Looking for cabin re-design advice

Thanks Jammer. I see you know nothing about Stamas boats. We can add that to the long list things you've displayed complete ignorance of. I would trade 90% of the boats on the planet for that one. They are made in Florida, so no reason you would know their reputation. Many of the older ones have a history like the OP's. People modify them because they are worth saving - mostly people who have worked in them for a few thousand hours and understand what they can do. Fishermen, crabbers, spongers, not rich people, just people that know good boats and are perhaps alive today because they were in a good boat when things went pearshaped.

 

Thanks for the tips. I'll try moving things around next time we're in the water and see what effect it has.

Jammer: I'm not sure if my mini-sub will be able to lift this old Stamas boat. The hull is like 3/4" thick solid fiberglass. My Dodge Diesel 250 even has to work to move this thing! Sometimes it takes a troll to pull a pile of bullsh** uphill.

As far as gear on board and seeing the trim, page 1 of this thread has some shots of her loaded for camping and you can see by the line of the bottom paint that she is leaning forward. We only haul the basics: bedding, cooler, light gear, etc in the bow--nothing out of the ordinary.

Any other suggestions would be great, otherwise I'll mess around with loading and let you know. Thanks again!

 

Bring only well fed friends and make them stand near the transom. Yeah, just play with some weights. A cooler full of beer works well. If you want to get more serious, sand bags and concrete blocks good too. BTW, an average concrete block is about 35 pounds (guess how I learned this).

 

Does it travel bow down. I have known similar boats to yours that trim nicely underway .

 

Good point Brendan, underway she might squat to a nice level trim.

 

She does travel at roughly the same bow down trim. You can only feel a slight squat at cruising speed (7-8 kts). This is mostly why I want to address the issue, to make sure we're plowing through and over waves rather than duck-diving down into them . So far she handles chop at about 2-4 ft pretty well but... I always want to tinker more.

 

Yeah, moves some weight aft and get her to trim up at the dock, then see how she does. It's a hit or miss thing, but pretty easy to do.

 

There are lotsa fiberglass boats going in land fills. Find somebody salvaging fittings and lead keels. They probably will appreciate you taking a free fiberglass cabin off one of the derelicts. Less weight to pay for disposal.
I've salvaged a lot of fiberglass parts for my boat project.

 

Thanks.

Looking again at cabin construction plans and wonder what folks think about framing the cabin roof. (This is for plywood/glass over framing construction technique--I won't go down the road of foam/glass/one-off/etc) The Glen-L dory cabin plans call for beams running fore/aft, each beam cut to different heights to achieve roof camber of about 4". Other references call for laminated beams bent to camber or sawn beams cut to camber running athwartships. Any preferences? Price/strength comparisons?

Which is better for a roof you plan to stow kayaks and crab pots on, and occupy occasionally when at anchor?

What about the plywood roof? Seams run fore-aft or athwartships or always in line with the framing?

 

If you plan on conventional hardwood handrails/toerails/tie-rails running inboard of the cabin sides, they can add a lot to the longitudinal strength you need. They are often paired with handrails on the interior. You need to plan any beam spacing with these in mind. As far as transverse vs longitudinal, the presence of bulkheads and cabinetry usually points towards transverse frames. If there isn't any, longitudinal may be more convenient. But you are more limited in the camber distribution with longitudinal beams (probably not an issue here).

How wide is the cabin at the top of the cabin sides? How long is the cabin overall? Are there any bulkheads or furniture extending to the cabin roof? Do you need to hide any wiring up there? Is insulation an issue? Any hatches/vents in the roof?

 

Longitudinal stringers in the roof tend to be lighter and place stiffness in the direction most desired. Athwart beams is a more conventional approach and if covered with plywood certainly as viable, but as Phil has pointed out, there are a number of variables that can force your hand in this decision, so more detail is required.

Given the general shape and at least two overhead supports (windshield and aft bulkhead), I'd suggest one athwart beam, mid way between and longitudinal stringers, all the same dimension, set to a common crown, which plywood can be glued and screw to.