Modern Houseboat - Shanty Designs Input Plz

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by cadcam7, Aug 4, 2014.

  1. cadcam7
    Joined: Aug 2006
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    Location: Kirbyville TX

    cadcam7 Joseph Sr. Boat Designs

    Hi ElGringo,

    We're still working on the site, probably help if I enabled the contact form huh? Sorry bout that! It shows to be working now, just refresh the page. Also our contact info is there.
     
  2. Kevin Morin
    Joined: May 2013
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    Location: Kenai, AK

    Kevin Morin Junior Member

    Shanty Designs feeback

    cadcam,
    I like the concept quite a bit, and have drawn and made some preliminary plans for my own version, not in the smaller scale(s), however. All mine end up at the 36' range or larger.

    My remarks are about experiences with welded aluminum barges/scows/floats of roughly the same dimensions shown. I've built them for cannery use, for commercial fishing equipment and tote storage and fueling stations, as well as other commercial uses.

    First, as little effort as it to ramp the bow; draw a curve and wrap the bottom plating up, almost no work until you get to 1/4" and even then is not much of an adder- sure looks better.

    The VCG seems like it will create stability problems, at least my plans' figures ended up that way? I weighed the interiors, fixtures and general accommodations just using Orange Big Box products for references and found the VCG on designs smaller than 10'x28' were so high they'd roll if a kayaker paddled by.

    The roll of plum sided scows that are top loaded can be a big amplitude and long period, so living on a small one needs to be in very low traffic areas unless the VCG is down inside the hull; near as possible to the waterline.

    So I changed to well decks in most of my designs, that is- just dropped the living spaces down into the hulls so they were not longer decked over but were now well deck scows. Still leaves plenty of room for some beams fore and aft or xverse as both floor/deck and framing.

    If you'll be providing cut files for metal versions will you also be providing plywood and joinery cut files for the interior so that could be constructed light wt as well? ( you may have mentioned this and I missed it reading the thread?)

    As to propulsion (making them a passenger vessel ) a small diesel can be packaged with a marine gear on one end, and a clutched generator head on the other. When you moor/anchor/pile set; a 30-50kW AC gen off the inboard end of the main power would allow the larger size power scow/houseboat to be comfortable with all the amenities of home.

    Sure like the images of your ideas, they just look top heavy for any kind of open sea movement- I guess if you pick your weather?

    Cheers,
    Kevin Morin
    Kenai, AK
     
  3. cadcam7
    Joined: Aug 2006
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    Location: Kirbyville TX

    cadcam7 Joseph Sr. Boat Designs

    Hi Kevin,

    I agree with you completely on the bottom plating. It would be simple to do, and certainly reduce the drag.

    As for the VCG. What we do for large inland push boats that require shallow draft, (that are really tall, and have a lot of windage), is to make everything below deck heavy duty steel (not to mention ballast, very large fuel capacities etc). Then the houses are much lighter, and in some cases we build aluminum houses, as many as 3 stories tall! So using that train of thought...

    I plan to use stout scantlings, lots of water & fuel capacity, down low. For the AquaPad, AquaBox series, I have a 4' wide deck on each side of the house, and the barge hull is also that wide. This should serve double duty, in that it offers literally tons of storage displacement, and will help lower the VCG quite a bit, as well as spread out the tankage wide abeam.

    Now on the smaller boats, such as the Houdini and the Egret, these that are narrow enough to trailer, it gets a bit more tricky. Ballast, in the way of water and fuel will help. One of my heroes, George Buehler, gets around the problem with basically the same approach. A really beefy bottom, lighter sides, and then even lighter on the cabin sides.

    I am thinking that an aluminum house over a plywood barge would really pay off as far as VCG is concerned in these types of little floating hideaways. My son and I are thinking about building one like this just to determine if we like it, and if it's doable for the average diy builder. In a production setting, we would weld up an aluminum hull out of say .188 or .250 on bottom, and rivet up the house in much lighter fashion, using lightweight aluminum square tubing.

    As for open water... I would prefer a Gulf Coast Scow hull, and some ballast in the keel. She would ride much smoother, and be more gracious in a chop. But here behind the house on the lake, we're going to build a couple of them using basic barge hulls. For the most part, they will sit quietly in the cypress trees, and provide a nice retreat.

    Your idea for the engine to serve dual duty is a nifty idea! Thank you for your input :)
     
  4. rwatson
    Joined: Aug 2007
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    Location: Tasmania,Australia

    rwatson Senior Member

    The ideal cabin construction is probably glass over foam, and its makes for good insulation
     

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  5. FAST FRED
    Joined: Oct 2002
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    Location: Conn in summers , Ortona FL in winter , with big d

    FAST FRED Senior Member

    >As to propulsion (making them a passenger vessel ) a small diesel can be packaged with a marine gear on one end, and a clutched generator head on the other. When you moor/anchor/pile set; a 30-50kW AC gen off the inboard end of the main power would allow the larger size power scow/houseboat to be comfortable with all the amenities of home.<

    Most 35 ft vessels get along with 4KW to 6KW having a 30-50KW gen set would simply guarantee short engine life due to under loading.

    With the cabin top surface area a bunch of the new 285W panels that can be had for under a buck a watt ,with a small pile of batteries , comfortable QUIET living would be EZ.
     
  6. brian eiland
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    brian eiland Senior Member


  7. rwatson
    Joined: Aug 2007
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    Location: Tasmania,Australia

    rwatson Senior Member

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