Looking for plans or suggestions

[Kessica]

Hi.

A newbie to these forums, I have some basic questions that I would love to hear your ideas/suggestions/answers.

Having spent the last few years performing house renovation, the time has now come to realise my life long dream/ambition, which is to build a boat. I have spent the last few weeks scouring the internet looking for plans, but although I can see some which match my criteria for a craft, there is usually something missing.

What I am looking for a is a solid seaworthy hull which doesnt roll too much, and gives a comfortable ride in rough weather. I am not into speed, so 15-20 knotts would be adequate.

I want to use an inboard and the craft must be able to support 2 berths for sleeping. The maximum LOA should be up to 21 foot and trailerable. The construction should be wooden.

As far as I can make out a semi-displacement hull will give the best performance. There are a few plans out there that will do the job, but interior/cabin design on some have a lot to be desired. Im looking for good lines and comfort. I also need some space aft for some sea fishing however this is secondary. I would like to be able to drive the boat in relative comfort so the cockpit would need to be reasonably well protected, but also secure, should the craft be moored for any length of time.

How much would the craft handling suffer if I changed the deck arrangement and cabin structure. I realise that changing the center of gravity could make the craft more unstable but to what extent ? I know Im probably asking "How long is a piece of string?" but I would rewally like to understand the implications of making changes.

Can you recommend any books or reading material that will give me a greater understanding of whats involved ? I would rather invest on information and knowledge than make an expensive mistake that would be difficult to correct further down the line !

Thanks for your help and reading too !

Kess

[Raggi_Thor]

Something like this?
http://www.nexusmarine.com/wooden_shoe.html

[Kessica]

Yes, something like this would be ideal, but 23 foot is just too large for my storage area A smilar design but down to 21 foot would be just great. But in changing the design to have a more covered helm position.

As was mentioned in one of the other threads, sitting in squall covered in wet weather gear and under way is not exactly enjoyable.

One of the thoughts I had was to have a duplicate set of controls elswhere, but space is at a premium, perhaps Im asking too much for the available space ? I dont know.

Would a more covered helm position change the characteristics too much ? could 2 feet of the overall length be cut out ?

[Raggi_Thor]

Well, this isn't my design, juts one I happen to like :-)
I am sure you can get what you want, but it's of course much more expensive to design a new boat from scratch than it's to change a stock design.

[tom28571]

My choice for your requirements is Sam Devlin's Surf Scoter 22. It's one foot more than you said but has everything else. Has a good track record and has received minor refinements over the years by the designer.
http://www.devlinboat.com/dcsurfscoter.htm

For a slightly different take on the same boat by a down under builder look at:
http://www.devlinboat.com/homebuiltwaugh.htm

[Kessica]

I had actually looked at delvin site, but thought that the lines of the boat looked more like a trawler than a cruiser type of craft. I guess the cabin can be modfied, but that was one of my worries, about making changes and affecting the handling of the boat. The last thing I want to do is to make it top heavy and then risk capsizing in rough conditions.

Not that I intend to anything like an Atlantic crossing of course, but the weather can tuen nasty quickly and I dont want to get caught out.

I have remeasured the front of my property more accurately and played with a scale drawing of the wooden shoe whcih although is much larger than my anticipated length, I have discovered that there is a very good chance that it would fit if the front of the trailer was telescopic, which apparently can be done. Placing the craft diagonally across the front would still allow for a path between the border and the bow of the boat allowing access to the front door !

So this might well be the one I will go for. It has beautiful lines and is well laid out. I guess the extra 2 or 3 feet make it all possible.

I still yet to have to build a workshop and a lay a good solid accurate covered bay to start the build, but during these winter months, concil planning applications will be made and as soon as possible I will start digging trenches for foundations and start planning the workspace. Its getting quite exciting as my dream is slowly becoming a reality.

[hansp77]

Hello Kess, and welcome,

Just a question,
is your building space also going to be your storage space?

What I was thinking was that if so, you will probably need (or at least want) more space to build a 21 footer than you will need to store it.

Just a thought.

Hans.

[Kessica]

The plan is to build to the rear of my property in the back garden. Once the boat is very close to completion it will then be craned over the house to its final storage place at the front. I have a lot more space at the back than the front

A contract lift will probably be the most expensive part of the operation as wiill need in the region of a 52 tonne crane, with a radius of 23m to get the reach. The council will also be involved and my guess is, the local press will be too ! Ive already confirmed this part of the operation and had a very rough ballpark figure on the cost

In doing a feasability study, Ive had a number of boxes that all have to be ticked beofre I can start anything. The council still might scupper the plans with not allowing the boat to be stored at the front of the house, but thats unlikely as a few people here have boats on their fronts. However there might be size restrictions. The other possibility for storage is a boating club compound or a marina. I think the closest marina is 270 GPB per meter per year which is a lot! However, there are still options available should the council have other plans for me. I dont need planning permission for the workshop, but Im going ahead with a certificate of lawfullness, so that if there are any complaints from the neighbours, everything is above board and I cant be ordered to pull anything down.

When the house was renovated the electrics was designed with the workshop in mind and power cable has already been terminated outside the back, so all I need to do now is dig a trench and drop in some armoured cable. to the end of the garden.

All my woodworking tools are still in storage in the loft conversion. 3 x routers, sawbench, sanding wheel, thicknesser etc etc, so I have good base set of tools to use. It might sound a little strange coming from a woman to have this kind of kit and dream, but these days more and more women are doing "men" things. Yay to us lol

Thanks for the welcome too !

[hansp77]

Hey Kess,
it looks like you've got it all figure out. Goon on ya.
sorry for the stupid question.

there is a guy called Bluemarble (Matt) on this forum
who bought a half done 40' wooden spray

the story started on this thread
http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=10274
where someone else was asking if they could saw the thing in half to get it out from behind the house it was built rather than pay for a crane and extra transport costs...
he didn't end up buying it

but someone else did (Bluemarble and his girlfreind)
heres his thread
http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=13015

they lifted it over with a crane
two photos here



http://matt-barker.com/boat/boat_moving/ (lotsof photos here)

Big job but a much bigger boat.

Good luck,
I look forward to seeing your progress.

[Kessica]

The idea of partial assembly, moving and then finalising at the front, I did consider, but I prefer to work in privacy, and at least have it all covered while work is in progress. I think people who have scrap cars and partly completed projects standing in their front gardens are quite an eye sore.

Although very expensive the crane option I think will be the most viable. I will at least be able to work in on some comfort around the back with lighting, power and tools all handy. I will also be able to "shut the door on it" and leave it for a few days/weeks depending on overtime at work or other various factors. Hell, I might even meet someone

I know this will be a long project, but its been a few years thinking about it and now the time is right to start this gargantuan project.

Ive been reading the thread on comforts for women and its a highly interesting read. a 40 footer or bigger is way out of my league but there are some good arguments and suggestions which are even more important with a much smaller craft. It has really got me thinking !

[hansp77]

Originally Posted by Kessica

Ive been reading the thread on comforts for women and its a highly interesting read. a 40 footer or bigger is way out of my league but there are some good arguments and suggestions which are even more important with a much smaller craft. It has really got me thinking !

oh oooh
carefull, you might be needing that bigger crane after all

but seriously, that thread you mentioned is really good.

Have fun with your thoughts.

I am thankfull I only purchased a boat to restore. Otherwise I would be in real trouble if I was designing and building my own.

One day.

[Raggi_Thor]

Originally Posted by tom28571

My choice for your requirements is Sam Devlin's Surf Scoter 22. It's one foot more than you said but has everything else. Has a good track record and has received minor refinements over the years by the designer.
http://www.devlinboat.com/dcsurfscoter.htm..

That's a nice boat!

[Smuckers]

I am a Newbie so please forgive my post.... I am considering a Fiberglass or Fiberglass over wood project and in particula having trouble with Hull design with respect to flotation formula how without sinking do I determine what will float and what won't? is there a formula?

Best regards,
Trevor

[Raggi_Thor]

If you want to build one boat, I suggest you buy some good plans. For a few hundred dollars you get the result of many weeks of hard work from a good designer.

The "formula" for flotation is very simple, it's equal to the weight of the water that the hull displaces. Archimedes :-)
In the metric world it's very convinien that one cube meter of water weighs (very close to) one ton.

[Kessica]

The Archimedes' Principle states that an object immersed in a liquid is buoyed upwards by a force equal to the weight of the liquid displaced by that object. A floating object displaces an amount of liquid equal to its own weight.

For an explanation and some formula this is a good link explaining Ship Hydrostatics. I dont profess to know much about it, but its an interesting read.

http://web.nps.navy.mil/~me/tsse/Nav...le4/basics.htm

One of the problems I am having is trying to work out if a smaller engine would be sufficient to drive the boat design that Im looking at. 160-220 HP is a huge engine. So a rough formula on what it would take to get a boat up onto the plane is what I need, but I dont think its that simple somehow lol