Best software to model a canoe?

I want to model a 30 foot canoe.

I'm between BearboatSP and Free!Ship. Free!Ship seems to be the better software, but BearboatSP is specific to kayaks and canoes. Which would be better for this project?

 

Will the "model" be based on an existing boat or will it be a new design? If based on an existing design how accurately does it need to follow the existing boat?

What will the "model" be used for? How fair does the surface need to be?

Any previous design experience? Any CAD experience?

How interested are you in hydrodynamic calculations?

 

It will be based on an existing design. I would like to follow it as closely as it needs to be for an accurate prediction of hull efficiency.

I have no boat design experience. I used to design things in blender for fun in high school, but that was a few years ago.

Basically I'm looking at different plans of very long canoe and trying to decide which one will be the most efficient at 5-7 knots while carrying about 1000 pounds (3 guys and 500 pounds of gear.)

 

It is very important that you clarify what terms you want to measure the efficiency of your canoe.

 

Fuel efficiency in this case the fuel being human power (oars and pedal power) supplemented by solar power.

Basically I want it to move through the water using the least amount of energy possible.

 

Fuel efficiency can be measured, for example by the loosened calories when a liter is burned.
You want 5-7 knots speed for your canoe. One way to define efficiency would say that that rate is to be achieved with minimum power. The power, in this case, is the force of a person paddling. To define the efficiency would have to say, for example, the person of minimum weight to be able to reach that speed. Should take that canoe passage?
Efficiency could be, for example, the canoe that, with an initial speed of 7 knots, take longer to stop, ... What you want to achieve with your boat ?.

 

The canoe will need to carry 3 people and 500 pounds of gear. For a total of 1000 pounds. We plan to make a 300 mile trip in it as fast as possible.

 

You do not need any specific software. You just need strong cyclists or rowers.
But if you insist on using some software, FreeShip is enough.

 

We are all in great shape. We are doing the everglades challenge instead of our annual fitness competition this year.

Started a new workout program this morning in the early stages of preparation.

 

How do you plan to obtain an "accurate prediction of hull efficiency"? What various software programs calculate may or may not be accurate.

Why 30 feet in length? Since you mention carrying 500 pounds of gear it sounds like the canoe will be used for multi-day trips. In that case given the amount of effective power three paddlers can provide for long periods of time 30 feet may be longer than optimum due to larger wetted surface area than a shorter canoe. Do you want to reduce the paddling effort at a fixed speed, or max speed for a given paddling effort?

Below the so-called "hull speed" for a fixed payload (passengers and gear) a longer design will generally have lower wave making resistance but higher skin friction resistance. Converse holds for a shorter design.

 

So this is a boat for the Everglades Challenge? I assume you will be paddling 12 to 16 hours per day for several days.

How narrow can the canoe be? Stability decreases rapidly as beam decreases.

 

Also, double paddle or single paddle? Sitting low as in a kayak, kneeling, or sitting high as in a Canadian canoe?

 

12-16 hours a day for we hope only 3 days but could be as long as 8. We will be using rowing oars with the sliding seat and pedal powered propellers. One member of our team is a bio-medical engineer and he's designing the human propulsion part of it.

It is going to have solar auxiliary so we plan to sleep in shifts during the heat of the day and row/pedal through the night.

Your questions about beam and length of the canoe are the exact reasons I'm looking for software. I was hoping it could answer these questions, and find the right design for us.

In another section of the forum, members seemed to think a 26-30 foot canoe would be ideal for this set up.

Right now we are considering buying plans from this website

http://makeacanoe.com/opencanoesover17.htm

and sizing down either the 35 or 40 foot design. We like these designs because they seem easy to build and efficient for our purposes. We are planning on having sponsoons on either side to make it more stable. They would sit a foot above the water line and not create drag unless.

 

Leo's FIRM or Flotilla/Michlet software looks like the best options for analyzing long, skinny boats in the speed range you are interested in.
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/design-software/free-internet-rowing-model-firm-51774.html
http://www.cyberiad.net/flotilla/flotilla.htm

 

Thank you.