Stock Designs
"Tom MacNaughton is one of the most accessible individuals I've ever
known. All along the way he has never failed to take the time to patiently
explain to me anything I didn't understand about the boat building process. I
feel fortunate that he considers me one of his friends."
- Eric Crossen, Anchorage, Alaska
The expense of a custom design is roughly 5% of the cost of the completed vessel or half what a broker would charge you just to sell her. With custom design fees being such a small fraction of the complete cost of construction, there is no reason to hesitate to have a custom design done. If the quoted design fee indicates that the completed vessel will be beyond your budget remember that a small reduction in size can reduce building costs a great deal. If the vessel is 10% smaller all around you will save about 27%. Going to a simpler boat with less fancy equipment can save huge amounts too. So one should never hesitate to have a custom design done if you cannot find a stock design that suits.
When a previously created design suits her prospective owner's needs either as is or with very small modifications, one of our stock designs may be a good choice. Many of these designs have been built for years. Feedback from clients and builders over years may have resulted in refinements, more options, or more detail.
The material in this catalog consists of small-scale drawings and brief descriptions of the plans we currently offer. The list is growing all the time, so if you don't see something you want, please ask. It may be available. Study Plans generally consist of at least an outboard profile and accommodations plan along with an article. These Study Plans are normally delivered as PDF email attachments. Study Plans are intended to aid you in deciding if this is the right boat for you. They do not contain enough information to build a boat, nor will a builder give more than a rough estimate from looking at them. To build a boat or get a contract price from a builder you need the Complete Plans. The cost of Study Plans is intended to cover consultation time about the design. The cost of Complete Plans covers a set of drawings to build the boat, the right to build one boat, and any explanatory sketches or construction advice needed for you or your professional builder to complete construction.
The skills necessary to build the boats vary with the designs. In some cases, such as the Silver Gull series, ease of construction has been made a primary design characteristic. In other cases a general knowledge of conventional marine construction is assumed. Those for whom ease or rapidity of construction is a primary concern should consult with us before ordering. We are available for free consultation by email, or phone, throughout the construction of the vessel. If a question cannot be answered without providing an additional explanatory drawing, this drawing is generally provided free of charge and added to subsequent plans sold. When a design is called a "Concept" or "Idea Design", such as those on the Idea Designs page, it means that the fundamental concept and design parameters have been established, and perhaps a considerable amount of work has been done, but we have not yet completed the design. In such cases there may be a cost savings over a completely custom design. However this is with the understanding that delivery will be delayed while we finish the work, and the finished design may differ in detail from the drawing shown.
Customized Stock Plans: We can provide drawings for alterations to the stock plans according to your needs. Alternative interiors, rigs, deck layouts, and construction are all possibilities. We can quote for such drawings on request. Because the average drawing takes around 40 hours for us to produce, they are not a casual purchase for most people. However, such modifications of a stock plan are usually much lower in cost than a custom design.
Assistance in Finding A Builder: We can assist you in finding a suitable builder for your vessel.