Anonymous wrote:
Nice to follow and still there are so many unused boats available in this category. A well executed conversion would get them all en route to Horta far sooner.
But I guess that's not the point of Allan's project.
It is true that there are many used boats available, which could be converted to junk rig, and which could do the job, and be ready in a lot less time and for a lot less work. But I expect that Alan has found, as have a lot of us including Annie Hill, that when one has had a lot of experience and knows exactly what is wanted in a boat, then the only way to get that, and for a reasonable price for us non-wealthy people, is to build a boat yourself. Added to this is the fact that, (in New Zealand at least) the majority of available affordable boats are now very old and pretty much worn out. I think Alan is going down a sensible route. The boat is small for ocean cruising, but that also makes it affordable and not too much boat to build. But this looks like a big 6.5 meter yacht with maximised waterline length, and with the flush deck configuration there will be plenty of space inside. The chined hull construction with the stitch and tape joins should be easy and reasonably quick to build. This design is not unlike the Class Mini 580 design, but will be a much better boat, and due to the simple junk rig will I expect cost considerably less money to put in the water. I think the Class Mini 580 has become a bit too commercialised, although it is providing a lot of people with an opportunity to build an ocean capable small boat, and get out on the water for a real adventure.