Boat Plans Catamaran | Sneak Peak at Cape Charles 32

Boat Plans Catamaran

I started to design the Cape Charles 32 a few years ago, commissioned by a client in Maryland. He passed away without having built the boat and it slid to the back shelf, with other designs having higher priority. There it stayed, waiting for a new client to take it on.

Word did get out about this incomplete design and I occasionally received enquiries about when it would be complete or when they could start building. Somehow there was always too much pressure from other designs on my board. Earlier this year the Cape Charles 32 found a spot on my board and is moving forward again and two will start construction when I have the necessary drawings ready.

In the process it has gone through a metamorphosis, prompted by the change of primary client who helps to steer the direction of the design. Eventually the concept of the original client, of a gaff rigged coastal cruiser with simple traditional layout, will be available alongside the version on which I am now working, as shown here.

Preliminary Marconi rig for Cape Charles 32

The square-top mainsail has been described as the modern equivalent of a gaff rig. It behaves differently from a gaff rig but has some of the same advantages and it is prettier than a leg o mutton mainsail. I think that it will work well on this cruiser. As seen here it is preliminary and it may change in some way before completion.

The new client for the Cape Charles 32 likes the interior layout of the Didi 950 and asked if something similar will work for the CC32. When I looked at this possibility I realised that the two boats are almost identical in overall dimensions. The concepts and hull shapes are very different, of course, but in some ways the Cape Charles 32 is the Didi 950 taken back a few steps in time.

Cape Charles 32 Accommodation

The layout will be very comfortable and offers good privacy for two couples or a small family. Full standing headroom extends over all standing areas of this boat because of the horizontal cabin crown. The U-shape galley is very secure at sea, with enough counter area for entertaining in harbour.

Profile and Underbody of the Cape Charles 32

Hull shape and construction is very much as for the smaller sisters in this design range. They are the Cape Cutter 19, the Cape Henry 21 and the Cape May 25. The family is growing.

With a draft of 1.2m (3 11"), the Cape Charles 32 will be a good boat for thin water cruising. If you do run her aground, you can hop over the side to push her off again. That will get you into private anchorages that are out of bounds to deep keel cruisers.

To see our full range of designs, please visit http://dixdesign.com/.

Do you find information about Boat Plans Catamaran are you looking for? If not, below may help you find more information about the Boat Plans Catamaran. Thank you for visiting, have a great day.

Read More..

Dinghy Boat Plans | Hull Turning Methods

Dinghy Boat Plans

I have shown a few projects in this blog over the past few months with the hulls being turned using different methods. The bigger the boat the more critical this operation is. The risks of damage to property and injury to people increase exponentially as the boat becomes more bulky and increases in weight. Imagine the difference between turning over a plywood hull that is 6.4m (21ft) long, 2.4m (710") wide, 1.2mm (311") deep and weighing 200kg (440lb) or a 50% scaled up version of the same hull. At 9.6m (316") long, 3.6m (1110") beam and 1.8m (511") deep, it will weigh 675kg (1488lb).

It has only increased 50% in all directions but the weight is more than 3x that of the smaller boat. The bulk becomes more difficult to manage and the weight to lift and lower becomes a major factor. If, at the same time as increasing the size, you also change to steel as the construction material, that same size hull could weigh 2500-2750kg (5500-6000lb). Now you are talking about some serious loads that can get out of control, yet the boat is still only 50% bigger in each direction.

Those smaller projects are easily turned over by hand, with friends and neighbours supplying the motive power and the boat having a soft landing on tyres or some other cushioning material. Years ago a client of mine in South Africa turned his 32ft hull by himself. He jacked it up on one side until it reached the balance point, then let gravity take it the rest of the way. It fell against a young tree, then slid down the tree and came to rest flat on the ground. Luckily his hull was relatively undamaged but the tree didnt survive the experience.

There are many ways to turn a hull but that is not one of them. I have a whole chapter on this subject in my book "Shaped by Wind and Wave", to give guidance on how to safely turn your hull. The two Didi 950 hulls that were turned recently in USA and Australia both used the spit-roast method. For each of my own big boats I have used a chain block to do the work, another of the methods explained in the book.

Turning the 38ft "Black Cat" using a chain block on a scaffold tower.

The book can be ordered either as a paperback or as digital for reading on whatever screen device suits you.

To see our range of designs, go to http://dixdesign.com/.

Do you find information about Dinghy Boat Plans are you looking for? If not, below may help you find more information about the Dinghy Boat Plans. Thank you for visiting, have a great day.

Read More..

Boat Plans African Queen | Hull Turning of Didi 23

Boat Plans African Queen

Steve Watson is building a Didi 23 in Hood River, Oregon. Last week he and a few friends pulled the hull out of his garage, rolled it over in the driveway then returned it to the garage for work to start on the interior. These photos show the process that they used.

Pulled out of the garage.

Half-way over. A hull is intimidating in this position and must be controlled. Gravity can quickly become the boss.

Safely over and resting on mattresses. Builder Steve Watson at right.

Lifted off the mattresses onto a wheeled cradle to keep her mobile.

Stern view. Steve has added a scoop stern to the transom.

Going back into the garage for work to continue.

A boat-under-construction takes on a whole new character when it is turned right-way up. This is the first time that the builder gets to see it right-way-up and the final shape of his creation.

Hull-turning is a memorable milestone in a big boatbuilding project. This is always a good time to have a party, to take your rewards and gather your thoughts, resources and energy for the next stage of the project.

The way that Steve and friends turned this hull worked for them. The bigger the boat, the more complex the turning process becomes and the more care that must be taken with preparations and equipment to keep this heavy structure under control. Carelessness with this phase of the project can injure or kill people and also damage the carefully-built boat.

To see more of this and our other designs, please go to http://dixdesign.com/.

Do you find information about Boat Plans African Queen are you looking for? If not, below may help you find more information about the Boat Plans African Queen. Thank you for visiting, have a great day.

Read More..

Boat Blind Plans | Black Cat wins Governors Cup Race

Boat Blind Plans

Yesterday "Black Cat", the Didi 38 prototype that I built in my back garden in 1994/95, finished the 1720 mile Governors Cup Race from South Africa to St Helena. At the time we had not yet seen any photos of her finish. Now some nice photos, taken by Trevor Wilkins Photography, have been posted on the Governors Cup Facebook page. Here is one of them, see the others on the Governors Cup pages.

"Black Cat" finishing the Governors Cup Race. Photo courtesy of What The Saints Did Next.

When I wrote my piece yesterday I was still seeing the breaking news about "Black Cat" being the true line-honours winner instead of "Avanti", which finished ahead of her. I was concerned that there may have been a measure of speculation in the reports and that they may prove untrue. Now we know that the reports were correct and "Black Cat" is the true line-honours winner in the racing division and likely handicap winner as well. We wont know for a few days yet if "Iechyd Da" can catch her on handicap.

Dont let the small size of the racing fleet at the finish detract from the achievement of Dave Immelman and crew. All boats in the original racing fleet were well behind them and most jumped ship when the breeze went light and their sailing progress became too slow, deciding to change to the cruising class and motor through the calm patches. The NOR, as amended, did allow the racing class boats to do this but they had to notify Race Control of having motored at the "earliest opportunity" as well as in their declaration at the finish.

"Black Cat" was committed to racing and that is what they did, battling through the calms. It must have been soul-destroying to see another competitor in their class sail around them, apparently in stronger breeze, then continue to take line-honours in monohulls and racing class. Declaring hours after finishing that they had in fact motored and then being allowed at that late stage to drop down to cruising class is just wrong on all levels.

Did they in fact advise race control in the next daily position report after motoring and race control forgot to move them into the cruising class? This would seem odd because they would have seen themselves still in the racing class in the daily results and should have again told Race Control of the change that they had made. If they didnt tell race control then the act of motoring was an immediate DSQ from the racing class. If they didnt transfer correctly into the cruising class in the way permitted by the amended NOR then they should not be allowed to do so after finishing the race either. My opinion is that they are DSQ in the racing fleet and did not join the cruising fleet because they did not act according to the amended NOR. It follows that they didnt complete the race even though they completed the course.

Their continued listing as apparent leader of the racing fleet added interest to the race but skewed the daily results of both monohull fleets. It also had considerable effect on the moral of other competitors. I believe in absolute fairness and sportsmanship in yacht racing and all other sports but there appears to be something lacking in that regard with this situation.

I will watch with interest to see the final results.

Do you find information about Boat Blind Plans are you looking for? If not, below may help you find more information about the Boat Blind Plans. Thank you for visiting, have a great day.

Read More..