Any Ideas

Theres a boat in the corner of the marina, its about 55 foot and some one has tried to make a fishing boat out of it but given up and yes its an ugly thing.

It rolls badly im led to believe due to the never ending upwards building to a fly bridge all built in fibre glass.

It has no engines and floats with its back side up.

Yesterday I took a look as the owner wants to sell, I thought it was a new built boat bit no its a high speed planning hull something like an Azimut with drooping bow. The engine beds are huge with nothing inside but blanked rudder stocks.

What I thought was throw 15,000 dollars at it and strip the hull out completely, cut the whole top of it so it is a flush deck from bow to stern.

I would then build a light weight Portuguese bridge.

Inside would be fully open with no partitions but necessary bulk heads. It would be fitted with extremely light weight alluminium angle and white formica or 3 mm ply with strenthening where only necessary.

Engine I guess would about 300HP each, I would get these from the used truck engine dealers with marine gearboxes, all this can be made localy at the ship yard in Thailand.

I might put on a pair of Arnesons.

Result--- A 55foot monster go anywhere economical live aboard, under 50,000 that looked evil. The emphasis is on lightness a boat so light that it planned at 1/4 throttle at 25kts. I thought Ide try for under 5 tons total. I think 600HP would do the job, maybe less. Waddya think?

 

50 ft of open space in a live aboard? It'll get filled up with junk. It's the way of the universe.

 

Ille get a picture up when it stops raining then you can see how my flush deck idea would work.

Frank, honest and even brutal comments appreciated.

 

Taking up piracy or smuggling?

 

Here is some pics

 

Frosty,

Just off the top of my head, I am curious if the lack of engines is actually contributing the boats instability. The boats looks a tad top heavy, but not incredibly so, but in this very very light ship condition the boat might be so tippy just because so much weight has been taken out of the boat. Figure a few thousand pounds at least in fuel, plus a few tons of diesel engines, and thousands of pounds of interior equipment and construction. All this adds up to a boat that is so light it is unstable.

Any chance of getting an idea what the bottom looks like? What type of boat it is or who the designer is?

 

I am quite sure the lack of engines is contributing to its instability yes but speed boats dont use ballast. I have no idea what make it is, doubt if I would be able to find that out, unless anyone want a guess, I think the bullwalks are additional so masking its identity.

ALL that top superstructure would be coming off and a flush deck fitted just high enough for good headroom below of at least 6 foot,6.

I reckon I could still take a ton of it as it is. Im calculating the engines would not run constant power or anything like it so truck motors would be Ok, I dont think a ton would be exceeded for both engines.

Just pulling it about with its mooring lines I reckon its about 10 tons now

I think its a no starter as it will always be a dog of a boat no matter what I did with it -I just thought it would be fun. Well 'fun' as long as I get me money back!!!

I think its worth about 10,000 dollars --to me, but I understand he wants 23,000 I don't think I can pay that much, not worth it.

Waddya think?

 

"I think its a no starter as it will always be a dog of a boat no matter what I did with it"...reckon you know boats enough mate to know that you are 100% right...once a dog always a dog, even if you do wish to call it otherwise.

There is the chance it could be a simple houseboat, like many un-engined boats in USA marinas, they are 360 deg waterfronts, just using the marina for a base, and get towed if they want to move.

 

nice size but enough headroom in that boat? perhaps just a small engine? a white hull and..
better to have a hole in your hand than the water but see what you mean

 

That looks a million times better.

Crikey that don't look too bad actually. How do you do that?

 

thx did it in PSP during a cup of cofee but lets not exagurate

 

Frosty,

Ballast no of course not, but my 58' is carrying about 4,000 lbs between the engines (cummins 450c at 1,800lbs each) and the transmission. Now you have a smaller, but faster boat (or so it appears, we top out at 23 kn), so adding two tons in engines would likely seriously help stabilize the boat.

My thought is before cutting off the bridge, I would add in the engines, generator if you want one, air conditioning, ect... And see how she rides then. Or ask a designer to run some quick calculations on the boat before you do anything drastic.

I do like the idea for the boat though.