House boat stabilization design scenario

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by AwJees, Sep 27, 2021.

  1. AwJees
    Joined: Aug 2021
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    Location: Beoit Wi

    AwJees President of He-Man Woman Haters Club

    I have been rethinking my houseboat. After much good input from my design post. I was directed to look at the Skoota design along with alot of others. I am thinking of a camper on the water with a tow behind boat for motoring around. A houseboat to take out at 5 knots find a quiet area and anchor in. Then use the runaround to sight see.
    A scow or barge design hull 24 feet long 8 foot wide 2feet 6 inches tall with fold pontoons. Similar to the Scootas folding pontoons.The hull of the center barge would be 1890 pounds without the cabin . Probably close to 2890 pounds with a 6foot 6inch tall square cabin I dont know the weight of the pontoons yet I would change the pivot point for the pontoons on the hull and the attachment point on the pontoons. Which I have figured out. Each pontoon would be 2 foot wide and match the height of the hull, with curvature on the front end. This would give the same waterline on the hull and pontoons as well as the same height. With the pontoons extended you would see 2 feet 6 inches of open area between the barge hull and the pontoon except for beams. then the 2 foot pontoon. This would give me a 8foot wide barge houseboat with a height of 6feet 6inches overall and a width of 17 feet with the pontoons extended. With them folded i have a trailerable housebout at roughly 8 feet wide. What i was questioning is if there is a advantage to making the pontoons deeper than the barge height like a inch or 2 .Would this increase stability? I know it would load the support beams and thats ok. Thoughts?
    After thinking about my post put simply it would be like a skoota but the center wouldnt be a bridge from pontoon to pontoon. It would actually sit down in the water like a barge with a pontoon on each side.
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2021
  2. Skyak
    Joined: Jul 2012
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    Skyak Senior Member

    I don't fully understand your design but I can answer your question -stability is a function of the change in displaced volume with angle. Having the bottom edges a little deeper does little to nothing until that bottom comes out of the water, which would happen 2 inches later. Having the waterline area increase or move farther out from center on the lowered side increases stability. If instead of adding volume to the pontoon bottoms you angled the outside edges out 45 deg, the same volume add would add stability.
     
  3. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Sounds even more complicated to make, than to describe ! What is the concern about the stability of it, unless you intend to have a second storey on it ? It should be stable enough for the waters a little barge would use.
     
  4. bajansailor
    Joined: Oct 2007
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    Location: Barbados

    bajansailor Marine Surveyor

    You lost me totally there @AwJees with your post above.

    But following on from your previous thread, I still think that your best bet is simply a power cat that can be kept 8'6" wide - and the Eco designs seem to do this job pretty well.
     
  5. DogCavalry
    Joined: Sep 2019
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    Location: Vancouver bc

    DogCavalry Senior Member

  6. DogCavalry
    Joined: Sep 2019
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    Location: Vancouver bc

    DogCavalry Senior Member

    Maybe the get TX18 plans, scale up, drop a cabin on it.
     
  7. DogCavalry
    Joined: Sep 2019
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    DogCavalry Senior Member

    Well no. Stability is a function of the change in location of displaced volume with change in angle, which I'm sure you meant. After all, unless the vessel gets heavier as it heels, displaced volume will not change, just shift laterally, creating a force couple between gravity and new center of buoyancy. Which is why a catamaran in the first place.
     
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  8. bajansailor
    Joined: Oct 2007
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    bajansailor Marine Surveyor

    @AwJees I think you know now that either a cat or a sea sled is the way to go, for sure!
    A Donf! (Just do it).
    You won't regret it.
     
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  9. DogCavalry
    Joined: Sep 2019
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    DogCavalry Senior Member

    I had a look at the Tx18 plans again. The first several thousand sea sleds Hickman built did not have the nontripping chines he invented, patented, and zealously, or even pathologically guarded. They went great in straight lines, but in high speed aggressive maneuvering the chine would dig in, and trip the boat. It doesn't sound like you want to burn donuts in the Wendy's parking lot to impress the acned teenagers. So if you scale up the TX18 to 24', but leave off everything port and starboard of the bottom chines, you'll have an 8' wide seaworthy, high speed barge that can easily carry your houseboat superstructure, and is completely trailerable. Forget the outriggers. They add cost and complexity, and give you nothing at all.
     
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  10. DogCavalry
    Joined: Sep 2019
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    DogCavalry Senior Member

    ....And the OP never came back after starting the thread.
     

  11. bajansailor
    Joined: Oct 2007
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    Location: Barbados

    bajansailor Marine Surveyor

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