beginner boat comparison

[wilsonj]

alright i took some advise and decided on 2 different designs in 16
feet range, wanted to know opinions, if one design is more cost to
build then the other? if one is better then the other, tear the
designs apart and let me know what you think!

first boat 16 hartley:

http://www.clarkcraft.com/cgi-local/shop.pl? (http://www.clarkcraft.com/cgi-local/shop.pl?)
type=item&categ=019&item=943118485&cart_id=f25edfdd9025a24f3b99e2fd6e71
fb73

second boat: (there are actually quite a few boats with a design
similar to this, so consider this one and the other silimar to it)

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/jim/musicbox2/index.htm (http://www.duckworksbbs.com/plans/jim/musicbox2/index.htm)

[JimD]

If you don't mind the Bolgeresque look of Music box it would probably by a little cheaper and easier to build.

Musicbox2 takes five sheets of 1/2" plywood, six sheets of 3/8" plywood, and five sheets of 1/4* plywood, with simple glue and nail construction.

So it requires 16 sheets of plywood plus all the other costs. Good marine plywood would end up costing most if not all of your $1000 budget so you'll have to build with exterior construction grade or something similar.

Music box will be easier and cheaper to ballast as well:
Ballast is a thick bottom and steel bars bolted to the bulkheads Inside - simple and cheap.

I think the Hartleys require a steel plate centerboard which you won't be able to cut yourself and would cost perhaps two or three hundred to have made for you.

Have you looked at Selway-Fisher? Some nice boats there, too. Many of Paul Fisher's designs call for a ballast box to be filled with concrete and scrap iron which is also a very economical way to ballast a boat and righting moment is improved as the weight is kept in the box keel well below the waterline.

http://www.selway-fisher.com/PCup16.htm

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

Keep it up. When you get down to an 11 foot sailing skiff you'll be in the ballpark.

[Holzernes Boot]

I would go with the Musicbox2. Easier to build and a really different look to set you apart as a custom built boat and not run of the mill.