Getting Inspired

February 25, 2016 · by · in ,

sailboats Getting inspired Entry condition

I have finally 100% finalized the program of the project: It is a facility where people learn and make sailboats! So simple!

I did a little research and found out that the Willamette River from Oak Grove all the way to the mouth is considered a Class A waterway. Meaning that sailboats of up to 40 feet can sail in it. The wind in Portland (avg. 7 mph) is great for recreational sailing and for more competitive individuals there are annual racing events in Astoria. Some of the most well-known events are Sail PDX and Oregon Offshore. Anyways… the first image on this post shows the dimensions of a typical 24′ and 40′ sailboat. A 40 footer usually has a mast of no taller than 70′ and the minimum clearance on Willamette is 75′ (Tilikum Crossing). So we’re all good!

I also looked at how these sailboats are made. On the first image you can see the building sequence of wooden and carbon-fiber sailboats. The carbon-fiber sailboats are way more popular for racing.