>Speaking of keeping costs down, I hear that designer George Buehler >and builder Bill Kimley are developing a 38-foot Diesel Duck that >will have an amazing introductory price of $240,000 or about $5.00 a >pound. Georgs, I have yet to have the opportunity to see a Diesel Duck in the flesh but I have consistently heard good things about Sea Horse Marine. I communicated with Bill Kimley a couple of months ago and he told me he had 17 hulls under construction simultaneously so obviously some people think he's doing something right. I have the standard Diesel Duck at 36,600 lbs which makes it about $7 per lb. but that's still a great deal, particularly given the current cost of steel. Perhaps the vessel you are describing is a heavier version. In general I think George Buehler's philosophy as espoused in the "Troller Yacht Book" is really quite interesting. There are a few things that he believes in that I don't agree with, but generally it's a worth while, refreshing read. When I was looking for a Naval Architect/Small Craft Designer to design my boat I communicated with 10 people that have a distinguished track record in the business. The prices I was quoted ranged from $15,000 from George, to $234,000 from Sparkman Stevens. Throwing out the high and the low the average was about $70,000. George's quote included a minimum of systems design which can add significantly to the cost. Still, it's clear he backs up his low cost philosophy with his fee structure. I settled on a designer that I've known for many years and who is a fellow enthusiast on the subject of long, slender hulls. He also agreed to integrate systems work we can do at U.S. Submarines with what he's doing. However, I think that you could do worse than one of George's Ellemaid 81s built at SeaHorse Marine. The Ellemaid displaces 101,000 lbs and has an LOD of 81', LWL of 76' and a 14' beam. At a V/L of 1.1 at 9.6 knots George claims a calm water range of 8000 nm on 1800 gallons of fuel. Now, I think that is pretty optimistic but even if its within 20% it's impressive. Sea Horse could build that basic boat for less than $700,000. I would want to build the superstructure from aluminum, extend it and change the styling a bit and probably extend the beam about a foot. With the Wandering Star in 1972 we did 15,000 miles across the Pacific before we added paravanes in Hawaii. From experience, you can get use to the roll but thankfully nowadays we don't have to. By far the most objectionable motion, IMO, is associated with pitch and studies have shown that it's the vertical accelerations that are most likely to cause sea sickness. The conventional bluff bows, high freeboard, flare and substantive reserve buoyancy that characterize contemporary passagemakers are a result of designers trying to cram as much interior space in as short a vessel as possible. As a result, when driving to weather they experience substantial forward deceleration followed by rapid vertical acceleration prior to a tumultuous drop before the process is repeated. This requires slowing the vessel significantly and prolonging the agony, all for the sake of keeping the forward deck dry. Once you've experienced going to sea in a long slender hull with a finer entry it's hard to imagine putting up with the alternative. A SWATH or a submarine submerged are better alternatives, but at a cost. Bruce