NEW MOTH DESIGN

Many thanks to Nick and Alan for their input.

NEW: Design files at http://perverted-moth.blogspot.com/2010/11/slino-design-files.html

I wasn’t going anywhere this Christmas so to avoid the risk of getting bored I decided to build a moth. The following are my design objectives, in this order of importance (yes, avoiding dust was the first concern).

As building this thing was going to be my Christmas holiday I wanted to remove as much of the unpleasantness and nasties from boat building. That is sanding, grinding, dust, laminating, fairing, measuring, cutting and time consumption (I wanted time left over to go mtb riding and playing GTA4).

Design objective 1: Un-nastie Build Process

Its gotta be a moth so it needs to measure. 3355mm long 2255 wide 8m2 sail no catamarans no trapezes, blah blah blah.… hope I didn’t miss anything – I didn’t actually check. Further it needs to perform competitively. I already have foils so it just needs to be light enough to use them effectively.

Design objective 2: Be a Moth

There is no point in designing and building a development class boat that that looks normal and uncool. Also I love a challenge, so to make a boat from flat pieces that looks cool sounds like fun.

Design Objective 3: Be interesting

So this is what I came up with.

1. It is completely built from prelaminated, developable panels. Minor taping laminates join these panels together. This will be light and require minor fairing.

1. These prelaminate panels will come with peel ply finish so sanding is minimized.

1. Developable panels can be CNC cut. They will all fit together without measuring.

1. Assemble all of the CNC parts in a self aligning jig that requires no measuring or squaring up. This jig has tongue and grooves that all slot together like a big, 3d jigsaw. Sounds like fun!

1. Make it a female jig so that the parts can be assembled quickly - internal coves, internal taping, internal frames – all in one hit on the first day. In one day the boat is shaped and dimensionally stable.

3. Aft raked bow always looks cool

3. Forward raked transom also looks cool, and supports the wings

3. Building in carbon is cool.

2. Prelaminated panels are light, minimal fairing is light.
2. It's a moth – I think.