Those of us who like sharpies because of their shoal capabilities and
ease of rigging accept that they are not the best at sailing so why
not accept that a boat that can plane without ballast and sail when
filled with water ballast is not optimum at sailing or powering.
Michalaks "Cormorant" is not the best sailboat but can be trailered
and has shoal draft.
So, can one design a stitch and glue epoxy/glass/marine ply boat that
can sail with water ballast and plane without? My Tolman Skiff weighs
about half what a comparable fiberglass boat weighs and gets fantastic
fuel efficiency because of that and is very strong. Can the same
concept be applied to designing the boat I want?
Sailing is not as popular as it used to be because potential beginners
balk at the $200-500/month to keep a slow moving displacement boat in
the water. Even worse, such a boat has seriously limited range in the
short vacations people get. THIS is why the Mac26 is so popular and
why they get used so much.
I would be willing to pay for the design and rights to sell boats
based on such design for the boat I describe. However, I am not sure
if one can design a lightweight Marconi-style rig so one might even
consider a gaff rig or even a Lateen style rig.