What makes some boats nicer than others?

Well, when looking at houses, properties that get the most interest are those with "curb appeal". Likewise, I like a boat with "curve appeal"!

I've always admired the flowing, graceful lines of the classic boats. Designer legends like Nathaniel Herreshoff produced those unmistakable, eye catching boats between late 1800 and early 1900's. Skillfully designed and crafted not only for function but beauty ... and they did it well.

Much has changed since those times - materials, technique and costs. Today, there are numerous choices for the home boat builder. The skill needed for each medium is different - or is it?

Some folks are more comfortable working with wood. They know wood, they have experience with wood and would never consider building a boat with anything else. Using the same skills, a novice builder can also build a fiberglass boat. Fiberglass can achieve that look, that unmistakable round hull so admired in the classic designs of years ago. The market is not short on plans for both of these mediums.

But what about metal boat building? Home boat builders, like me, who like metal mediums. Those poor folks have been limited to designs with hard chines for years. In steel or aluminum, with the exception of factory fabricated crafts, metal designs for home builders have only come close to replicating the smooth curve of a wood or fiberglass hull. This always bugged me!

Working in metal requires unique skills and experience for this material. More backyard boat builders would have the opportunity to choose an aluminum design if it were no more difficult than wood or fiberglass. So I gave the problem a lot of thought.

How to build a better boat?

I wanted a good metal boat design. One that was easy to build, had flowing lines and a true round hull. An ideal design would need no more than woodworking skills and especially ... have "curve appeal"!

I studied those classic designs. Incorporating the use of the Bezier curve to successfully engineer my own innovative method to easily form aluminum.

A Bezier curve is important to metal boat building, you don't need to know all the science behind it, but if you want to - you can read about it here.

But because of this wonderful curve, I could build a round hull using average woodworking skills, average tools that yes, has curve appeal! You can see the Designs and Study Plans here.

To Sum It Up ...

A True Round surface can be converted into an arbitrary number of smaller developable surfaces. These developable surfaces are engineered to fit a specific location on the hull. Using a predetermined bend angle, forming line, and reference dimensions given on the developed patterns a three dimensional hull shell section is formed.

The hull plating is simplified by shaping in a cold forming press break, using a consistent and predictable method of fabrication.

The curved sections of this hull fit together easily, with minimal adjustment onto the framework.

The pre-engineered design and fabrication method enables an average person to build a true round bottom hull using the same skills as required in hard chine construction.

The result is the unmistakable beauty of a round hull - the uninterrupted graceful line curving to meet the water.

Yes, Watson ... it can be done!

There's lots of other information here too:

• Benefits of Aluminum
  
• Construction Methods
  
• Alternative Masts
  
• What goes into Keel Design
  

Call with any metal boat building questions between 7am - 8pm EST

Dennis Schaffer, Yacht Designer
Telephone - 617-653-1063

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SBI!