: A few hints for those of you lofting with a computer.

: It usually isn't necessary to plot every point on a former, except for the
: small ones at the ends. If the program you are using has a good
: "Curve" tool (most CAD and technical drawing tools will) you can
: usually get by with far fewer points than Nick has provided.

: This is easy to check for yourself. Plot all of the points for one of the
: larger formers and draw the curve. Then re-draw the curve (right on top of
: the first) by selecting every 3rd or 4th point from the original (use a
: different color). Zoom in as large as you can and look for discrepancies
: between the two lines. If you pick the right points there shouldn't be
: any! Be sure to pick some of the more important points including at the
: sheer and on either side of a major change in direction. With a little
: practice you'll quickly learn what the major points are in defining the
: outline.

I generally skip one of two very close points, it's difficult to define points to two decimal places as accurately as a good CAD program will want to plot a curve. Unless there are some intricate curves, like Randy mentioned, the bottom, or top, or stern...then it's OK (and even beneficial) to skip points.

: Be aware that you don't usually have to plot both sides of a former. They
: should be mirrors of one another! Plot the right side and make a mirror
: copy for the left. Sometimes, when the deck has a smooth curve this won't
: work, you'll end up with a "peak" where it should be smooth.

Or sometimes, like the Guillemots, there's supposed to be a peak.

:In
: this case plot the "points" for one side, copy & mirror
: them, and then plot the whole "curve". (I hope this makes
: sense...)

Or join the two curves if your software allows it.

: Do you get tired of typing the "-" for all of the points below the
: waterline? If so, and you have the table in Excel as I did, you can pick
: an arbitrary point, say 5 inches below the waterline as the
: "Origin" for your plot. Add this constant to all of your
: "Y" values, and now everything is positive.

: Hope someone finds this useful. Building is a heckuvalot more fun than
: lofting...

I sort of enjoyed it. But not as much as building. And not nearly as much as paddling. In a storm. In the winter. With big winds!!!

Shawn