Fig. 1 - 20150809g - truss wall (blue, ~5.2' tall) - 11" beam/sill and post (white)
20150809h - opening through salon table to step-down - Two tables, three each?
20150809i - mast support entryway, integral with truss - Two tables, three each?
20150809j - Two tables, three each?
20150809e
20150809f - Need lower, thinner, wider (windward/leeward), smoother curved beam to support mast...
20150809k - Need lower, thinner, wider (windward/leeward), smoother curved beam to support mast...
Fig. 2 - 20150809l - Why covered standing headroom on the bridge deck doesn't work at this scale.
20150809a - Why covered standing headroom on the bridge deck doesn't work at this scale.
20150809b - Need lower, thinner, wider (windward/leeward), smoother curved beam to support mast...
20150809c - Exposed to windward...
20150809d
Proa sketches in Rhino
Companionway Below Mast Support Beam, August 9, 2015
Perhaps the best companionway location, from a bluewater sailing point of view, would be a hatch near each crossbeam, with the ability to climb down directly to the main galley level or further, to the "Dressing Room/Cabin" landing and the head below.
It almost goes without saying, but to be clear from the start, a raised entry like this is a significant obstacle to air and water flow, so not ideal at all for bluewater cruising!
As a proa gets larger, it makes sense to allocate more of the bridge deck area for internal use (accommodations). However, this increases the distance to be crossed before stepping down into the main hull, since ~70' isn't big enough for enclosed full standing headroom (as far as I'm concerned).
Possible solutions include two entrances instead of one (intrusive on limited interior space but makes sense for hatches near beams) or moving the mast to windward of the cockpit and out of the way of a single, central entrance.
It is inevitable, however, with or without supporting a mast, that some kind of central access like this will be used - passing between two tables for three that are easily joined as a table for eight. Need a lower, thinner, wider (windward/leeward), smoother curved beam to support the mast...?
Return to Grasshopper Salon/Coach
Model Notes history...
These sketches of a 70' Pacific proa were done in the process of learning Rhino CAD. Nothing is final. The basic parameters of the vessel were defined decades ago.