Small Steel Workboat Design

Hello everyone

Im a new member to the Forum, however I have read many posts on here over the years, so I appreciate the wealth of knowledge on here.

I live on a tugboat, (in England) moored in the middle of a tidal river, I work on Boats, principally as a carpenter however I seem to be spending more time welding than doing carpentry these days.
I have built a few small boats around 12ft from ply and epoxy, usually using plans Ive bought from various designers.

My everyday boat is based on the Bateau fast Garvey 11ft, it moves beautifully when its not loaded up with gear and when its flat water.

Unfortunately, its usually loaded with 300kgs + and the water is very rarely flat in my location. Its now on its last legs and I need to build a replacement.

I have decided to build my next boat from steel (3mm plate) and Im looking for a design.
I asked a well respected NA that I know, for his advice on designing and building a 14ft steel workboat. His advice was not too! that anything under 25ft was inappropriate for steel build.

Im going to build one from steel anyhow, as Im a competent welder, I can get plate cheaply, and I dont have much money.

I need a metal boat, abrasion resistance is essential in the environment I live and work in, wood and epoxy is just not strong enough (well not in the quantities i can afford) also I need something that can handle rough water.

(BTW I cant afford to build in aluminium)

I have seen the selway fisher shetland 14 plans, this is apparently designed for steel build. But, I cant find any pictures or reviews of any that have actually been built,

I have drawn a few designs myself and am in the process of building scale models, due to not being able to find any steel plans.
But id much rather use the plans of an experienced designer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in Advance

 

I think I could help you and would be happy to do so. Contact me, if you like, through my e.mail : 657677483@orange.es

 

Thank you very much Tansl!

email sent

Regards Oz

 

The advice from the NA not to build such a small boat in steel is likely based on the propensity of the material to rust, and the need to allow for loss of thickness, locally at least, from rusting. This is much more critical for a thin plate, which is what your are restricted to in such a small boat. And of course the war against rust must be waged on two fronts, the outside and the inside. If you are prepared to go to the trouble of building something you don't expect to last long, or are prepared to spend lots of time maintaining, it is perhaps a different story.

 

here is a Glen-L design for a small tug. They list out all the steel you need, so you can get prices and figure out weights. Good luck. http://www.boatdesigns.com/16-Sweet-16-mini-cruiser-tug/products/882/

 

Log bronc...

http://www.angelfire.com/or/petermarsh/beaver.htm

 

I remember seeing a pic somewhere of a quite nice Dutch steel small open boat , like a Garvey, built semi frame-less with a generous full pipe gunnel, steel sheets often come at 6M x 1.8M so topside plate length within that would be quick & neat, The boat I remember had I assume a large bouyancy chamber fore & aft.............. like this but simpler... http://intheboatshed.net/2009/10/24/traditional-steel-dutch-dinghy-and-forest-stream-skiff-compared/

Jeff.

 

Mr Efficiency, the rust problem isn't an issue in this case, i will use several coats of epoxy paint, also it will be regurlarly checked and re-painted when necessary. The NA advised against steel for a small boat because of weight, he said if was to build with steel under 25 ft, then it would have to be very beamy.

Rasorinc, sweet 16 is the sort of design im looking for, problem is the plan states speed at
5.5 kts. where I live the tide often runs at 6 kts +

Jeff, what you describe sounds like what im looking for. Do you know where I could get plans, drawings or even pictures?

jehardiman, that is an unusual looking craft, interesting article btw, I will try to find out more about these. I would prefer something more traditional looking, however if it does the job then it i would be happy with that. Do you know of any more pictures or plans of these boats?

Does anyone have any knowledge, experience, or opinions of "selway fisher shetland 14" workboat? http://www.selway-fisher.com/Mcup16.htm

Thanks for all your replies

 

You want what cruise speed ?

 

7 kts would suffice,

One thing that is important is safety, 2 months ago my wife and I got caught in a sudden storm in our dingy, we were lucky to survive!
My dinghy is a fast planing design. "Very Tender"
So, something that has reasonable stability in choppy water is essential.

 

Presumably you'll be studying the tide charts, what with the 6 knot run you speak of.

 

I look at the tide charts daily

 

Maybe ask these fellows.... http://www.pzc.nl/regio/walcheren/jos-en-jos-dromen-van-grote-minivloot-1.1842763


Or something...... http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/watersp...da871b0d84f75c3056cc6db858f31&previousPage=lr

 

With a couple of changes and a bit more HP you could get 10 knots out of sweet 16. the study plans are only 15.00 us bucks

 

Jeff, thanks a lot for the links. Having some trouble understanding them as I don't speak Dutch. So I will have to wait until I see my Dutch friend to translate.
I really like the look of the boat in the 1st link. looks like a mini dutch barge.
I think it would fit the bill, If I could get drawings or even more detailed pictures then I could probably work out the hull dimensions roughly.
I spoke to the guy at Selway Fisher today regarding the Shetland 14, its designed to be built from 1.6mm plate, and still weighs in at half a tonne?
My guess is that its designed with heavy framing, maybe similar to a wooden boat.
I would not feel comfortable in a steel boat built from such light plate for many reasons, so that design is not an option for me.


Rasorinc, the "sweet 16" looks really promising.
I was hoping to use an outboard engine, as I have a few already and my funds are very limited. But an inboard is a possibility, especially if I can make the "stern tube" etc myself.
How would I increase the speed to 10kts, is it just increasing engine power?

Thanks again for all your replies, all are gratefully received