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→Safety in Design Avoids Disasters
Developing a specification for a boat has complex inter-related design issues. These must be resolved with safety and performance uppermost. Resolution should be based on [[:Category:Systems|robust systems]] to mitigate risks, and provide contingency fall backs and the capability to recover from disasters. These systems should be loosely, not tightly, coupled.
At the outset, you must understand your main design goal – the intended use of your boat in a safe and effective manner – and price/performance range. The overall design and finish should conform to tradition (e.g., wood interiors), a reasonable degree of luxury and practicality (e.g., non-slip deck instead of high-maintenance teak), innovation, and provide a robust set of mechanical systemsmeeting [[StandardsOrganizations|international and industry standars]].
Ideally, robust systems are completely independent with redundant backup.<ref>Normal Accidents, Charles Perrow, Princeton University Press; Updated edition (September 27, 1999), ISBN 0691004129</ref> <ref>What Went Wrong?: Case Studies of Process Plant Disasters, Trevor A. Kletz, Gulf Professional Publishing; 4 edition (June 23, 1998) ISBN 0884159205</ref> Where they must be interdependent, they are loosely coupled (mutually independent or well separated). This can be expressed as a variant of Occam's Razor: <ref>. “One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything”, William of Occam (1285-1349), http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/occamraz.html</ref> “Do not needless multiply dependencies among the parts of a system.” <ref>Kendall Grant Clark, Reviewing Web Architecture, http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2004/02/11/deviant.html</ref> In tightly coupled systems, the loss of one component can bring down others. In a loosely coupled system the opposite is true.
You can reduce the probability of an [[DisasterAvoidance|operational disaster]] by analysing a dependency tree. Systems that are mutually dependent on a common subsystem are easy to identify so, in particular, look for systems that interact in unexpected ways.
Many boats supplement diesel propulsion with propane in the galley. Propane is much cleaner than diesel, and easier to cook with. It's also more explosive. While diesel will burn, it will not explode. Diesel [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_point flashes ] at 100-160 °F, depending on the grade, while propane flashes at -156 °F. (An alternative is to use AC if you have enough electrical power.)
Safety at sea is paramount. Ideally, a boat should be: