[SB18] A trailerable high performance sail boat with lifting keel
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July / August Issue No. 299 Preview Now
I550 sport boat.
The i550 is a very popular 18 foot stitch and glue design. Simple construction and avid builder blogs and websites add a sense of community and support for the builder. It is sloop rigged with an asymetric spinnaker and the powerful sailplan is modern and controllable.The Gougeon Brothers (West System Epoxies) liked the design so much they built one for themselves and made a speed build video of “Hot Canary” in their shop. There are about 500 plan sets in 40 countries and 6 continents.For more information: i550sportboat.com, [email protected] , i550class.org, i550na.org.
Tim Reiter Watershed Sailboats 277 Pines Drive Pagosa Springs, CO 81147 970-507-0428
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By ben gougeon.
An autopilot steering failure on his sailing scow Yello Thing forced Meade to withdraw from the 2010 Everglades Challenge . When he reached the shore, he was already thinking about building another boat for the next race.
Slappy, one of the boatshop cats takes a last stroll around the deck before Hot Canary heads to Florida.
The next boat needed to be more substantial to handle rough seas. It needed to be trailerable and comfortable yet still meet the race’s natural requirements. Meade and Jan began looking into the i550, an 18′ sportboat designed by Chris Beckwith. The pair decided that with a few modifications the i550 would be perfect for the race. They ordered the plans and construction began.
The Gougeon Brothers technical staff constructed the hull in their shop with Captain James R. Watson overseeing the building process. The i550 sportboat is built with plywood stitch and glue construction. We used ¼” 5-ply Okume plywood and judiciously placed 5 oz carbon fiber. The entire boat was built with WEST SYSTEM® 105 Epoxy Resin® and 207 Special Clear Hardener® .
The i550 sportboat under construction in the GBI shop.
With all of the bulkheads in place the ties were cinched tight before fillets and fiber-glass tape were applied to reinforce the joints.The next boat needed to be more substantial to handle rough seas. It needed to be trailerable and comfortable yet still meet the race’s natural requirements. Meade and Jan began looking into the i550, an 18′ sportboat designed by Chris Beckwith. The pair decided that with a few modifications the i550 would be perfect for the race. They ordered the plans and construction began.
The i550 sportboat’s bulkhead is stitched in place with zip ties.
The first task was to scarf three 4′ × 8′ pieces of the marine plywood together using the WEST SYSTEM 875 Scarffer™. We constructed a simple jig to enable the proper cut point on the plywood to minimize waste. After cutting the panels, we bonded them together with a mixture of 105 Resin and 207 Hardener thickened with 406 Colloidal Silica filler. Then we lightly sanded the panels with a random orbital sander to clean the scarf joints and prepare the surface for a coating of 105/207 mix. We “flow coated” the surface by applying mixed epoxy with a 10″ drywall knife. This was an efficient, yet effective method to coat three 22′ × 4′ panels with epoxy prior to construction.
With the panels coated, we overlaid the Tyvek™ patterns (provided by Watershed Sailboats) on the panels and made reference marks to transfer the pattern shape for accurate cutting. Using a handheld jigsaw, we cut the patterns from the panel, careful to leave the original reference marks intact. It’s always easier to remove extra material later than it is to put it back on.
Captain JR Watson built an ingenious jig we used to set a scribe mark around the perimeters of the cut and trimmed panels. From this point, we drilled holes at 8″ intervals to allow for the HDPE zip ties to “stitch” the panels together.
We loose-fit the panels with the zip ties in place to achieve something close to the desired hull shape. With bulkheads fitted in the same manner, the i550 was starting to look like a boat.
The daggerboard trunk was fit in position after the bulkheads were in place. Gray pigment was added to the fill coat of epoxy over the fillets.
Once the i550 sportboat was moved to the boat shop, work on the deck began. Another shop cat, Newbie, looks on.
After cinching the zip-ties we added some spacer modifications to the bulkheads to alter the hull camber midship and forward of midship. We tabbed the seams with WEST SYSTEM 732 Episize 9 oz fiberglass tape. When the epoxy had thoroughly cured, we removed the zip ties.
We then completed the cockpit, deck, stem, and stern using techniques detailed in the book, The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction. After completing the hull, we moved the boat across the street to the Gougeon Brothers boat shop for Meade and Jan to finish. They made a few modifications and customized the boat to fit the needs of the race. The i550 sportboat is a one-design class that allows modifications.
The first thing we looked at was the bulb keel called for in the plans. Because we needed a shallow draft, we built a straight keel that fully retracts into the hull. This flush keel arrangement is ideal for moving the boat over land. The Everglades Challenge requires all boats to be manually moved from the beach to the water.
We cast a NACA 12% lead foil and attached it to a board with the same section. An aluminum crane fitted with a winch lifts the keel through the daggerboard case. This arrangement provides a sufficient mechanical advantage for one person to raise the keel to the desired height. The boat can be sailed with the keel up, down, or at any position in between. When portaging, the keel would be raised until flush with the bottom. The keel allows for sailing in shallow waters and for it to be easily trailered. With the keel cranked all the way down, the i550 is very seaworthy and has tremendous righting-moment.
Meade and Jan will use three heavy-duty, reinforced 10″ × 48″ beach rollers to move the craft over land. The rollers, stowed beneath the cockpit, serve double duty as positive flotation.
The next thing we focused on was the rig. We bought a 25′ 6″ carbon fiber mast from C-Tech in New Zealand. Because the rig has to be lowered during the portage and pass beneath a 10′ high train bridge, we fitted the craft with a tabernacle instead of a standard mast step. This tabernacle allows one to raise and lower the mast without assistance. No gin pole or stay guides are required. All internal halyards pass into the tabernacle and route to the cockpit.
Meade Gougeon rolls a coat of paint on the overturned hull of the i550 sportboat, while his brother Jan follows up with a tipping brush.
Ben Gougeon demonstrates the blowout safety feature of the rudder with a moveable trailing edge tensioned with a shock cord.
The aluminum crane fits into a slot on either side of the hull and can lift the keel for sailing in shallow water or trailering.
The bowsprit of the i550 sportboat is hinged at the bow and attached to a crossed line at the base of the cockpit which will allow it to pivot 30 degrees.
Because the rudder was the major source of malfunction on Yello Thing, Meade knew the i550 sporboat needed a forgiving steering system. He designed a daggerboard-style adjustable draft rudder with a blowout safety feature. The rudder foil is set into a case with a non-destructive breakaway system that involves a moveable trailing edge tensioned with a shock cord. The boat can be sailed with the rudder fully extended, or in shallow water, partway up. This rudder configuration eliminates any chance of damage when grounding, while retaining a balanced helm at any depth of rudder setting, permitting shallow water control.
Instead of a retractable pole that protrudes from one side of the bow, common to sportboats, we experimented with a pivoting pole that can be adjusted off-center up to 30° for better downwind performance. The bowsprit is hinged at the bow and attached to a cross-line at the base of the cockpit. This allows the spinnaker to be articulated from inside the cockpit.
With this final change complete, the i550 is now ready to take on The Everglades Challenge. We wish Meade and Jan, along with all the participants of The Everglades Challenge, the best of luck this year.
Anyone who is interested in building their own i550 sportboat may contact Watershed Sailboats at www.i550sportboat.com. Our WEST SYSTEM technical advisors are happy to assist anyone considering this project. Call us toll-free Monday through Friday 9-5 ET, 866-937-8797.
Meade and Jan shake down the completed i550 sportboat Hot Canary in Florida prior to the race.
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i550 sportboat for sale.
2012 professional build, flush deck model. Formerly known as Poker Face
Carbon fiber rigmast, boom, & 6 articulating carbon sprit. North sailsmain, jib, asym. Ronstan/Harken sail harware. All rigging, sail bags, etc. Custom built trailer included. No motor.
This is a fast boat. Speeds above 14kts.
Youtube videos of this boat sailing search i550 poker face
Bob Perry review at the i550 class website.
There is an active facebook page for this class as well.
Great boat for fast day sailing and camp cruising, racing, phrf. Large cockpit can accommodate a crew or can also be singlehanded. The Gougoen brothers (West System Epoxy) built a very nice example for the Everglades challenge called Hot Canary. Some good articles floating around out there on the speed and success of this boat.
Asking $6000
Email w phone # for serious inquiries please. Thanks for looking!
Equipment: Specifications: Weight 800 lbs. (363 kg) Length 18 feet or 5.50 meters (hence the 550 in the name) Beam 8 feet WL Beam 4 feet 6 inches inches Draft - 10 inches (300 mm) keel raised for trailering 4 8 keel down while sailing Keel weight 150 lbs minimum 185 lbs maximum Sail area 250 sq. ft. Main & Jib Asym. Spinnaker 350 sq. ft. Fastest boat speeds are solidly in the teens, possibly pushing 20 knots. Go to YouTube for some fun videos.
Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.
The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.
Classic hull speed formula:
Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL
Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL
A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.
SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3
A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.
Ballast / Displacement * 100
A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.
D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³
This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.
Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )
This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.
CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)
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i550sailboat.com
277 Pines Drive, Pagosa Springs, Colorado 81147, United States
(970) 507-0428
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Yacht designs for Amatuer Construction
Beckwith Racing Yachts
This fun boat, like all our boats, can be built quickly, with about 200 labor hours and 20 sheets of carbon/ply or glass/ply.
Plans, patterns, and pre cut kits are currently available through Watershed Sailboats .
This past winter I got hooked on a small sportboat called the i550. It's a stitch and glue plywood screamer that is quickly growing world wide. The boat can be built from plans, kit or from full size patterns. I chose to loft my own since I had enough Okoume plywood to built the boat. There are class rules which are have plenty of room for error for the first time builder. There are two cabin length options and the designer has chosen to build his with a flush deck. Needless to say, I have pushed the envelope a tad and heavily modified mine, while keeping the boat class legal. I kind of wish they mandated a cabin but if someone was going to build a flush deck screamer, I had to do it as well. The first boat, Tokyo Trash Baby is well known and has several fantastic Youtube videos which will certainly get one's attention. The boats do have an interior and if you don't mind cramped quarters, berths for a small family of four. Full kits are somewhere near $2,500+- and plans, including official class hull #s are only $75. They claim build time is around 200 hrs, but I have at least that much time staring at the boat wondering what to do next. It has been a blast to build and the class involvement and contribution is second to none. The boat is has a retractable bulbed keel and can be ramp launched with ease. Total sailing weight is 800 lbs. No restrictions on materials, but plywood is best. I had a tough time with the stitch and glue because of my background of hard plug construction, but got it done and feel prouder of that accomplishment than any boat to date. Class website for any interested: http://www.i550.org/index.php My boat (have not updated photos for a few weeks) : http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o145/Tynaje/222/ Tokyo Trash Baby video (several to choose) : http://video.google.com/videosearch...&q=tokyo trash baby&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wv # Hull # 107 video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Iux...=view&catid=2&id=2931&feature=player_embedded I don't think a person could get into any boat with this kind of performance, stability and fun for the buck. It can also be detuned a bit for family trailer fun, 107 has reduced sail area and rig height I believe. Peter
good stuff Peter, thanks for sharing. Whats the length?
sailormanbigd said: good stuff Peter, thanks for sharing. Whats the length? Click to expand
You cast your own bulb? Where and how did you determine the alloy? Saw a couple of pics of a foam positive. Any other information on the website? Thanks
Napa Ed said: You cast your own bulb? Where and how did you determine the alloy? Saw a couple of pics of a foam positive. Any other information on the website? Thanks Click to expand
Spreading the Koolaid I see, the west coast is a little behind you guys, we hope to see 3 or 4 splashed next year, working on keel and rudder on mine this summer, laminated redwood foils and wheel weights for the bulb. There have been discussions about a group build for the hulls this fall in L.A, if anyone else is interested.Go the I550. Tim, hull #159
i550, we're spreading like a fungus Hi, found another place to recruit KoolAid drinkers, I see. Heheheheheheh TR
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This boat has been built in 3 sizes, ranging from the i550, to the MG25, to the MG30. Plans are currently being redrawn for the latter two models and will be available soon. There are also a number of other designs coming; a smaller 15 foot sportboat, that is in the works, check back in the coming months for more details on these projects.
The i550 has found a spot in the building sheds and imaginations of hundreds of sailors around the World. It is an 18 foot performance sailboat designed for amateur home builders. The performance is thrilling and has given many sailors memorable days on the water. i550's plane in moderate breeze and can be sailed single handed, two crew make ...
i550 by Watershed Sailboats (LOA: 5.5 m). Annoyingly fast sport boat. Specs, plans, building logs, photo and video gallery. ... The i550 is easy to construct, even for even the amateur builder, with a plywood "stitch-and-glue" method that ensures a light, solid hull, and a quick build. Or, to save drawing and cutting time, you can buy a kit ...
The i550 is a fast modern sharpie type hull shape owing its roots to the historic sharpies of Long Island Sound. The sharpies were known for their speed and seaworthiness, the i550 picks up where they left off. It fits in with the sportboats speeds and ability to plane off the wind.It is a simple design for stitch and glue construction using 1/ ...
i550 sport boat. The i550 is a very popular 18 foot stitch and glue design. Simple construction and avid builder blogs and websites add a sense of community and support for the builder. ... Design Specifications. Designer. Chris Beckwith. Year of Design. 2007. LOA. 18. Beam. 8. Draft. 4'8" Displacement. 800. Materials. Wood. Fiberglass ...
i550 was created for the MicroTon class, but it has since been turbocharged and redrawn as a one-off sportboat for fleet racing. The ease of building for an amateur builder with the "stitch-and-glue" method ensures a light, solid hull, and a quick build for even those with NO boat building experience. Due
Welcome i550 Builders. Monday, the real day of rest. Buy the Plans, Build the Boat Whats' Happening. Class officers elected. ... Meade of West Systems took on the 2011 Everglades Challenge in an i550. The boat was build with a fin type keel that could be fully retracted to allow beach launching along with a rudder cassette with crash protection ...
The i550 sportboat is built with plywood stitch and glue construction. We used ¼" 5-ply Okume plywood and judiciously placed 5 oz carbon fiber. The entire boat was built with WEST SYSTEM® 105 Epoxy Resin® and 207 Special Clear Hardener®. The i550 sportboat under construction in the GBI shop.
Youtube videos of this boat sailing search i550 poker face. Bob Perry review at the i550 class website. ... Equipment: Specifications: Weight 800 lbs. (363 kg) Length 18 feet or 5.50 meters (hence the 550 in the name) Beam 8 feet WL Beam 4 feet 6 inches inches Draft - 10 inches (300 mm) keel raised for trailering 4 8 keel down while sailing ...
i550 Sport boat M odern sport boats are expensive. Tooling, the various plugs and molds required to mold a GRP boat, are expensive. Modern gear is expensive. Carbon fiber spars and high-tech sails can cost close to what an entire, race-ready Soling cost years ago. But designer/builder Christopher Beckwith has
Plans are emailed as a 65 page .pdf It is dimensioned in both Metric and Imperial measurements. There are 6 deck layout options and a flow chart to name each of the relevant pages. Mast, keel and rudder dimensions are included. The keel keel bulb and rudder shapes are NACA 0012 sections. These shapes are a good performing easily followed foil shape.
The i550 is the most popular home built sportboat on the planet. At 5.5 meters long, it can be built in several variations to allow for those needing camp/cabin accommodations or an open decked racing machine with enough room below for a cooler and some gear. In 2011 the i550 won the double handed division….
18. i550, International 110, International Tempest - Jamestown. Jul 30, 2009. #1. This past winter I got hooked on a small sportboat called the i550. It's a stitch and glue plywood screamer that is quickly growing world wide. The boat can be built from plans, kit or from full size patterns.
about building another boat for the next race. The next boat needed to be more substantial to handle rough seas. It needed to be trailerable and comfortable yet still meet the race's natural requirements. Meade and Jan began looking into the i550, an 18' sportboat designed by Chris Beckwith. The pair decided that with a few modifications the ...
Like the Puddle Duck the i550 is the most economic way to build a boat to get out on the water. We just made a point on one end. T timber, May 24, 2011 #6. Joined: Oct 2009 ... Keel Attachment Hardware Specifications. trustmethiswillwork, Feb 24, 2024, in forum: Sailboats. Replies: 5 Views: 1,132. wet feet Feb 25, 2024 ...
Watershed Sailboats Plans and Kits for the i550 high performance sailboat. The i550 is a stitch and glue 18 foot sailboat designed for the home builder. Nearly 400 sets of plans have been sold worldwide.
i550 sailboat, i550 sportboat, sailboat build. Sunday, October 19, 2014. Catching up,,,, and my first race on an i550. I will try to catch everyone up on my progress. Allot has been going on since my last blog, I am nearly finished fairing the bottom and am planning to give the boat one prime coat, then flip the boat back over and finish the ...
Description. 2011 International i550. The i550 is the most popular home built sportboat on the planet. At 5.5 meters long, it can be built in several variations to allow for those needing camp/cabin accommodations or an open decked racing machine with enough room below for a cooler and some gear. In 2011 the i550 won the double handed division ...
Re: I550 sportsboat Ted: Correct on all points, including doing a double build.; I have another small (literally) build planned for my five year old. Then I want to build a planning hull. I am kicking around lots of ideas but this boat looks like street brawler. And yes, the autocorrect as usual changed spelling from planing.
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WoodenBoat is a bimonthly magazine that delivers a blend of traditional and evolving methods of boat design, construction, repair, and related crafts—as well as profiles of unique boats and people. In each of our lavishly illustrated, carefully researched and written issues, we aim to educate and inspire our readers while conveying quality ...
I will place my design between the i550 and a simple minitransat like the didi minitransat to get a cheap and simple lightwheight fun machine with a little living space and enough righting moment. Preliminary Data: LoA 6.5m, BoA 2.80m, BWL 1.7m, Draft 1.6m, Freeboard 0.85m, Mast height over deck 8.5m, main & jib ~32m².