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As well as his involvment with the design of big classy yachts, 34-year-old
Bim Daser has made his mark by designing one of the fastest National Twelves
on the water. sue Pelling visited Bim at his design studio in the heart
of London to find out the secret of his success.
Like most successful designers, Bim Daser is incredibly modest about
the work he does. Bim's Feeling Foolish National Twelve design is one
of the fastest boats in the fleet, which is a major achievement in itself,
but it is, however, just the tip of the iceberg. As well as being involved
in various big design projects during the time he spent at Camper & Nicholsons,
Bim has been involved with the design of luxury yachts, cruising classics
and has worked for many years producing 3-D architectural images and animations
for major construction projects.
How did it all start?
Having gained a Yacht and Boat Design Diploma at Southampton, I took a
job as a designer at Camper & Nicholsons. I learnt a lot during my time
there, but in 1993 I decided to leave and set up my own business. I worked
on various projects, but I soon realised that to prove myself I had to
dip in to my own pocket and come up with a design that would hopefully
become a success.
Why did you choose the National Twelve?
Because it was a relatively small boat and not particularly expensive
to build.
You obviously knew a bit about Twelves?
In 1991 I bought a Tigress design, which was originally owned by Alan
Bax. I competed in the Tigress for a few years, but it lacked the speed
of modern designs such as the Baggy Trousers, Crusader and Final Chapter.
When I'd manage a good first leg of the course, I'd lose it all on the
next as the newer designs would come flying by on the reaches.
This sounds like the perfect opportunity to
design a new boat?
Exactly! I spent a lot of time looking at other Twelves, examining line
plans and analysing design data. Then I compiled a database of my findings
before designing my boat. The initial design was pretty radical, with
a very narrow waterline - an important feature. I used my database to
gradually modify my design, all the time trying to make it better.
 Seeing
your Feeling Foolish design take shape must have been an interesting time
for you?
Yes. Nigel Waller built the first one in 1995 and I sailed it full time.
However, it didn't shine as well as it might have done in the early stages,
mainly due to my lack of experience as a National Twelve helmsman.
Why the name?
When I was having the boat built I sometimes thought that if it didn't
work out I'd be feeling rather foolish, so before anyone else said it
I thought I'd say it myself.
 When
did you discover that your new Twelve was so fast?
I began to realise there was something special about the design when other
people sailed the boat and did very well in it.
Why didn't you build your boat with a double
bottom?
It was actually built the year before the rules were changed to allow
double bottoms. It's the only Feeling Foolish with a traditional floor.
What are your views on the rule change to
allow double bottoms?
It's a great advantage to have a self-draining floor, particularly when
you're sailing upwind in a chop. The other good thing about the double
bottom is the increase in stiffness fore and aft it provides.
Doesn't a double bottom affect the amount
of headroom?
Less headroom is something you get used to, so it's not a major issue.
Having said that, however, some people are opting for a slightly higher
boom with a higher cut clew in the mainsail.
And what about the inevitable problems of
righting the boat following a capsize?
It does seem to be more of a problem. When a boat without a double bottom
capsizes it comes up with a lot of water, which holds the boat stationary
and gives the crew time to sort themselves out. However, it does take
a while to get rid of the water. A double-bottomed boat, on the other
hand, tends to right very easily because there is so much buoyancy and
once up it empties quickly, which is a real advantage, but the crew have
to be ready as the boat is usually rearing to go.
But they do turn turtle quickly, don't they?
Sometimes. A boat with a double bottom floats fairly high on its side
so it gets blown over relatively quickly. Consequently, the crew has to
learn a different righting technique. And because of the shape of the
boat, it tends to lack a certain amount of buoyancy at the stern and therefore
tends to sink a bit at the back end.
I notice that many of the new double-bottomed
Twelves don't have thwarts. What do you think about this?
It's down to personal choice. I like the idea of an open boat so that
the crew can move fore and aft easily, but I can also see why it would
be useful to have a thwart - even a shallow one - so that the crew have
something to perch on. It's not comfortable grovelling around in the bottom
of the boat for long periods!
Any thoughts on a new design?
Naturally, I'm always thinking about how I can modify the design to increase
speed. Over the last two years my ideas have gelled on how to make the
boat faster in certain conditions.
Do you think it would be wise to bring out
a new design after the recent changes to the class rules?
Because the class is feeling a bit of stability again after lots of rule
changes, such as reducing the weight, and allowing double bottoms and
carbon masts, I'm a bit reluctant to upset the applecart with a new design
at this stage. It is fair to say though, there is definitely something
in the pipeline.
How would your new design differ?
At the moment the design is very fast offwind and upwind in a breeze,
but seems to have a slight deficiency in a chop in medium to light airs
where a Final Chapter seems to be able to sail better through the waves.
That's the area I would be looking at.
How much emphasis is placed on hull shape
to obtain that extra bit of speed?
Too much! After 17 years the Mike Jackson-designed Final Chapter is still
going just as fast as my Feeling Foolish. I believe the competitive edge
is down to new building techniques and materials, double bottoms, and
better rigs.
 As
a development class, do you feel the National Twelve is developing enough?
I often hear people saying that the class is not developing. It is so
untrue. We have developed so much in the past five years. The changes
are subtle, but that's what it's all about. The front-end boats have are
unrecognisable from those of five years ago but the changes have happened
gradually.
 Is
it true that you have designed an International Fourteen?
The Fourteen design came about through the Devon-based boatbuilder Linton
Jenkins. Having seen my fast Twelve design, he approached me about a new
Fourteen to beat the successful Bieker design. It was a tall order. Linton
funded the whole project himself and produced a new hull. The design is
quite radical to look at - it's very narrow, rather like my Twelve, but
with more emphasis on a quicker planing hull. The topsides are narrower
than the hull underneath - an interesting upside-down chine detail designed
primarily to reduce drag when punching through waves in heavy conditions.
It also enables the spray to break off cleanly from the hull. The current
Bieker boats have vertical topsides: the hull goes straight up at the
chine, so water tends to stick to the side of the boat, even round a sharp
edge. By having the topsides set in, as in my design, the water will spray
off and reduce drag.
But what went wrong at this year's world championship
in Devon?
Lack of preparation. Unfortunately, the International Fourteen wasn't
finished early enough and it was only sailed a couple of weekends before
the champs. The boat also had an old suit of sails and second-hand mast
- it broke on the first day!
Do you still feel it has potential?
Yes. Once Linton sorts the boat out this winter, Andy Partington will
take the helm next year, so the prospects look good.
International Moth sailors are always coming
up with whacky design ideas. Have you ever thought about designing one?
No, because you really have to be closely involved with the class to understand
what's going on. Moths are becoming more like flying machines than sailing
boats, and the speed is all to do with foils and the rig. The Moth design
has been developed over many years.
What are your views on the hydrofoils that
appearedt at the Moth worlds earlier in the year?
It's not pretty, but it's incredibly fast. They can now come up on the
foils in a Force 2, and they can tack and gybe without falling back in
the water. The prediction is that nearly all the competitors will be on
foils at next year's champs.
Tell me about the other design project you've
been involved with?
I've worked on a lot of custom-designed large yachts during my time at
Camper & Nicholsons, including a 127ft ketch, and the rebuilding of a
couple of old Twelve Metres. Since then, I've put together a proposal
for a 42m yacht and I've been working on another large yacht - both projects
with Mark Tucker of Design Unlimited based on the South Coast.
Is this the sort of market you're aiming for?
Yes. Although I get a lot of satisfaction from designing development dinghies,
my aim is to get in to the big boat arena.
When you're not thinking about dinghies, what else
do you design?
A lot of my work is creating 3-D architectural images and computer models
of proposed developments for sites all around the world. At the moment
I'm working on a proposal for Paddington Basin. It includes a hotel, offices
and residential accommodation.
You've been modelling buildings for seven
years, have any of your plans been transformed into bricks and mortar?
A lot, including several buildings around the world for Sir Richard Rogers
- architect of the Lloyds of London building.
Tell me about the 42m ketch you've designed?
Earlier this year I was offered the job to draw the initial design for
a large yacht to the owner's specification. It was a superb opportunity
because it is exactly the sort of work in which I want to get involved.
The design is a real luxurious classic with the accommodation put together
by Design Unlimited. It's massive with four cabins and a large owner's
state room at the stern, and plenty of crew accommodation. The exciting
bit will be when it's built.
And finally, what advice would you offer to
young designers wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Every young designer with a degree in naval architecture aspires to be
a Bruce Farr or German Frers, but reality is harsh, and gaining an understanding
of a specialist area such as composite structures or aerodynamics or computational
flow dynamics, is the most likely route to finding employment. To make
it in the yacht design one has to be very talented, both technically and
artistically, incredibly dedicated, patient and I would imagine have a
little good luck on the way.
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