new member here - fishing trawler building

[seafox]

Hi everybody!

i'm new here, and new to boat building anyhow.

till a month ago, i was only dealing with current boats in need for overhauls, i know to work with wood & fiberglass meterials very well.
i have my trusty tool set, and a good mind for design and building new things.

i have also years of experience working on fishing trawlers as well.

i decided to go for my own rig- a complete boat, a 11 meteres fishing trawler.

i don't have experience in all these special design mathematical formulas, but as far as i know- it's not the MOST important, the more important is knowing how to design the body correctly by some sort of already-exist body designs to fit my needs.

my main goals in the design i will complete in the future is like the following:

1. most important - max stability
2. high-power motor
3. heavy-duty body made to last and be durable
4. good captain's cabin with a plenty of room, and a well-designed "sleep space".

i would be happy to get any tips from you guys!

i don't plan on start designing imidiatley, i think it's a better idea to first plan everything and get any tips / guidence possible before i start actualy drawing, building it.


any help will be much appreciated!

SeaFox

[lazeyjack]

you trawl? at 11m length> what depth?

[seafox]

there are plenty of 11-15 fishing trawlers versions here in israel.

it can start out with about 4meteres body depth and get bigger as much the body is longer and wider..

do you have any general building tips about fishing trawlers? i have never built a complete body yet, and any tip could really help me get started.

as i don't plan on "hitting the water" straight, i wanna do my research first.

any help will be so much appreciated.

regards,

SeaFox

[lazeyjack]

maybe you could download freeship, and design you own?

[seafox]

thanks for your tip!

freeship? is that a boat designing cad software?

sounds cool to me!

is this software is a complete boat design tool? or only a utility to assist?


SeaFox

[rayk]

Hi seafox,

FREEship is great, and I think you are really going to enjoy this program.

Here is the link.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/freeship

[seafox]

thanks alot rayk!

i am already browsing freeship's functions

one thing i can not find, is there a function i can print out body parts ? all i can find is different views of the complete body and some reports, but if i wanna just view a specific part of the body? like one body frame?

i have 6 years experience with house cad designing, but not boat lol

any help would be appreciated, this software is really nice indeed!

best regards,

SeaFox

[rayk]

It just does surfaces and simple hydrostatics. Enough to begin a preliminary study with.
Visit the CAD forum to see how far your software budget will stretch.

http://boatdesign.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=4

[Bergalia]

Hi Seafox. My experience is confined to stern trawlers.
1: Broadbeam for stability; 2: ample working deck space; 3; Ample storage space (one should always be optimistic) for catch and ice; 4: sturdy deck construction to handle heavy gear - winches etc; 5: Good solid 'slogging engine/engines;' Skimp the 'captain's' comfort unless you intend to be at sea for more than a week at a time, but good galley and mess space for crew comfort essential.
Good luck.

[seafox]

thanks for your tips Bergalia!

btw: the freeship software is really nice, so far the most easier "cad" software that i can get a sketch without too much drawing lines

what do you guys think about building with wood, then coating with fiberglass? this is what i was thinking, this is the main meterial i have experience working with.

cheers,

SeaFox

[lazeyjack]

nothing wrong with timber, but you cant glass carvel mate
go to the wooden boat forum
freeship will develope your plates in metal

[ted655]

The fact that you have fished the style you now want to own will guide you. by all means , design the boat you want with the features that are important to you. Boats tend to evolve, being designed to best fit the area & product they operate in. That's why you'll want to see what's working where you plan to fish.
The fact that a "powerful" engine is at the top of your list, bothers me. Power comes at a cost. Not just in mpney. Reliability, repairability, economy & forgivness of abuse are the more impotant features of an engine that will have to work hard every day. Remember, operating costs will now come out of your pocket.
Here in the USA, steel is the way to go. Do a careful cost evaluation of the various materials, including upkeep, repair & finance value. Much to consider when your name is on the papers. Wish you well, the world needs more fishermen.

[Bergalia]

Originally Posted by ted655

The fact that a "powerful" engine is at the top of your list, bothers me.

My thoughts too Ted. But how do we interpret 'powerful'.
As I suggested my own experience was way back - over 20 years ago, and the boat I served my career on was best part of 100 years old. Timber hulled she gave me perfect service up in the arctic ice - though my contempraries switched to steel when their platforms wore out.
When I inherited her she had just moved from steam power to the new fangled diesel - a couple of big Gardiners which were 'plodders' but could pull the roots out of a mountain. It wasn't speed we needed (nobody in their right mnd trawls at high speed) more a steady traction against solid currents and fast rips.
But you're right - we do need more fishermen, and enthusiastic men of Seafox' calibre - not those who are in it to make 'a fast buck'.
Again I would emphasise - good solid working space - and crew comfort before the skipper's....

[Guillermo]

Small fishing boats in carvel wood are great from many points of view. Although the number of boatyards building them is decaying, we still build our small lot of them every year over here.

Although already considered out of date and not adjusted to today's needings, a variety of useful hull lines can be found in FAO's books "Fishing Boats of the World" I, II and III. An I think Freeship has some examples too.

On top of Bergalia's sensible requirements, I'd say you have to be careful to have enough freeboard too. Lack of it is dangerous. We have a rule of thumb for that kind of boats over here, stating a minimum of 1/10 of the maximum beam as a first approximation.

I do not recommend at all glassing over carvel construction. Do a proper job using proper wood and that's it.