BoatDesigns

StockDesignsPlansAvailable
Fullconstructionplansandbuildinstructionsareavailableforalltheboatsinthislist.

InProgress/OntheDrawingBoard
Theseareboatsthatarestillonmydrawingboard.Ilikethem,Ithinkthey'llwork,buttheplansaren't
fullydevelopedandtheengineeringisn'tcomplete.Idon'thavemuchtimetodevotetothesedesignsatthe
moment,butI'lladdafewmoretothispageastheopportunitiespresentthemselves.
Plansarenotcurrentlyavailablefortheboatsinthislist.

Topic:
Boats
BoatDesign

Almaguin400
TheAlmaguin400isaversatile4metreutilityrunabout,designedwithcottagers,anglersanddaytrippers
inmind.Whenheavilyloaded(190kgofficialratedcapacity),itisaversatileworkingboat,capableof
haulingheapsofcrewandgearoninlandlakesandrivers.Afteroffloadingthecargoandsurpluscrew,and
openingthethrottle,theAlmaguinsactmorelikeracinghullscapableoftowingwaterskiersandpushing
30knotspeedsinflatwater.(Beinghighsided,theypresenttoomuchwindagetokeepupwithrealracing
hullsincalmwater.)Theyarebuiltintapedseamplywood,anddonotrequireelaboratejigsorhigh
precisioncarpentry.

ThedesignwasinspiredbyPhilBolger'sDiablo,asimple,practicalandwellperformingboatthathas
servedmewellformanyyears.TheAlmaguinisdesignedtooffersimilarperformanceandcarrying
abilitytotheDiablo,withadrierandmorecomfortablerideinroughconditions.Theconstruction
methodsusedforthisboatwillbefamiliartoanyonewhohasworkedwithstitchandglueconstructionor
thetackandtapemodelsfromBolger'sinstantboatseries.Unliketypicalstitchandglueconstruction,
thepanelsoftheseboatsarenotstitchedtogetherwithwiretheyaretackedtothebulkheadsonebyoneas
thehullisassembled.Thestructuralbulkheadsformtheonlybuildingjigrequired,andremainapartof
thefinishedboat.

TheAlmaguinhullisofadoubleVconfigurationitcanalsobethoughtofasadeepVwithashallowV
pad.Whenlightlyloadedatrest,theAlmaguinswillfeelabittippy,andwillroll10degreesorsoas
peoplemovearoundandgetinandout(theyare,however,veryhardtorollpastthisangle).Astheyare
loadeddown,theouterchinesbecomeimmersed,andtherollwilldiminish.Theentryisrelativelysharp,
thereismorefreeboardthanusualforboatsthissize,andthemotorwellpresentsaneffectivelyfullheight
transomtoafollowingseathus,theAlmaguinshouldbesomewhatdrierandmorecomfortableinheavy
conditionsthanatypicalaluminumskiffofcomparabledimensions.
Asthehullacceleratestoplaningspeeds,boththeinner7degreeVandtheouter26.5degreeVwillactas
planingsurfacestheneteffectisperformanceatlowplaningspeedsthatiscomparabletowhatyouwould
getfromanordinary15degreedeepVhull.Therewillbeanoticeableplaninghumpastheboatclimbs
overitsbowwave.IftheAlmaguinislightlyloaded,thewaterwillbegintobreakawayfromtheinner
chineasthehullaccelerates.Theboatisnowrunningontherelativelynarrow7degreeV,witha
considerableimprovementintopspeedtheouterVnowservesasaraceboatstyleantitripchine.Inturns,
shewillbankinwardandrideontheouterV.

TheAlmaguin400isjustaboutthelargestboatthatcanbecomfortablycartopped(althoughatraileris
preferable),andit'llfit(barely)inthebedofafullsizepickupwiththetailgatedown.Appropriateengines
are20shaftoutboardsfrom7to30hp(20hpiftillersteered),themiddleofthatrangebeinggenerally
ideal.

Afirsttimebuilderassemblingtheboatinhissparetimeshouldallowfourtoeightmonthsforthebuild
anexperienced,motivatedbuilderfamiliarwithtapedseamconstructionwilllikelyfindthatshecan
produceanAlmaguinhullinseventotenworkingdays,possiblyless.

TheAlmaguinscanbebuiltwithmanydifferentinteriorlayouts.Somepossiblesuggestionsareincluded
inthebuildinstructions,butthefinallayoutisuptothebuilder'sdiscretion(subjecttocertainstructural
limitationsregardingcutdownbulkheads,detailedfurtherintheplans).
NotestoBuilders
Finecarpentryskillsarenotrequired.Apotentialbuildershouldalreadybefamiliarwithstandardpower
tools(circularsaw,bandsaw,drill,etc.),shouldbeabletoaccuratelymeasureandmarkcoordinatesona
flatsheet,andshouldeitherhaveexperiencewithtapedseamconstruction,orreaduponthemethod
throughbooksandbuilders'articles.

IdonotofferfullsizeMylarpatterns,assomecommericalplanhousesdo.Youarewelcometoprintthe
DWF6/DWFxdrawingsat1:1scaleifyousochoose,butIbelievethatfullsizepatternsarenotworththe
costforaboatlikethis.Loftingthepanelsontotheplywoodisneitherdifficultnorcomplicatedaslongas
youcanuseatape,square,pencilandbatten,youshouldhavefewdifficultiesloftingthepanellayoutsby
hand.

Thebuildinstructionsmanualcanbeviewedhere:Almaguinbuildinstructions(340kBPDF).

Plans
TheplansetforeachoftheAlmaguinsconsistsoffiveCsize(18x24inch)pagesandatenpagebuild
instructionsbooklet.Theplansconsistof:

1.Generalarrangement,profilesandbodyplan

2.Layoutdrawingsforbulkheads,stemandmiscellaneousparts

3.LayoutdrawingsforinnerandouterVpanelsandchines

4.Layoutdrawingsforsidepanels,andassemblysequence

5.Constructiondetails

ThedrawingsarepreparedinSIunitsforNorthAmericanstandardmaterialsizes.Standardscalesof1:1,
1:10and1:15areused,althoughitshouldnotbenecessarytoscaledimensionsofftheplans.Metric
standardplywood(125x250)canalsobeusedwithnochangestotheplans.

It'scheaperforyou,andmoreenvironmentallyfriendly,tohavethedrawingsprintedatalocalshop
insteadofpayingacouriertotransportarollofpaper.TheplansaredistributedasPDFfiles,andif
desired,youcanalsoreceiveacopyinDWF6orDWFxePlotformatsatnoextracost.

AsetofplansfortheAlmaguin400includesPDF(andDWF6/DWFxifdesired)copiesoftheplans,the
righttobuildoneboatfromtheplans,andasmuchtechnicalsupport(viaelectroniccommunication)as
youneedtofinishyourboat.Therearenoshippingcosts,andanyapplicabletaxesareincluded.Ifyou
don'thavealocalprintshop,Icanarrangeforprintedcopiestobecourieredtoyou(atcost).

Pleasecontactmeforfurtherdetailsifyouareinterestedineitheroftheseboats.

Almaguin400&500
utility
runabout
tapedseam
plywood

Lengthoverall:
4m

Lengthwaterline:
3m

Displacementlightship:
100kg

Displacementatdesignload:
480kg

Beamoverall:
1m

Draughtnormal:
1m

Draughtminimum:
0m

Wettedsurface:
2m

Powertypical:
10kW
Powerdescription:
Outboard7to20hp(upto30hpwithremotesteering)

Length/beam:
3

Bottomloading:
190kg/m

Whattheseparametersandratiosmean
Howtoorderplansforthisboat

Plansavailable:
Yes

Planscost:
$50CAD

Buildstatus:
Modeltestscomplete.Twohullscurrentlyinbuild.

Designnumber:
003

Almaguin500
TheAlmaguin500isaversatile5metreutilityrunabout,designedwithcottagers,anglersanddaytrippers
inmind.Whenheavilyloaded(415kgofficialratedcapacity),itisaversatileworkingboat,capableof
haulingheapsofcrewandgearoninlandlakesandrivers.Afteroffloadingthecargoandsurpluscrew,and
openingthethrottle,theAlmaguinsactmorelikeracinghullscapableoftowingwaterskiersandpushing
30knotspeedsinflatwater.(Beinghighsided,theypresenttoomuchwindagetokeepupwithrealracing
hullsincalmwater.)Theyarebuiltintapedseamplywood,anddonotrequireelaboratejigsorhigh
precisioncarpentry.
ThedesignwasinspiredbyPhilBolger'sDiablo,asimple,practicalandwellperformingboatthathas
servedmewellformanyyears.TheAlmaguinisdesignedtooffersimilarperformanceandcarrying
abilitytotheDiablo,withadrierandmorecomfortablerideinroughconditions.Theconstruction
methodsusedforthisboatwillbefamiliartoanyonewhohasworkedwithstitchandglueconstructionor
thetackandtapemodelsfromBolger'sinstantboatseries.Unliketypicalstitchandglueconstruction,
thepanelsoftheseboatsarenotstitchedtogetherwithwiretheyaretackedtothebulkheadsonebyoneas
thehullisassembled.Thestructuralbulkheadsformtheonlybuildingjigrequired,andremainapartof
thefinishedboat.

TheAlmaguinhullisofadoubleVconfigurationitcanalsobethoughtofasadeepVwithashallowV
pad.Whenlightlyloadedatrest,theAlmaguinswillfeelabittippy,andwillroll10degreesorsoas
peoplemovearoundandgetinandout(theyare,however,veryhardtorollpastthisangle).Astheyare
loadeddown,theouterchinesbecomeimmersed,andtherollwilldiminish.Theentryisrelativelysharp,
thereismorefreeboardthanusualforboatsthissize,andthemotorwellpresentsaneffectivelyfullheight
transomtoafollowingseathus,theAlmaguinshouldbesomewhatdrierandmorecomfortableinheavy
conditionsthanatypicalaluminumskiffofcomparabledimensions.

Asthehullacceleratestoplaningspeeds,boththeinner7degreeVandtheouter26.5degreeVwillactas
planingsurfacestheneteffectisperformanceatlowplaningspeedsthatiscomparabletowhatyouwould
getfromanordinary15degreedeepVhull.Therewillbeanoticeableplaninghumpastheboatclimbs
overitsbowwave.IftheAlmaguinislightlyloaded,thewaterwillbegintobreakawayfromtheinner
chineasthehullaccelerates.Theboatisnowrunningontherelativelynarrow7degreeV,witha
considerableimprovementintopspeedtheouterVnowservesasaraceboatstyleantitripchine.Inturns,
shewillbankinwardandrideontheouterV.

TheAlmaguin500needsatrailer,butcanbetowedbyvirtuallyanysmallcar.Appropriateenginesare
20shaftoutboardsfrom15to60hp(40hpiftillersteered),themiddleofthatrangebeinggenerally
ideal.

Afirsttimebuilderassemblingtheboatinhissparetimeshouldallowfourtoeightmonthsforthebuild
anexperienced,motivatedbuilderfamiliarwithtapedseamconstructionwilllikelyfindthatshecan
produceanAlmaguinhullinseventotenworkingdays,possiblyless.

TheAlmaguinscanbebuiltwithmanydifferentinteriorlayouts.Somepossiblesuggestionsareincluded
inthebuildinstructions,butthefinallayoutisuptothebuilder'sdiscretion(subjecttocertainstructural
limitationsregardingcutdownbulkheads,detailedfurtherintheplans).
NotestoBuilders
Finecarpentryskillsarenotrequired.Apotentialbuildershouldalreadybefamiliarwithstandardpower
tools(circularsaw,bandsaw,drill,etc.),shouldbeabletoaccuratelymeasureandmarkcoordinatesona
flatsheet,andshouldeitherhaveexperiencewithtapedseamconstruction,orreaduponthemethod
throughbooksandbuilders'articles.

IdonotofferfullsizeMylarpatterns,assomecommericalplanhousesdo.Youarewelcometoprintthe
DWF6/DWFxdrawingsat1:1scaleifyousochoose,butIbelievethatfullsizepatternsarenotworththe
costforaboatlikethis.Loftingthepanelsontotheplywoodisneitherdifficultnorcomplicatedaslongas
youcanuseatape,square,pencilandbatten,youshouldhavefewdifficultiesloftingthepanellayoutsby
hand.

Thebuildinstructionsmanualcanbeviewedhere:Almaguinbuildinstructions(340kBPDF).

Plans
TheplansetforeachoftheAlmaguinsconsistsoffiveCsize(18x24inch)pagesandatenpagebuild
instructionsbooklet.Theplansconsistof:

1.Generalarrangement,profilesandbodyplan

2.Layoutdrawingsforbulkheads,stemandmiscellaneousparts

3.LayoutdrawingsforinnerandouterVpanelsandchines

4.Layoutdrawingsforsidepanels,andassemblysequence

5.Constructiondetails

ThedrawingsarepreparedinSIunitsforNorthAmericanstandardmaterialsizes.Standardscalesof1:1,
1:10and1:15areused,althoughitshouldnotbenecessarytoscaledimensionsofftheplans.Metric
standardplywood(125x250)canalsobeusedwithnochangestotheplans.

It'scheaperforyou,andmoreenvironmentallyfriendly,tohavethedrawingsprintedatalocalshop
insteadofpayingacouriertotransportarollofpaper.TheplansaredistributedasPDFfiles,andif
desired,youcanalsoreceiveacopyinDWF6orDWFxePlotformatsatnoextracost.

AsetofplansfortheAlmaguin500includesPDF(andDWF6/DWFxifdesired)copiesoftheplans,the
righttobuildoneboatfromtheplans,andasmuchtechnicalsupport(viaemail)asyouneedtofinishyour
boat.Therearenoshippingcosts,andanyapplicabletaxesareincluded.Ifyoudon'thavealocalprint
shop,Icanarrangeforprintedcopiestobecourieredtoyou(atcost).

Pleasecontactmeforfurtherdetailsifyouareinterestedineitheroftheseboats.

Almaguin400&500
utility
runabout
tapedseam
plywood

Lengthoverall:
5m

Lengthwaterline:
4m

Displacementlightship:
155kg

Displacementatdesignload:
800kg

Beamoverall:
2m

Draughtnormal:
1m

Draughtminimum:
0m

Wettedsurface:
3m

Powertypical:
25kW
Powerdescription:
Outboard15to40hp(upto60hpwithremotesteering)

Length/beam:
3

Bottomloading:
220kg/m

Whattheseparametersandratiosmean
Howtoorderplansforthisboat

Plansavailable:
Yes

Planscost:
$50CAD

Buildstatus:
Modeltestscomplete.Firsttwohullscurrentlybeingbuilt.

Designnumber:
002

Awenda800
TheAwendadesignconceptoriginatedin2007asasimple,sturdy,trailerablepowercruiserformyown
use.Originallyconceivedasa10mboat,Ilaterdeveloped8,8.5and9mhullsbasedonthesamegeneral
design.
Theseareplaninghulls,withcruisingspeedsofaround20knots.Withappropriatepower,theyshouldbe
abletoreachthehigh20s,andaredesignedtohavenodiscernableplaninghump.Theaimwastoprovide
amorecomfortable,moreefficientridethanatypicaldeepVinthelowerspeedrangeswheremost
cruisingfolktendtoruntheirboats.Thebottomloadingforthesedesigns,oneofthekeyparametersfor
lowspeedplaningperformance,isinthe110180kg/m2rangeabouthalftotwothirdstheaveragefor
boatsthissize,implyingaquickclimbtoplaneandveryefficientperformanceinthe1020knotspeed
range.

TheirclosestrelativeswouldlikelybeTomLathrop'sBluejacket,PaulBieker'sShearwaterandWill
Allison'sGraphite.Atabout1500kgforthe8mand2500kgforthe10mwhenempty,theAwendasare
ofmoderatedisplacementfortheirclassabitlargerandafairbitheavierthantheBluejacketor
Shearwater,slightlysmallerthantheGraphite,andquitelightwhencomparedtomassproducedfibreglass
boatsofsimilarsize.Theyarebuiltinsturdyglasssheathedstripplanking.Theconstructioneffort
involvedwouldbewellwithinthereachofanambitioushomebuilderwithcarpentryexperience,and
wouldbeaprettyeasyprojectforaprofessionalwoodandfibreglassshop.

Ihavedonesomemodeltestsonthe10mversion,withverypromisingresults,andthehulldesignis
complete.Afterthemodeltests,though,IdecidedthattheStarwind860wouldbeabetterfitformy
personalneedsinthenearfuture,anddevelopmentontheAwendawasputonholdinfavourofthe
Starwind.Thestructuralcalculations,interiorlayoutsandconstructiondetailshavenotyetbeenprepared.


Awenda

Lengthoverall:
8m

Whattheseparametersandratiosmean

Plansavailable:
Notatthistime

Buildstatus:
1/6scalemodeltestingstarted,plansforfullsizeversionnotyetfinished

Designnumber:
008

Bonaventure570
Let'ssayyouwanttobuildapowerboatanddosomecruisingonatightbudget.You'reinnoparticular
rush,butyoudowantsomeindependence.Youlikedoingafewhoursadayonthewater,thenchecking
outanewseasidetownforawhile.Youhatehangingaroundthefueldock.You'rehappywiththespeedof
sailboats,butyoumotormostofthetimeanyway.Youwantenoughspacetoliveaboardforafewmonths,
butyoualsowantaboatthat'ssmallenoughtoavoidundueattentionfromfolkswhowantyourmoney.

Ifthatsoundslikeyou,theBonaventure570justmightbeyourboat.At2.9tonnesloadedandjust5.7m
(18'7")long,shecanbetowedoverlandbyanypickuptruckandwillfitina20'shippingcontainer.With
abalanced,doubleendedfulldisplacementhull,shecancarryahugeloadofprovisionswithease,and
willbefarmorecomfortableinroughseasthanjustaboutanyotherpowerboatofthislength.

Herlinesincludeasubstantialboxskegfordirectionalstabilityandtogettheenginedownlow.Lackinga
transom,she'llbeabletotakeconsiderablybiggerseasonthesternthanmost19footers,butshestillhas
enoughbearingafttokeepfromsquattingatspeedwhenshe'sloadeddownwithgear.Aflatkeel,70cm
wideatmidship,isarmouredandballastedwith25mm(1")steelplatesothatshecantakethegroundat
will.12kW(16hp)willgivehera5knottopspeedwithplentyofpowerontapforpunchingintoahead
wind.(Forthosewhowantmorespeed,longerversionsareontheway.)
Hercommercialstylepilothouseoffersstandingheadroomforaproperhelmstationandagalleylarge
enoughtoactuallycookin.Undertheforedeck,aVberth/dinettecanseatfourforlunch,orcansleep
two.Onpassage,leeclothswillkeeptheoffwatchcrewinplaceinharbour,afillercushionturnsthis
areaintoacomfortablelandlubbersizedoubleberth.Thefrontoftheenginecanbecheckedfrominside
thecabin,andalargehatchinthecockpitsoleallowseasyaccesstotheentirepowertrainwithout
dismantlinganyfurniture.Herhullisdividedintosealedcompartmentsbywatertightbulkheads,someof
whichalsoformherlargeintegralfueltanks.

She'llbedesignedforoneoffconstructionincoldmouldedwood.Herstructuralandconstruction
drawingsarecurrentlybeingprepared,andwillbeavailableasstockplans.

Power
Bonaventure570
displacementmonohull

Lengthoverall:
6m

Lengthwaterline:
5m

Displacementlightship:
2,100kg

Displacementatdesignload:
2,870kg

Beamoverall:
2m

Beamwaterline:
2m

Draughtnormal:
1m

Bridgeclearanceminimum:
2m

Wettedsurface:
10m

Powertypical:
12kW

Powerdescription:
Inboarddiesel

Length/displacementLDR:
4

Displacement/lengthDLR:
567ltn/ft3

Tankagewater:
128L

Tankagefuel:
358L

Power/displacement:
4kW/t

Length/beam:
3
Whattheseparametersandratiosmean
Howtoorderplansforthisboat

Plansavailable:
Notatthistime

Buildstatus:
Designindevelopment

Designnumber:
011

Starwind860
TheStarwind860isapowertrimaranthatI'mcurrentlydevelopingformyownuse.She'sintendedtobea
versatile,practicalboatforawidevarietyofdutiesoninlandlakesandcanals,theGreatLakes,and
coastalregions.

ThedrawingsfortheStarwind860arecurrentlyinwork,andconstructionofhullnumberoneis
underway.

TheStarwind860willfaceavarietyofmissions:

Canalandlakecruisingfor46,withsomecampingonshorevoyageduration27days
Extendedcanal,lakeandcoastalcruisingfor2voyagedurationupto30days
Daytripsfor46,withkayaks,divegear,etc.alongfortheride
Cargodutyatthefamilycottage:atleastonetonneofbuildingmaterials,queensizemattresses,
 longand/orawkwardshapedobjects,andtheabilitytoworkfromtheboatwithoutstability
concerns

Atthesametime,she'llbeoperatinginabroadrangeofconditionswithmanydifferenttypesofcrew:

Windandseastatesfrom0to4intypicaluse,capableofhandlingforce56ifnecessary
Crewwillincludeyoungchildren,seniorsandeveryageinbetween,plusdogs

We'realsoputtingsomeperformanceanddimensionalconstraintsonher:

Topspeedof20knotswhenlightlyloaded
Nomast(wehavelowbridges)
Trailerablewithacommonminivanorlighttruck(thusmaxbeam2.5m,maxweightontrailer
~2000kg,bridgeclearanceontrailer~4m)
Fuelconsumptionshouldbeminimized(thusrangemaximized)totheextentpossiblegiventhe
othercriteria

Inordertofitallofthisinoneboat,somethinghastobesacrificed.Inthiscase,I'mwillingtosacrifice
buildsimplicityandtime.Trimaransarealotofworktobuildthere'snowayaroundthat,andit'sthe
mainreasonwhyyoudon'tseemanyofthemcomingoffproductionlines.Thetradeofffortheextrawork
isaverystableplatform(forthecargo/workboatroleandtogivepontoonboatlikecomforttothesenior
crewandthedaytrippers)andslim,efficientdisplacementhullsthatwon'tpoundwhenthewavescome
upandthatcanbepropelledwitha40to70hpoutboard.

PlansfortheStarwind860won'tbeavailableuntiltheprototypehasbeenlaunched.Don'tholdyour
breathasapersonalproject,thisboattendstoendupatthebottomoftheworkpile,andI'dbevery
surprisedifshehitsthewaterbefore2014.

Power
trimaran
Starwind860

Lengthoverall:
9m

Lengthwaterline:
8m

Displacementlightship:
1,200kg

Displacementatdesignload:
2,100kg

Beamoverall:
5m

Beamwaterline:
1m

Draughtnormal:
1m

Draughtminimum:
0m

Bridgeclearancenormal:
4m

Bridgeclearanceminimum:
3m

Lengthoutrigger:
7m

Beamoutrigger:
0m

Wettedsurface:
16m

Powertypical:
41kW

Powerdescription:
Outboard4070hp

Length/displacementLDR:
7

Power/displacement:
20kW/t

Length/beam:
9
Length/beamoutrigger:
19

Whattheseparametersandratiosmean

Plansavailable:
Notatthistime

Buildstatus:
Underconstruction.

Designnumber:
001