I think that a lot of what is though of as a “compromise” is because people are not thinking about what they really need.

A good designer will get rid of what is not useful in the design – the job is to remove the unecessary and make the necessary as good as possible.

I also think a good designer should refuse to design boats that are highly compromised, no matter how much the customer might think that they want them.

I completely agree about plywood and instant boats being a great way to get on the water … NOW!

Best wishes
Michael

Some wants a fast ski boat others a holiday mansion. Some wants both. Its just not practical to tow waterskies after a big catamaran.

When thats said, Its a compromise that takes years to figure out. And when you do, Life has taken a turn and you whant something else, More kids more space, Kids grown and you would like something smaller. You cant plan more than ten years ahead so why bother.

The most important thing for me is. Do i want to built for the next generation ore do i want to build for my self. Do i want to build something that can recoup my money, Ore just something quick and inexpensiv. I do now that it can be beautiful as well. High on my wish list is a big window, Caouse when you sit in your chair and looking out your window, The only boat you can see is the one passing you.

I do love building boats, I just prefer sailing. So its a nobrainer :) Plywood and instant boatbuilding. Se you all out there.

GREAT COMMENTS Peter!

I didn’t really pin it down in the argument … but those who have seen the arguments know the general drill.

Some say you can choose high performance, low cost or comfort but not all of them or somesuch constructed argument. Lots of people buy into that and start to think they can have a cheap boat but don’t expect it to sail well.

Or people think that good foils or effective rig set up are wasted on small cruising boats because they “are not expected to go fast” or are “only cruising”. Most racers know that a nicely shaped centreboard adds about 4 hours to the building time but about 10% to the upwind performance over many years.

So I am not just plugging (selling) my own boats here … there are some other designers that produce boats that sail really well and also fulfill mundane requirements of not costing too much and sailing really well.

Most of the designers that do this habitually come from small boat racing backgrounds. Oughtred is one B&B boats are another, but there are a number of others. Basically I would like consumers to ask the question when someone makes the comment that “all design is a compromise”.

Sheet plywood is my particular take because I am so lazy, but there is no extra cost (except for a strongback) in say Oughtred’s multi planked approach – only some labour.

Perhaps I need to add that to the article above!

Cheers again … good points.

By focusing on elements that yield the greatest benefits for their cost–particularly the shapes of sails and foils–you show how to enjoy the sailing pleasure and one-design competition of advanced dinghies with little sacrifice of speed. If one wants a safe boat in a gale or one that will accommodate a family on a cruise, however, a different set of compromises will be necessary. That’s the fun of boat design.