Maximum simple trailerable power cruiser - looking for ideas

Long Narrow Accommodations

I might suggest you have a look these this Canal Boat Discussions as well. They have often had to use long narrow spaces.

There was a long discussion on this forum a number of years ago about developing a vessel with trailer as you desire. I'll try to look it up for you.

Now if I could just figure a way to make a smaller trailerable version of this beauty:

 

Have a look under Option One

You might also do a 'search' under with the word "trailerable"....and then start looking at the oldest listings and come forward.

 

Ahh.. yes... the Option One thread(s)... it all seems like so long ago now...
Brian is right, there is a great deal of valuable information tucked away in there.

I've been pondering this thread for some time now - it has the potential to be quite an interesting project. But it would seem that before you can start nailing down details - like length. power etc - you need to prepare a comprehensive SOR (statement of requirements) for the project. This is the foundation on which all future design decisions are made and is more often than not critical to the success (or otherwise) of the build. For reason's I'm still yet to fathom, it also seems to be the most dificult part to get people to devote time to preparing...

Enough of the lecture...
The O-1 threads made for an interesting study into larger trailerboats - though nothing was ever considered that was as big as the one you are proposing. The 1st question I would be asking is not how large a boat can you legally tow. It's how large a boat is it practical to tow and that you are comfortable towing.
Tom Lathrop's Blue Jacket 24 ( www.bluejacketboats.com ) and my own Graphite ( www.imaginocean.net ) were in some ways both a product of the O-1 project.
Tom took more of what I would describe as a comfortable minimalist approach with his boat, whereas mine represents what I consider to be the maximum that I would comfortably tow about, within the confines of using a regular 4WD (with a 3500kg towing capacity).

I'm in the process of updating my website, but in the next couple of days I hope to upload details of a design that could make for a very interesting solution (IMNSHO!). I call it the displacement monomaran and it is a development of the displacement catamaran hull - essentially a stabilised slender monohull.
"Sliver" is somewhat shorter at 10.25m than your proposed vessel, but it would work even better at longer lengths. It's intended for strip-plank / composite construction, so wouldn't be appropriate for ply, but you might like to take a look anyway...

 

Steve2manyboats this is in your back yard if you could make it work

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/197...ard-Custom-1704145/Edgewater/MD/United-States

 

Will, "Sliver" sounds interesting, looking forward to seeing it.

Also, I agree that requirements are needed... perhaps I'll post some soon.

 

Towing's not a problem wtih long skinny light boats...

Will:

In a prior career (if you could call it that) I used to build and prep race motors for some folks on the offshore set. Found myself trailering 42 foot race boats long distances more than a few times. Again, as long as they're only 8.5 feet wide, not much of a problem. And these race boats with the huge big blocks (mountain motors really) were plenty heavy. Still, trailering long loads is not really a problem as long as you know what you're doing and have reasonable expectations - like not expecting to drive down an old mainstreet to find a place to park while you have breakfast. As David noted, as long as you don't have big powerplants in the stern, the trailer axles can be placed pretty far forward effectively reducing turning circle, with a corresponding increase in aft swing which must be watched carefully.

Looking forward to your upcoming design. From your description, it sounds like you are aiming for minimal wetted surface so the hull cross section would wind up being seimcircular. But in a narrow hull, this would be pretty rolly, unless actively stabilized which likely increases cost and complexity significantly. Curious why you would go with round bilges rather than hard chines with a sharp entry, other than the snappy roll narrow hard chine boats can have. Since my asthetic tastes are more towards the traditional, I'd be more inclined to go with a long, narrow hard chined boat, sharp vee sections forward, nearly flat sections aft, a long shallow running keel and birds on shortie outriggers. I used to fish commercially off shore, always in hard chine boats. When we were running in a beam sea, we used birds (paravanes) on outriggers to stabilize. Due to the moments of inertia involved (large, very heavy boats) we had to use heavy birds (200 lbs.) and long outriggers (30 ft.). However for a boat this light, if the roll turned out to be too snappy, I'd think that a really light/simple/downsized version of this stability system would be simple and effective. And if it was done right, might not even look out of place.

Any advice appreciated.

Brian:

Left you a PM about developing a folding mechanism for my Firefly.

Will, Brian:

Thanks for the tips on the canal boat and O1 threads. I'll dig into them. Some of those canal boat interiors are pretty nice.

Thanks to all...Steve.

 

Brian,

Will may still be drowsing this morning in Tas. I think you will find that his Sliver is not a true monohull but that it has stabilizing sponsons of one form or another. That allows the semicircular hull shape with high stability.

 

Steve,
Until I get a chance to update the site, there's a little about the boat in (post #19) here

 

With an 11' beam, she's certainly not trailerable, but definitely runs with the less-is-more principle... this is one of my all-time favourites. Along with some of the Garden and Fexas designs, she was the inspiration that got me into yacht design.....
(One for you Rocket Man...)

 

Interesting...

Will:

Your Sliver hull is a very sleek and interesting take on a box keel or pod keel approach. Kind of like a streamlined version of a barnegat surf boat or one of bolger's box keel designs, though much more refined. It looks optimized for seakeeping and efficiency possibly at the expense of volume, which I'm interested in.

Couple of quick questions:

1. What are the dimensions of Sliver?

2. What are the dimensions of the cruiser in the picture and who designed it?

Thanks...Steve2ManyBoats.

 

Couple of quick answers...

1. 10.25 x 2.25m, 1600kg full cruising trim, including 4 crew

2. 48 x 11', Michael Peters

 

Early days yet but I'm working on a maxi-trailerable aluminum cruiser this winter. Speeds to be in the upper teens, a very light and simple boat, for which I really wanted twin outboards. But the owner requests a diesel inboard so there we go.....She started out as a tri.......That proved un-workable due to folding dificulties....But she almost looked like this.....

 

Tad,

Your sketch highlights several issues that show up when I sketch a design like this.

The fine bow of both your tri model and Will's Sliver are very shy on room up forward. I have the same problem with my BJ Glider. The fine bow sections dictate either very narrow width in the forward cabin or a very long and mostly unusable space there. I have opted for lower forward chines with increased transverse space forward. This obviously limits speed in rough water due to wave action against the forward chines, even though they are faired into the box keel as much as possible. The keel has a LB of about 14 and runs from the nearly plumb stem to about 20" forward of the transom. Power would be either one or two outboards or a small diesel in the keel with a horizontal shaft.

What is the bottom and lower hull shape of the sketch you show?
Is there headroom in the galley area?
Where is the boat to be used, referring to the outside steering in the PNW?

 

With Sliver - which is pretty extreme in terms of fine fwd sections - I took the view that if the design required the accomodations of say a 20 footer, then the boat would need to be 50% longer than that. The intent was never to provide as much accomodation as possible in a given length.
Your glider is likely to serve better in this regard.
Where the glider carries 75% of its volume in the 'keel', however, the monomaran's displacement is almost entirely so. And as the boat thus operates more strictly within the displacement mode, waterline length was key, so the 'extra' length contributes rather than detracts from its success.

Tad - I think we've all drawn at least one of those tri's!!
I think there are a number of reasons why most don't make it past the 1st couple of revolutions of the design spiral....
Like your other sketch. I considered a racier version of a similar setup for Graphite. In the end though, I wanted to keep all of the living spaces up on the 'main deck', rather than 'down below'

 

Tom and Will,

Yes, in the accommodation vs performance battle accommodation usually wins......in this case we will see.....I have a collection of ideas concerning the entry/hull shape.....the problem is exaggerated with the use of aluminum plate, probably un-painted. It will probably end up similar to some Bolger box-keel models, the box is required aft to get the engine below the cockpit sole. It will not be a simple hull form as a tunnel/pocket is also required for the prop. I'm just no fan of the vertical topsides that are sometimes associated with straight stems. The outer chine line has to drop rather quickly in this case to make space for the vee-berth, which may or may not work......Eventually it will come down to how much the owner will accept.....

The pilothouse back is open, the intention being to enclose the entire area under the roof with canvas as required....She is indeed a PNW cruiser with plans for trailering a lot further north........