The Arches

[laika]

..an everyday story of cruising folk..

With downhauls and babystays making positioning radar on the mast difficult and a hankering for rigid solar panels and a wind turbine, I'm being drawn to the conclusion that I need an arch.

My concern is that the skilled steel guy is not necessarily a boat designer (I'm not either). How should I go about designing the thing? What are the things to consider about size and positioning and attaching to the boat? What are going to be negative consequences? And finally...whenever I see a big solar panel on an arch I'm always thinking.."but doesn't that give a huge amount of weight high up and windage when heeled?" Am I just worrying needlessly?

 

[rob2]

Anyone who has gone through sailing dinghies will have a natural aversion to the concept of an arch - for all the reasons you give. But once your boat requirements move from "weekend camping" to "second home" then you need either a serously bigger boat or somewhere to mount all those bits and pieces.

My first thoughts are that you must decide whether the arch is to be a separate construction or an extension of the pushpit. Of course a few photocopies of a line drawing of the boat so you can sketch onto them will help get it looking reasonable and maybe even suit the hull lines. If it must stand alone, have a good long think about where its feet can bolt down with access to fit substantial backing pads and also consider where all the wire runs can be taken both above and below decks - ideally concealed, but easily accessible with no restirctions on using pull throughs.

Rob.

 

[laika]

I should have added that this is actually for a first, rather than second home and needs to be up to ocean bashing: I'm not a fan of the aesthetics of arches, so wouldn't be considering this for the UK/med.