Chines.....

We have discussed chines and their ability to provide a possible better planing shape for downwind sailing but the possible disadvantage of greater wetted surface area particularly in light air. They are much used in offshore reaching machines and powerboats and off course they are quite fashionable in production cruisers now too. Good article at the bottom of this page from Dave Hollom, who often writes for Seahorse on the subject.

http://www.sailboat-cruising.com/self-build-boat.html

http://www.neverboredinc.com/blog-neverbored-blog/bid/340414/Paddleboard-stability-what-is-it-and-how-much-do-you-need


For dinghy construction the issue is as much about choice of material, ply/fibreglass/cedar/composite as about drag or stability. That said there are some fundamental weaknesses to chine construction (having put my foot through the floor of a mirror...)

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/sailboats/round-bilge-multiple-hard-chine-sailing-yacht-19259.html

http://www.vsail.info/tag/vo65/page/2/

Team SCA's Volvo 70 and 65 showing their distinct chines

New Dinghy Design - Precedent studies part 2

Margarita - Swift Solo

Issues discussed:

Composite construction
Does wood have inherent beauty, colour, texture, feel?
Is single handed sailing sociable?
The value of home building to loyalty to a class.
Importance of weight to performance






Michelle - Norfolk Punt

http://www.norfolkpunt.org/pictures/
http://intheboatshed.net/tag/gun-punt/

Issues discussed:

Boats that suit their enviroment
Strange historic origins of many modern boats, shooting/sailing
Handicap system for dinghy sailing. Portsmouth Yardstick.
Structural benefits of a decked design.




Patrick Carey - C Scow

http://www.cscow.org/

Issues discussed:

Benefits of low freeboard, low drag, lighter hull etc
Benefits of simple rig, low cost, simpler structure, safer, less intimidating, more tactical (?)
The value of links to historic hull forms, updated heritage?
Mixed age/ability crews



Ralph Hale - International Canoe

http://www.intcanoe.org/
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2014/10/25/video-international-canoe/


Issues discussed:

The pleasure of sailing slender hulls, particularly upwind, sensitive helm feel.
Stability and power, sliding seat vs trapeze
Uffa Fox and canoes (for cruising...)
How classes can splinter into different tribes
Historic classes, how to develop.

Also discussed - raid sailing, long distance inland water-way sailing, growing in popularity usually using a mix of existing boats.

Hull Design Software

http://carlsondesign.com/software/add-ons/shareware/hull-designer

http://www.epoxy-resins.co.uk/Carene2013/carene.htm

Either of these allow quite a bit of flexibility and will allow you to sculpt and measure the basics of hulls hydrostatics. As with any software it takes a bit of fiddling and experiment to get the hang of it.

It is possible (but not easy) to get an academic copy of Maxsurf from Bentley, will continue to try.

Also there is the Orca plug-in for Rhino.

The Wind on Lough Derg

While we search for more accurate data here is a synopsis of a study done by John O'Driscoll a few years ago. Thanks John.

Best weather sites for sailing (usually):

Windguru

Accuweather

Met Eireann

Model boat sailing

International One Metre sailing, Blackrock, November. 

The old swimming baths by the Dart station are a good place for model sailing, reasonably protected from waves. We sailed an International One Metre (IOM) that I had made a few years ago in cedar strip. One metres are a good area for hull experimentation. This boat is a 'Kite' design by Graham Bantock, a very fair and well balanced form in my opinion, particularly suited for timber home building, it seems a well rounded design compared to the more extreme designs at either end of the design envelope of this box rule class.

Mark Mills had discussed the benefits and drawbacks of tank testing when working towards full scale designs and the difficulties of scaling up certain results. In this instance the model could show us:

Balancing rig to wind conditions

Power afforded by very low centre of gravity

Maneuverability of substantial rocker

Preferred angles of heel

Poor quality of my electronics

Very interesting Seahorse article on one metres and how their development is an alternative insight into boat design, from which sections above taken. Lots of further information on model boats and theory on Lester Gilbert's site.

New Dinghy Design Part 3 - Precedent studies

Aoibhin - Fireball

http://www.sailingtexas.com/sfireball101.html
http://www.boulterplywood.com/boats.htm
http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/143125/Fireball-nationals-overall


Issues discussed:

Homebuilding
Scow hull form advantages
Ply vs fibreglass
Planing upwind



Ed - International 14

http://www.biekerboats.com/Bieker_Boats/I-14_B6.html
http://www.international14.org/


Issues discussed:

Development class vs One design
The urge to tinker and experiment as part of sailing
Complex expensive boats - too elite?
Technical sailing vs tactical sailing
How important is technique to the sport
Dave Hollom article Seahorse Aug 2014 - hullshapes I14



Gillian - NS14

http://www.ns14.org/nsw/
http://deggzsailingworld.blogspot.ie/2008_04_01_archive.html
http://northbridgesailclubns14.blogspot.ie/2010_11_01_archive.html


Issues discussed:

How classes spread around the world
Restricting sail area
Restricting expensive materials
Hiking vs trapezing, what is athletic sailing?
Mixed gender sport



Hugo - The Contender

https://contenderclass.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/contender-dinghy-for-sale-aus-2195/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contender_%28dinghy%29
http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9970&TPN=999
http://www.seabreeze.com.au/News/Cruising/Contender-World-Championships-day-four-Can-Neate-do-it-again_3337422.aspx
http://contenderworld.de/images/this-old-boat/stuart_sinclair/sinclair_usa-289.html


Issues discussed:

Laser vs Contender
What makes a boat visually appealing
Benefits/disadvantages of olympic selection for a design
How wet is too wet
What makes a boat comfortable to sail



Maeve - National 18

http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/photo/5063
http://www.national18.com/


Issues discussed:

Strategies to keep a class alive
Connections of classes to localities
Balancing rigs to hulls
Jobs for everyone, keeping the crew engaged
Hull form and downwind stability