|> This is a continuation of my beginning to understand how to layout a harryproa cockpit.

If you have addressed this idea in the past, feel free to tell me to look for/search a thing. In reading old posts it seems most everything has been discussed before.

|> Rob, very few of your designs have even a Bimini or doger. Steinar's 20m rendering has less cover than a wind surfer. Why so little cover?

|​ Everybody wants something different, and it is not a critical part of the design. Fear not, Steinar will be neither cold, wet or sunburnt​. But neither will he be coccooned from the wind, waves and traffic or unable to see the stars.

That 'see the stars' line gets me every time.

So, cover is very simple and easy, and very builder influenced, so it's not standard on the renderings because it detracts, or adds nothing and costs time?

All of the big harrys, and Doug's had cover. So it's a detail for one to personalize?

|> Is Robs idea of weather gear to go out and sail reasonable? I mean, its probably the lightest cheapest option.

| There are lots of ways to achieve this. Remind me in a couple of weeks when we are up to date with plans etc and I will ask Steinar to dig out some of them.

Sold!

|> Would not even a minimal boat have a marine radio and AIS and course plotter? Where do those go? What about a compass? Depthfinder?
|>
|​ Absolutely. Again, personal choice is involved and everyone wants something different. Detailing plans to this level takes a lot of time and is gear specific, and then everyone wants to change it round. We are more than happy to do this, but it costs. ​

That make a ton of sense. And, again, I know nothing. Perhaps the obvious place is obvious to the 'not me's' of the world. How about a jpg that says 'RADIO STACK' that you can just slap on the renderings?

|> The Ex40 renderings have a box above the nav table. Is that for a radio stack?

|​ Which rendering?​

Ex40 folder in files, pic named layout 1, above the nav table.

|> I do not know enough to even ask good questions. What questions should I be asking?
|>
|​ You are doing pretty well. You will find more questions if you read building and sailing blogs, chat groups and forums. Focus on the disasters and problems oriented posts rather than the 'my boat is wonderful' ones. ie Topics with problems or scary in the titles will be more educational than "what is the best boat for crusing offshore?"

Yep. When I was building a plane, I read all the crash reports carefully. It was odd, every crash was a variant of the same problems. So I learned to look for designs that avoided these problems.

| There are a number of ways to get the boat you want. From taking what the designer gives you with no discussion (usual stock plans approach), through to a set of hull lines and you fit it out and rig it as you like. What works best for us is if you make a comprehensive list of your requirements, both general ('good' performance, 'easy' sailing, 'low' cost, etc) and specific (number of bunks, trailerable, payload, etc) and see what fits or can be made to fit.

I am adapting to the idea that the execution of your boat designs are flexible enough that two builders of the same boat can have two radically different boats.

For example, H.W. could blow out all the walls and fitments of a cabin to get his desired large open interior space. An other might want a pop top, another a folding trailerable. And all of those could be variants of the Ex40.

So, the idea is that I can step outside to make a small adjustments to, say, the tiller extension, (Those are tiller extensions in the Ex40 renderings (pic #1 and 2), right?), as I am having soup and cruising along, reefed to some extent, in the rain, on a cold morning?

For the Great Lakes sailors, does that seem reasonable?