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About Our Stock Boat Designs

Copyright 2011 Michael Kasten
Updated January 2011

The following paragraphs are intended to:

 

How Are Our Stock Designs Created...?

Each of our stock boat designs was originally developed as a new custom yacht design to suit a specific set of requirements, resulting in a unique design solution for a specific client.  Our custom yacht designs are then subsequently offered as stock boat building plans.

Among the yacht designs on these web pages you may discover a stock boat design that will suit your requirements as-is, or that may be suitable with a few simple modifications.  That is precisely why we have offered these designs:  they offer a chance to obtain a complete pre-existing vessel design at a very favorable cost. 

For the best introduction to our stock boat plans, please review our "Sail Boats" and "Power Boats" pages.  Most of the designs you'll find there are available as stock building plans.  Complete information about ordering our plans can be found on our Plans List page. 

If a Stock Design only partially suits your requirements, we can make whatever adaptations are needed.  If substantial revisions are being considered, it may turn out that a new Custom Design will be just as easily accomplished.  After all, the cost of creating a new Custom Design is not at all a large percentage of the cost of a new vessel.

In fact, it may come as a surprise that the cost to develop a new Custom Yacht Design is ordinarily a fair bit less than the price of a yacht broker's fee charged for the simple formality of signing papers in order to purchase a new or pre-existing yacht.  In the case of a new vessel built to our stock or custom building plans there is no broker commission involved, nor is there a commission of any kind whatever.

In terms of the true cost of ownership, it is of considerable importance whether the vessel that gets built will suit the owner's needs, both now and in the future.  If it does not, then the vessel's cost may turn out to be very high indeed.

During the development of any new design it is our goal to be sure that the resulting vessel meets the owner's requirements to the best possible degree.  If the possibility of creating a new design might be of interest please see our web page on "Custom Design" for more information. 

Please also have a peek at our Prototype Sail Boat designs or our Prototype Motor Yacht designs, among which there may be good inspiration for creating a new design.  If one of our prototypes turns out to be suitable as-is, we can easily develop it into a completed yacht design. Or we can start from a "blank sheet" to create a new and unique design to your specifications.
 

Plans Ordering Options

Our Stock Designs are offered in four basic increments, as follows:

Our Stock Plans prices are related to vessel size and to the quantity of detail originally developed for the design in question.  You will find a complete price list of our available boat plans and NC Cutting Files, including plans ordering information on our Plans List Page.  
 

What Are Estimating Plans...?

 In order to be able to determine a 'completed vessel' cost or even a 'power-away' build cost, there must necessarily be a well defined plan.  In other words, the owner must present sufficient information to the builder so that the builder can actually sharpen their pencil and provide a firm quote for construction.

At the very least the builder should be provided with what we call an "Estimating Plans" package.  This consists of the first few drawings of the actual "Building Plans" plus a few preliminary design documents, as follows:

Drawings:

Documents: 

The Equipment List includes all the various mechanical and electrical equipment items.  The Vessel Specification outlines the intent of the design, gives the vessel's proposed scantlings, construction materials for the hull and the interior joinery, the proposed paint schedule, and a preliminary indication of power, range, tankage, performance and stability. 

With the Estimating Plans, Vessel Specification and Equipment List in hand, one can then approach builders to inquire about actual construction costs.
 

Finding a Builder...

We are always able to make builder recommendations, and we are pleased to do so.  However we do not provide builder lists or any builder contact information until Estimating Plans have been purchased, or in the case of a new design, until the Estimating Plans have been created.

 Why...? 

Builders will have very little to offer in way of pricing until they are presented with adequate information in the form of Estimating Plans as described above.  Only with these drawings and documents will they be able to create an accurate construction estimate.

In other words, a builder can't provide a meaningful quote without the right information.  Without sufficient information, the builder will be in the unfortunate position of attempting to apply a fudge factor to a variable that's been based on an assumption about an unknown.  Thus they can only end up with... an unknown!

Further, our builder recommendations will be made on the basis of their suitability to the project being considered.  Why is this 'suitability' consideration important...?

Essentially, for every design there will be several qualified builders, and there will be others that are neither suited to the project nor possibly even interested, on which it is not worth wasting everyone's time.

So yes we are pleased to make builder recommendations whenever possible, however we will do so only when we have also supplied the prospective boat owner with sufficient information for those builders to determine construction costs in the form of actual Estimating Plans.

In this way an owner will not be wasting their own time.  Just as importantly, they will not be wasting the builders time...!
 

What's Included With Building Plans...?

 A stock Building Plans Set will usually consist of the following drawings and documents.  Smaller vessels may be less detailed; larger vessels will be more detailed.  Some of the categories listed below may consist of several drawings...

Larger vessels may have multiple sheets for any of the above, while smaller vessels may have many details combined into single sheets.  In some cases, a design may have been more thoroughly detailed at the request of the original client, in which case there will be more detail - ordinarily reflected in the cost of the stock plans set.  To review an outline of the usual design calculations available with our stock and custom designs please see our article on Essential Design Data.
 

Optional Services

In all cases, we can provide additional services on request, possibly including one or more of the following:

If the original client has taken advantage of computerized pre-cutting for any given design, then those NC Cutting files are made available for subsequent re-use by others.  If NC cutting files have not yet been developed for any particular stock design, they can easily be created.

Our detailed NC cut files include all internal structure and plating for the hull, deck, and cabins.  Internal structure includes frames with cutouts for longitudinals, stem / keelson, engine beds, tank faces and lids, bulkheads, rudder components, keel foil components.  All plating is defined, complete with marking lines for alignment and for cut out of the various openings.

Please see our web pages on NC Cutting to review the process of creating NC Cutting Files, and to find out about the potential savings that NC cut parts make possible during construction.
 

Changes to a Stock Design

Before considering changes to any stock design, it is best to consult with the original designer of the boat.  Small changes to interior accommodations or 'style' from one owner to the next are to be expected, and are not usually any cause for re-design, re-evaluation or new drawings.

On the other hand, larger changes that involve the locations of tanks; engine; bulkheads or other structure, masts; sail area; engine power; or changes to any of the vessel's scantlings; hull shape; decks; or superstructures will require the expertise and approval of the designer of the vessel. 

Why is this...? 

Any of these latter changes can, and probably will, have an affect on one or more of the vessel's stability; the integrity of its structure; its safety; or its performance, therefore they must necessarily involve the designer of the vessel in order that all those elements be properly integrated into a final design.

The cost of requested changes to any of our designs is estimated in advance, and then charged for on an hourly basis.  If one of our designs is appealing for your requirements, but needs a little something... we'll be pleased to provide our usual written Design Proposal for that work.
 

A "Semi-Stock" Design...?

Once in a while I am asked to provide a set of drawings for as little cost as possible, even to the point of requesting that I work out only a "faired set of lines."

While that concept may at first seem appealing, it is not at all a good path to follow.  In order for any vessel to be considered safe and suitable for construction, there are many other facets of the design that must be considered and integrated into the final result.  In other words, the design process cannot be broken down into separate parts that can each stand alone.  The design process as an integrated whole is very much a requirement.

For example, in order to assure adequate structure, stability, performance, seaworthiness and comfort, our goals with each design are to assure:

From the above we can begin to see that when properly done, a completed yacht design involves no small amount work...!  With luck, it will also be apparent that we cannot possibly extract or isolate one or more of the above ingredients and still hope to have a successful result. 
 

A Custom Design...?

In many cases, a new Custom Design will be the most appropriate path to a new boat.  While certainly there is cost involved in order to develop a new yacht design, we must consider the much greater cost that would be incurred if one were to build a half baked design that fails to meet one or more of the above criteria...   It is for this reason that our design process has been developed in order to allow the greatest degree of flexibility so that success with the vessel that gets built will be assured.

The cost to create a new design is ordinarily quite predictable.  Prior to beginning any new design, we will provide a thorough estimate in the form of a written Design Proposal.  If our proposal is acceptable, the design work can begin.  

The place to start the design process is to first create an owner's "mission statement."  This can be as simple as a paragraph description of the intended vessel, or possibly just a list of the features regarded as being important such as preferences for rig, power, equipment, materials of construction, overall size, accommodations, budget, project timing, and so forth. 

This 'mission statement' becomes our preliminary "Owner's Specification."  This document need not be 'formal' in any way.  It can be sent by fax, email or by letter.  While owner provided sketches or design examples are not at all necessary, if you've developed preliminary sketches or have come across inspiring examples in your search for 'the right boat' then certainly they can also be included.

After I've reviewed your 'Owner's Spec' and have understood your requirements, I will provide our usual written "Design Proposal" by return email or by letter or fax.  Our Design Proposal is offered free of charge, and implies no obligation whatever - it is just good information for your planning purposes.

When you've reviewed our Design Proposal, if it seems as though a new yacht design may be the best option, then the process can begin.  If you'd like to review an outline of the Custom Design process in greater detail, please review our web page on Custom Yacht Design.  If you would like still more information, please feel free to contact me at your convenience. You may be surprised to discover that creating a new yacht design costs less than you think.  It is by far the most rewarding path to long term boat ownership, and the process itself can be quite a lot of fun.

For information on the cost of developing a new custom yacht design, please see our web article on Design Costs.  For information on the potential cost of new construction, please see our web article on Boat Building Costs.
 

Ordering an Inquiry Packet, Estimating Plans, Building Plans and NC Cutting Files

As noted above, our Stock Designs are offered in five stages, as follows:

To order one or more of the above for any of our designs, please see our Plans List Page.  New Stock Designs are being added at the rate of around two or three vessels per year, so if the current sampling does not provide just the right combination, please check in again!   Or if you'd like to know more about creating a Custom Design to suit your specific requirements, you'll find a thorough description on our Custom Design Page. 

In any case, please feel free to inquire for more information on any of these options...!

 

Professional Memberships

Royal Institution of Naval Architects Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Society of Boat and Yacht Designers  Metal Boat Society  American Boat & Yacht Council
Member
Royal Institution
of Naval Architects 		Member
Society of Naval Architects
and Marine Engineers		 Member
Society of Boat
and Yacht Designers		 Member
Metal Boat
Society		 Member
American Boat
and Yacht Council

Please see our AVAILABLE BOAT PLANS web page.

Home  |  Intro  |  Custom Yacht Design  |  Stock Designs  |  Motor Yacht Gallery  |  Sailing Yacht Gallery  |  Prototypes Gallery  |  Plans List
Articles  |  Our CAD Design Stream  |  MAXSURF For Marine Design  |  News..!  |  Design Team  |  Site Map  |  Site Search  | Contact Us