Oyster Farm Work boat design help

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by member 72465, Jan 3, 2021.

  1. member 72465
    Joined: Jan 2021
    Posts: 2
    Likes: 0, Points: 1
    Location: Australia

    member 72465 New Member

    Looking at getting a new boat to be used on oyster farms and after opinions.
    Idea boat would be;
    - low draft
    - handle chop
    - can carry a decent load + in chop + being stable + can do this at a decent speed

    The norm is a something like a 6x3m flat bottom, mainly I guess because of its draft - Which I have one of, floats in like 200mm of water, it’s great to work out off, it saves a lot of effort carting stuff as you can easily drag it around behind you. But yer I used it for about a week then went back to useing a old v hull tinny reasons being the trip home in the flat bottom where to painful, banging around in the chop wasn’t fun - add a little wind and it just ruins your life.
    Im thinking something like a pontoon boat would be the go, basically 2 pontoons, no sides so it’s easy to load up/haul whatever onto, I’m also thinking of possibly having some kind of mesh floor (boat normally fills up with sand, shells etc pretty quick so would be much easier if it just fell through the floor then having to deal with it). Just not sure why no one else seems to be running this kind of set up.

    I’m pretty sold on the twin hull idea, just not sure weather round tubes or v would suit best. Happy to give a little draft for a smoother faster trip home.
    Would appreciate any opinions - tube, V, tri hull, aluminium, hdpe (from what I’ve come across it’s supposedly it takes more punishment from scrapes and bagging into things then aluminium?) thickness?
     
  2. S V
    Joined: Jan 2019
    Posts: 83
    Likes: 5, Points: 8
    Location: Lithuania

    S V Junior Member

    I am not a naval guy, but know thing or two about plastics. The very best choice for deck would be black UV resistant HDPE - it is indestructable. The only negative that it its slippery in its natural form, but it is solvable.
    HDPE can be used in the ship hulls also.
     
  3. member 72465
    Joined: Jan 2021
    Posts: 2
    Likes: 0, Points: 1
    Location: Australia

    member 72465 New Member

    I’m actually swinging more to making the entire thing hdpe for that reason, seems like it can be abused more and less upkeep. only thing that puts me off is the price - not saying it’s not worth it but it just feels like a rort for what’s just a few melted down bottles - I’ve got a mountain of hdpe plastic laying around, even looked down the diy avenue to mould it
     
  4. S V
    Joined: Jan 2019
    Posts: 83
    Likes: 5, Points: 8
    Location: Lithuania

    S V Junior Member

    HDPE has many kinds, you need HDPE 100 or HDPE 300 or smth in between. And you need specifically UV resistant. If the HDPE is chosen as a building material then most likelly it will be built from sheets by extrusion welder. Plastics of HDPE 500 grade and up almost does not weld. So, you need to get sheets of plastics as cheap as possible and buy extrusion welder which is crazy expensive... The manufacturing process will be not much easier than welding from alluminum.

    At which part of the world you are? I can say if the pricing for sheets is good.

    Forget about manufacturing homemade plastics molds... Bottles that lay around are most likely PET plastics.
     
  5. bajansailor
    Joined: Oct 2007
    Posts: 3,583
    Likes: 1,547, Points: 113, Legacy Rep: 37
    Location: Barbados

    bajansailor Marine Surveyor

  6. BMcF
    Joined: Mar 2007
    Posts: 1,173
    Likes: 182, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 361
    Location: Maryland

    BMcF Senior Member

    Local guy near my shop uses a pontoon boat for all his maintenance and harvesting activity on his small oyster farm. He does not go very far with it though..it's not even a mile from the launch ramp to his oyster beds.
     
  7. fallguy
    Joined: Dec 2016
    Posts: 7,581
    Likes: 1,667, Points: 123, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: usa

    fallguy Senior Member

    Pontoons have max loads before they get too submerged.

    You need some idea of the loading needs to get the right boat.
     
  8. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
    Posts: 10,386
    Likes: 1,042, Points: 113, Legacy Rep: 702
    Location: Australia

    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Not a lot of detail about the deck area or the loads required, but a vee-nose planing punt should be enough to meet the specifications, though I'm not sure of the extent of this chop you speak of.
     
  9. Will Gilmore
    Joined: Aug 2017
    Posts: 935
    Likes: 433, Points: 63
    Location: Littleton, nh

    Will Gilmore Senior Member

    upload_2021-1-4_15-6-32.png Take your flat bottomed boat and add retracting foils to both improve speed and soften the waves.
    upload_2021-1-4_15-7-47.png
    Just a thought to get low draft, high speed and comfy ride all in one. No compromises.
     
  10. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
    Posts: 10,386
    Likes: 1,042, Points: 113, Legacy Rep: 702
    Location: Australia

    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Everything is a compromise one way or another, to my mind it depends on the water that has to be traversed, a "jumbo" vee-nose planing punt with even 8 degrees of deadrise will ride noticeably better than a flat bottom, and the static stability won't be much different.
     
  11. fallguy
    Joined: Dec 2016
    Posts: 7,581
    Likes: 1,667, Points: 123, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: usa

    fallguy Senior Member

    Say what?

    I'm sure those gritty shells won't damage the foils.

    such silliness now, boat is cool looking for sure
     

  12. Will Gilmore
    Joined: Aug 2017
    Posts: 935
    Likes: 433, Points: 63
    Location: Littleton, nh

    Will Gilmore Senior Member

    That's why they need to be retracting. Pull the foils in just as you get the the shoals and voila, your a flats skiff.
    upload_2021-1-4_20-5-29.png
    You could make the foils outboard attachments. Easier to engineer.

    -Will (Dragonfly)
     
Loading...
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.