I started this project some years ago with no intention of designing a prototype. I had bought a donor boat, a kit built lake boat with some features that I liked and which have been retained. These are not patentable features if that worries you; just sheer line and hull features you will find on many boats and which lent themselves to what I have subsequently turned it into. The keel arrangement was poorly designed, with insufficient structure to support it; hence resulting leaks and inevitable rot. The integrity of the hull relied substantially on its coamings which did not connect adequately with the keel timbers, such as they were, which were, in turn, not well supported throughout its length, thus creating stress points that made for what must have been a very flexible and unseaworthy hull. So the sheer line and coamings were kept and a double keelson, of two 20’x9”x2” teak timbers, installed which runs fore and aft, ending at the well inside the cockpit and 2ft short of the original stem post which has been retained for added strength. The gap between the keelson and the stem post is made up with two pieces of angle iron bolted into the ends of both timbers to establish structural compression between the two. Since the coaming timbers run further forward there is no lateral weakness at this point as the keelson is tied to the coamings by way of two box steel ring frames in the way of the ballast keel and the mast compression post. The primary frames connecting the keelson to the coamings are oak and are bolted to the keelson by steel diagonals which, in turn are bolted into the ring frames and one more half ring at the companionway bulkhead. The fin keel, of 1” plate steel, with a pair of half bilge keels dowelled and welded into it at the lower end, giving a total ballast keel weight of about a half ton, with a draft of about five feet, is bolted into the keelson with eight bolts through steel plates on either side of the keelson, 5mm angle iron inserted, top and bottom, between the fin keel and keelson, all sandwiched together by two rows of bolts running through the assembly to fix the ballast keel permanently into the keelson. The possibility of installing a lifting keel will, of course, be explored at a later stage and will be an option for those wanting to sail in shallower waters.
The coachroof is purpose designed to make the hull unstable in the event of becoming inverted. It is an oval section; the hull will not stay inverted, even if the sails are still on the mast. There is sufficient rigid foam in the bilge and wall cavities, under the cockpit and in the foredeck compartment to keep the hull afloat if swamped. There is a watertight bulkhead at the companionway, isolating the under seat area of the cockpit, with a further bulkhead isolating the forward section under the foredeck. So your best survival raft will be the boat itself. The foam filler also serves to reinforce the outer hull by transferring any impact to the inner panelling. It also insulates the inner hull below the water line preventing bilge water from accumulating by condensation. The production boat will, inevitably be designed to achieve similar strength characteristics with considerably less weight and will almost certainly maximise the interior space more effectively than is possible with the prototype. The cockpit is deep and well-protected from the elements, especially where the bow section is designed to go deep into oncoming waves rather than riding over them. While this will reduce pitching it may result in more water getting air borne. But rest assured; the wheels will not be coming off this wagon. Rather than hitting solid water you plough into it. Should you really like getting wet you can sit out on the cockpit back rest while watching the white bulb at the end of the keel, holding its own against a sail full of wind.
THE CASE FOR A VIABLE BUSINESS MODEL As fascinating as the technological factors of hull design might be, there is a wide chasm between hypothesis and reality. This can only be bridged by proof of concept. For this there must be extensive and comprehensive trials involving testing in various conditions and over varying time frames. This is not merely to find out what the concept can achieve. The trials will primarily determine if it achieves what is intended. There should also be the unexpected factors which inevitably occur with good design and which compliment those achievements, thus ensuring that the overall result exceeds expectations and does not require lowering them. The ability to plane under power is one such plus. Of course, if you are going to harness the ocean’s energy there has to be a way to do this under both sail and power. This must all then be analysed in the context of existing markets and trends to see if the concept has a viable market potential. Does it identify with what is currently in demand or does it recognise a specific latent demand not currently satisfied? If it is going to lead in a new direction it must be sufficiently novel, sufficiently exciting, to attract interest from a potential but as yet non-existent market. It will not necessarily be new but may come to the market at a time when its advantages are consistent with what people are looking for in terms of novelty and purpose; a combination of advantages that nobody else has yet thought of or came up with at the right time. Is now the right time to make adventure cruising more accessible by creating an SUV-towable, tough, safe and affordable vessel for the amateur with basic navigation experience as well as for those seeking tougher challenges?