Here is a discussion on the origamiboats site , starting with Paul ,who has been cruising the western South Pacific on one of my 36 footers since the 90s. Unlike my armchair critics, who have zero experience on the boats they are criticizing, he knows what he is talking about ,from decades of hands on cruising experience including building his own brentboat from scratch.
People who have never owned one, have never built one, never maintained one long term,and have never cruised in one, don't have the foggiest idea of what they are talking about.
All the expertise in the world in plastic boats gives one zero qualifications in steel boat discussions, and doesn't by any means make one an expert in all matters nautical ,especially those who don't and never have cruised full time( permanent land dwellers)
opuspaul
Feb 17
Excellent post. I am glad you said what you did about the actual design.
For a loaded up cruising boat, Brent's designs sail fantastic. Most of the other cruising boats I have met don't even come close unless they are light displacement with small tanks and few stores on board. Despite being overloaded, I have twice done over a 1000 miles in just over 6 days. On one of the week long trips I passed a 65 Cheoy Lee and ended up beating it by 12 hours. I will typically sail up with the 42 footers.
The design also sails well to windward. This is a priority to me. I couldn't stand being on a fat tub that can't make any progress against a trade wind slop or can't beat to windward off a lee shore. The Spray designs are very popular but sail like crap to windward in a seaway. I don't get it. If you really want the room of a Spray, it would be much better to get a longer and leaner boat. I once passed a heavy 35 foot double ender after 12 hours that had left on the same passage to windward 48 hours before. Being on such a boat would be painful.... Paul
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origamiboats@yahoogroups.com, <musicasrevolution@...> wrote :
No hard chines above the water.
Build method leaves much less distortion. That means no "sick horse" look.
If I had chosen to go with the traditional strong back method, I would need a lot more space for a much longer amount of time. Instead, I've been able to build all the deck hardware indoors in a 8x8 room this winter. I've made all my full size templates, and now all I need to do is trace them onto the plate, cut, and build. Sounds fun!
Brent is good guy. His boats are designed well because he walks the walk. I have gotten treated like **** by every other designer I've contacted. Bruce Roberts, Gilbert - Caroff- Duflos, Colvin, they all wanted over a grand for plans, Caroff wanted $2,600! That was enough to end my dream right then and there. Colvin called me a tire kicker and a waste of his time. Literally. Then a friend told me about Brent. I had trouble getting my payment to Brent and he just mailed me his book anyway, then he actually called me, CALLED ME, to see if I'd gotten it.
Get Brent's book. Then get Tom Colvin's book. Compare the two. Thankfully I never saw the Colvin book before I started otherwise I probably never would have.
Besides the building method, the overall design of Brent's boats is incredible. After visiting Vancouver Island and seeing the boats in person, I was blown away. So much room on deck and especially inside! I now look back on all the boats I've owned and sailed on, and they seem toy like. Almost ridiculous. These are serious boats for serious sailors. Rugged, intelligent, vessels on par or above any working vessel out there. I have not sailed on one, but I also hear they sail very well.
Maintenance. If I am living aboard that means my boat is getting worn out faster. That means more maintenance. If anyone told me they liked varnishing, waxing, re-bedding, and buffing I'd think they haven't had a boat long or they're full of ****. Not to mention the health risks that come with those activities, year after year, and the damage to the environment. But I suppose, this last section is about steel in general.
And ******** Brent boats look gooood in the water. When I see a Brent Boat, I see the influence of all the famous small boats that came before, and in that, I see a dedication to the evolution of maritime navigation, a tradition which goes back long before humans began capitalizing on mariners, to a time when a vessel was designed to meld with it's surroundings, and to protect it's passengers in the most trying of conditions, against all odds.
It's true: a good boat can be designed via formal training. BUT, An exceptional boat can only be designed by having an understanding of the sea gained through experience. Most of the fishing boats in my town were designed and built between 1920-1950 by guys who didn't even know how to read. Some of them used only battens for measuring. Most of those boats are still floating and working today. They are sought after by commercial fisheries. I know the builders families, I've held their half hulls and models, touched their tools. I've been to the spots where they sat and carved their models while staring at our inland sea. Unfortunately, it is all fading away into the past, being replaced by sub-par plastic boats, condominiums, and cookie cutter marinas. It may not seem like it, but by building a Brent boat, you are keeping a tradition alive.