CONTROLLING WEICHT Brut ject by Jay N. Miner chief naval architect at Delia Marine and weight esimating brings to contracts, i's more the rule than the Indwsries (Seaute, Washington). Since ‘mind my own experience over exception to have penalties assessed 1968, Delta has built high-quality 20 years sgo as a junior naval archi- for fling to weet maximum draft axd Aberglass commercial vessels and. in tect in a Seattle design office. One of minimum speed thresholds—both of 1985, began building hecury FRP the fst assignments gives to me was which depend on an accurate weight motoryackts. The author originally a weight estimate. Viewed by many as study offered the following material as a sheer drudgery, the weight estimate is The paradox of the weight estimate 7996 IBEX Wert presentation, and actually one of the mot important it that the perton who it least subsequenly published it in the April engincering tasks in new-vesvel de- equipped to perform the work—that 1998 iswe of Marine Techaology.» sign from the standpoint of salty and ie, tho leat experienced is Trequently Eaitor's Note: Author Jay Miner isthe T: subject of vessel weights performance. In yacht-construction * The orignal version of this article, including the chart on page 53, was publshed as "Weight Control and Monitrng in Fiberglass Yacht Construction.” by day N. Mine, in Marino Technology, Vol. 35, No. 2, Ail 1908, pp. 110-118. Ropriniod with permission of The Society of Naval Architects and Marino Engingers (SNANE), 691 Pavonia Ave. Jarsey Ciy, NI 07308, USA. Material originally appeuring in SNAME publications carnot bo reprinted without obtaining wren parnission Kom fe Sosy 52 PROFESSIONAL. BOATHULDER = my © Lege ie LARGE ere YACH rsthe one who gets the assignment, because senior enginesrs will avoid it by giving it to subordinates. Delegating ‘he Job, however, doesnt mean that ve can abdicate our respensibility w guide ‘hose whose willingness to perform doesnt entirely compensate fer the lack of experience. ‘That said, a goed weight estimator should: appreciate the importance of the task; be femili with the production environment; be detail oriented; and be allowed ‘enough time to do the jb right ‘Most of what I'll discuss here is based on my experience as an engi- neer working in direct support of a production environment, rather then 4s an independent designer. There are Some inherent advantages to working in else astociaion with the produc sion facility: i allows for real-time ver- ification of dats, and a more intimate sppreciation of the details that some- times get lost when you don't see them every day. ‘Although T would like to make some suggestiors for reducing light- Ship vessel weight, most of what I have to tay it more about the methodolegy of determining goals, tracking the progress to those goals, tnd ultimately meeting them. When it somes to building the lightot posible large composite yacht, there may te builders out there who have taken greater strides than ve have. The key for all of us tational basis to determixe the ‘mount of effor required to meet the Specific project goals, and what the ‘eceiated cost will be Weight Estimates in the Preliminary Design Process ‘Weight estimates are an important tool inthe preliminary design proces, 4S you are developing performance goals andthe principal characteristics te vee. Obviously, aeurae daa will give you more confidence in the reactions you make carly in te Sesiga phase. Much of wat we do in our office is 10 develop proposals Knovnfor building solid, oceangoing hecury moteryachts. Delta Marine has taken a conservative but thorough approach o reducing weight in ts venels. Facing page Lady Lindh is ax example of Dot's 124” shallowdrafi series. Above A representa- ‘ive simple ofthe weight breakdown ofa Delta motoryacht Since the largest amouat ofvmeight i in the hull suture, the best oppornaiies for renting weight are prod bly in tht cree ‘based on parent hullforms, This is a natural for us, sinse we have been building primarily from fixed hull tooling that can be le widened ffom project to project, ‘but is similar enough to lend itself to paranetrie manipulation. Our goal is fo ge: large enough empi base to be able to dial in a vessel ‘weight on & given proposal with a minimum of tine required. Compiling this Kind of data would be more diff: cult for 2 builder doing two er thre fusion yachts a year than for a pro- duction facility delivering many copies of « variety of molels over the same peried of time, Define Your Format ‘The frst step in a weight estimate is to choose a format and terminology. You can't keep track of anything If you don't know what its called and ‘what box it belongs in. To the best of ‘my knowledge, there is no common fandard lor weight estimates that applies specifically to yachts. There certsinly are formats evaileble. for commercial vessels, such as the Maritime Adainistration (MARAD) system; ard the US, Navy has its own numbering system for weight grou. ‘Typically, large design offices have an established standard. AC Delta, we decided to develop our own standard, based on the MARAD citegories. We climinated some inappropriate see- tons such as boiler founcations,rivet- ing, and wooden hatch covers: and ‘expanded others which, im yachis, represent a significant amount of weight. We developed the groups ‘around the unique characteristics of ‘composite consiruction, as well asthe APRILIMAY 2000 53HE Har uBOLLOOEN a HY ra price of very ightwolght, hgh-nodulus reinforce. ‘ments has been coming down In recent years, and Delta Marive Ic one of a rumber of lrge-yacht builders who are taking advantage of the Increasing affordably of these mmatotals. Pictured above are two projects now underway at Data in which the primary reinforcement is carbon fber— 202 double bias aid 2002 \nidediond—in @ viryl exer resin system. ‘Aare (below, righ, whose sying was done by Jonatran Barat (Seattle, Washington, isthe newest in a saries of shallow-draft 124 iideck motoryactts. Its te frst project ‘at Delta to ince allcarbon-fiber deckbeams. The bimini top Will be corstruced of carbon fbr skns and a foam core for adaltonal weight savings inthe most rticl region. ‘Also under constusion is Gran Fhale (op, lo), the fist ‘of the new Delia 147 tii-deck series, in collaboration wih J.C. Espinosa (Stuart, Florida). The boa's design concept called fora skylounge wih a 360-deoree view, leaving Ile ‘structural support for the large windows and curves siding sequence in which ou vessels are put together The inor wan partiesanly Targets important to us, since we wanted to be able to verly our preditions ts we went along by weighing cael compocect as t wee loaded of ssenbled ‘Once the woightcategery stndard is enublished he next step is crete an omganized format for Gacking your ‘nti, Ths is commonly dove on 8 ‘ompuer spreadsheet. 4 PROFESSIONAL BOATBUILDER ‘Choose Realistic Weight It’s not always easy to persuade a poteatial client to have reasonable expectations for a new project—as evidenced by some of the bid speci cations floating around the industry for operating profiles difficult to accomplish in monohull designs. AS the average vessel size continues 10 increase, we're seeing a demand for vessels in the 150" range with target door. The soln tothe enginerngchatlonge isa poat cateé one piece carbon fr racking beam, which wil extend through two dock levels ard epan bear-teboam in fe main saloon and upper lunge. ‘Vitualy al sructire on Dota projects, in adtion o beng checked agains the stancard rguldoy-tody requremenss, 's analyzed by tito sore modeing (FEN), The a mary FEM progamo avaible, we hae feund ANSYS to be very ‘adapabie © compost constucton. The Ngue ato, ht 's ante sloment modelo ho racking fram fox Gran Filo ‘showing exaggerated defections uncer applied lateral load ing. At lower left is an image of the man cabin front and coach roel for Aerie shoving the finte element modeling of the carbon fiber reinfread structure under a sinulated load. rafts matching a client's present 110" yacht. Ownere alto ask for ‘oceanic capability, and « cruise speed approaching 20 knots. These requir: mens are at leat on the edge of what is possible employing conventional hull configurations and construction methods. No designer or builder ‘wants to be in the position of telling prospective clients that they can't hhave what they are asking for, but sometimes that's the right answer,EINo Mig elo So aon, oie Rer erelon NE te Reon FRP Supply’s latest great idea c/ivks for another industry first. RP Supp ite ed again — with efi e-commerce site lrcmposts a ast po nis Why his oa hin Ase et pt bok he cheek your ode * Yovean deck your purchase sory 9 ing, ay day +6 et atta sec csmer acount po yur om, tt eFRPcom to ebm jou cn one n-ne. Once youve setup an acct, ordering wil ees, mre comenin and nee secure than exer Ifyoshas questions sbot eRe, yu als can ea our FR Sapp erent Or oat Ashlin Dstribton Company FR? Supp Dison, 0, Bat 2219, Cob, 0143216 Reece net ea Bite ore a SetteBeware of the trap of putting yourself accommodations within the same engineers), confuse a vessel8 gross ina position you ean' support techn overall length, 28 dock space tonnage on its U.S. Coast Guard cx cally. As an independent designer, becomes increasingly limited for ves- tificate with a displacement weight you have an implied obligation to sels over 100. The majorty of yacht I've had numerous ‘alls from people work with the builder to determine owners would rather have the conve- wanting to know what the "tonnage" whick corstruction methods match aience of being able to moor their of a specific Delta vessel was. If the the yard's skills and equipment, a vessel at the quay than have to com- call was from a shipyard getting ready well as to view the client's budget mute by tender from an anchorage. 10 doa drydocking. they were usually with the same level of cancers that For those who are just beginning '0 lookiag for a weight to make certain he or she éocs. As an inchouse engi-- develop a set of data for vessel size, their lit could handle the load. If he reer, you are complied 19 do these displacement, power, and speed, 2 call was from a captain looking '0 things word of caution: view the figures upgride a Coast Guard license, the ‘At Delts, we have been lucky to published in conaumer magazines caller neaded the goss tonnage fig have clients whose demands tend t0 vith a healthy dose of skepticism. ure, which is essentially a volume fall ia line with oar perspectives, There are numerous opportunites for measurement and has no direct elie which may be more conservative than you t gather bad information. Some tionship to the vessels weight. those of some other builders. Integrity of it may be the result of a simple A good source of Weight and per- and oceanworthiness of the vessel misinterpretation between publisher formance aumbers is engine distrib4- fe our primary requirements. Speed, and designer; and sometimes I tors, who ave a great deal of sea-tral although a consideration, ie not believe it’s an intentional red her- data. Although this information is always the driving criterion, Still, ring—many architects and designers often proprietary, you may be able 10 since most of what we deliver has may be reluctant to disclose too much convince them 10 share some af it by been going to south Florida, and the free information to heir competition. suggesting that they firt delete the Bahamas are still on the cruising iti- At any rate, if the published figures identity ofthe vessel and builder. Sti erary, draft remains an issue. This indicate a “tonnage” figurs without a use this data with eantion, since many ‘ne of the main reasons T think thar qualifier, you should be esutious, TNe sea tials are ran before the vessel is we're seeing greater beam-to-length seen many people in ths yachting 100% complete. Consider the well- ratios in the newer vessels. Another industry who should know better publicized example some years ago reason is the demand for more (although typically not designers or of a IS US.-built yacht. The projst Bere decane erieeen eka oe facturing experts with facilties second to none in the composites industry. Providing high quality, automated tooing wih shor calendar times utilizing two ofthe lergest S-axis machiring centers in the U.S. Voctorworks pio ‘eered the Limited Production Todiing (LPT) method of ‘machining robust molds capable of muliple pls alow- ‘ Fe ing the customer to skip the costly manufacturing of plugs SMS cue Mace a lid ‘and reduce echoduo timo. Renae! 4] 60,000 5, Ft Intracoastal WaterontFaciity == Srna ares Reese ed Dean ratte Eerie Corer (ei moar ee ee eee) Si PROFESSIONAL BOATBUILDERvas # landmark for its builder, andthe press was plentiful. | learned some time later that the trials were run before any of the interior was inalled, and that the final speed ofthe vesel was notably less than the number that was splashed about marine maga zines fr six months, Select Weight Margins Based ‘on Your Level of Ignorance We have fourd that the biggest uuoknown ia the weight-estimating, ‘game in custom motoryachts is the lent’ propensity to add the proj- et, up to aad even following launch day. Weve seen projets start with the Griving prenise of simplicity. Some- ‘where along the line this philosophy sets replaced with, "This is the last yacht Tm going t build and I always wanted X." Bewue of statements similar 10 the following: Broker: "Ive worked with this ‘ltent for years and can tell you ‘exactly what he will wan." (Client: “T don’t want to make @ statement. I want a very simple Client's spouse: "Yim going to do the interior design.” In one extreme example a number of years ago. a 100" plus yacht feom « US. yard came in nearly one-thiré over cxigindl target weight at lounch. ‘The neval architect ceught most of the lame, although the clieat was pri marily responsible for making signifi- ‘ant stditions to te vessel long after the engineering was "Finished." 1 highly recommend identifying as much of the equipmeat list and basie ‘outfit as possible at the time of con tract. That way, there is a benchmark to refer to when weight is added. All the change orders my company writes include three questions ‘8 How much does the change exst? 18 Hove much doc it delay th delivery? 18 How much does it weigh? Every change order signed does ot neceoserly result ina delay oe eight change (or even a cost change. for that matter), but at lest such a document will prevent misender- standings Iter. At the end ofthe peo- ject its a simple mater to "weigh" all ‘of the change orders and add the sum to the contract light-ship pound- orinch immersion to determine the Adjustment to the contract draft. While we haven't seen a number aise from this method thet amounted {© more than « half-lach of additonal draft, formalizing the process in this way eps the subject of weight in the client's mind when changes are being discussed, In an ideal world, every pound could be secounted for and loaded into a spreadsheet, but some mi ‘would still be nscessary to ensure thet te final weight comes in as expected In our office, we like to se 5% a Jess at a margin in any category by the end of the process. Ultimately, you must decide how much to "keep in the pocket" for the unknown or tmanticipated. Large composite yachic seem f0 have an exasperating ability 1m generate pounds where you would Jeast expect it. Ifyou don't adequately APRILIMAY 2900. 57protec: youself from these unczrtain- will be able to make fairly quik and make up samples of structure in- es, you might find yourself facing «accurate weight predictions for similar house to verify weights against @ hefty penalty and a2 unhappy cus i apufutwerspublied figs fr tomer atthe een Yariows materials. Pehaps not surpis ‘Als conier lowing w marci fr Foster a Cooperative Attitude ayy. the published figures can vary the vertical center of gravity (VCG), Between Designer and Builder significantly ffom the sctual sam My observation is that for normal An education process between ples—frequently because of differ Inngth-io-beam ratios, a conventional éesiga/enginecring ‘and produetion is ences in the glassto-resin ratio of @ yacht form provides 2 fairly safe range crtieal to attaining veight goak. The laminate. This variation iz akin to the @f intact stability characteristics. design group needs to understand the mill-olerance concerns with metal Neverteless, an early check for sto. shop's preferred production methods esses, but peshaps more extreme in lily imperative. Given the implice- and materials, and production needs terms of percentage variation. Our ions of marginal stability, I recom {0 recognize the importance of the samples ave built ia our own glass rend that you allow yourself some procedures and goals established at shop against a backer of waxed pla buffer here as well—3" of VOG in the beginning of the project. Your tie laminate. Standard lengths ot reserve is probably a reasonable fig. numbers must be accurate enough tb square fotages are cut and weighed tue. Use more if you are uncertain allow you to answer questions from on a very accurate Sigitel scale and about the design tangles As in all podtion sucha hs, fom the ca bela accord! vessels, when weight increases, it Fenty foreman: "Yes, I can bull inevitably seems to migrate up rather cabinetry out of "plywood, but %"is a Draft Restrictions and Hull than down, When choosing targets for Int ese. Does it eal matier?™ Design vessel VCG at the besinning ofa pro- We've discovered that once the If you are starting from serach and ject, you can praciclly assume 90% production people become part of a developing a set of lines (particularly of the distance from the radbet line to team approach to saving weight they if you are going to make a reusable the main deck. This has been « good are enthusiastic supporters of the pro- female too), bear in mind the inher- rule of thumb for us for sormal pro- gram and frequently will come. up ent advantages of putting ample beam files ‘nd configurations. With innovations fer how to build into the design: Bventually, sf 00 ae diligent and something lighter ‘develop a large enough database, you We have found it quite useful © 1. The hull might be stretched at COMPSYS, Inc. NORM TacoRison CORPORATE HO serosa “erva7iaaon 3 TEL (321)726-0303 RErCRHS Fax +47 22 4405 26 — Web site - netpu/wwrwareferms.com 3 PROFESSIONAL BOATBUILDERsame point. What started life as a 100 yacht may be 106? before it his the ‘water. 2. More beam means bigger water- plane, which means higher tas pe neh, if you are fighting a draft restriction 3. More beam also mesns better ‘ability when the 100’ raised pilot hhouse becomes a stretch tr-deck 4. Your competition is building » wider hull and the client's interior designer likes the added space te work with Of course, the down side to greater beam is the implication of lower speed if the proportions are not appropriate to the power available. Partial tunnels are a common fea ture in shallow-éraft yess. Properly designed, tunnels aren't necessar a detriment to performance. It's easier to redace draft by locating the pro- pelle up into the hull a little and bringing up the keel dag s few inches, than to find another 16,000 Ibs to eliminate in order to meet con mat target, Recordkeeping ‘Once the contract is sigued and the targets established, the work goes to the second phase. It's imperative to review weight at constriction pro- ‘esses. In our shop, we veigh indi dual fiberglass part as they are built tad assembled, Similarly, we verify weights of mechanical compenents gains. manufacturers’ figures, and weigh # representative aumber of interior cabinets to verity the predictod figures on a square-feotage basis. The idea here is to avoid surprises and elays. We weigh pars that can fit on 48" x 48° footprint and that weigh in the range of 10 Ibs to perhaps 1,000 Ibs on a digital platform floor scale. As components are loaded aboard the vessel, production people record the weights, which are later collected by the weight engineer. Fer heavier items, we have a digital ‘sale that can be suspended from the hook ofa portable crane, and has 2 cexpacity to 10,00 Ibe ‘We also own load cells, which we periodically use to verify the total weight of the vessel during various stages of construction. We can then compare these weights to the pre- dicted figures for the same level of completion. Our system consists of tight load celle rated at 200,000 Ths tach, accurate to plus or minus 10 Tos, and represents an investment of shout $12,000. This may seem like a lot of money, but compared to the ramifications of an averweight vessel it’s a good value. One draft or speed penalty would buy this much equip- ment several times over ‘Typically, we weigh our vessels at certain milestones of assembly and cating 1 hol with all belass bultheads, tanks, web fiames, and shell stiff: ners insaled; w vessel main deck and first-tier superstructure assembled, boat deck loaded, main machinery installed 1 boct completely sticked up to fly- bridge level, main machinery installed, secondary mechanics! sysems underway, joinery rough-in “underway; WHEN THE Goinc GETS TouGH.. For more information To +1025 647 9500 oxt 4426 APRILMAY 2300 991 boat fully assembled, machinery complete, joinery rough-in com plee, finish of interior underway. fairing and painting unéerway. After launch, vessel weight is vere fied by flotation waterline, checked ‘aguinst computor bydrovtatie, nd cconected via deadweight survey. The beauty of ongoing weight ‘monitoring durlag construction fs that ‘t doesn't teally matier exactly what the level of completion may be. 50 Jong as all ofthe comporents can be identified and included inthe running summary. Another benefit is a better ‘dea of how the categories should te split once the light-ship weight is Acternined after launch. Its one thing ‘© know tow much the total vessel weighs completed. It's much more eful to have an tccurate idea of what pereentage of was joinery, This isthe only way you wi vo use this information for accurate parametric predictions for future designs. Opportunities to Remove Weight Delta has historically been known for its heavy-duty commercial vessels id trawlerstyle yaehte. The later craft were our entry into the yacht busines, and wo still build thom. AS four product line has expandeg, how ver, the domaad for stricter control over weight and draft hos increased. The majority of hulls now in produc tion in our shop ate semi-displace- ‘ment shallower-draft projects based on a single-chine botiom shape. When we built the tooling for te first of these hulls in 1992, we knew we needed a different approach 10 weights in general. Where we once had'the license to simply make it strong and let the draft increase a i te if necessary, we were now in the tealm of tight constraints. All builders of 100'plus fiberglass yachts are con stantly dealing with these same issues. ‘SUGGESTIONS FOR HULL ‘WEIGHT SAVINGS If you look st the sample weight breakdown of the various major cals gories shown oa the pie chart en page 53, you can soe the largest amount of weight i¢ in the hull structs, snd the best opportunities to remove ws are probably in that area, Ive below a variety of ways to extract ‘pounds fom structural wight 1. The easiest pound to get cut of a vessol is the ore that wat never need cd in the frst place. Good engineer ing up font eliminates the secon! guessing that otherwise may take lace on the shop floor whea parts are being hud up. Lab-testing of Shop-buiit laminates yields real- world numbers, which will give you greater coafidence in your engineer- ing than vould a manufseturer's fig- tres. Your test results may fall on either side of the published num- bers. It's best to know what you're really getting on a day-io-clay basis in production, and seleet your lami nates accordingly. THE PROVEN NAME FOR LG AG Wy Nuecita SYSTENS, ‘tra is the one source forthe high quality anchoring Cee el hem UL Ree ‘tt Cee oe a acoassotes. ere ee, Ce ree een Let Imtra help you put together the best possibi See eae es Cent eer ‘hye al Cee eee eo ee ca @ PROFESSIONAL BOATEULDRhhave to allow about 0.4 Ib per square possible, but prepare for the un- & Use unidirectional reinforcements foot for bots sides for resin sonkage expected bulkhetd revcations clue to and other high-modulus materials imo the balia—assuming you ar not late-breaking arrangenent changes. where appropriate. For standard E> using a precoated product. (Ifyou are fass, the cost premium paid for uni ‘using an ultralight balsa core with a $. Deep beams are more effective directional roving is small compared ‘manuficturcr-applied surface treat- than shallow ones, where headroom tothe benefits (ee sidebar en pag> 58), ment, the difference will be much permit less.) But remember the greater 9. Fairing compound aciis pounds, shear modulue afforded by balsa in 6 Lightweight cores work in most and decent contribute anything to the long spans, especially on decks. places. However, labor hours are structure. Wherever possible, filler Lower shear modulus will result jncreaod ifyou have to uso compres: materials should be tzed cn the tool jin more material being used in a sion sleeves for bolted installations. ing, and not on the pat foam-cored deck to mect the same span-to-deflection ratio. Thick cores 7. Long spans in dects can get teavy _ SUGGESTIONS FOR MECHANICAL allow larger panel spans, and the a @ hurry because of deflection: ‘WEIGHT SAVINGS labor costs are reduced because Tess critical design. Large open arcas, framing is required. It takes no more eademie to the yacht industry, are 2 Although this weight group makes labor to install 2 1"core than a 14" challenge t design and build, Sell up a smaller percentage of the overall core interior designers on the beauty of lightship weight, You can stil pare it stanchions and columas. own, 3. Make your parts as large as possi- Note that the figures published in ble. The weight of secondary bonds tke American Bureau of Shipping 1 The first and most obvious consid: can add up. A main deck builtin two (ABS) Guide fo Building and Classing eration is the engine and the horse- pices rather than four, for example, Motor Pleasure Yachts may be inade- power delivered per pound of weight. could result in saving a significant quate for large spans. My conversa- Your options are improving ll the percentage of the total weight of the ions with other naval architects con: time, a¢ more manufacturers offer par, firm this opinior, and many of them high-performance packages. The chal- ‘exceed the inertia figures published lenge is to reach a balance between 4, Avoid redundant structure where byABS. reliability and perfornance. We have One Sweet Package Our gelcoats make you look good. InSnot enough to offer the latest colors ~ whether vibrant or sulbdued =the elcoat you cose has to perform, too. It has nd ramble ofthe road, the everyday wear and tea home and commereal use. The matk ofan excepto builder is how well its produc look when th Lilly innovate products do jst tha, We pat leading-edge technologies io work in proving 1 FRP need on bos, we've been working had ak sd You can count on sco Fok woe information about our proves, call (840)397-1082 Ly Industies, ine APRILIMAY 200 61found that clients are sometimes more willing to accept the higher horse- dower-to-weight-ratio engine when 4s included in an extended-warranty package. 2. Specify aluminum rather then foundations and engine rails Weer eppropelats;,plistio; rather 4. Aluminum or composite housings on engineroom blowers ae available. 5. Select aluminum housings for reduction gears rather than steel of cast iro, SUGGESTIONS FOR INTERIOR ‘WEIGHT SAVINGS 1, Watch the small furniture, lockers, shower stalls, de. They oan get hoary. quickly. A few years ago we checked than metal, pipe will sve significant weight More composite mega yachts are built with AIREX R63 core Than All Other Core Materials Combined WHY? ITS STRONGER! ‘Airex R63 is atough, CFC free, thermoformable linear closed cell foam with excellent damage tolerance. This structural core makes your product ighter, faster, strongerand osteffective. [Chany imac Sraaiy Cl Itis suitable for dynamically in loaded and shock absorbing sandwich structures such as mega yacht hulls AIREX (@ PROFESSIONAL BOATBUILDER ia BALTEK CORPORATION OP sie ance: rel: 201-767-1400 « Fax: 201-387-6631 wun ate com «Mali attekcorpa@aoicom some of the parts we were building for fixed seating and found that we could easly cut the weight in half end Still build them pleaty slid, 2, Our ld method of building inte- ior employed a double-theathed inteior system. By converting largely to single sheathing of interior bull hneads or lightweight overlays, we hhave removed redundant labor’ and weight. 3. Cut out the backs of cabinetry. Use 14" instead of "stack whete you can Dorit double-box the builtins. Tai approach is more cost-effective than building with lighweight cord pan- cls, We met cur most testricive ro- ject goals to date with selective use of those materials by paying careful attention along the way to everything that went aboard the vessel. Depend= ing on cost end goals, the lightes Weight cores are certainly an option, Just make sure you do the cost benefit analysis. How many dallas do you want to spend to remove the next pound? 4. We have built interior and exterior doors with heat-cured epoxy. pre- regs, and are considering these ‘materials for ether applications. The biggest pitfall in weight estinat ing is not dedicatirg suficiestatten- tion and resources to the task. The best intentions at the beginning of a project can ge deriled if thee is no lear pricrity io maintain an ongoing and thoreugh effor. It's a danger to relax too early in the project, because that's when the weight can ereep aboard. Most production people will, if Teh to their own judgment, build components much héavisr than engi- peering requiremenss dicate ‘Weight estimates are frequently the least conspicuous part of « vessel design—until the Ieunch. Then all eyes are fixed on the waterline at the moment just before the vessel feats fre. Is casicr to appeat confident at that point when you've done a thor- ‘ough Job ahead of time, D> About the Author: Jay Miner ts a licensed professional engineer. He Joined Delta Marine Industries tn 1987, and hes been the company’s chief navel architect since 198%.