Micro cruiser (sailboat).

oh no, that's two kids who drive me nuts fighting in the back seat.

You gaffer tape them to the bunks, so you cant hear them yelling .....

 

Sorry for the joke Watson, the devil made me type that, but thanks for the explanation anyway

Is there a thread here or information somewhere else about this boat . . ? ?

Good luck with the project . .

Cheers,
Angel

 

Okay, first of all if your tow vehicle and trailer weigh more than 26,000 lbs combined you have to have a CDL, not a standard drivers license.

Secondly, Colorado requires trailer brakes for any trailer heavier than 3,000 lbs.

Third, it isn't typically weight or length that prevents most boats from being trailerable:

• Width - if you boat is wider than 8' you need special permits.
• Ride height - if the boat is setting on a high keel then the center of gravity can be very high. This means slowing down below normal driving speed to avoiding overturning on a curve.
• Draft - a deep draft cannot be ramp launched. Any body of water designed for boats has at least one ramp however only specialty areas have crane lifts.

I don't know why people get these confused. When my storage building was delivered it was pulled by a special truck with wide load permits because it was 12' wide. Manufactured housing is also transported this way. Having wheels and being able to move from one place to another is not trailering. Vehicles actually designed to be trailerable like travel trailers fit within the 8' width limit. Ramp launching is also a requirement. Full sized cabin cruisers can be ramp launched and even house boats can be ramp launched. In other words every boat designed to be trailerable is ramp launchable.

Sometimes sailboat enthusiasts go to great lengths to try to justify a mangled definition of trailerable. Around here you can see tractors pulling discs and plows down the road. Their use of the road is a necessity to get from one field to another. However, just because they can technically drive on the road does not make them road vehicles.

 

Not in the US; most states here require breakaway brakes over 3,000 lbs. However, that is true; I don't often see boats much over 24' that are not wider than 8'. So yours also has a shallow draft. How is your boat different from a Macgregor 26M?

 

Well observed.

The main differences planned are :

1) Dual helm positions and a suitably designed cockpit, so that under power in bad weather you can Nav from inside, or from the stern like a yacht in good weather.

2) The ballast tanks will be designed so that you can have large 'bladders' (around 150 litres) of fresh water for long trips as part of the ballast.

3) You can build it yourself from developed ply and epoxy, and the hull will be properly 'finite element' analysed for maximum strength and minimum material and weight - built to Australian NSCV category C - B:Offshore. (Certified to be commercially chartered.)

4) The hull is a really innovative design that allows high speed motoring, yet still sail as well as the average sharpie. This isn't my idea, its a clever designers concept - quite unique.

5) The 50-75hp outboard is recessed into the stern to minimise pitching while underway, and protect the motor if you back into the wharf. ( with useful water level steps on each side)

6) more interior room.

7) Optional single daggerboard (a-la Mac ) on the non inside Nav version, or single hinge-up board ( a - la previous Mac design) or twin hinge up boards for maximum space inside ( the first prototype will have these for final testing )

The final design will be adjusted slightly after some scale model tests - then the first prototype will be built to prove the concept.

It will give this old man heaps to do over the next few months. Its very exciting.

 

So what's it look like Watson? Did I miss the type? That list sounds good...

 

I apparently missed this old thread. I have a design that pretty much answers all the needs of the original poster's requirements. A real, ocean capable, small cruiser with modest draft and fully trailerable, without looking like a hacked up box that floats.

http://www.woodenboat.com/boat-plans-kits/discrete-ryd-1411

She's 18' on deck, has a few different rig options, nearly 140 degrees of positive righting stability and can draw as little as 27" (centerboard version). She can be built taped seam (hard chine), strip planked or glued lapstrake. She can carry a small inboard if desired (5 - 8 HP).

 

USA trailer dimension laws link.
http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/laws/trailer-dimensions/

 

Yeah, I cant wait to publish the lines. I am not doing so at the moment without the permission of the designer (somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic). He has trusted me with the actual Cad drawings for my review, but I wont flash them around without approval. He has invested a lot of his own time and ingenuity in the outcome.

Essentially, it has elements of a typical sharpie design for efficient sailing, but also with the ability to do ~20 mph.

What I will attempt to do over the next 3 weeks is get the 1:5 scale model operational, and I can publish how the boat 'looks' while in operation.

First sight is a bit 'unusual', but it grows on me as I consider the anticipated performance.