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Build Log
Origami Hull
  Paul's 65ft Origami
  Modeling
  Steel vs Aluminum
  Getting Steel
  Lofting
  Welding
  Cutting Darts
  Folding the Hull
  Bow and Transom
  Decks
  Bulkheads
  Companionways
Propulsion
  Junk Sails
  Background Info
  Diesel Engine
  Controllable Pitch
  Other Propellers
  Diesel/Hybrid/Elec
Pilot House
Canvas Work
Gantry and Hoist
Anchors
Winches
Block & Tackle
Rigging
Keels
Skeg, Rudder & Helm
Deck Crane
Hydraulics
Sand Blasting
Painting
Electrical
Insulation
Refrigeration
Hatches / Portlights
Tender
Launch
Rules of Thumb
Links

 

Origami Hull

The Origami hull is a hull formed by folding steel into the shape of a hull.  The hull plates are first butt welded to form a two large flat plates. Each of the two larger plates will be formed into one half of the hull from bow to stern.  To form each side, darts are cut into the plate and the gaps pulled together, bending the plate into it's three dimensional shape. When both sides of the hull are completed they are brought together and welded down the keel.

 

 

 

 


Test pattern for a single chine origami hull.

Here is an example of an Origami Boat pattern for a single chine hull.  You can download and print the large image of the pattern, then cut out the pieces and tape it together to see how the process works.

See "Paul's 65ft Origami" for an example of how a large origami hull is built.

 

Want To Lean More about Origami Boat Building?

On Alex Christie's web site, Origamiboats: The Art of Frameless Steel Boatbuilding,  you can find more information and purchase a video and book that covers the origami building process in detail.  You can also join the Yahoo group; Origamiboats as well as a FaceBook group Origamiboats -- Frameless Steel Yachts.  You can also download a self extracting (zip) compressed file of all of the messages on the Yahoo group between it's creation and Jan of 2010: Yahoo_Origamboat_Archive_Feb2000-Jan2010.exe.  Thanks to Ben Okopnik for putting that together.  And Ben keeps an updated, online searchable archive is here:  http://okopnik.com/origami.


Links

theboat.smugmug.com/Boats/Kim  -- Kim's 26' Swain photo journal.
www.sv-mom.com  -- A completed project with lots of photos and documentation.
www.harderwoods.com/pipedocs.html  Online Pipe Fitting Templates