Thanks for the note. I've been in mechanical engineering for many years, and the interplay between calculations, rules of thumb, and experience isn't something new. However, because of safety concerns and the, um, rich cultural heritage of sailing, it seems that boat design involves a few less calculations and a bit more working from experience than, say, land vehicle design. Not that this isn't appropriate...If someone's going to sail with, say, family members then better to add a few pounds than have the thing go all Groupama offshore.

Then there's the experience of doing a bunch of calculations, saying to oneself "I could easily build that at half the weight", then finding out that there's a really good reason for the extra weight. ("Oh, people don't want the keel to buckle the first time they hit a sandbar...")

Anyway, I'll certainly proceed with a design...might even work up the nerve to build it. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />