Mal Low, by design

Hi; I'm the chief naval architect here at SmallTugs LLC. I have a distinct leaning towards traditional workboat designs, where my professional experience lies, and towards those designs of workboat heritage. My general field of experience and expertise is powerboats rather than sail, although I have been known to enjoy motorsailers. I tend to use plumb stems, pronounced sheers, obvious bulwarks, pilothouses, and fantail sterns on many designs. This is where I'm from. I consider anything under 65 ft. LOA to be "small" in the world of working craft, hence the name SmallTug designs.
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Following are some factoids and trivia about me and my company that you may find of interest. Click on any of the following:

Early Times
Hobbies
Education/Professional Licensing
Prior Work Experience
And all this is good for what?
CAD
Some important equipment
Current work
And where
Summary

Early Times: I have been active in boats and boatbuilding since I built my first sloop at age 8, out of tongue and groove spruce house siding. I was not too sophisticated in my understanding of seams and caulking, so the boat immediately sank upon launching at Sargents Cove in Gloucester, MA. As the boat was about 6 feet long, triangular in plan, and the water was about 6 inches deep, no lives were lost and the embarrassment was very shortlived. I sat in it anyway and had a good lets-pretend. That was the first and last sailboat I built and whether that disaster has any bearing on my current interests is up to conjecture. At least I have not had a boat sink since!

While in college I sailed the New England coast summers as hired cook on sailing yachts. Eventually I discovered that being the Captain and drinking the coffee on deck was much better than just making the coffee and strudel while lashed to the coal stove and braced against the fiddles in an airless cabin below.

I have built 5 boats for myself and my family, from 10 ft. to 49 ft. LOA, all of them powered, and not including the above catastrophe.
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Hobbies: I have always been, and still am, an avid modeller; a hobby that I think is invaluable to an understanding of marine shapes, as well as a great tool for literal hands-on design. The only problem is finding time. My personal collection includes some of my early tug and workboat designs that I modelled more than 50 years ago.

I also am a period train nut, specifically late 1800's New England logging railroads, when we still had major old growth forests, and the quarry railroads of Cape Ann during the golden age of granite in Gloucester, Lanesville, and Rockport. My railroad interest has a great deal to do with my work for Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton, the then surviving consolidation of the Baldwin and Lima steam locomotive empires.

And boats, always boats. I don't count them as sailboats but back when my agility was still primo I had great fun windsurfing. Never did manage to tack with John Kerry though. I used to keep my board tucked into the rear deck of my tug for standby times, which was fine until the day the wind died while I was a mile off and they had to pick me up. With a tow waiting of course. My butt still has bootprint scars.
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Education/Professional Licensing: My formal education includes a BSEE and MSME studies, including certifications from WPI, Catholic University, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, North Shore Community College, Boston University, and MIT in naval architecture, underwater engineering, shipboard systems, and other professional qualifications. I studied small craft design under Ted Brewer at the former Yacht Design Institute.

I have been awarded two U.S. Patents in marine environmental protection systems for ship hull devices. Unfortunately both were while I was under contractual arrangement so I've never seen a dime from them.

I hold a USCG Master's License for Steam and Motor Vessels, a Commercial Diving Certification, and I am a naval architect and a marine engineer. I am a board-selected Member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), a member of the Society of Boat and Yacht Designers (SBYD), and also the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC).

I have never considered my education complete and still actively study anything and everything that helps me improve my skills, including enrollment in professional continuing education courses. When you stop learning you die, or is it the other way 'round?
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Prior Work Experience: Since it was almost impossible to support a young and hungry family of four on the income from independent naval architecture my concurrent work history includes such exotic things as cryogenic sensor design for aerospace (think '60's Apollo missions), stress analysis and strain gage design and application for extreme environments, towing tank transducer application for hull models, hull and power plant stress analysis for ice breakers and other naval ships, wire guided torpedo development, and general design and marine engineering for coastal and offshore structures and ships. I have held upper level security clearances, now lapsed. When my children were born I worked nights as an electrician's helper in addition to my day job, and when that workload was light I was a seasonal chef in local resort restaurants.

I have been guest-lecturer at Union College and Carnegie-Mellon University. I travelled extensively as a consultant, from the Americas to Europe and was responsible for teams performing similar duties world-wide. As a marine engineer and naval designer I have presented numerous designs and testified for clients to the Corps of Engineers and to state and federal environmental agencies. My personal design portfolio contains, for example, the only federally licensed oil tanker mooring in Boston Inner Harbor, the world's largest offshore single-point mooring matrix, and, just for balance, the strain gage application for the original patent IBM track-point computer keyboard mouse.

I did hands-on FG yacht construction at Durbeck's where I had the privelege of seeing a Tom Fexas super-yacht take shape, among others. I owned my own research vessel for 12 years and lived aboard. I have worked as a commercial TIG and MIG welder in steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. Doing hydrographic and structural surveys, I have spent more time in boatyards, drydocks, and graving yards than most boats.

Before he was taken from us I enjoyed a long-term partnership in Gloucester Marine Towing, a sometimes division of Boston T&T, as co-Captain with the famous and mercurial tug Captain Bill Fay, a gentleman of astounding boat-handling ability and a very short temper. Prior to our partnership I had worked as Bill's mate on the tug and the charter sportfisher he operated. It was Bill who encouraged me to finally sit for my Master's license; he was a great teacher and a constant and demanding mentor. I also worked as a tug Captain in marine construction, for companies like Gloucester Dredge & Dock, Maitland Construction, Maritime West Indies, and assisted Smith Maritime in Gulf oil rig towing.
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And all this is good for what?: The range of my work experience has contributed greatly to my primary interest and the work I love most, naval architecture. My career has truly been designed to converge at this point. I have an intimate understanding, based on hands-on, real time, do-it-or-go-hungry labor, of all the facets of a successful vessel design. This includes hull structure, hydrodynamics, environmental issues, mechanical systems, electrical systems, electronics, hydraulics, seamanship and operations, heavy weather work, economics of operation, materials and material fatigue, construction methods, etc.

By accident of birth I was born and raised on the New England coast in the oldest seaport in North America and have a lifetime of memories and experience with all manner of "salty" working craft and yachts; most of which were designed to go to sea and survive. A feel for aesthetics is something you are born with and develop internally; I am blessed with a practical talent. It can't only look great, it has to function at least as well, if not better.

I came up through the hawsepipe and have been actively involved in naval architecture since the mid '60's and a sole practitioner since 1992.
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CAD: Every naval architect and designer seems to feel obligated to tell you about his/her latest gee-whiz computer software that spits out a complete design when you punch three keys and then one labeled "BOAT", so here's my story: I started using AutoCAD in 1985 with my first PC, a frequently juiced-up IBM 8088 with an 8087 co-processor, a monochrome CGA monitor, one single-sided 180k 5-1/4" floppy disc, and a vast 64k memory. While I am very adept at ink on mylar manual drafting (thanks primarily to Ted Brewer) I have developed a great respect for computer aided drafting and use it as much as possible for final archival drawings and as a companion piece to manual drafting. Quite frankly nothing can take the place of a manually drawn, and corrected, spline curve on a large sheet of paper when it comes to fairing, short of the lofting floor.

Having said that, I recently fell in love with a spline modeling program called Rhino that, with proper plug-ins, is as close to an "inexpensive" (everything is relative) almost all-round naval architecture software as I have been able to find in 20 years of looking. Now I can comfortably design in 3D first and output to AutoCAD for 2D working drawings afterward. This ability also allows me to go to the next step, CNC cut file generation; an extra design step that is expensive to complete but ultimately worthwhile for client savings on the bottom line. I still use my previous tools: pencils, pens, drawing board, MultiSurf, Hullform, Excel, Mathcad, Adobe PhotoShop, and Lightwave 3D for many tasks.
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Some important equipment: I use three networked Pentium 4 hyper-threading computers with 1-2 Megs of memory each and bags of hard disc and OpenGL video memory. Unlike boats, for which I preach sensible engines, you can never have enough computer Hp if you are rendering 3D images. Windows 2000 is the OS that works for me, although I do have another computer loaded with Linux. I prefer large LCD monitors of 20" or 21" size. I don't use a graphics tablet with AutoCAD these days and occasionally miss it. I use four page printers at various stages of the design spiral, both inkjet and laser, and plot on either an ancient Summagraphics pen plotter, a Roland CAMM1, or a lovely HP DesignJet. For the rest of you out there, I also use a networked refurb. Apple MAC with dual processors and similar peripherals.

I build my own computers in order to get just what I need and can afford, and I buy refurb. peripherals and eBay bargains to stay within budget. My current favorite mobo is the ASUS P4P-800-ED and I only buy new memory chips and hard discs. No, I do not yet have an iPod and my cell phone does not do color graphics or take pictures. (How do I survive?)

My drafting tables are 42 X 60 and 42 X 72 with track drafting machines, which I prefer over articulated arm machines or T-squares and triangles (or those damned straight edges with the pulleys and fishing line). I like ducks that have enough of a grip to lift them with stiff fingers (in the winter I sometimes wear fishermen's partial-fingered wool mittens) and splines that haven't yellowed. I use Koh-i-noor pens and my pen wiper of choice is an old soft cloth diaper, of which we still have a carefully hoarded supply. I once worked with a naval architect who made his own ink, but I like mine factory bottled. Blueprints are made on one of two machines, an elderly but bulletproof Rotolite or a "previously-owned" but faster Diazit. (The pumps go first.)

My large and useful reference library consists of out-of-print and vintage marine books and photos as well as current titles. Subject material runs from naval architecture, maritime law, references for masters and mates, marine and ocean engineering, seamanship, naval ship handling, and towing and salvage to classic naval fiction.

When I am deep into a design and I am "in the zone" I play Latin jazz, contemporary jazz, blues, or traditional reggae at rather high volume levels. (This you can do in a one-man shop, although my wife occasionally complains. Luckily my ace draftsman, Ron Limbrick, telecommutes!) My all-in-one factory refurb. CD player is the incredible Cambridge Soundworks (Henry Kloss) Model 88CD that fills the cabin with perfect bass and clear highs. No Bose here! I find Eric Clapton, Foundation, the Gipsy Kings, Roy Hargrove, and pre-fusion Miles Davis to be especially helpful at times. Burning Spear, some Eagles cuts, Mulligan with Brubeck, Andy Narell, and anything by Santana pre-1990 will also keep me on plane. When my brain is free-running like this I have a tendency to miss meals, meds, and bedtimes, all of which gets more wifely complaints, but when you take the King's shilling...

I have a framed image on my bulkhead of Bill Garden at work, and a drawer of Garden designs to fondle and remember. His skill and passionate vision will always be the substance of my goals.

More than you wanted to know, right?
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Current Work: Once my sons were gone to sea and married, and having retired from everything else except my loving and supportive wife and companion of 40+ years, I devoted my full time to tug, tug-yacht, and workboat design, and to my company SmallTugs LLC. Starting in 1992 I ramped up to 24/7 naval architecture and small craft design.

My tug, tug-yacht, and workboat designs are available as stock and custom vessels up to 65 ft. LOA, this being the approximate cut-off point for a one man design shop to produce in a reasonable time frame, in my opinion. If you want something larger than 65 ft. I can develop a team design approach under my supervision.

I design for DIY construction in pre-lam FG, epoxy-ply, stitch and tape, sheathed strip or ply, aluminum, or steel in the smaller sizes and primarily for professional metal construction in the larger. I also provide optional CNC cut files for plating and structural components. I apply Gerr's scantling rules for all designs except for epoxy-ply and stitch and tape ply construction when MacNaughton's Scantling Rules are usually more applicable. If a client wants vessel classification under ABS, BV, Lloyd's or ice rules for larger vessels then those specifications take precedence.
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And where: My designs have been purchased around the world, places like Australia, New Zealand, the Phillipines, Nicaragua, France, Sweden, Canada, the UK, and Serbia, as well as throughout the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Two of my designs are being, or are about to be, developed for factory production in the U.S. and SE Asia.
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Summary: I don't have many preconceptions and will discuss any kind of design with a client, including modifications to my stock designs for a minimal cost custom vessel. Not having preconceptions doesn't mean that my designs don't all have a similar style, something that is my own and is sometimes referred to as being "salty" (among others, some unprintable here, but what do they know!). You will never get a flat or reverse sheer off my board.

I believe I am easy to talk to and a good listener, quick to understand a client's needs, and blessed with some good design skills as well as the all-essential sense of humor. I am not nearly as long-winded in person as this page might lead you to believe. Other than on a page like this I seldom speak of my past, preferring to deal with the now and the tomorrow.

If I haven't said it here (hard to believe) you will probably find everything else you need to know by checking through my designs elsewhere on this web site. I bring a very large mix of applicable professional experience to the table and I welcome your inquiries and comments.

Be sure to check out the FREE plans offer on the home page or the email order page. Thanks to all of you for an enjoyable career.

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Our postal address:

SmallTugs LLC , PO Box 7147, Gloucester, MA 01930-5847 USA

Telephone: No longer available FAX: No longer available