Do your worst!

The little 16 ft was made inside my timber factory...4 weeks part time work for a mate and I.

It was supplied pre cut, still nested in the sheets, by a naval architect, with instructions for step bye step assembly...quite easy really (compared to makin something outta wood!).

What is called a "vessel construction package"...

cheap and a quick way to get into a boat, if you don't mind getting the hands dirty.

Cheers!

This is why I say the timber side of any project isn't a problem.

This is inside the timber factory (seasning Kilns out the back!)

Wot comes out the front end of the factory!

Logs in the back & furniture out the front...this is real furniture the stuff you make from real wood - not that ply or particle board, particle board etc - this is real stuff, - you know, hand straighten and dress each piece, join it to another piece, add a few haunched mortices and tennons, a few dovetailed solid timber drawers and hey presto - furniture liker they used to make in the good ol days!

The point I guess Guys of all these photo's - is they each tell a thousand words.

Basically what I'm trying to say here is this.

I can fish like Zane grey.
I can sail like Dennis Connor
I can build things outta wood like Noah.

I can't design a boat to save my life - which is why i'm here!

Is there anyone here who can get me onto someone who will create some sorta design where I can get started havin a boat built so I can get on with the job of taking people saltwater fly fishing in the best fly fishing waters on earth?

[Stephen Ditmore]

I confess not having followed every twist in the conversation, but to respond to the initial question regarding boat type you might want to look into Stolkraft at
http://www.intbrokers.com.au/stolkraft/stolkraft.html
The type originated in Australia and works well with twin jet drives, which I would recommend for shoal draft / high speed applications. 25' x 8+' might be a bit narrower than this type tends to run, but I think it's possible.

The Legend Jet seems to be less expensive than the others I've priced, though it's also smaller than most of the Hamiltons and UltraJets.
http://www.legendjet.com/

Yes, I'm sorry it is a long thread I know..

Ahh - thats the trouble when your looking for something "outta the ordinary"...it sort of takes a lot of explaining - well for me it does - probably vaccinated at birth with a grammaphone needle!


I'll follow thru with those links and see what I turn up thanks indeed - both links were firms I've not seen before.

Sort of a cross between these two is what i had envisioned!

This first is a US 24ft bay boat with a twin tunnel hull twin OB setup bye "scout" boats!

A 26ft twin tunnel hull again bye Scout of the USA!

Of course being made in the USA means they couldn't be surveyed here and they are just a couple inches overwidth to tow legally..sooo


If I could find someone to put together some sort of design along those lines that can prefereably be made from alloy (for weight, cost and speed) i'm ready to get cracking.

Like I said all the naval architects here are flat out with big boats, and it's hard to get them "interested" in smething a little outsode the ordinary like this.

Each of thelocal naval architects has their own "style"...Jackman, Curran and Mair are probably the 3 best known locally...but ALL flat out and all have their own ideas of what makes a great boat - getting someone to design a small boat for me is tough going locally.

The states full of builders who will make one - I sell timber to one guy makes 4 - 5 million worth of large tuna longliners, lobster boats, and even liveaboard charter boats in alloy each year...(last one went to Florida only weeks ago...) so I do know people in the industry to get one built and thru survey...just the design is the stumbling block and I figure with todays comuter designs - maybe anyone anywhere in the world can design the thing - as long as i get it built to survey locally I should be OK with the transport authorities!

Thats the plan unless theres a good reason I should do something different?...

Any comments - is it better to use a local naval architect...whose say more intimately familiar with our own specific transport marine surevey laws in case any face to face discussions / negotiation with the survey authorities is required?

I could be waiting years maybe to get in line....but if thats what has to happen then I'll just have to be patient.

It's hard cos I need to go to work to pay all the govt fees and charges for the commercial charter licenses, compulsory punlic liability etc etc, and the demands there - I just can't find a darn boat!

Cheers!

[MDV]

If the construction is in accordance with the rules then an American built boat should be able to be classed in Australia, in the case of composite boats you may have to take a few core samples to verify the layup and workmanship. I know of many cases where vessels originally built for private use and hence without survey during building, and have then been converted for commercial use succesfully.

Regarding the original problem of keeping the length above 25ft to meet survey requirements. The USL is slowly being phased out, and will be replaced by the National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) . Although broadly based on the USL Code there may be some impact for you if you decide to wait for it's implimentation.

With so many NA's in Australia, I'm sure you will be able to find someone willing to take this project on (including me if I did not work fulltime), I would try places like Brisbane and Sydney, and with the internet there should be no problem with communication. Perhaps you will have more luck with the freelance NA's working from home rather than a large firm.

Good Luck,

Michael


National Maritime Safety Committee

[Stephen Ditmore]

If you used an RIB like
http://www.protectorboats.com/
could the rigid part be 25 feet X 2.5 meters and the inflatable tube extend beyond those dimensions?

Thanks fella's,

I've tried to ask Marine transport folks here about surveying a less than 12 months old US 25ft vessel and they said "no way".

They want to be present when the hulls layed up to check, the firms adherance to temperatures - the quality type of resin, and so on (cleanliness contamination etc), basically the protocols used to ensure a high standard hull.

Same with welded alloy hulls - they want to inspect the process as it goes along, not after it's all finnished aparently.

One single "problem" with almost every 25ft US hull is the beam.
Nearly all are 8ft 6inches. Some are 9 ft or larger.

Our towing laws require 2.5 meters Max width, which is 8ft 4 inches. A full 2 inches LESS that what standard US manufacturers use, and at the end of the day it's probably just the difference between a country with metric as opposed to imperial measurements as it's base unit of measurement - BUT it does preclude virtually ALL the suitable US hulls from being legally "towable" on the roads here - even if the need for "inspection of the hull during layup" to meet survey can be overcome!.

I've been looking around trying to find a small designer who works from home whose designs I like, to no avail so far.

I've found a few who work in plate alloy, and so far they all seem to favour a very "hard angular straight line look" to their designs.

I'm one of the old school who likes smooth curved flowing lines, much like the old 18ft randall displacement hull I posted bback early on in this thread.

I see some of these designs on the water - or in boats listed for sail on the internet....and I've come to recognise a few of the leading architects design signatures.

Jackmans have a straight line chine back to almost halfway along the hull. Currans have a steep rake cabin and very angular etc...

I alooking for something "sweet" looking. I know alloy lends itself to angular designs but I've seen one or two alloy vessels with smooth sweet lines I like...just don't know who designed them!

If I could use a RIB (without puncturing it with fly hooks and gaffs etc, theni guess the dimensions of the inflatable part wouldn't count in the survey / towing regulations?..(I'm not an expert on these things and they are in the process of being changed as I type apparently..

I hope to find some small localdesigner who can do a design for me of a twin tunnel multi hull cathedral style thing, with twin outboards and maybe a walkround island cab - that has windows which remove or fold down for warm weather like a centre console and folu up for more temperate colder weather area's - sort of the best of both worlds.

I'll keep looking - if you guys know of anyone looking for the paying work for goodness sake speak up or point me in the right direction.

Thanks again & cheers!!

Well,

After listening and takin the sound advice offered here, I have managed to track down a smaller operator prepared to have a go on a little 25fter for me.

Aftyer a weeks emails and discussions and swapping a few photo's - we're stilll refining the hul lines a bit, but I'm reasonably happy were headed in the right direction.

This is the rough outlines so far - I'm still playing with things at my end to refine the shape some for a little more sleek look..

Any opinions welcome.

This is just hullform excercise at the moment..

Cheers!

This is another look, upside down.

increase the rake angle on the bow, sort of pulling it back under further so the rollover chines catch and ride more of it's own bow wave for additional lift, and sweep the gunnel line for'ard higher like this for a sleeker look - might lower freeboard just a bit more at the stern too.

Whattya think?

[duluthboats]

It might look like this on the water.
http://www.ewboats.com/247cc.htm
Very close anyway
Gary