A Modular Riverboat

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by Sweet Dreamer, Jul 10, 2014.

  1. Westfield 11
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    Westfield 11 Senior Member

    You can use plastic or something called peel-ply to get the same effect. It is easier and thus works better when used on the bench and the part is horizontal.
     
  2. Sweet Dreamer
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    Sweet Dreamer Junior Member

    I just came back from the river. I was checking out the launching ramp that I'll be using trying to visualize launching these boats. The launching ramp looks pretty good. Today would have been a great day to launch too because there was virtual no one there.

    I'm so excited I can hardly wait and I haven't even cut down the trees yet that will ultimately become this boat. ;)

    I'm half tempted to run out and cut down the trees right now. But I really need to wait until midwinter to do that. It just make for better lumber all the way around. Trees cut down now would be filled with summer sap making them heavy and sticky to work with.

    Although that might actually be better for rot resistance. Not sure about that. I like to work with winter-cut wood. It seems to make far nicer lumber all around. It's dryer, lighter, and cures quicker. So I'll have to way for winter to cut the lumber. Pooh!
     
  3. Sweet Dreamer
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    Sweet Dreamer Junior Member

    Just thought I'd update with some crude drawings I've been working on.

    Here's drawing of the basic hull construction:

    [​IMG]

    Adding cross braces:

    [​IMG]

    Here's a basic drawing of what I hope the tugs will look like. The paddle wheel is just a symbolic cylinder at this point of the drawing.

    [​IMG]


    Here' s crude idea of what all four boats will look like together. Hopefully they will be far prettier than this drawing with more detailed "gingerbread". I drew everything fairly crudely.

    [​IMG]

    In any case this is the basic idea.

    Does anyone know of any examples where people have done this sort of thing to gain more deck space without moving up to a single large craft?
     
  4. yellow cat
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    yellow cat Junior Member

    i would anchor them together with full depth freeboard, otherwise it will act as an hinge and fold when people will mett at center. Think of it as a large full size barge. At the wheel end (stern) you might want to have deeper hull, it will be heavier and it will want to welly up before assembly. You need to balance them out individually also.
    If you look at folding catamarans (cat2fold) or trimarans (many) , they are smaller boats expanding themselves or shrinking themselves for a purpose.
    In my project, i design it to expand side ways and fold-in length wise. This will create more oportunities and less cost at marinas (35ftx17ft vs 62ft x 35ft ...) . Right now the only concern i have is windage, i.e. i want to keep my seadoo and dinghy under the catamaran (like a garage) at the marina, and have access to them through the floor (steps or pole down) . But in a marina, windage is not a major factor comparing other yachts nearby. The shape of the roof (aerodynamics) will be crucial. All curves for sure using a combination of polycarbonate and polyethylene fluted panels.
    You may look into those for some kind of gazebo use in your project. Look at polycarbonate web sites (some are outrageously nice, on youtube also) and greenhouse fluted panels (translucent) in polyethylene .
    I have to finish permit drawings this am, so later.
    Mike
     
  5. yellow cat
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    yellow cat Junior Member

    Hi Sweet dreamer
    Have you checked if your boat will be considered as a full size craft or as 4 small crafts bolted together ? I dont know if the regulations are the same in USA and Canada, or elsewhere for that matter. For your insurance and boat registration it will be IMPORTANT.
    A while ago, a friend added 8 feet swim platform to his 50ft motorsailor. I can't reach him , he is on a boat somewhere. I had a swim platform bolted and my boat was considered as original length.
    You will likely not go at sea, but there is a customs regulation about boats over 30ft in length that requires advance notice of arrival and more. One friend had a funny experience with a 31ft sailboat . I am told he had his boat in Newport VT, went to Canada via the lake and on the way back to VT , did not do diligence on this regulation ... created a fuss at the border. Then apparently , because he wasn't at sea, it shouldn't have ... ??? I would figure something would be similar at New Orleans or Galveston etc.
    My job is to apply building codes and i like precise interpretations, nothing worse than ruinning a perfect afternoon with overseen regulations. Now i can't find my 14ft fishing boat registration, my wife moved it ... 200 $ fine if missing ! aghrgrrrrr ... boating is becoming work.
     
  6. Sweet Dreamer
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    Sweet Dreamer Junior Member

    I have been toying with different ideas of how to anchor them together. I want something that is quick and easy to attach and detach, but as you suggest it might also be nice to have connections that tend to minimize the hinge action between the boats.


    I'm going to design in as much innate balance as I possibly can. Each boat will only contain 3 occupants, possibly 4 under certain circumstances. Everyone on board these boats will fully understand that they are actually in individual boats. They will all be aware of the need for balance. Although these barges should be fairly stable anyway. I don't expect the balance issue to be so critical that it's problematic. It's just something that we will need to be aware of so that we don't randomly bring all the weight to one point without thinking about it.

    With only three people on each barge this shouldn't be a problem. That would be 12 people total on the entire assembly. And every one of them would know the situation. Most will have actually contributed to building these boats.
     
  7. Sweet Dreamer
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    Sweet Dreamer Junior Member

    They will be registered as four separate boats. I don't foresee a problem with the law. We will only be using these boats on a very small section of a very rural river. The boating authorities here are quite friendly and not out to harass people.

    But I suppose you do have a point. I should go to them first and ask if it's ok to have a tug and barge system on the river. I have found however, that often times by asking questions like these you can actually cause legal problems to crop up where there wouldn't have been any problem if you just didn't bring it up in the first place.
     
  8. yellow cat
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    yellow cat Junior Member

    Hey SD
    Don't asume any behavior on a boat you own, at the end of the day, you are responsible for their stupid behavior , after drinking, after etc ... and i have seen people go overboard so often.
    YES do ask before than after, but get the answers from proper auhority, such as US coastguards, you can ask people in marinas, they will direct you to proper bodies.
    Please do it before , remember insurance is for people that ask before than after.
    Beleive it or not, i have seen people drop their child (like 7 y.o.) trying to get them from one boat to another , between the two boats in a wavy area, he could have been crushed ... but panic will make people do stupid things and you will have to control them. After God, if you beleive, it is you the captain who is the BOSS ... and responsible for all.
    I would have to sit and think about those attachements, it has to be easy even in rough times, sort of a guidance funnel shape interconnect into which you insert some large lock pin. Then you bolt it solid into place, it has to behave like one large boat it will be.
    Stainless is the way to go with lots of vasoline , you have to be able to remove them easily anytime. In a fire for example...
     
  9. Sweet Dreamer
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    Sweet Dreamer Junior Member

    Yellow cat,

    You can rest assured that there won't be any stupid people on our boats. ;)

    No one will be drinking alcoholic beverages either.

    And finally, I won't be the captain. Each tug will have a captain and a first officer. The first officer will actually be assigned to the powerless barge that a particular tug is pushing. One of our captains was actually an active member of the U.S. Coastguard. When the two tugs are linked together he will be the ultimate Captain of the entire modular riverboat. The two captains will also be the pilots. The first officers operating as their helpmates.

    This crew of four will constitute the entire crew of the overall "ship" and all the musicians will be well aware that these captains and their first officers have absolute authority. This captains and first officers will even be dressed appropriately in white naval suits. This is not only part of the "show", but it also helps to establish an air of professionalism, and in fact will be dealt with on a professional level. Even though no one is actually getting paid to do this. Everyone involved in this project is just doing it for fun and as a "community service".

    All of those issues have been taken into consideration.

    I'm pretty sure that having a single tug pushing a single barge platform is legal and should not be a problem. The only questionable aspect will be tying the two tugs and barges together side-by-side. That could potentially be technically prohibited. If it is, we could still do this by simply having the two tug-barge systems remain separate and just motor along beside each other. That would be legal for sure.

    Although I'm pretty sure that it's also legal to have two tugs working together to push multiple barges.

    I'll have our coastguard captain look into the legal issues. But I've learned from past experiences that if you dig deep enough you can find a technicality that will make almost anything illegal if you really want to dig it up. ;)

    And ironically, if you're really ambitious you can almost always find a legal loophole to getting around it as well. ;)

    For example, by simply calling these things "Tugs and Barges" could place us in a category that might raise some legal flags. But then by simply referring to these as simply "Recreational Motor Boats Towing a Raft" different aspects of the law may apply. It's amazing how flexible the laws can be based entirely on how you describe something. So often times the legal questions are not, "Can we do this or not?", but instead they amount to, "How can we describe this situation in a way that satisfies the laws?". :)

    When it comes to legal issues nothing is cut and dried.
     

  10. yellow cat
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    yellow cat Junior Member

    SD,
    You are right about the cut and dried. I read articles on some boat , looked like a house on water . There was , probably still is, a legal debate if it was under admiralty law or zoning laws. One of the comments was, if it quack like a duck , swims like a duck, eats like a duck, it is probably a duck even if it doesn't look like a duck. He had his floating house demolished or was to be demolished by the town for ... bla bla bla reasons. he wanted to recup some cash i guess.
    I think you are limited to 5 boats siding afloat, if i remember correctly, this came about in florida at the regatas on columbus day , we saw as many as 12 boats tied together in the past. I think one cought on fire ... you guess the rest ... here on the lake we see often 5 or 6 tied together partying , especially now they rent (2000$ / day) this water jet toy , they have 2, including the large pontoon and seadoos. They have an expert onboard teaching people how to get their head smashed diving into water ... one of my hockey friends rented those. He wanted me to rent with them again ... argh not my cup of tee ... more for surfkiting and catamaran, enough toys for me.
    I am glad you will be under some coastguard help, they also have regulations on the construction methods for a boat. But anyway you will likely have crash boxes and bulkheads . This coming weekend i was planning to go to quebec city for finding a marina suited for , yes my wife ... not me only... i may have to delay next week, a close friend has her funeral this saturday , grrrrrrr. 57 too young ... was cute too. If i could encapsulate cancer cells in epoxy, i would do it ...
     
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