A Short History of my Research

I got my Ph.D. in physics at Berkeley back in 1982, where I did experimental plasma physics. Following some advice from a number of people, I did two things:  First, I chose to become an experimentalist, even though I always enjoyed theory more than labs.  Second, I avoided the large and high-profile research groups. Instead, I found a small plasma confinement device where I had almost complete control over my project. The obscurity of my small device gave me the opportunity to also study the theory, which I also loved. In my case, most of the theory involved something called "magnetohydrodynamics".

In other words I was studying equations similar to the those used to model the behavior of water.

I even once dreamt that all the people in our group were not building a plasma device, but a sailboat instead! The smallness of my project allowed me to do everything, from building probes and heating antennas with my own hands, to doing all the theoretical calculations.

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Left to right: (1) plasma device similar to the ones I worked on, next to a person who looks sort of like me. (2-3) A "Box Cello" club I founded in El Paso circa 1998.

Funding in controlled fusion was being drastically cut as I began to work as a physics professor. So I "followed the money" and got interested in pre-college math and science education. It took me a few years to realize this, but my best contributions as an "education expert" involve doing what I love most, namely "real" physics research -- with kids.

I define "real" research as investigation with both purpose and unknown outcome.

It took me a couple of years to find the right field of research to explore. It had to be useful, yet also simple enough for students of all ages. First I tried musical acoustics, but that was too hard. Then I built a device to measure waves in an aquarium, but that was too boring. Finally, it hit me: Build sailboats!

Why Study Homebuilt Sailboats?

Most would-be backyard boat builders eventually conclude that wood is the material of choice:

Wood is strong, light, cheap, and easy to work with. If some say that wood rots, I say wooden boats are biodegradable. Virtually all modern sailboats are based on fiberglass hulls, aluminum masts, and Dacron sails. Wooden masts, though cheap and easy to build, cannot be made as tall as the aluminum masts seen on modern production and racing sailboats. Without the technology of aluminum masts, many home built boats have wooden masts. Some carry more than one mast to compensate for the fact that the masts are shorter. Such boats are often narrow, perhaps because the shorter masts are less apt to force the boat over in its side, permitting this less stable but faster shape.

What makes BYBB such a wonderful study is that there are many unanswered questions. Many amateur boat builders opt to sew their own sails. Some use the more esthetically pleasing white or brown polytarp. Others make audacious statements about functionality by choosing the more convenient blue polytarp.

All these changes in construction methods and materials should force the designer of homebuilt boats to revisit the engineering and even the physics of how sailboats work.

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Left to right: (1) polytarp sail on a "Brick" (2) Bolger Box. (3) Junk rig

Today's back-yard-boat-builders can choose from one of two traditions: old and modern.

The box-shaped boat above (center) is designed on purely scientific and engineering principles. It exploits the building convenience of plywood, and recognizes that most amateur boatbuilders are not eager to construct complicated jigs or frame structures. Such a boat is beautiful, but only to the trained eye. To the right is a "character boat", this one fitted with a traditional junk rig. Though slow and difficult to bring against the wind, this rig's sail area is easily reduced if the wind picks up.

The lack of commercial value to back-yard-boat-building can be turned to advantage.

Absence of competition offers a student-centered research team many opportunities to do original and useful research. It's easier to be the first to do something if not too many others are making similar attempts. For example, a study of glue strength won this middle school student the Hoover Engineering Prize in a recent regional science fair. The science of boatbuilding is a relatively unexplored field with much of the work ideal for young students.

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There is purpose in showing ordinary folks with modest means how they can build their own sailboats.