Hi Scott,
I am a big Dix advocate for the simple reasons because his designs are
builder friendly, well engineered, modern lines - even steel ones and in my view his radius chine is the best of what is available. And perhaps because him and I were great buddies when he still lived in Houtbay, SA.
But to your question. Nothing can change the fact that many of Roberts designs were built - hundreds, perhaps thousands? - and most of them are happy with their boats. His Spray's, ugly by nature, is a great cruising boat and well designed.
However, there were some structural failures on some of his older designs and the
rudder reinforcing come to mind and I believe it is corrected.
Because my first boat I worked on was a Roberts is purely incidental and at the time I knew nothing about boats per se.
Im on
record for disliking Roberts boats and still is of the opinion he is a better salesman and marketer than a
designer and Im not going to amplify on this other than this.
One of his best sellers, the TOM THUMB 24, later stretched a little was not designed by him, but by Grahame Shannon.... I built seven of these critters including one for myself in the late 1980's and have bought the plans straight from Shannon in
Canada at the time.
I know of designers taking over another design(s) but make known to the client which is which and Hartley/Samson marriage comes to mind. But Roberts sell the TT24 plans as Roberts design in his portfolio.
And this begs the question; how many other great Roberts designs may not be designed by him but
sold as his own?
May I wish all you guys a prosperous new year and fair winds