Thread: Thinking out of the Box

Haha,

The box is there to protect me ... don't take it away ... please ... don't take it away.

UM, I'll have a look at doing a drawing sometime later .. rather busy at the moment ...

When I ask this question about a boat I often use some masking tape to mock it up on the real thing. Stand back and go "yes or no"

Usually it is no on a nice looking boat because it distracts from the appealing shape. Like putting a pin line on a Lamborghini. But sometimes with a bit of fiddling it is possible to get it to work with a real 3D boat.

In other words, the drawing really won't tell you much. Wonder if I have a pic of Leigh's GIS - it had a varnished "sheerstrake".

MIK

The width (height) location below the rub, sweep and end tapers will make or break a cove stripe.

In reality, it's a very difficult thing to do right. Just mimicking the sheer usually look terrible. Visually it'll have a hogged look to it for a distance. Well designed cove stripes will have a little more "belly" at the low point of the curve. A continuous height (unless very narrow, like 3/8" or less) will also look odd for the same reason, perspective distorts the ends of the boat slightly, especially the bow. So a cove will have some taper incorporated into the ends. Finally, placing it on the side of the hull. Too far down makes it look like an extra rub rail, too high and it competes with the rub rail.

Michael is correct, use some tape, stand back and look at it from all angles. I've done this on reshaped sheers, rubs and cove (or boot) stripes. It usually takes hours of adjusting, fidgeting and playing around with locations, tapers, sweep, etc. before you're satisfied. The last one was 3 months ago on a rub rail on a 17' sailboat. The starboard side took 4 hours to get the right sweep, the port about 3 and this wasn't my first picnic.

I can picture a simple cove stripe dressing up a Goat but I'm not sure I'd go almost 25% into the 6mm ply with a rout--maybe a heavy 1mm at most and I'm not sure that would be safe. MIK would know.

To keep it simple mine would just come to a point forward with a V'd tail. Something like that could be routed in for everything but the ends which would require some careful work with an Exacto knife and chisel.

Exactly .. there are all sorts of weird effects that start appearing in 3D. Nothing like using a tape on a real boat to sort it out though!

MIK

I am not sure about the covestripe. I agree with MAM that 6 mm ply seems a bit thin to do some routing in. Wouldn't you reach a similar effect though with a second, lower and maybe a bit shorter, extra rubrail?

It will then also have more of a function rather than just being something that should enhance the looks of the boat.

Best regards, Joost

Sorry .. my fault for not reading properly ...

Routing is quite a bit on the risky side. You would have to plan to do it in paint only.

MIK