(Brian Vickers) wrote in message . com...
As a novice boatbuilder, I would like to take on a somewhat different
project. I would like to build a wooden craft as an almost carbon copy
of the popular Sunfish because of it's easy of opperation and
performance for a boat of that size. To make up for the likly increase
in weight, I thought it might be beneficial to increase the draft and
thus the displacement. However, I do not know where to begin and would
like some advice from someone more knowledgeable about boatbuilding
than myself. Thank you very much, Brian Vickers.

Hi Brian,

I wouldn't have thought that a wood/fibreglass version would
necessarily be greatly heavier than the a roto-molded poly-whats-it or
fibreglass version.

As you're looking at getting plans from a designer, you're sort of
taking on trust that the designer has designed with the construction
method and materials in mind - ie the plans will specify the type of
materials to be used (eg 4mm marine plywood), the design hs been done
with those materials in mind, and you shouldn't have to make any major
alterations to the plans.

I wouldn't make a change to any of major elements of a design (eg
draft) without eithier a lot of research, knowledge and care.
Better still, ask the designer first (many can be reached via email).

The Stevenson Projects minicup might be there or thereabouts what
you're looking for.
Plans and building instructions are a free download from
http://www.stevensonprojects.com/FastSailrs.html
It looks fairly similar to what I understand a Sunfish to be (Sunfish
are not common in my part of the world). This design is fairly old
now, and takes a little more woodwork than some of the more modern
"stitch and glue" boats.

I know of two other builders of this design in this group (other than
myself).
Google this group and the web for Stevenson Minicup for more info, or
ask away here...

Don't be too swayed by the fact that the plans for the MiniCup are
free - generally, the cost of "standard" plans will be a relatively
small part of the overall cost of any boat you would build.


Jacques Mertens (who also frequents this group) has a similar design,
the Moonfish, on his site at
http://boatplans-online.com/proddetail.php?prod=MF14
He even suggests that it is similar to the SunFish and MiniCup.

I'm sure there are other suppliers of similar designs out there.

Hope some of this helps,

Regards,

bookieb.