the standard construction plywood. 

 

Below is a picture of the Glen-L 14 that might seat four. 

dsn-g14b.jpg

 

Good luck.  Building a boat from scratch is always a very rewarding activity. 

 

Tom 

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It will be quite difficult to find a good 4 place (+) boat in 15' of length. The BRS-15 is an obvious choice, though the sails and hardware alone will kill your budget. A 15' boat is tight for the crowd you want in it. Typically, this length would be a 2 man boat, with 3 or 4 possible though best if young children, to save weight. Given your budget, you might want to consider a fixeruper, instead. You can find 14' to 18' daysailors in this price range pretty easily and you're up and sailing the next day, maybe with worn out sails or needing new lines, etc., but you're out and sailing.

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I would agree with PAR. It's very difficult to fit a budget like you have, especially if you don't have sailing and building experience to know " what to scrounge". As far as sails go, a good source for sails is a sail loft that sells used sails. One that I have done business with, and I really like is Bacon Sails. http://www.baconsails.com/sailsearch

 

You can give them the measurements, or look on a list, to find sails that fit.

 

I've built several boats from exterior grade fir or pine ply with no problems. You MUST use epoxy resin, not polyester like fiberglass boats use. Polyester will not stick to pine ply, and I wouldn't trust it for long on fir. It tends to"let loose" when it gets wet.

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Trying to estimate the cost of building a boat is always difficult but I wanted to give you an idea of what you might expect.  As an example I will do a rough estimate for the Glen-L 18' sailing dory.  The Glen-L plans are suited for a beginner because they provide full sized patterns for all the important parts.  No need to learn how to loft. 

Here is the blurb from their web site

 

Our ALPHA-2 is even faster and cheaper to build than ever before! Built over a simple temporary form, the hull has no permanent frames. Only a little over six sheets of standard sized plywood and a few board feet of lumber are required. And with our comprehensive plans featuring Full size Patterns, no lofting is required (although dimensions for the hull are given for those who wish to go through this exercise). Detailed instructions cover all phases of the construction making this a simple project even for the amateur.
The ALPHA-2 features a centerboard and shallow draft rudder for easy launching and beaching. Steering is accomplished by a rudder yoke and stern sheets, however, a tiller can be fitted optionally. Wood spars are detailed in the plans, or you can us an aluminum spar (see Dwyer.com). 

dsn-al2a2.jpg

 

Here is an approximate cost estimate as best I can make it:

7 sheets of plywood = $175

1.5 gal. epoxy resin (from Duckworks) = $100 ($200 if you want to coat the inside as well - I would recommend that)

 I would use some of the epoxy with a filler such to make epoxy glue where needed or use polyurethane glue = $10

fiberglass cloth  (12 yds of 4 oz cloth = $72 (from Duckworks)

Lumber = $100

Sails (polytarp)  = $100

Polyurethane varnish or paint to cover the epoxy and protect it from UV (I use polyurethane porch paint that is 1/4 the price of marine paints) 1 gal = $30

Aluminum tubing to be used as spars and mast = $150 (a metal supplier will have this much cheaper than an outfit that caters to the marine world)

Hardware and lines = $300 (again here I go outside the marine market - I have found marine grade polyester braided rope at half the price sold by stores that cater to horses and horse equipment.  The colors may be limited but the prices are great)

Plans from Glen-L = $120

 

So the basic cost of materials for this sailing dory comes out to about $1100 - $1200. 

Adding oars, life jackets, small anchor and safety equipment will add another $400 - $500 or so to the price. 

 

The trailer however may easily add another $1000 to the price if you buy a galvanized marine grade trailer.  This is where looking for a used one may pay off. 

 

Tom

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Hi David,

 

If you want to impress someone, stop reading.  This boat's cheap, small, easy to build, and it'll get you out on (sheltered) water with plenty of cash left over for pizza and beer:  the humble Puddle Duck.    

 

See www.pdracer.com. 

 

Bob

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