"I'd
like to change the design of...."
Don't even think about it!
Not quite true...there's
lots of room for personalisation and minor changes in the design,
but here are the absolutely MUST NOT DO things. Don't change
anything that alters the displacement characteristics, the lines
or the balance of the boat, or its structural integrity.
Displacement and lines:
make changes to the hull shape and you may or may not end up with
a boat that floats, right way up or not, but it won't be a light
schooner.
Balance:
the daggerboard, rudder, chine shape, location and size of sails
all interact. Changing one significantly mucks up all the others,
so maintain the profile and shape of the rudder blade and the
daggerboard, whatever else you might do (eg a foldup rudder is
fine, provided when it's in the water its blade's the designed
shape)
Don't try bigger or smaller
sails or variations, because you'll lose one of the most important
characteristics of the rig...that all the normal sail configurations,
as designed, are perfectly balanced.
Structural integrity:
especially, resist the temptation to shunt bulkheads etc around.
This boat has a minimum of framing, and it's all needed in the
designed locations. Also, don't skimp on framing and stringer
dimensions.
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