There’s lots of maths in a boat.

Specs for the Haiku by Iain Oughtred:
LOA: 9.15 m - 30' 0" Beam: 2.36 m - 7' 8" Draft: 0.40 m - 1' 3" Sail Area: 31.32 sq m - 337.00 sqf Weight: 1590.90 kg - 3500 lbs Displacement: 772.73 kg - 1700 lbs

People build boats by eye and experience all the time. One day, I might. But right now I follow the plans. That means I take a series of measurements and turn them into 3-D shapes. This is when I wish I was metric. But I do love how my brain feels after struggling with turning numbers into a spatial reality. And there are some interesting things to learn. For example, the numbers above mean the boat will only go 7.34 knots (or more than 8 miles an hour!)

The formula:
v = 1.34 x √LWL
where:
"LWL" is the length of the waterline in feet, and"v" is the speed of the vessel in knots (1kn=1.15mph)

I don’t understand the formula well enough to explain it, but I think it says a boat creates a hole in the water that it cannot climb out of. But it can push it forward at a speed that is defined by the length of the boat, or the distance between between the bow wave and the stern wave.

Other interestingly named numbers that affect speed are prismatic coefficient (explains how sharp-ended a boat is, knife versus brick going through the water) and wetted surface (how much of the hull’s surface comes in contact with the water creating drag.)

When I try to wrap my head around this stuff, I can’t think of anything else. And that is a good thing, at times.

First, you build a little boat.

In life you don’t get a lot of do-overs. But you do get plenty of chance to practice. The first step in building a big boat is to build a little boat, a model precise to the plans in scale and detail. Except for being able to use balsa and a hot glue gun, the model is built using the same techniques used in the big boat. You learn a lot and you are left with a very cool toy.
Iain built one:

This is where I am going to build one. Someone taught me to make sure my work space was good. Sometimes I forget and I am always happier when I remember and clean up before I start a project.

Haiku

Why?

This blog is about building a boat. But, because a boat is such a great metaphor for many of life’s issues, it will also be about stuff.
Why build this boat? I thought long and worked hard to face myself and make such a big decision. Ultimately, I thought about where I want to go and what I want to do with my life. Building this boat, Iain Oughtred’s version of Commodore Munroe’s Egret, is the best thing I can do to get there.

This boat can handle a variety of conditions because its hull shape responds well to many different conditions. And I want to sail in a variety of places. I don’t see myself happy with a big boat moored in one spot for long periods of time. I want to explore the nooks and crannies of Lake Huron. I want to wander north along the coast of Maine. I want to circumnavigate Martha’s Vineyard. I want to jump the Gulf Stream and laze around the Bahamas for weeks. This boat will live on a trailer and go 70 miles an hour toward the water. It is also a stunningly beautiful boat. This boat improves any view. We shouldn’t waste time doing ugly things.

I know I can get the same amount of boat for a lot less money if I buy a well-loved fiberglass boat from the 70s. But aside from breaking the rule about not doing anything ugly, it isn’t doing much. Building a large boat is a significant endeavor.
Journeys, struggles, choices, beauty, doing something with life: that might be worth chronicling.