Buzzard's Bay 25
Posted: Tue May 13, 2003 2:16 pm
Tim, you prompted me to take another look at the BB25. Yeah, she's a sweetie.
The designer in me can't just call it "sweet" and leave it right there, though. I had to go and think analytically about WHY it's so sweet, and how could that be applied to your daysailor project?
Overhangs. So much of classic yacht design is about the overhangs. The BB25 has a looong forward overhang, which is even exaggerated a bit by the jaunty little uplift of the sheer forward of the mast. This, coupled with the low house, gives that super sleek appearance. I think this is something that should certainly influence your daysailor design.
I know.... you're thinking "great. sheer and overhang. two fixed entities when working with an existing triton hull". True, but not totally. While you probably aren't interested in changing the sheer, you can change its appearance. Get the bulk as far aft as possible. Really lighten (visually) up the nose of the boat. Keep the foredeck as low as possible.... minimum camber. Freeing the forward part of the boat from the mass of the house lets it appear to be a bit swoopy-er. I can see this effect in your preliminary design sketches.
In light of that, I'm favoring your "option 4", with the house aft of the mast step.
It's a bit tough to get a feel for what this thing will actually be like, because not many of us see a whole lot of 28' open boats (I discount the current crop of mega-dinghies), so it's difficult to relate it to things we know. We look at the drawings and our minds instinctively relate them to daysailors we know, such as the Cape Dory 18 and the like, which look good with the house forward because it's on a different scale, and the cockpit really needs to dominate. The BB25 is actually closer in scale to the Triton hull, so it's a good yardstick.
The BB25 is an entirely different animal in the after sections, however. The Triton has better lines there.
The swept-back nature of the gaff rig also contributes to the BB25's allure. I don't suppose you're entertaining that notion though, are you? ;)
The designer in me can't just call it "sweet" and leave it right there, though. I had to go and think analytically about WHY it's so sweet, and how could that be applied to your daysailor project?
Overhangs. So much of classic yacht design is about the overhangs. The BB25 has a looong forward overhang, which is even exaggerated a bit by the jaunty little uplift of the sheer forward of the mast. This, coupled with the low house, gives that super sleek appearance. I think this is something that should certainly influence your daysailor design.
I know.... you're thinking "great. sheer and overhang. two fixed entities when working with an existing triton hull". True, but not totally. While you probably aren't interested in changing the sheer, you can change its appearance. Get the bulk as far aft as possible. Really lighten (visually) up the nose of the boat. Keep the foredeck as low as possible.... minimum camber. Freeing the forward part of the boat from the mass of the house lets it appear to be a bit swoopy-er. I can see this effect in your preliminary design sketches.
In light of that, I'm favoring your "option 4", with the house aft of the mast step.
It's a bit tough to get a feel for what this thing will actually be like, because not many of us see a whole lot of 28' open boats (I discount the current crop of mega-dinghies), so it's difficult to relate it to things we know. We look at the drawings and our minds instinctively relate them to daysailors we know, such as the Cape Dory 18 and the like, which look good with the house forward because it's on a different scale, and the cockpit really needs to dominate. The BB25 is actually closer in scale to the Triton hull, so it's a good yardstick.
The BB25 is an entirely different animal in the after sections, however. The Triton has better lines there.
The swept-back nature of the gaff rig also contributes to the BB25's allure. I don't suppose you're entertaining that notion though, are you? ;)