max beam

[gonzo]

Let's remember that the maximum legal width on the road is 8'6". I have seen irate boatowners stopped on the highway for towing overwidth boats. The salesman told them the boat was "trailarable". So are bridge sections, however they are required to have a permit, an escort and drive during daylight hours. Some cities also have restrictions during traffic hour.

[Willallison]

Not even that I'm afraid.
As O-1 was conceived as a 'world boat', some of us (like here in Oz for example) have to suffer with max of 2.5m - 8'2"....

[Willallison]

ps - nice to see some o-1 input again....maybe it'll spur some others on...

[yipster]

It’s nice to launch, haul and drive a boat over the road anywhere you like yourself,
I have had some trailers and thoughts on the max size trailer behind a car…

*Legally it’s not only the size of the boat: here, and I assume in more countries, 2 to 3 ton (have to check again) trailers are only legal behind monster trucks like hummers and even than its possible you need to store water, fuel, canned food etc in the car.
*For storage of any trailer you do need a big(ger) garage.
*Heavier boats need bigger trailers and even big trailers I’ve seen bending.
*Professional transport is not all that expensive, can go extra wide and there is much to be said in favor of having a bigger boat launched a by crane anyway.
*Beam size in the 8 to 10 ft range makes a big interior space difference in this type of boat.

I found trailers much more useful for somewhat smaller boats.
Sorry my contribution isnt more possitive and thats why i liked your bigger design all along.
Off course that’s my personal opinion; like to hear (pro and con) other considerations…

yipster

[Willallison]

Of course we would (almost) always choose bigger, more comfortable, more expensive, etc etc.
But at the end of the day, not all of us can afford a 50 x 15 footer. The group chose to make O-1:

1 Coastal hopping. 1 week duration without re-supply
2 Trailerable
3 Range 300 miles
4 Crew, 2 minimum
5 Price range, under 50K US, for home built.
6 Must be able to carry on a normal conversation at 3/4 throttle.
7 Outboard power
8 Locate head up (on same level as saloon as opposed to down with berths)
9 Light weight - about 1500 - 1800kg

There is little to choose from if you're shopping for this kind of boat and for many it is a far more practical option than anything bigger. The larger the boat becomes, the more complicated moving it about becomes. It's ok to have a crane drop your boat in the drink if you only ever cruise from the same place, but certainly not a practical option for those who regularly use their boats in different places.
I think the balance we've struck with O-1 is about right. What we need now is some more input to take the design to the next stage.....

[yipster]

that sums it up quit nice and i quikly try'd to check weight against bayliner's ciera 2655 (starts at 42K)
yes bayliner, this one is supposed to be strong according to boating magazine march 2000- LOA 26.7 beam 9.5, but it does not mention weight and this one is just a ft to wide to trailer.
i'll also try to find back trailer weight versus towing vehicle info.
building your own boat does gives great satisfaction and with that lightweight O1 might just have it all rite...

[Willallison]

Well, Yipster, I can tell you that the combined weight of my 27ft Searay (similar to the Bayliner you mention - though dare I say it, somewhat better built... ) is 4100kg. Rather more than your average family sedan can haul. I just towed this rig (with a 6.5litre turbo diesel Chevy Suburban) 3500kms from one end of Australia to the other. I can assure you that whilst I would regard my boat as transportable, it certainly ain't what I'd call a trailerboat!

[dskira]

Originally Posted by Willallison

Well, Yipster, I can tell you that the combined weight of my 27ft Searay (similar to the Bayliner you mention - though dare I say it, somewhat better built... ) is 4100kg. Rather more than your average family sedan can haul. I just towed this rig (with a 6.5litre turbo diesel Chevy Suburban) 3500kms from one end of Australia to the other. I can assure you that whilst I would regard my boat as transportable, it certainly ain't what I'd call a trailerboat!

Both you and Yipster has a good point.
What is interresting is the difference between "transportable" and "trailerboat"
I will say between 2.5 to 3 long tons will be the max possible. A 5 liters V8 two tons car can haul it. Unfortunatly a very good trailer cost around $7000, and that is expensive. Plus it is better to change the chocks on the car if hauling on long distances and often. And more that 8'6" is an absolut no no in the majority of the States in the US. Some States are 8'. Length can be around 30' to 35' to be on the safe side. The total length (car and boat) should not exeed 60' again in the majority of the States.
My two cents
Cheers
Daniel

[u4ea32]

I tow my 32' x 8'3", 11000 lbs on trailer with my F350 dually V10 truck. Its really not hard to do, and on long runs even with high mountains I get just over 10 miles per gallon on the highway if I keep the top speed at 55 mph (wind drag causes mileage to drop rapidly with highway speed).

However, for the next (and what I expect will be my final) boat, its got to be MUCH lighter. Light enough to tow with a small diesel vehicle like a VW Tiguan. That probably means 5000 lbs MAX on trailer.

And I agree with Will that a 2.5m (8'3") beam is better: its the beam that makes towing difficult. There are many launch ramps where non-boating facility designers leave me with scant inches on either side getting through gates.

However, as I've said many times before, length really isn't a problem. My boat is 32 feet long, but its 40 feet from my trailer hitch to the end of the outdrives due to the long tongue. Road regulations tend to be oddly written -- they aren't written by god, they are written by a series legislators over many years (who really could care less about getting things right or consistent in most cases). So in the US, where one can easily find listings of length-width-height restrictions, if you look into the reality, its far less clear.

Specifically, its legal to tow 53 foot containers nearly anywhere in the developed world. So in practice, you can safely and legally tow nearly anywhere as long as you are smaller than those biggest semi+53' trailer combos: 2.5 meters wide, 53' long, 14' high, with a very, very large tow vehicle often exceeding 24 feet in length (the big sleeper cab long nose models). Oh, and stuff tacked on is not measured: mirrors, lights, steps, awnings, ... In the US, this legality is federally mandated: no state can restrict the movement of such loads.

I'm probably going to stick with the following constraints:

53' trailer hitch ball to aft end of the boat.
Bow overhanging back of tow vehicle OK.
8.25' beam.
13' high on trailer (to miss the trees that are clipped by the 14 foot high trucks).
5000 lbs with fuel, water, food and gear for a week, on trailer.
3500 lbs lightship on trailer.

[dskira]

Originally Posted by u4ea32

I tow my 32' x 8'3", 11000 lbs on trailer with my F350 dually V10 truck. Its really not hard to do, and on long runs even with high mountains I get just over 10 miles per gallon on the highway if I keep the top speed at 55 mph (wind drag causes mileage to drop rapidly with highway speed).

However, for the next (and what I expect will be my final) boat, its got to be MUCH lighter. Light enough to tow with a small diesel vehicle like a VW Tiguan. That probably means 5000 lbs MAX on trailer.

And I agree with Will that a 2.5m (8'3") beam is better: its the beam that makes towing difficult. There are many launch ramps where non-boating facility designers leave me with scant inches on either side getting through gates.

However, as I've said many times before, length really isn't a problem. My boat is 32 feet long, but its 40 feet from my trailer hitch to the end of the outdrives due to the long tongue. Road regulations tend to be oddly written -- they aren't written by god, they are written by a series legislators over many years (who really could care less about getting things right or consistent in most cases). So in the US, where one can easily find listings of length-width-height restrictions, if you look into the reality, its far less clear.

Specifically, its legal to tow 53 foot containers nearly anywhere in the developed world. So in practice, you can safely and legally tow nearly anywhere as long as you are smaller than those biggest semi+53' trailer combos: 2.5 meters wide, 53' long, 14' high, with a very, very large tow vehicle often exceeding 24 feet in length (the big sleeper cab long nose models). Oh, and stuff tacked on is not measured: mirrors, lights, steps, awnings, ... In the US, this legality is federally mandated: no state can restrict the movement of such loads.

I'm probably going to stick with the following constraints:

53' trailer hitch ball to aft end of the boat.
Bow overhanging back of tow vehicle OK.
8.25' beam.
13' high on trailer (to miss the trees that are clipped by the 14 foot high trucks).
5000 lbs with fuel, water, food and gear for a week, on trailer.
3500 lbs lightship on trailer.

Very instructive, thank you much.
Cheers
Daniel

[Fanie]

Hi Gonzo, guys,

A 2m500 boat trailers a bit difficult in heavy trafic, especially if you try and miss the potholes. We usually depart when trafic is lowest and you can drive more relaxed - middel of the night.

Normally (I think) one would not tow the boat from one coast over the continent to the other coast like Will does Depends how far you have to go to launch the boat and how long you plan to stay each trip.

The old saying a boat is always too big on land and too small on the water. If you're going to spend more time on the hard then a smaller boat will suffice. If you plan to stay out there for a bit then the biggest boat would probably be better.

The only way to get a big(ger) boat on the water while trailable would be to make it foldable. Mine is 10m LOA and 6m BOA. The more I work with this the more I like it. At least is a way to get a bit of the compromised boat back being trailable.

Our length restriction is 22m including the towing vehicle, height restriction is 4m200 and of course as mentioned 2m500 width. So it's quite a monstrosty you can take on the road. I assume other countries would be similar.

[tom28571]

So O1 is getting some more action, or at least talking about action. We ran into the same issue that all such endeavors run into. We each had somewhat different specific wants in such a boat beyond the broad attributes that we could "mostly" agree on.

I know some have gone ahead with our own interpretations. Will has his either in the water or near launch. My latest is below.

It is 28'LOA and 8' 6" BOA. Dry weight w/o engine is 2500lb. Max design displacement is 4000lb. Power is 90hp Etec and top speed is 26mph (hopefully conservative)

Like all such boat of this size, it is best for two people but will be reasonably comfortable for an extra two kids or occasional guests. It will launch in the Spring.

[tom28571]

Oh yes, trailering limits are a hodgepodge. Here is NC, the 8'6" limits was recently rescinded and is now up to 10' with some restrictions. It is mostly ignored anyway and I know of no one who went beyond the past limit that was ticketed although it must have happened.

[Fanie]

Neat boat Tom, how about pics of the inside and why what is where. Always nice to see and learnfull.

[tom28571]

Fanie,

Interior of this boat is not yet finished. The owner is working on it now and I only have a few photos but they don't offer a full view. He is doing a great job and it will be a nice and very workable interior. There are some photos on my website of my Bluejacket 24 which has a similar if smaller interior. Main difference is that the larger boat has a dinette table that converts into a full length berth.

http://www.bluejacketboats.com/bluejacket_24.htm Use Internet Explorer.