Aluminum Offshore Fishing Catamaran CNC Cost?

Discussion in 'Metal Boat Building' started by jwells11, Apr 1, 2020.

  1. jwells11
    Joined: Apr 2020
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    jwells11 Junior Member

    We all want a Freeman, But who can afford a 750k used Freeman(1000 engine hours)

    ****Yes Billy Wells(I think, maybe Kevin Beach) listed his Mexican Gulf 42 Freeman for 750ish.....


    Anyways I saw another Venice Captain who had an aluminum cat build that looked extremely close to a freeman and it supposedly cost around $300k.
    Hull1.jpg Hull.jpg
    Did my research and if CNC it would be extremely easy to build for I have a way of getting CAD files for a similar boat. It will cost some dough to get the files thus my lack of info here and want to know if it wont be extremely overly priced.

    If you say 10-20k or 20-35k it is completely reasonable for the lack of info I have given.

    So here is what I want to CNC

    ------36x11

    -----The bottoms and transom will be 5086 .250

    ----- Sides, tunnel, and gunnel will be 5052 .210
    (Will be eliminating spray chine to reduce welding and reduce CNC costs, so the sides will be one sheet)

    ------ Floor will be 5052 .190

    -----(7)Baffels and (20)Stringers will be 5052 .19
    stringers.jpg baffels.JPG

    ........Both keels will be 5086 .250

    stringers and keel.jpg



    I know Im asking for lot but it seems like it wouldn't be that expensive. When 25 year old Contenders are going for 130k.

    Hull and deck only.

    Please best guesses and advice if possible

    ****I can weld, I also have a buddy who can as well and will trade me work for the CAD files to help with labor.
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2020
  2. jwells11
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    jwells11 Junior Member

    I need a guess of how much it will be for all of the CNC aluminum

    ------36x11 total dimensions

    -----The bottoms and transom will be 5086 .250

    ----- Sides, tunnel, and gunnel will be 5052 .210
    (Will be eliminating spray chine to reduce welding and reduce CNC costs, so the sides will be one sheet)

    ------ Floor will be 5052 .190

    -----(7)Baffels and (20)Stringers will be 5052 .19

    I can get the CAD at a price but want to see if its not going to be outlandish to CNC the metal
     
  3. Barry
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    Barry Senior Member

    35 FT Catamaran Workboat (616) | Aluminum Boat Plans & Designs by Specmar http://www.specmar.com/aluminum-boat-plans/aluminum-catamarans/35-ft-catamaran-workboat-616
    Cutters of SPECMAR Hulls | Aluminum Boat Plans & Designs by Specmar http://www.specmar.com/resources/cutting-facitilites

    Attached is a link to Specmar and for a boat your size the cost for CAD files is $8,000 and below a list of cutters that Specmar lists as being companies who perhaps have worked with them in the past

    A note about aluminum, if you as an individual go into a aluminum company to purchase aluminum, you will pay much more than the companies that by hundreds of thousands of pounds per year. There are aluminum retailers, ie they buy
    from distributors and their prices can be are outrageous. Then there are the distributors who may quote a much better price IF the will sell into an area where they have dealers/retailers
    The point is that if you buy a set of plans, and $8k seems cheap to me, you should contact the companies listed to get a quote for supply and cutting. You may find that this is cheaper than you trying buy aluminum as an individual and paying
    someone to cut it. If you buy a Specmar plan, talk to them about this.
    I would use the search tab in the upper corner and search for Specmar. There was a response from either the company or someone who works there about 6 - 8 months ago who contributed some information to the forum and he
    might be a first best contact point. If I find the thread, I will edit into this comment later.



    "I have a buddy that can weld" Welding with mig takes some practice plus proper back cuts when joining sheet or even long continuous fillet welds. If you have a buddy "who can weld and has welded several boats" you would be ok.
    A guy who can just strike an arc, with little experience in boat building or fitting, would not be my first choice. Not to discourage you BUT it is quite different than sticking a few scraps of steel together. Triaxial stresses, stress concentrations, crater cracks and many other factors become much more significant in aluminum than say steel ( more significant) due to it's properties.
    The 5086 is a good alloy, not sure why you would change the sides to 5052. We used 5086 H32 on the sides and bottom, formed stringers from 5052H112. Avoided any 6000 series unless we could not form a particular piece

    There are some good books available, Aluminum Boat Building , Simms, The Complete Guide to Metal Boats, Roberts and there are others.
     
    fallguy and bajansailor like this.
  4. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Huge project. I am confused by the pics, are you intending to build without the hard chine, but a rounded transition from the bottom to the sides ? That won't be developable in the forward parts. And apart from that, I would be very leery of a planing cat with rounded hulls, I have never seen one that didn't porpoise madly, the reason for that is that the lift at varying angles of attack does not change as much as it does a hard chine with chine flats. But I hate hobby horses !
     
  5. Barry
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    Barry Senior Member

    It looks like two different boats??? or maybe 3??
     
  6. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    yes, the pictures seem not to be of one boat.
     
  7. jwells11
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    jwells11 Junior Member

    Yes, the top boat is what it will look similar to. The rest are just structural design pics of what it will look like.

    It will have a hard chine, and I have rode on these boats and there is no way that it will porpose if removing the top chine(essentially a spray guard that is for more show than purpose).

    This company has built fin cats without them for years.
     
  8. jwells11
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    jwells11 Junior Member


    The plans will not work for my application. But I imagine to produce my plans will cost $5-8k


    ----Are those a list of people who will cut cheap?



    ----Welding is good I have enough experience. Just saying that I also have a buddy that can also to speed up the process.


    ------I figured 5052 was significantly cheaper.
    (I will not leave in water more than a few weakends a year at max)
     
  9. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    I was going on the framing pic, I surmise you are talking about the 'relief line' on the topsides, which has a visual affect of breaking up what might otherwise appear 'slab-sided'. If you are going to paint, you can achieve a similar effect fairly easily by using different colours. What power do you envisage, 4 x outboard ?
     
  10. jwells11
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    jwells11 Junior Member


    Probably quad 300 Suzukis. Maybe twins.

    The company above used to build Fincat 41s that had twin 300s

    The problem with the fincat is that it has lower sides leading to a wet boat and alot of tunnel slap.

    2015 FinCat 41, Marrero Louisiana - boats.com https://www.boats.com/power-boats/2015-fincat-41-7236656/
     
  11. jwells11
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    jwells11 Junior Member

  12. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Not using stepped bottoms would simplify matters.
     
  13. jwells11
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    jwells11 Junior Member

    Yea I thought about it but its not that many more welds.

    I figure that I will have to section it so that will be a good place to so.
     
  14. jwells11
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    jwells11 Junior Member

    I will be putting a 4 jump seat pilot house on top with a small tower as well.

    This is a 52 and will be much much smaller

    But I like the lines on it
     

    Attached Files:


  15. jwells11
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    jwells11 Junior Member

    Probably look more like this but with more modern windows and a fish box and seat up front.

    This is a 34
     

    Attached Files:

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