Phil Bolger's Superbrick
Philip
C. Bolger's Superbrick was listed as a prototype in the 1992 Common Sense
Boat Designs catalog. I was unable to assertain whether any boats were
built from these plans.
The
catalog says "At 19' 6" x 7' 10", SUPERBRICK is a boat that couldn't be
done and many will say shouldn't. In reality she is a sailing houseboat,
capable of comfortable long distance cruising while providing a dockside
home that won't break you with mooring fees. This is a boat for the few
and unconventional who like the idea of putting a 32' boat in a 19' package".
The
concept really would make sense for many sailors... as I have spent some
time in marinas, and in reality, most sail and motorboats spend much of
thier time at the dock... even with the owners aboard. With the Superbrick,
you will be paying for a 20' sailboat slip, but getting the room and livability
of a 32 footer.
I
think that life in that front berth must be superb. Waking up in a misty
cove some morning, with a panaromic view from your berth of the surrounding
water, which is only a couple of feet below the ports, would be quite a
wonderful experience.
To
contact the designer, write Phil Bolger and Friends, P.O. Box 1209, Gloucester,
MA 01930. You can also fax him at: (978) 282-1349.
This
3D version of the superbrick has working running and cabin lights, which
can be seen glowing brightly when it gets dark in Virtual Sailor. If you
press the "A" key, you will "drop anchor". When you do so with this model,
you will get a "Brick" dinghy tethered to your stern, ready to take you
into shore. Well, the dinghy does not really move from the model, and cannot
be used separately.
The
radio in the model is my "Pilot II". The photo-texture is of the actual
radio, which has broadcast, marine, beacon, and VHF bands. The antenna
on this radio rotates, making it a Radio Direction Finder. Although the
government is phasing out the system of radio beacons, you can still use
the radio to find bearings on broadcast radio stations, which are often
marked on charts.
The
stove is a copy of our Homestand alcohol stove, a model from the 1960's.
These rugged and quality stoves run on denatured alcohol, available at
any hardware store. They burn clean, and do not pose the threat that propane
stoves do: propane finds it's way to the low point of a boat, and wait
for an errant spark to blow you into space. The alcohol, even if spilled
and ignited, is easily extinguished. We have used our stove for years,
even covering our cooking needs for a few months, in our house, before
we installed a regular gas stove.
The
textile pattern on the bunks and settee's is a digital photo of a design
I created several years ago, and the resulting blankets were distributed
nationwide by Sears Roebuck. The pattern was adapted from a 600 year old
Persian antique rug.
This
model is freeware, which means that it may be distributed without the permission
of me, the author, as long as all the files included in superbrick.zip
are included and unaltered. File sphere.x is by Jeff Koppe, and superbrick.jpg
is copyright Phil Bolger and Friends.
H.
Rich SantaColoma
To
install: Create a folder named "superbrick" in your Virtual Sailor/boats
directory, and unzip the contents of this zip file into it.
Related Links: