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It is difficult to draw a line between what most people call a boat and a craft logically entitled to be called a yacht. Actually, any power or sailing craft used exclusively for pleasure is a yacht. On the other hand, most of us think of a yacht in terms of a craft fitted for cruising and requiring more than the usual two-person crew.

For the sake of argument, let us call anything with an over-all length of 30 feet or more a “big boat.” Such a craft will hardly be cat rigged and there is some question about her being a knockabout although there are many large boats that are true knockabouts. The chances are that she will be a yawl, a ketch, a cutter, or the latter’s sister, a sloop. Where she differs mainly from smaller craft is that she will probably have several special sails for particular purposes.

These may include spinnakers, balloon jibs, and a variety of other light sails that are hoisted when more speed is desired than can be obtained from the normal working canvas. Let us hasten to say that some small boats also have light and special sails. Many of the little one-designs can carry spinnakers. Most of them are also rigged with what is known as Genoa jibs.

To some extent, light sails cannot be too closely defined. For example, a balloon jib may be cut full enough to be used as a spinnaker. Even a Genoa can be set to act as a sort of semispinnaker. The following definitions are thus open to some criticism. A Genoa jib is larger than the fore triangle, which is what the triangular space is called that has the mast as its after limit, the deck as its base, and the forestay as its third side. An ordinary jib – in some cases called a staysail as it is hanked to the forestay – fits within the fore triangle.

The spinnaker is handkerchief light, has a lot of belly, and is often called a bag. Like the ballooner, it is set in stops, but it is used only when the boat is running before the wind. Broadly speaking, it is set across the boat rather than fore and aft. To accomplish that, there must be a spinnaker boom. This is a light spar having a fork, crotch, or special metal fitting at its inboard end to fit the mast.

The outer end of the boom has a snap hook to which the tack or outer lower corner of the spinnaker is made fast. The opposite corner, or clew, is attached to the spinnaker sheet, which is passed around the forestay and carried aft outside the shrouds on the side opposite to that on which the spinnaker boom is to be run out. A guy from the end of the boom is carried aft outside the shrouds on the side where the boom is to be rigged.

In setting, the spinnaker boom is laid on deck parallel to the center line of the boat. The spinnaker is hoisted in stops and the sheet and guy are carried aft. When planning all of the foregoing, you must decide which side of the boat the main boom will be carried on, for the spinnaker boom must be run out on the opposite side.

As the course is directed before the wind, the spinnaker boom is quickly run out, pointed as far forward as possible. A man aft takes up on the guy to bring the boom aft until it is more or less at right angles to the center line of the boat. A sharp pull on the sheet will then break the stops and the sail will fill with tremendous power. If cut very full, and made of very light canvas, it is often called a parachute spinnaker because when filled, it looks so much like its namesake. Once it is drawing, the working jib can be either taken in or, if you are expert, trimmed on the side opposite to the spinnaker boom so that some wind from the spinnaker is spilled into it.

There is of course much more to be learned about sailing a yacht, but this at least gives you a taste. Happy sailing!

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Kayak plans are available in many books. But many of these types of notations are not sufficient for a first time kayak builder. You can get any kayak plan designs by ordering online.
Kayak boats are designed mainly for pleasure and fishing. Therefore kayak plans must be made to build light weight and durable boats. The light weight of the boat should not compromise the length. The normal kayak boats will be 12 to 20 feet long. For getting light weight you can select thick hard wood strips. The boat will then weight as light as possible. You can design either double paddle or oars to propel the boat.

You can plan to build your kayak boat with wood since wood is a cheap material that is affordable to any one. Again wood is an easily available material. Apart from this wood is strong, light weight and does not fatigue. Wood is stronger than fiber glass and steel. Wood can become soft at the bottom side and so you can use fiber glass at the down side of your boat. This will help to prevent moisture and abrasion. Moreover you can build your wooden kayak with minimum tools and in less time.

You can plan your kayak by strip building method. You should understand the art of bending small thin strips of woo to design the boat shape. You should also know to use the correct mixture of fiber glass with wood in order to produce a tough boat.

You can plan the recreational kayaks according to your need. For instance Nymph is kayak model boat which will be useful for light paddlers. 10 feet little auk is a recreational kayak suitable for digging around the protected water. 11 feet little auk is light weight kayak which can be used in ponds for large paddlers. 14 feet great auk is a kayak ideal for lakes and harbors. Sea Island sport is suitable for touring and fishing.

The success of the kayak design depends on the proper blend of art and science. There is no separate computer aided design package for designing boats. Yet you can use the shapes in CAD and can twist and reanalyze them until you get the suitable boat shape. With the design you can start planning to build your own kayak.

You should plan the kayak boats that suit any different conditions. If you are a beginner then you can start with the simple design.

You can build kayaks by using pre cut plywood that are then stitched together in the joints and glued The shape of the kayak is decided by the panel. The 2 dimensional panels are bent at curved edges. The stitch and glue kayak boats can be designed without forms also. Using stitch and glue method by using small strips of plywood will help in building strong and light weight boat within shorter period of time. The shape of the boat is determined by the shape of the plywood panels. You can get more stitch and glue plans from internet also.

Steve Trammell is the author of Kayaking Tips on Starting a Fulfilling New Hobby.Find out how to Learn Kayaking skills to enjoy your new hobby
At http://www.KayakingProTips.com

Whether you’re in a stormy season or not, if you leave your boat unattended or unused for more than a week, it’s a good idea to have it protected from the elements of nature, people and animals. The majority of people transport their boat from the water (dock) to a garage on land with a trailer. If the boat happens to be a stored on land in a specifically designed garage, then need for a boat console cover will not be required.

What You Need to Do When the Boat is Stored in the Open for a Long Time?

A boat is very sensitive to the elements of nature, however the most important thing that needs to be protected is the boat console. The majority of boats will come with a custom-made boat console cover, which will protect the boat from water, sun or dust. These are the most common elements that you’ll have to fight against to preserve your boat.

Probably the best material to help protect your boat from all the elements is the old and very versatile canvas cloth. If the cover is made of canvas, you can be ensured that your console will be totally protected. While canvas will usually provide good protection against water, for the best results, some people will seal the cover with waterproof duct tape. This will almost guarantee total protection against even the worst possible storms.

Another good quality of canvas is its ability to “breath”. This is a very important factor when the boat is stranded in a high humidity region. In this type of place, there is high moisture buildup, which, if left on the boat can destroy everything. This is particularly bad for the machinery of the boat console. The boat canvas cover will ensure that there is sufficient air circulating inside, so that the moisture evaporates before it can create potential damage.

A canvas boat console cover will also provide protection against dust and debris as well. While it allows the air to circulate, it also blocks the dust from entering and settling down on the console of the boat. Even against the strongest of winds, dust will not penetrate the canvas.

The bottom line is, the best way to protect your boat is to park it in a land garage. However, if you decide to leave your boat in the open, you will need to protect it with a customized canvas boat cover. This will ensure longevity for your boat.

Kerry Ng is a successful Webmaster and publisher of The Boat Cover Info Blog. For more great helpful information about boat covers visit http://www.boatcoverinfoblog.com

Unlike most boat purchase advice, written by manufacturers and designed to persuade the reader to purchase one brand or another, the suggestions in this article are written from the perspective of a sailboat buyer and are drawn from the collective wisdom of the author’s dozen or so sailboat purchases as well as conversations with many, many other sailboat buyers. This article will focus on applying the buying process to purchasing an appropriate vessel for heavy air sailing.

The Buying Process
Previous writings introduced a multi-step process to purchase a sailing vessel. Our emphasis was on assuring that purchases are based on a detailed description of how and where the vessel would be used and then identifying the best set of vessel characteristics for the specific type of sailing to be completed. We also introduced vessel characteristics to be considered in the purchase. In this article, we examine the relative advantages and disadvantages of cruising catamarans versus monohulls.

Cruising Catamaran Advantages
Charter in the Abacos, Virgin Islands or Grenadines and you are likely to see a rapidly increasing number of cruising catamarans. The same trend is occurring in many other popular sailing destinations too. Why are cruising catamarans so rapidly gaining in popularity?

Cats offer many advantages in the most popular chartering grounds. For starters, the shallow draft of the typical cruising cat opens the door to an expanded number of anchorages. Since cats gain stability from their wide beams rather than their keel depth, they can offer shallow drafts without sacrificing stability. For most popular cruising grounds, shallow draft is a big advantage. Next, cats sail flat. A heel angle of zero-five degrees is the norm on a large cruising cat, versus ten to twenty degrees for a comparable monohull. For many sailors, particularly new sailors, the ability to sail flat is a major comfort driver.

In most of these popular chartering areas, the sailing is short, with typical passages of no more than 5-10 nautical miles. Moreover, the trip between anchorages is often off the wind with short reaches back and forth between the most popular moorings. Again, cats excel in these conditions, with high speeds off the wind. Finally, the layout of the catamaran lends itself to chartering. A 45 foot cat will have four staterooms, each with a queen size berth and a private head. Few, if any, similarly sized monohulls can offer the same level of comfort and privacy. For charterers, and other large groups, the ability to have a private stateromm with a private head can be a make or break factor for a good trip.

Finally, the wide beam of the cat gives it a large aft deck. A typical 45 foot cat will have a deck/cockpit 24 feet wide by 15 feet deep — perfect for boats that spend the majority of time at anchor with swimming, grilling and socializing the primary use. Therefore, the popularity of cruising catamarans in the chartering industry is driven by the sailing conditions in the popular chartering grounds; specifically short sails across the wind to shallow anchorages.

Monohull Advantages
While cats are gaining in popularity in the chartering world, monohulls continue to offer many advantageous sailing characteristics. First, monohulls typically offer a much better ride upwind. The single hull goes through the water better and drives through waves more efficiently than the 2 hulled vessels, providing a more comfortable ride with less pounding through the waves. In addition, while cats sail fast off the wind, the combination of wider sailing angles and wave pounding slow cats so significantly upwind that monohulls typically make better VMG into the wind. For those who will be doing a regularly portion of their sailing upwind, monohulls are favored.

Monohulls are the choice whenever close-quarters maneuvering is required. A fin keel monohull can pivot on its keel allowing for a tight turning radius and excellent maneuverability. Cats, without the keel, must turn through the water and have a much wider turning radius. Therefore, when tight maneuvering is needed, monohulls are the way to go. A similar consideration is dock space. As difficult as it may be to find dock space for a monohull, finding suitable docking locations for a cat, with twice the beam for a given length, can be next to impossible in places like the Chesapeake Bay and Florida.

In addition, even when suitable dock space can be secured, it is likely to be very expensive.
Another advantage to monohulls is storage space. While cats provide ample living space, there can be very little space for sailing gear, provisions, safety equipment and tools. While a typical charter guest may not be concerned with this issue, extended cruisers are acutely aware of this need. Again, for extended sailing trips the monohull often has much more storage space for essential repair and safety gear than a cat of similar length.

Summary
Cruising catamarans have become the rage of the Caribbean charter industry because they meet the demands of most charterers very well. For short hops across relatively protected water, lots of time at anchor, off wind sailing and shallow anchorages, catamarans excel. The shallow draft, wide beam and berth layout in the typical cruising cat is also perfect for large chartering groups, as is the stability and comfort provided by the wide beam is perfect.

If upwind sailing will be a component of your normal route, a monohull may be the better option since they sail closer to the wind and move through waves more efficiently. Monohulls are also the choice when dock space is difficult to secure or maneuverability is tight. Finally, for extended cruising, the extra storage space provided in the typical monohull has many advantages.

Capt Dave Bello is President of Fair Wind Sailing School, (http://www.fairwindsailing.com) an ASA affiliate sailing school offering sailing charters and sailing instruction in the Virgin Islands, Chesapeake Bay, and on Lake Erie and Lake St Clair.

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