Storm 17 was originally intended as a scaled up. That way we were craftily thinking we could use the same instructions, thus avoiding the most tedious job involved in producing kits. As it  turned out, the final design is significantly different to Storm Petrel, but we think she fulfills other aspects of her brief admirably:

She must carry 1-5 people with ease - yet be easily sailed alone.
We want a boat that will take a large family with enough space for lifejackets, camping gear etc.

Launch and recover single handed.
If you can't retrieve her alone it can become a barrier to single handed sailing.

She must row easily.
Some people don't want an outboard, and sometimes they fail.

Must take an outboard if desired.
Some people need the speed, particularly in strong tidal areas.

Faster than a normal camp-cruiser.
Everyone takes a bit of pride in the speed of their boat. Though she is clearly not a racing machine, she must be efficient and reward good sailing.

Dry stowage, with camp-cruise capability for two people.
You might not do it often, but it is fun occasionally, or to dream about.

Must be easily built.
A large market is anticipated to be home builders.

No more than 350lbs weight.
Though we won't be as stringent with weight saving as we are on some of our other boats, it does make handling easier.

Kit cost of around £2,500, complete cost of around £6,000.
The tough one. We will have to see nearer the time how realistic this figure is.

Adaptable to GRP for production.
If she proved a popular design, it may well be worth investing GRP tooling.

Well Mannered.
She should look after you. Should feel stable and able to take a fresh wind in her stride.

 
Basically we are trying to build a boat to rival the successful drascombe lugger. In more detail, our current thinking is as follows:

Double ended, like the Storm Petrel, but with far more room between the two bulkheads for seating. A centreboard instead of a daggerboard and shifted as far forward as possible, again to provide room (a decent sized fin aft should balance the CLR). She should have decks fore and aft to seal the buoyancy tanks, yet these should be low enough to provide a sprawling space for youngsters. A coaming similar to ospreys should wrap round and provide a comfortable backrest for all seats within the boat. An optional outboard well is the most likely way of adding an outboard motor, and this could be easily accommodated against the aft bulkhead.

We really like the yawl rig, for its ease of handling especially with the main lowered in strong winds. Our initial work indicated about 120sq foot of sail would be about right for this design. She should have a spray hood or similar for rain protection for the children, and comfortable seating under it.