"Twilight" an electric boat

Yes, this should hold any paper model together pretty well, at least for a while ...

 

Paper tape and glue

Hold the luan plywood panels together with tape,
clamps, rubber bands, etc.
Smear some Titebond along the seams.
Place "adding machine tape" along the seam,
pressing it into the glue. Smear more glue thinly
over the tape.
Let dry a few hours.
Remove the clamps, tape, etc. and glue/tape the other
side of the joint.
When glue is dry, give the seam a coat or two
of house paint.
Float you model boat.

 

All,

I've been away from this great forum for quite awhile.

Since July I have not done much "boating" but have been
thinking a lot about Twilight and still intend to build
something very close to meeting my original "problem
statement. (I've also been water skiing, working a bit
on my Four Winns 17' I/O -- and dreaming.)

I've placed an order for three sheets of 6 mm ply
(with a group of other builders) and purchased a set
of plans for an 18' "Piragua" by Jim Michalak -- mostly
because of that boat's displacement, not so much
that it meets my stated desires. (I met Jim earlier
this year at his "Messabout" at Rend Lake, IL, USA.)

Another thing I've done is purchased and read "Lapstrake
Canoes" by David L. Nichols. I've learned a lot from that
book and think almost anyone would. Nicely done!

We have one more serious day of water skiing planned and
I plan on getting my Four Winns stored in a friend's hangar
soon (as soon as I get the upholstery finished.)

I'l also be in Wisconsin enjoying some antique boating
with friends later this month.

For sure, I'm going to build a strongback and station molds
for Twilight -- so it's getting down to the wire on a
design -- a design that might change a bit as we go.

-=Grant=-

 

Hope my adding to this ancient (more than 509 days old, it says) thread doesn't screw things up too much. But I've been butchering some wood and cooking some epoxy. So it will soon be time to determine the beam of Twilight. (Rick, I'm back to original 2-piece hull with flat bottom.) I'm thinking between 26" and 30". Comments are invited and will be most welcome. Pls. see http://www.grantmaclaren.com/twilight
Thanks!

 

Grant
Hi again.

I have not done any calculations. My gut feel is that 30" will give you adequate stability. Anything smaller is going to be borderline.

Rick

 

Hi Rick,
This weekend, I'm going to move some of the panels around on the strong back, and try to get a "feel" for what I see. Because I didn't have room to build it full length (and then cut it in two), I'm building one piece at a time. I might even slap it together and try floating "half" of it.
Thanks very much for your attention and input.
-=Grant=-

 

Rick,
I've mocked it up with a 30" beam at "transoms" on "half" a hull length. It seemed too wide, so I made a 28" version to look at. (Is this seat-of-the-pants engineering . . . or what?)
I think my next step will be to put a bottom on it, wrap it in plastic sheet and see how it floats.
See pics at www.grantmaclaren.com/twilight/index4.html

 

Grant
There will not be much difference between 28" and 30" beam. I think it will be a bit tippy for boarding but a couple of decent batteries stowed on the bottom will improve that.

Will be interested in your progress.

Rick

 

Rick,

Here it is March, and I've not gotten very far.
Maybe Spring will speed me up a bit.
See small progress here on aft half of Twilight."
www.grantmaclaren.com/twilight/index5.html

-=Grant=-

 

Grant
Jeremy has made some recent posts on his little electric outboard here:
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/efficient-electric-boat-27996-19.html
You might find something interesting there.

Rick

 

Grant,

I've just spotted this thread. My aims are identical to yours, I want an easily driven river/inland waterways launch for two people to cruise in peace and quiet, with no fuel or pollution worries.

Rick's already pointed to the thread I started a fair time ago now. The hull I've chosen (because I didn't want to build one from scratch) is very similar to yours. It was designed as a pedal boat, but with enough stability to ensure that it feels comfortable for those who may have a slightly nervous disposition. To save you digging through the thread to find the pictures/link to the hull, here's a link to the pedal boat version: http://www.swallowboats.co.uk/content/view/94/30/

I look forward to seeing your project develop, good luck with it.

Jeremy

 

Hi Jeremy, Thanks for the link. I had seen that hull, and wish I had one to play with. It certainly is a handsome shape. Rick advised me to hook up with your thread and I have done so. Looks good. One thing I hope to end up with is a boat I can carry on my car's top. Of course, if I had a hull like yours, I'd settle for a trailer. (I already have one of those for my power boat.) Keep up the good work, and thanks for posting.

 

Here's my power boat: http://grantmaclaren.com/fourwinns

 

Posting here only to keep this thread alive. Not much progress to report; I've built part of the motor chamber which is a box-like affair intended to let me install the motor from the top of the boat. (In the first version, the motor had to be installed from the bottom of the boat.) Won't be working on Twilight for a least two more weeks -- headed to WI for some boating and water skiing.

 

Twilight, year 2010

It's been awhile; we've moved, and have been busy with many other things, but have some time now for Twilight. Tomorrow we'll launch 1/2 of the boat. Some details here: http://www.grantmaclaren.com/twilight/index7