Howdy Mik & Everyone,

Two and half years ago I had built a paper & stick 1:12 GIS model in anticipation of building a full-scale version. I was over-ambitious, because five months later, my wife and I had our first child and suddenly my time for boat-building evaporated. Don't get me wrong: Playing with my beautiful two-year old Abigail is far more rewarding than boat-building or even messing about in boats... But I have a strong inclination that eventually she'll make a great first mate.
While I may not be able to get back to boatbuilding for a bit, I hoped to get this conversation started.

I have three basic (but probably not easy) requests for the GIS:
  1. Kick-up centerboard
  2. More sedate sailplan
  3. Sleeping arrangements


My centerboard request is ...optional or not required: I recently read Mik's article about daggerboards vs. centerboards and... well, if it's more trouble than it's worth to convert the daggerboard to a centerboard, I concur with the article's conclusion. I bring it up only because it's one of the things I've been thinking about for the GIS.

More sedate sailplan: I'm not trying to race anywhere, hike onto rails or even need to instruct my crew (wife and young child) where they need to go to perfectly balance the helm. I'm just looking to throw up an easy sail (or two) and galavant about with my family. Safely.
Clint Chase's yawl plan is very attractive, but it adds area to what I understand to be an already lively sail plan. I definitely want to go for a lug/yawl setup for it's off-the-dock simplicity: I just wonder if it's possibly too much sail area for "sedate" cruising. Bear in mind that my entire experience with sailing has so-far been with sloop-style rigs... So I might find my own (...comfortable) inefficiency with the sailplan to satisfy my desires. That said, I remember an Off-Center Harbor post by Clint that said that the yawl made him a better sailor because it kept him on his toes - My attention will be demanded of me by my crew, so it may be a good idea for me to somehow "sedatify" the sailplan. Maybe just reefs that let out as my daughter gets older??? One reef per year?

Sleeping arrangements: This is my most important request. Bulkheads 3 & 4 aren't spaced far enough to allow one to stretch out. I wonder if it's possible to move bulkhead #3 forward to the front of the daggerboard case. I understand that having it at the back of the case is more structurally efficient. Imagine this:
Bulkhead #3 at the front of the daggerboard case. The center thwart is tied to the bulkhead at the front of the daggerboard case (#3) and then to the side and bottom planks with scantlings that also provide framing for a floor. OR re-conceive Bulkhead #3 so that it's bottom aligns as framing for a floor. Extra structure as required.

...Sleeping would likely also require a floor to get one out of the bilge. This could go towards making the boat more sedate, as well. And it could also provide the additional structure depleted by moving bulkhead #3 forward.

I know that these requests might go against some of the fundamental qualities that the GIS was originally designed for, but I hope that you'll consider them.

Thanks,
Dugan