A sailors question about boat builders and other crafts persons

[2MeterTroll]

I am a professional sailor. I know what it is i want a boat to do and i know most times how i want it to do that thing.

you are a professional boat builder or sail maker. you know your trade.

so my question is. how can i tell you what i want the boat or sail to do without it sounding like i am telling you how to do your job?

this is not a specific case.

[rbgarr]

If you can provide complete lines and thorough construction drawings of the boat, rig, etc., and a sail plan there shouldn't be that much of a problem unless you want to oversee every detail of construction and sailmaking.
In that case you'll probably need to hire on a cost plus basis since progress will depend largely on your timely availability, direction and unanticipated changes.

If you are asking how to communicate your abstract feelings about how things should be that can be achieved by finding a builder and sailmaker who understands your mode of expression, knows the kinds of boats (or ones similar) to ones you favor and has a similar feel for them. Tough task, but doable.

[S B]

Tell them the result you want," your trade", how they achieve it is their trade.

[Ian McColgin]

The question puzzels me because most experienced good sailors find it easy enough to find superb boats that at the minimum meet the gross needs of hull and sail behavior. The rigging needs are something the able sailor will handle his or her own way anyhow. Sail lofts have their specialties but I've not seen such a shortage of good sailmakers that one could not find one who agreed with whatever reasonable prejudice one might have. That leaves the accomodation, something easily attended to in building or done a bit at a time by the sailor.

In the sailboat world, the good designers, builders and sailmakers are themselves superb sailors and one departs from their notions with caution.

[2MeterTroll]

its just something i have noticed over the years. Sometimes i would say i need a boat that would do such and such and the ship yard would nod and smile and go about its business and i would be stuck with a thing that did not suit my needs for that boats operation. or when it was insisted on, the job would be half assed.

sometimes the boat builder would actually listen and make the change but i was never sure how the builder felt about it.

by no means was this with all builders or sail makers just a few here and there.
it always me feel funny to have to insist on something that at least to me was a simple request.

I always tried to let the pro's do the job.
since i am out of that biz where i was having to do this its not an actual difficulty.
but I do still sometimes feel that there is a communications break down between folks who know nothing about the construction of boats and sails and those who are making the hulls and sails.

these days i work for myself and build my own hulls and sails; thats pretty easy since i like junk rigs.

edit: finding the hull and rig is easy but you have to bow to the management when you are working for them and they insist on something being produced one off and mostly experimental.