Interesting Design and Suggestion

[Ken Bascom]

I just stumbled across the website of a French designer who has some interesting designs, including a very pretty little 19' beach cruiser called "Miss Simplette". (http://www.classic-yacht-design.com/3ladies/3-miss-simplette/ms.html
) He says he designed it for Lance Lee of the Apprenticeshop in Rockport, Maine, so I was wondering if any of you gentlepersons had been involved in building and/or sailing one. I would be most interested in hearing (well, reading) a report on this design.

If nobody has, one of you guys needs to get busy and build one as a public service for us lurkers who are still trying to talk SWMBO into that first dinghy...

[Steve Souther]

Ken,

Nice boat! Can it be possible? All that in a simple to build trailor sailor. I'd build one in a minute if I could sell my H16. After yesterday's work-out, I'm ready. Ever try rigging a Hobie?

Steve

[Mike Field]

Ah, that's a nice little boat, Ken. No doubt about the bobstay being the most important bit of standing rigging here, is there?

This is our friend Daniel Z Bombigher, the guy who makes sort-of "faux replicas." You know, like a scaled-down version of Victory that's got Rolls Royce Merlin engines driving jets under each quarter, polycarbonate teak decks, a fibreglass figurehead, twenty-four-pounders that blow up party balloons, and roller reefing in all the yards. Or something.

Beautiful artwork, though. Here's another of his --

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1231924&a=10671402&p=51646460

Not really large enough to see the detail here, but for a big version, go to --

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=1231924&a=10671402&p=51646460&f=0

and click on the photo.

Pelicans are his lietmotiv, apparently.

By the way, shouldn't you have said "guypersons" in that last sentence?


[This message has been edited by Mike Field (edited 07-11-2001).]

[Stephen Hutchins]

Wow! This guy's illustrations are superb! Really fires the imagination. Somebody ought to get this guy to make a book!
The giant sail rig pictured on "Miss- Simplette" demands athletic/experienced sailors. Of couse, you could always design a smaller rig.

[Keith Wilson]

Yep, Mr. Bombigher is a wonderful artist. I have a sneaking suspicion that he's a better artist than boat designer. Miss Simplette is lovely, but a heavily ballasted open boat (ballasted with stones, no less) with that big a rig makes me a little nervous. The very shallow keel with no centerboard, despite the fins, makes one speculate that progress to windward even in flat water would be, um, leisurely, and nonexistent in a blow. Sure is pretty, though.

As I recall, there was an article about one of his larger boats in WB a while back. The were some realy spectacular drawings of things like cabinet doors, drawn down to the last detail, in several different optional aesthetic styles - specs for things like upholstery patterns, trailboard carvings, etc. Performance of the boat resembled a Tahiti Ketch on a bad day. Sure was pretty, though.

Reading the above, there's perhaps a little more venom than I intended. I've had too many dealings with "Industrial Designers" who didn't care whether something worked or not as long as it looked good, and Mr Bombigher's work has that smell about it. I could be wrong, though.

[TonyH]

I don't know Ken, on the other hand there's an awful lot of designers around who seem (IMHO!) to be prepared to sacrifice good looks for functionality, too. Just take a glance around any marina (not too mention such commercial horrors as the modern car carrier!).

The REAL challenge is to make it beautiful AND functional. I don't know how Monsieur Bombigher is doing on the second part (possibly not so great) but he certainly seems to be cutting in the looks department, so he's at least scoring one out of two.

Cheers

Tony Hunt

[Chris Lasdauskas]

The website is very interesting, full of nice designs and interesting claims. I found one site showing construction of a couple of his schooners (for sale), but has anyone here actually seen one or know anyone who has? How do they rate?