the ultimate cruiser

[whitepointer23]

i have been looking at the tad roberts pl 46 on tads website. it is a very impressive looking boat and fast with small engines. has anyone on the forum built one. i would love to see some pics of the completed boat.

[Tad]

Whitepointer.....

One boat has been built to the PL46 design, this is the PL46+ Ataraxia (standard PL46 with about 2' of length added) built in South Africa and launched several years ago. Her owners live aboard with a small child and are finishing the boat themselves. There are pictures here......http://picasaweb.google.com/p.jacops/Ataraxia

Also more info http://passagemakerlite.com/designs/...kerlite-46plus

[whitepointer23]

thanks for the link tad, it is a nice looking boat. can you change it to single engine or does it upset the interior layout to much. you mentioned swinging a 27" prop with a single but increasing the draft a fair bit. i like single installations , easier to maintain and cheaper. this is as close to my dream boat as i have ever seen.

[Tad]

As the boats are semi-custom, you can do almost anything

There are a few options for single power arrangements.

1) Single engine with direct mounted vee-drive in the standard aft engine room. Larger central tunnel/prop pocket and highest shaft angle.

2) Single engine in the aft engine room with remote-mounted vee-drive forward of the ER bulkhead. Lower shaft angle but machinery in the saloon.

3) Single engine with direct shaft line mounted just aft of the pilothouse. Arrangement similar to the PL39 with head and standup engineroom on port side and galley on starboard. Engine weight is low in the boat so the engine call be as big as you like (gardner, cat, etc.). Shaft line is low and parallel to waterline. You now have a huge lazzerett, dinghy garage, or aft cabin in the stern. But you now live around the machinery......