Hi all,?
I'm opening this new thread in response to questions I have been repeatably asked by prospective builders who want to build a fairly small boat but want the comforts and cabin of a larger one.?

The answer, as with many things in life, is : it depends.
I buillt the small cabin Duo480 Jigsaw because I knew I would be mostly day sailing, so it worked out fine for me. a fast light boat that is easy to tow, easy to rig,easy to launch even off a beach, and easy to sail. I also visited a builder who chose the Eco 5.5 who lived very near his sailing grounds so trailering his boat has worked out fine.

Last summer I was fortunate enough to be invited for a sail by David Thatcher on his Eco 6, which the bigger brother of my boat. I came away very impressed with the boat and especially the room inside the cabin which has allowed a full galley/kitchen, a seperate bathroom area, a generous double berth plus tons of storage. Of course I had seen David's boat a couple of times during construction so I was not really not too surprised at how well everything worked out. His boat is kept on a mooring so he drives to the bay where his boat is kept, rows out, and is underway in just a few minutes. The downside only being the added potential maintenance costs of keeping the boat on a mooring.

I also sailed, quite a few times on a locally built KD650 which is, I must say, a fabulous boat. Too large for very regular towing (needs assembly if not kept on a mooring)

The answer to the question is probably divided into several segments. You must look at your own personal situation. Do you live close enough to your favourite sailing grounds where you can tow a larger boat to easily, and if you can, does the boat comply to the legal width in your country? Do you belong to a boating club where there is hard stand storage so you can just launch and retrieve the boat? easily without having to take it on the road regularly?

Do you have acess to a safe mooring place in a harbour or bay, (or lake) where you will not have to worry too much about it when there is a storm, or maybe you can afford to own or rent a marina berth (even safer)?
?
Do you have enough time and energy to build a larger boat? I am really talking about the difference between? the smaller designs like Duo 480, 520 , Eco 5.5 and 6, comparing with the 7.5 or 860 sizes. There will be a big difference in the time and effort between those smaller versus the larger ones. Let's not get into the really big designs that have been discussed on the forum in th past few days. I have got huge admiration for the builders of Bernd's big cats and i love seeing and reading of? their progress.

Maybe we can hear from members who have built or are considering building any of the designs in the 5 to 7 metre range and talk about why they might choose one design over another

Cheers, Bryan Cox? (PS I write this while we are in mid winter here with 100 km winds and thunderstorms. My boat is tucked up inside my barn)

With 4 of 6 bulkheads marked out on plywood, two saw cuts made, and the first epoxy coating to happen today, I can now speak officially to the topic as someone who is BUILDING an ECO 6. :-) I came to Bernd's wonderful designs late in my sailing/building after following James Wharram for 40 years and building two of his designs - the Tiki 21 and the Mana 24. I was first attracted to the ECO 5.5 for two main reasons - it did not require assembly to launch, and it offered sleeping for two in the same cabin.The required assembly of the Mana and the separate sleeping quarters have discouraged my life partner from joining me for anything beyond an occasional day sail. I much prefer to do multi-day camping/sailing trips and the ECO 5.5 looked like it could deliver those two objectives with the hope of luring my partner to join me. I poured over the study plans and wondered if I had another boat build in me (I am in my 70's) but held back and I am glad I did. A comment from Bernd which pointed out how much more room was available in the ECO 6 with only a small amount of extra materials and building time prompted me to order the ?study plans for it. David Thatcher's superb build and his generous documentation with many photos and comments made it difficult to go back to the 5.5 but I was troubled by the over-width issue of the 6. Again, a comment by Bernd encouraged me to do some investigation. Here in my home province of Saskatchewan (Canada), it is possible to obtain an over-width towing permit for a sailboat for only CDN$30 for the entire year. With this new knowledge it was an easy decision to order the build plans and start making preparations to build an ECO 6. Most of my sailing is done on a 145 km long reservoir lake and hour and half from where I live. I am able to leave the boat on the trailer, with mast stepped, at the marina for an affordable cost for the sailing season. My mid-sized Toyota Tacoma easily handles launching the boat and pulling it should I decide I want to visit one of the many other lakes in the province or in the neighbouring provinces. Highways in Canada are wide enough and so pulling an over-width trailer is not too onerous, especially for a farm boy like me who has been accustomed to handling over-size loads. In the ECO 6, Bernd has packed so many features into such a compact size I am quite sure my boat will be the envy of my sailing buddies after the boat is launched. And again I must reference David Thatcher's superb execution of the design - he has set the standard for build excellence very high. My aim is to come as close to that as I can, and I plan to incorporate the clever modifications which he added to his boat. Unlike some members of this group located in communities where boat building is very common, being the builder of sailboats on the Canadian prairies is a rather lonely affair. I am very grateful for this online community and the contributions which many make. Thank you, Bryan, for starting this thread. I look forward to hearing others offering their experiences and ideas. Cheers. Rod McLaren?

Hi Rod, you made a good choice. If I was to do it over I would have built a 6.0 instead of the 5.5. Good luck on the build.

Phil

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HI
Good luck and good work Rod!
Cheers Domenico

I report that the equipment has been transported to the Suwalki Gap region. The barrel fixed in the marching position, winter camouflage.

Hi Rod

You did a fantastic job. Hu, a bit near Kaliningrad, be careful and have fun.
Keep us informed

Cheers

Bernd

Duo800 older spec asym hulls - so unbelievably sexy, it was the reason I did subscribe to the group just to get closer to the designer of sexiest cats in the world )))
(I am biased, but, anyway)

It is so unpractical for my grown family needs, but, anyway, soooooo sexy!!!

Bernd, this sexy Duo800 asym is a pure jewel.
Unpractical, as most women are ))), but jewel of yours!!!

It is peace zone near Kaliningrad, unless Polish rulers decide suicaidal things for themselves

Hi
I understand you. Not good for a big family. Was also not the intention. It is okay for two. Perhaps an iglo tend helps in the cockpit like this
on a Little Tri. See photos, Little Tri.
Do you go to the Baltic sea??
Interesting comment about Kaliningrad ;-))

Have fun
Bernd

Poor Russia/bad Poles? Do you know what your'e saying?

Ha, we are from the East have our own sort of humor. Our way to survive bad situations than these we witness right now.?

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Who was the gentleman from Saskatchewan doing a eco 6 build?

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Love to see some pics!

Its still too early for photos - at the moment I am coating a few panels and working on bulkheads. I have finally found a heated workshop which will be available July 1. I will do my best to post photos once there is something to see. :-)