Dutch Barge long distance cruisers

Related Subject Matter

....some here might find a portion of these other discussion of interest

What if?,.... Canal Trawler built in Steel & Composite PP Honeycomb

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-building/steel-hulls-composite-superstructure-topsides-47349-4.html#post636961

 

Val,
your concept of ocean going on a reasonable budget is not practical with today's technology as many on this thread have said. In my opinion the only way you will get a vessel to come any where near your requirements is to go with a sailboat with an electric auxiliary. It can either be a barge type, such as a Thames sailing barge or Dutch barge (there are plenty of websites with information on these types)which has the carrying capacity for the large battery banks you will need; or a catamaran hull, which has less carrying capacity for the batteries but needs less power to drive, except against a head wind, where the windage will take as much power to overcome as a barge type yacht.
There is a boat in New Zealand called mehitabel which has gone with this concept. She is a junk schooner rigged vessel of just under 50 ft. She is fitted with an electric propulsion motor, lots of solar panels, two wind generators and a large battery bank, as well as an auxiliary diesel generator. She can do about 12 hours at three knots under power and takes several days to recharge, but she can and has sailed the oceans under sail. There are some articles on her on the Junk Rig Association website. She does not have all of the bells and whistles of modern American living such as the washer and dryer, but is a comfortable cruising boat. Most of her movements, even in coastal and sheltered water are under sail, the electrc system is a true auxiliary and is only used in flat calm conditions or as a help to make it around a headland without an extra tack or so.
Someting along these lines may come as close as you are going to get at an anything like reasonable budget.
All the best with the project, David.

 

Perhaps I gave the wrong impression with my mentioning the motorsailers I was considering with this similar construction of steel hull with composite superstructure. Naturally those ocean going vessels are going to be more heavily built, and not meant for canal work at all.

No what I have in mind for the 'canal trawler' is something like this 40-42 footer:


The hull would be built of 'steel panels, and the superstructure of foam or polypropylene prefab-panels. No heavy investment in plugs, molds, and all that other tooling. These vessels could be offered in a 'kit form' with computer cut panel building technologies for either individuals or boat building yards to put together.

 

Replied to wrong posting

...oops David, when I first just glanced at your posting I thought you were talking to me about ocean going and reasonable budget, so I responded as above

 

So you are canal-cruising quietly thru the countryside one day,....and you run into this :!::!:

 

Looks like a Mexican cartel drug sub.

 

British canals vs Frence canals

...interesting observation by an experienced 'canal boater' on another forum...

 

I like this, but would it need to be steel? In a kit form, ply would work just as well, wouldn't it?

wayne

 

Ply would work, but then you need to glass over it. And in the end you end up with a 'wood' boat, Wood boats are very difficult to get financing on (bank), more difficult in resale, and often more difficult to insure.

....alternative, frameless steel hull

 

Stitch in glue wood style only in steel.

 

Thank you,

Stitch and glue steel? Epoxy?

 

Substitute epoxy for welding.They stitch weld the panels to prevent warping, unless the panels are plate steel.Plate steel can take the heat without warping.Stitch welding prevents heat build up in one area and cuts down on the chances of panels warping.

 

Not sure what you fellows are talking about? I am in NO WAY suggesting that epoxy would substitute for fully welding the steel panels together.

I am suggesting that their is a limited amount of internal framing (bulkhead, stringers) in this method, and the panels can be assembled in an 'external jig' as opposed to sheeting up panels of steel over a prefabricated frame work that becomes part of the boat.

In a number of such cases the thickness of the skin panels is slightly thicker than fully framed construction so that less internal framing pieces are needed.

Look here:
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-building/steel-hulls-composite-superstructure-topsides-47349-13.html#post645366

 

YES YOU ARE...

OK, maybe you are not suggesting crazy ideas.


An internal wood frame could be built to reduce overall weight. And still have bulkheads (watertight). Good thing about this is you would have built in ballast. I am not sure this is the way I would go, but I think it would work well.

I have a serious back injury (nerve damage), and I would only use steel if other people were doing all of the work. Even a little plywood sheet on occasion, hurts.

And I think I understand most of what you wrote, but I ask one question:

What thickness of steel is required when using plate steel?