So I got my plans and construction book and now the questions start.. Under the title Timber John says to avoid hardwoods or oily wood with the exception of perhaps the floor board. The plans show the floor below the desighned water line. So my question is would useing very heavey timber for the floor boards help by makeing the hull structure stronger and help as ballest and make the boat more stable ? I have a lot of options for timbers from very lite to extremly heavey. I intend to use the litest strongest timber above the waterline. Also I am thinking about makeing the center board as a composite to eliminate any chance of it warping. If I build a composite centerboard I could do a lead core and increase the weight and would need a larger pivot pin also do kevlar inside the centerboard box.Anybody have any thoughts on that ? Above the waterline I can save some weight on the boom gallow by doing a balsa, camphor wood lamination and instead of 1 inch stainless tube for the gallows I am thinking about fabricateing carbon fiber covered with koa wood veneer. The hallow mast could be made with carbon fiber core and laminated with camphor wood with the outer laminations koa wood. Also want to run wire inside the mast for a strobe. Big ships comeing in and out of Kauai harbors are not paying much attention to small sailboats at night. The mast top strobe has saved my butt a couple times!
For sure I need to beef up the tabernacle and chain plates ! I am woundering if when sailing off the wind if the sail at anytime touches the shrouds ? The reason for this question is the thought of adding a second set of shrouds and useing dead eyes on the shrouds with running light boxes and belaying pins , add some baggy wrinkles to the shrouds,would that look salty , or what? Really would like to hear from John who has put some time sailing pocket ship as to any possible improvements ?