Hi all,

I'm currently working on a database for a client which aims to
allow users to trace cars + boats they have owned in the past.

The database will hold information that allows the
identification of the car/boat.

So for a car, it holds the make/model/colour/registration/year
of manufacture and where the car was at different times in it's
life.

Sadly, I know nothing about boats. So I'm asking for your help.
I need to build up a list of important parameters than can be
used to identify a boat. Not too many, maybe 6 at the most.

I know the term 'boat' covers a much wider range than 'car', but
the purpose of the database is to allow private individuals to
trace their old boats, so the range of boats will be limited to
those which:

[a] Are likely to be owned by private individuals (no ocean
liners or oil tankers!)

and

[b] The owners are likely to want to trace. I don't suppose many
people whould be particularly interested in a small dingy they
owned 20 years ago (maybe I'm wrong, I don't know).

Any help much appreciated.

TIA

--
Grunff

Grunff wrote:

The database will hold information that allows the
identification of the car/boat.

So for a car, it holds the make/model/colour/registration/year
of manufacture and where the car was at different times in it's
life.

I guess engine/chassis numbers would be rather more important.

Sadly, I know nothing about boats. So I'm asking for your help.
I need to build up a list of important parameters than can be
used to identify a boat. Not too many, maybe 6 at the most.

All of the above, plus name. The problem is that not all boats
are registered, and unless fairly recent, may well not have serial
numbers, so can be impossible to identify with certainty.

What is the purpose of your database? Being able to prove age
and history of location (in order, for example, to prove VAT
status), being able to recover stolen vessels, or just vague
general interest?

Ronald Raygun wrote:

I guess engine/chassis numbers would be rather more important.

This is a general interest database, a little like Friends
Reunited but for cars and boats. It's very unlikely that someone
wanting to trace a car they owned 20 years ago would have a
record of the VIN (chassis number), which is why it's omitted.

--
Grunff

Outgoing mail certified virus-free,scanned by Norton AV2002.
"Grunff" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I'm currently working on a database for a client which aims to
allow users to trace cars + boats they have owned in the past.

The database will hold information that allows the
identification of the car/boat.

So for a car, it holds the make/model/colour/registration/year
of manufacture and where the car was at different times in it's
life.

Sadly, I know nothing about boats. So I'm asking for your help.
I need to build up a list of important parameters than can be
used to identify a boat. Not too many, maybe 6 at the most.

I know the term 'boat' covers a much wider range than 'car', but
the purpose of the database is to allow private individuals to
trace their old boats, so the range of boats will be limited to
those which:

[a] Are likely to be owned by private individuals (no ocean
liners or oil tankers!)

and

[b] The owners are likely to want to trace. I don't suppose many
people whould be particularly interested in a small dingy they
owned 20 years ago (maybe I'm wrong, I don't know).

Any help much appreciated.

TIA

--
Grunff

Boats have names, unlike cars, so if I were to want to trace a
previously-owned boat, I would want to know 1) power or sail, 2) builder, 3)
type and size, 4) Present and past names of vessel, 5) Present owner's name
and contact details.

--

Dennis Pogson wrote:

Boats have names, unlike cars, so if I were to want to trace a
previously-owned boat, I would want to know 1) power or sail, 2) builder, 3)
type and size, 4) Present and past names of vessel, 5) Present owner's name
and contact details.

Thanks, that's very useful. A couple of Qs:

Type - is there a list of boat 'types', or would that list be so
diverse as to be useless?

Size - AM I right that boat size is always in feet?

Thanks.

--
Grunff

You may need more than your 6 criteria.

1^st is it a powerboat with or without accommodation (this covers water
ski boats etc), or is it a sailboat with accommodation (yacht) or
without Dinghy. (Yes I would be curious to know if my Mirror sail No 530
is still around 43 years after it was built).

The next two criteria is builder/manufacturer and their model. Some
boats were built by more than one yard (505 dinghy was built by Parker
boats, Ronda boats and others). However a Moody 41 or a Moody any thing
else will only be built by Moody

Size can be in feet or meters

The style of Rig maybe a good criterion to have (Bermudan Sloop, Cutter,
Schooner, Ketch etc)

A general description in yachts for the one off’s either under the old
Ton rating system or the more modern R.O.R.C. (Royal Ocean Racing Club)
classes

The current owner (although how you keep that up to date?)

Any Registration info

Names of vessel present and Past

That’s the absolute minimum



Grunff wrote:

Dennis Pogson wrote:

Boats have names, unlike cars, so if I were to want to trace a
previously-owned boat, I would want to know 1) power or sail, 2)
builder, 3)
type and size, 4) Present and past names of vessel, 5) Present
owner's name
and contact details.


Thanks, that's very useful. A couple of Qs:

Type - is there a list of boat 'types', or would that list be so
diverse as to be useless?

Size - AM I right that boat size is always in feet?

Thanks.

The current owner (although how you keep that up to date?)

What about changing it to "Last Known Owner" with a date?

/Martin

Richard Smith wrote:
You may need more than your 6 criteria.

That was just plucked out of air, very flexible.


1^st is it a powerboat with or without accommodation (this covers water
ski boats etc), or is it a sailboat with accommodation (yacht) or
without Dinghy. (Yes I would be curious to know if my Mirror sail No 530
is still around 43 years after it was built).

So we have power/not and accomodation/not.


The next two criteria is builder/manufacturer and their model. Some
boats were built by more than one yard (505 dinghy was built by Parker
boats, Ronda boats and others). However a Moody 41 or a Moody any thing
else will only be built by Moody

It's beginning to sound like providing set selections for things
like builder and model will be impossible. They may have to be
free text fields.



Size can be in feet or meters

Ok, thanks.


The style of Rig maybe a good criterion to have (Bermudan Sloop, Cutter,
Schooner, Ketch etc)

Is providing a list of styles to choose from feasible, or are
there too many?


The current owner (although how you keep that up to date?)

The idea is that the database relies on users to enter + update
info, thereby building up a complete history of the boat's life.


Any Registration info

Like a freetext registration field?


That’s the absolute minimum

Very useful, thanks.

--
Grunff

Grunff wrote:

It's beginning to sound like providing set selections for things
like builder and model will be impossible. They may have to be
free text fields.

Bad idea - too prone to error, typos, and varying interpretations on how a
name should be entered (like full name, acronym, abbreviated). The net
result is a potential for variations which would make searching more
awkward, since the searcher would have to try and second-guess the
variations and typos.


--
Wally
www.makearatherlonglinkthattakesyounowhere.com
Things are always clearer in the cold, post-upload light.

Grunff writes:

The style of Rig maybe a good criterion to have (Bermudan Sloop,
Cutter, Schooner, Ketch etc)


Is providing a list of styles to choose from feasible, or are there
too many?

It should be possible to produce a list of rigs, or strictly a
matrix.

A rig classified generally by the number of masts and arrangement of
sails can be

una, sloop or cutter (all single masted),
ketch, yawl or schooner (all two masted - although schooners can
have more)

Classified by type of mainsail it can be

Bermudan
Gaff
Gunter - rare except in very small boats
Junk - rare
Lug - rare
Sprit - rare

Note that a 'una rig' is the same thing as a 'catboat rig' or 'cat
rig', and there are 'catboat ketches' which have no staysails on
either mast, but they're rare. You are very unlikely indeed to find a
junk or lug sloop or cutter, although neither is strictly
impossible. Other than that if you make a matrix of the first six
against the second six you'll account for 99.9% of all sailing boats,
with 90+% being bermudan and probably 90+% being sloops.

Finally there are very rare oddball rigs, like biplane rigs, kite
rigs, solid wing sails and other esoterica, which you would be
sensible to ignore.

I still think you're best off with sail number and class for most
sailing boats.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; An enamorata is for life, not just for weekends.