small boat design

[Psycho D]

What would be the logical way to design a 24' boat to be used for offshore fishing? We were thinking of just making a mold from an old Formula 233, but that just seems wrong (though legal). Are their already tons of stock designs available out their for this type of craft, or would it best to have an original design formulated? How about using some boat design software to at least begin the process? i am in the process of restoring a Formula currently, but my fishing buddy (an engineer so he's the smart one) and i would love to build a boat from scratch. Thanks in advance.
d

[Stephen Ditmore]

A naval architect I'd recommend discussing this with is Lou Codega (check the BoatDesign.net Directory). Also, I'm a fan of the Limestone 24 by Mark Ellis (the Ontario Mark Ellis, not the Maine Mark Ellis). If you find a design you like by one of them or anyone else and it's developable, you might consider building a prototype using DuFlex from www.atlcomposites.com before committing to building a mold. In fact, you might check with ATL to see if they're already offering a kit that meets your requirements.

You might also try:
Dave Sintes
Sintes Fiberglass Design
New Orleans, LA (on Lake Pontchartrain)
He's a big advocate of C-Flex.

When it comes to powerboat composite scantlings, Robert Schofield's top notch, as is a New Hampshire based guy who's written in a recent Professional BoatBuilder Magazine <www.proboat.com> about the use of strain gauge testing.

For more see http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthr...ighlight=CFlex

Good Luck!

[badges65]

Hi, If you want a good stable fishing platform an IVB is the answer.
don