Talk:Open Source Sailboat
Several points of concern arise when looking at this page:
1. Regulatory Compliance. For the US, any vessel under 15 Gross Register Tons and under 40 feet, carrying less than 15 tons of non-hazardous cargo is considered an Uninspected Cargo Vessel (Hereafter UCV). These limits should be kept in mind. 40 foot cargo vessel capable of housing 2-4 crew comfortably and 10 CDWT is likely the desirable initial target.
2. Jones Act compliance is important to keep in mind.
3. Anything larger than a UCV will require the appropriate Master Mariner's license with Auxiliary Sail Endorsement for the appropriate waters.
4. Unstayed Telescoping Masts are not practicable in a small vessel, but a Schooner, Yawl, or Ketch Rig in Tabernacles will be. Assume Tabernacles, Self-Tacking Jib, Fore-and-Aft rig, and 3-7 feet draft.
5. Fiberglass is only efficient in boatbuilding when done with molds in very large volume. 3D Printing fiberglass for a boat seems like a really bad idea, which will involve considerable fairing and possible structural problems.
6. The best material for a working cargo vessel by far is Steel for the Hull, Aluminum Masts and wooden composite spars to keep weight aloft to a minimum. Centerboard/Drop-keel design preferable for most undeveloped harbors.
7. Crew Training and Strength need to be thought through. Ketch or Schooner rig will likely need 2 crew per watch, at least one being an experienced sailor.
There are open source designs available, specifically the Greenheart Project vessel, from 2014. Contact he International Windship Association for further details and a pointer to the plans. However, there are no currently available open-source UCV designs. The designs for Ceres, a UCV from the Vermont Sail Freight Project are likely to be open sourced in the near future via the Center For Post Carbon Logistics.
FURTHER READING LIST (All Open Access):
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369367255_The_Sail_Freight_Handbook_Second_Edition The Sail Freighter Handbook, 2nd Edition. Includes Open-Source plans for the Ceres sailing Barge of Vermont Sail Freight Project.
https://omeka2.hrvh.org/exhibits/show/a-new-age-of-sail/further-reading
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375184586_A_Service-Pattern_Sail_Freighter_The_Need_For_A_Scalable_Open-Source_Sail_Freighter_Design Requirements for an open-source sail freighter.
