Questions from a Prospective Builder

[mdslama]

Hi everyone!

I seem to be getting into the i550 community somewhat late. However, with that said, I am looking into starting a project in the next couple years. I don't have room right now nor the funds (student loans...). But I will be looking to build in ~1yr when I get a new house

I have a few questions.

1. Are people still active in building the i550? I don't want to get into a project and when I am finished with it the boat community is lacking.
2. How have you all done in PHRF classes in performance and also getting a proper handicap? I living in MN and it appears that there are only 3 other boats that were built here. Are those guys active? I've never seen them on the lakes around here. Many of the yacht clubs around here race Capri 25 and J24s so that might be the way to go in purchasing.
3. I have been reading on the forums about the class rules. I really like the PDX design mostly because I don't like the large oddly shaped cabin on top. If I were to build a i550 should I design to the PDX or the i550 class rules?
4. In a build, is a 1 door garage sufficient room or is a 2 door garage necessary?

There seems to be a great and helpful community on here, I appreciate the future responses.
Matt

[jray]

Matt I will try to answer some of your questions, others out there may have more information. There are still people building, unknown how many in your area. Watershed may be able to aanswer that for you, drop them a e-mail.

I race with a mixed fleet here, lots of J24's . After three years they have adjusted my local PHRF so I am about where I need to be considering normal local conditions and I sail one up most of the time .

As to build space, I was fortunate to have a two bay garage to build in. Having three feet all around the boat is nice . Some have built in more cramped locations. Others have built outside under a carport tent . In the end there is nothing I've done that has been as satisfying as sailing and racing a boat I built myself.

A production boat is in process right now in Canada just NE of you so you will likely see more i550's as time goes by.

[Warren Nethercote]

Matt,

Ignoring details of the i550NA rule set, the PDX style cambered foredeck, as described in the plan set, meets the i550Class.org rule set. That is what I plan to build. My start is a slow one too - I have a bulb pattern away for casting and a mast on order. The hull comes later, after foils. Realistically, I'd say it would be cheaper to buy a beater Capri or J than build a new boat, but a beater boat is just that. My previous boat started as a beater Soling, and by the time it was competitive I had tripled the purchase price.

[i550sailor@aol.com]

Matt I will try to answer some of your questions, others out there may have more information. There are still people building, unknown how many in your area. Watershed may be able to aanswer that for you, drop them a e-mail.

I race with a mixed fleet here, lots of J24's . After three years they have adjusted my local PHRF so I am about where I need to be considering normal local conditions and I sail one up most of the time .

As to build space, I was fortunate to have a two bay garage to build in. Having three feet all around the boat is nice . Some have built in more cramped locations. Others have built outside under a carport tent . In the end there is nothing I've done that has been as satisfying as sailing and racing a boat I built myself.

A production boat is in process right now in Canada just NE of you so you will likely see more i550's as time goes by.

Jon, What did they change your PHRF to?

I built mine in my 3rd car (1) bay garage. I put 6" casters on the cradle and would push the boat to one side or the other as needed.

I would also agree, there is nothing more satisfying then racing a boat you built, awesome!

[ryderp]

One of the reasons I chose to build an i550 is that it is just about the biggest sport boat you can build in a standard garage. Having said that, you really do need more space in the garage to work on parts that go into the boat. However at the end of the day, you can clean all that up, tuck the boat back in its single bay and use the rest of the garage for its intended purpose. As mentioned above, one of the best pieces of advice I got was to put casters on the cradle, so that I could move the boat around, and to tuck it in against the wall of the garage. My finished boat and its trailer still occupy that spot in the garage.

[mdslama]

The cradle is a good idea, especially if it is capable of flipping the hull when needed. I really like the idea of building my own boat. I currently have a 18' catamaran and am quite used to fast speeds. Does anyone have an idea of the speed comparison between say i550, j24, and a catamaran?

On a separate note, I'd like to run some FEA work on the hull. I was able to find some plans online for the extended cockpit and the standard (i think). I modeled it in SolidWorks; however, I'm having some trouble determining the vertical placement of the frames. I didn't see any indication of the height in the plans I found. Is this due to the stick n' glue process that they will just fit wherever? I'm not sure how I want to make this contour. Doing a FEA displacement fit would be pretty difficult.

These plans might be pretty old and may have been updated. I'll probably just purchase the plan because they are only $100. Do any of you know if the frame height is shown in the new plans?

[micah202]

............ I'm having some trouble determining the vertical placement of the frames. I didn't see any indication of the height in the plans I found.

.....there was a set of offset #'s issued ~3 to 4 years ago that contain that information,,,,,much better than relying on the plywood to pull the bulkheads into place.

[Warren Nethercote]

Most PHRF Regions give an i550 a 'faster' rating than a J24.

[jray]

Most PHRF Regions give an i550 a 'faster' rating than a J24.

Very true. Until more 550's race and times/results get posted that won't change . I have found it depends a lot on local conditions. If you are racing in 10's or less it is very hard to win against J24's . They are faster up wind, about even downhill in a W/L race. Triangle courses the 24's advantage isn't as great .

I never applied for a rating, just went out and raced . The local club started me at 150 the first year, 170 the second and I raced at a 200 this year . Again a local rating, and works for my boat where I sail. I actually did very well this year and don't expect another local PHRF number change.

In fairness I normally race one up or shorthanded, a extra person when I can get one. Having crew makes a huge difference especially upwind, faster and cleaner tacks and more weight to hold her down .

[admin]

Matt, interesting question. I still race on a J24, very casual PHRF club, and used to race J24 OD for about 9-10 years. Racing PHRF, the J24 OD is rated here (Ches Bay) at 171. My PHRF CHES cert that I just got this past spring is rated at 141. So 30 sec per mile faster. I don't have anywhere near enough data to know if 141 is "fair," but from the times out where we put up the kite, there's no comparison off the wind. Upwind the boat seems to do fine in flat water. Chop? maybe not so well unless you can crack off steer the waves well.

SO we'll see!